Information processing systems and programs

Abstract

Compared to a configuration that does not encourage settings related to consumption tax refunds, this configuration suppresses the failure to make settings related to consumption tax refunds. [Solution] The information processing system includes an acquisition means for acquiring setting information relating to the history of settings that are user-targeted and related to the refund of consumption tax included in the price of tax-free goods, and a control means for displaying promotional information to promote a setting when a specified condition is met for a setting that is not targeted to the user. It is equipped with.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes providing a POS register that can improve the operability of an operator and facilitate the sale of duty-free items.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is a technique for refunding consumption tax included in the price of duty-free items purchased by a user when duty-free is applied to the purchase of the duty-free items. Here, if settings related to the refund of consumption tax, such as registration of user information necessary for the refund of consumption tax, are not performed, there is a risk that the consumption tax will not be refunded to the user. An object of the present disclosure is to suppress the failure to perform settings related to the refund of consumption tax compared to a configuration in which settings related to the refund of consumption tax are not promoted.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The information processing system of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires setting information regarding the history of settings related to the refund of consumption tax included in the price of duty-free items, which are settings targeted at users, and a control unit that displays promotion information for promoting the settings when conditions defined for settings that have not been performed for the user among the settings are satisfied.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to this disclosure, compared to a configuration that does not promote settings related to consumption tax refunds, it is possible to suppress the failure to make settings related to consumption tax refunds. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of the overall configuration of a tax-free system. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the hardware configuration of the management server, store server, user terminal, judgment server, and reception device. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of the management server. [Figure 4] (A) is a diagram showing the passport reading screen, and (B) is a diagram showing the input acceptance screen. [Figure 5] This sequence diagram illustrates the process from when a user installs the tax-free app on their device to when the tax exemption is applied to the user's purchase of tax-free goods, resulting in a refund of consumption tax to the user. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the pre-purchase management table. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing a selection management table. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the reception process. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the selection screen. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the individual registration screen. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the history management table. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the proposal processing. [Figure 13] (A) is a diagram showing the suggestion screen, and (B) is a diagram showing the duty-free shop list screen. [Figure 14] (A) is a diagram showing the handling map screen, and (B) is a diagram showing the transportation options screen. [Figure 15] (A) is a diagram showing the code screen, and (B) is a diagram showing the self-matching screen. [Figure 16] (A) and (B) are flowcharts showing the flow of the collation result screen. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing the flow of post-purchase processing. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing the purchase result screen. [Figure 19] It is a flowchart showing the flow of post-judgment processing. [Figure 20] (A) is a diagram showing the refund notice screen, and (B) is a diagram showing the product result screen. [Figure 21] (A) is a diagram showing the store result screen, and (B) is a diagram showing the related map screen. [Figure 22] It is a diagram showing the non-determination notice screen. [Figure 23] (A) is a diagram showing the duty-free store list screen as a modification example, and (B) is a diagram showing the duty-free product list screen. [Figure 24] It is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the store server. [Figure 25] It is a diagram showing the setting management table. [Figure 26] It is a flowchart showing the flow of promotion processing. [Figure 27] It is a diagram showing the promotion screen. [Figure 28] (A) and (B) are diagrams showing the setting reception screen. [Figure 29] (A) and (B) are diagrams showing the setting reception screen. [Figure 30] It is a flowchart showing the flow of promotion processing. [Figure 31] It is a diagram showing the promotion screen. [Figure 32] (A) and (B) are diagrams showing the setting reception screen.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration example of the duty-free system 1. As an example of an information processing system, the tax exemption system 1 is a system that exempts users from consumption tax by refunding the consumption tax they pay when they purchase tax-exempt goods, in a manner appropriate to the user. More specifically, the tax exemption system 1 accepts the user's selection of the consumption tax refund to be granted to the user when tax exemption applies to the user's purchase of tax-exempt goods. The tax exemption system 1 then determines whether the user, who is the purchaser of the tax-exempt goods, is eligible for tax exemption, and if it is determined that the user is eligible for tax exemption, it refunds the consumption tax by granting the user the refund item selected by the user. The tax exemption system 1 of this embodiment is a system that targets the purchase of tax-exempt goods in Japan. That is, the following description is a description of a configuration used in Japan. However, the tax exemption system 1 may be a system that targets the purchase of tax-exempt goods in any country. That is, the following description may be a configuration used in a country other than Japan. The rewards given to users as a consumption tax refund include currency and benefits other than currency. Currency also includes digital forms of currency such as electronic money. Rewards of currency as a consumption tax refund include cash refunds to users, refunds to users' bank accounts, refunds to users' credit cards, and refunds of electronic money to users' electronic money accounts. Benefits other than currency include points and vouchers used for exchanging for goods or for discounts on goods. Rewards other than currency as a consumption tax refund include the awarding of points and vouchers to user accounts on websites and application software. Points, vouchers, and other benefits other than currency may be referred to as non-currency benefits below. Furthermore, the rewards given to users as a consumption tax refund, such as non-currency benefits and currency, may be referred to as "reward items" below. Furthermore, under the following terms, users are required to pick up their purchased duty-free items at the store where they were purchased or at a designated pick-up location within that store. In other words, duty-free items purchased by users will not be delivered to their homes.

[0009] The tax-free system 1 comprises a management server 10, a store server 20, a user terminal 30, a determination server 40, and a reception device 50. The management server 10, the store server 20, the user terminal 30, the determination server 40, and the reception device 50 are all connected via a network 60.

[0010] The management server 10 is a server that manages tax exemptions for purchases of tax-free goods by users. The management server 10 manages user information for each purchaser of tax-free goods. The management server 10 then notifies the user whether or not the tax exemption applies to the purchase of tax-free goods, based on the result of a determination of whether or not the tax exemption applies to the purchase of tax-free goods by the user. Furthermore, if it is determined that the tax exemption applies to the purchase of tax-free goods by the user, the management server 10 refunds the user the consumption tax included in the price of the tax-free goods purchased by the user. The management server 10 also manages information regarding the purchase history for each purchaser of tax-free goods. The store server 20 is a server provided for each duty-free store in the duty-free system 1. The store server 20 transmits information about the user who purchased the duty-free goods, and information about the duty-free goods purchased by this user, to the determination server 40. The store server 20 may include a POS register.

[0011] The user terminal 30 is a terminal owned by a user who purchases duty-free goods. The user terminal 30 has a camera 31 as an example of a shooting means that generates images by taking pictures, and a location identification means 32 that identifies the user's location. The location identification means 32 identifies the location of the user terminal 30 at predetermined intervals and generates information indicating the identified location. The predetermined interval can be any time, but for example, it is 1 second. The information indicating the location identified by the location identification means 32 may be referred to as location information below. Examples of location identification means 32 include GPS (Global Positioning system) and other positioning means. The user terminal 30 is implemented by a computer such as a smartphone or a tablet-type information terminal. In the duty-free system 1, a user terminal 30 is provided for each user who purchases duty-free goods. This disclosure describes how application software for refunding the consumption tax paid by the user when purchasing tax-free goods, in other words, application software for realizing tax exemption, is installed on the user terminal 30. This application software provides the user with information regarding tax exemption and refunds the consumption tax to the user in a manner tailored to their needs. The application software installed on the user terminal 30 to realize tax exemption may hereafter be referred to as the tax exemption app.

[0012] Let me explain the features of the tax-free app. The tax-free app accepts the user's selection of eligible items and decides to refund the consumption tax to the user based on the selected items. The tax-free app also extracts tax-free items and shops based on the user's behavior and purchase history of tax-free goods, and displays the extracted tax-free items and shops on the user terminal 30, thereby suggesting tax-free items and shops to the user. Furthermore, the tax-free app acquires user information by having the camera 31 read the user's information and by accepting user input of user information. This information acquired by the tax-free app includes information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies. In addition, the tax-free app displays the information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies, as well as information about the user, on the user terminal 30, thereby providing the displayed information and assisting tax-free shop staff in confirming that the user is eligible for tax exemption. Furthermore, the tax-free app notifies the user of the result of the determination of whether or not tax exemption applies by displaying information about the determination on the user's terminal 30.

[0013] Furthermore, the tax-free app manages which tax-free product information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before the user purchased the tax-free product. In this disclosure, each tax-free product has an encoded image, such as a QR code (registered trademark), attached to it, which contains information used to promote the sale of the tax-free product, such as a description of the tax-free product, and information about the store that sells the tax-free product. When the encoded image is read by the camera 31 of the user terminal 30, the tax-free app displays the information of the tax-free product identified from the encoded image on the user terminal 30. In addition, before the purchase of a tax-free product, the tax-free app stores the tax-free products whose encoded images were read, as well as tax-free products whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 by the user searching on a website or the tax-free app, as a history of tax-free products whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase.

[0014] Furthermore, the duty-free app stores information on various duty-free items and duty-free shops within the country. It then suggests duty-free items and shops that are suitable for the user from among the stored information. Furthermore, the tax-free app displays information in the language specified by the user on the user's device 30.

[0015] Thus, various tax-free functions are implemented through tax-free apps. Therefore, the programs that make up a tax-free app can also be seen as programs that enable a computer to implement the various functions mentioned above. However, the various functions related to tax exemption described above may be implemented by various processes performed by the management server 10 instead of the tax exemption application. In this case, the various functions related to tax exemption will be implemented even if the tax exemption application is not installed on the user terminal 30.

[0016] The determination server 40 is a server that determines whether or not to apply tax exemption to a user's purchase of tax-free goods. The determination server 40 obtains the information necessary for the determination from the store server 20. When the determination server 40 receives a request from the receiving device 50 to determine whether or not to apply tax exemption, it makes a decision based on the information obtained from the store server 20. The determination server 40 also notifies the management server 10 and the receiving device 50 of the result of the determination. The reception device 50 is a device that accepts applications for tax exemption from users for the purchase of tax-free goods. When the reception device 50 receives a tax exemption application from a user, it sends a request to the determination server 40 for a determination of whether or not the tax exemption applies, along with information identifying the user who made the application. When the reception device 50 obtains information regarding the determination result from the determination server 40, it notifies the user of the determination result by displaying the determination result identified from the obtained information. In this disclosure, the reception device 50 is provided at each airport. The number of reception devices 50 provided at each airport may be any number.

[0017] The management server 10, store server 20, judgment server 40, and reception device 50 are implemented, for example, by computers. The management server 10, store server 20, judgment server 40, and reception device 50 may be configured by a single computer, or they may be implemented by distributed processing using multiple computers. Alternatively, the management server 10 and store server 20 may be configured by a single computer. Furthermore, the management server 10, store server 20, judgment server 40, and reception device 50 may be implemented on virtual hardware provided by cloud computing. Network 60 is not particularly limited in type, as long as it is capable of sending and receiving data. Examples of Network 60 include the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), and 4G (4G). th Generation Mobile Communication) and 5G (5 thExamples include mobile communication systems such as Generation Mobile Communication. Furthermore, the communication lines used for sending and receiving data in network 60 may be wired or wireless. Network 60 may also be configured to connect each device in the duty-free system 1 via multiple communication lines.

[0018] Next, the hardware configuration of the management server 10, store server 20, user terminal 30, judgment server 40, and reception device 50 will be described. Figure 2 shows the hardware configuration of the management server 10, store server 20, user terminal 30, judgment server 40, and reception device 50. In the following description, the management server 10, store server 20, user terminal 30, judgment server 40, and reception device 50 may be collectively referred to simply as "computer." As shown in Figure 2, the computer includes a processor 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, auxiliary storage device 104, display unit 105, operation reception unit 106, speaker 107, microphone 108, and communication IF 109.

[0019] The processor 101 is a device that realizes various functions through the execution of a program. The processor 101 may include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The processor 101 may consist of a single processor or may consist of multiple processors located in physically separate locations. ROM102 is a memory area that stores the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), etc. ROM102 also stores programs executed by the processor 101. RAM103 is the workspace for processor 101. The auxiliary storage device 104 stores programs executed by the processor 101 and various types of data. Examples of auxiliary storage devices 104 include volatile HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and semiconductor storage. Examples of programs include operating systems (OS) and application programs.

[0020] The display unit 105 displays information. Examples of the display unit 105 include liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) displays. The operation reception unit 106 receives input from the computer. Examples of the operation reception unit 106 include a keyboard, mouse, capacitive touch sensor, switch, and remote controller. The combination of computer type and operation reception unit 106 type is not limited to any combination. Speaker 107 outputs sound. Microphone 108 is used for sound input. More specifically, microphone 108 converts the input sound into digital data. Communication IF109 is used for communication with external devices.

[0021] The processor 101 and various devices (ROM 102, RAM 103, auxiliary storage device 104, display unit 105, operation reception unit 106, speaker 107, microphone 108, communication IF 109) are connected via buses and other signal lines. In this disclosure, the processor 101 reads programs stored in the ROM 102 and auxiliary storage device 104, thereby executing various processes performed by the computer.

[0022] Figure 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of the management server 10. The management server 10 comprises a transmission / reception unit 111, a storage unit 112, a timing unit 113, an extraction unit 114, a calculation unit 115, and a control unit 116. These functional units are realized through the cooperation of the management server 10's hardware and a program. As an example of an acquisition method, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 transmits and receives information to and from an external device. The information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 111 includes information related to the purchase of duty-free goods and information related to the result of the determination of whether or not duty exemption applies. The information transmitted by the transmitting / receiving unit 111 includes information to be displayed on the user terminal 30, such as information related to the result of the determination of whether or not duty exemption applies. The storage unit 112 stores information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 111, information generated by the management server 10, and so on. The storage unit 112 also stores information on each duty-free product and each duty-free shop in Japan.

[0023] The timekeeping unit 113 measures time. Examples of the timekeeping unit 113 include an RTC (Real Time Clock). The extraction unit 114 extracts duty-free goods and duty-free shops that are sold by duty-free shops and whose information will be displayed on the user terminal 30. The calculation unit 115 calculates an index, etc., indicating the degree to which a user is eligible for a consumption tax refund, in response to the user's purchase of tax-free goods. As an example of a control means, the control unit 116, upon receiving information regarding the result of the determination of whether or not tax exemption applies to the transmitting / receiving unit 111, transmits the information regarding the determination result to the user terminal 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 111. The control unit 116 also transmits user-specific information regarding tax-free goods and tax-free shops suggested to the user to the user terminal 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 111.

[0024] Figure 4(A) shows the passport reading screen 200. The passport reading screen 200 is a screen for reading the user's passport. In this disclosure, the tax-free application displays the passport reading screen 200 on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30 in response to the user's operation on the user terminal 30. However, the management server 10 may also display the passport reading screen 200 on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30 in response to the user's operation on the user terminal 30. The passport reading screen 200 shows an instruction image 201, a personal information prompting image 202, a reading display unit 203, a confirmation unit 204, and a cancellation unit 205. Instruction image 201 instructs the user to have the camera 31 of the user terminal 30 read the passport. In the illustrated example, instruction image 201 shows the text, "Please use the camera to read the page of the passport showing your photograph."

[0025] The identity-promoting image 202 is an image designed to encourage users to scan their own passports. In the illustrated example, the identity-promoting image 202 displays the text, "Identity verification is required when purchasing duty-free goods, so please be sure to scan your own passport." The identity-promoting image 202 can also be seen as an image that discourages users from scanning the passports of someone other than themselves. The information displayed in the user identification image 202 includes, but is not limited to, information regarding identity verification and information regarding scanning a passport belonging to someone other than the user. The user identification image 202 may display only the text "Identity verification will be performed when purchasing duty-free goods" or only the text "Please scan your passport." In other words, the user identification image 202 only needs to display at least one of the following: information regarding identity verification and information regarding preventing the scanning of a passport belonging to someone other than the user. Furthermore, the information regarding preventing the scanning of a passport belonging to someone other than the user is not limited to the examples given above. The user identification image 202 may display text such as "Please do not scan someone else's passport" as information regarding preventing the scanning of a passport belonging to someone other than the user.

[0026] The reading display unit 203 shows the subject being photographed by the camera 31. When the passport reading screen 200 is displayed and the passport is included in the field of view of the camera 31, the portion of the passport included in the field of view is displayed on the reading display unit 203. The user adjusts the portion of the passport to be read by the camera 31 while confirming the portion of the passport displayed on the reading display unit 203. In this disclosure, the user also has the reading display unit 203 display the page of the passport that shows the passport number, photograph, nationality, name, gender, date of birth, place of origin, date of issue, validity period, and signature. When the selection unit 204 is selected, the camera 31 reads the passport. In this case, the passport information read by the camera 31 is stored in the user terminal 30. Furthermore, if the cancellation unit 205 is selected, the camera 31 will stop reading the passport.

[0027] In the following, when the user displays a page of the passport on the reading and display unit 203 and operates the determination unit 204, the information shown on the passport, such as the passport number, photograph, nationality, name, gender, date of birth, place of origin, date of issue, validity period, and signature, will be stored in the user terminal 30.

[0028] Furthermore, when the user selects the decision unit 204, the input reception screen 210 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 4(B). The input reception screen 210 is a screen that accepts the user's information. The input reception screen 210 shows an input prompt image 211, an address input section 212, a hobby input section 213, a type selection section 214, a period input section 215, a registration section 216, and a cancellation section 217. The input prompt image 211 prompts the user to enter information into the user information input screen 210. In the illustrated example, the input prompt image 211 displays the text, "Please enter your personal information." The address input unit 212 accepts the user's address input. The hobby input unit 213 accepts input of the user's hobbies. In the illustrated example, the hobby input unit 213 accepts input of up to three of the user's hobbies. However, the number of hobbies that can be accepted as input to the hobby input unit 213 may be any number.

[0029] The Category Selection Unit 214 accepts the user's selection of the applicable category of residence from among "Short-Term Visitor," "Diplomatic," "Official," and "Other." In the illustrated example, "Short-Term Visitor" is selected in the Category Selection Unit 214. Note that the user's category of residence being one of "Short-Term Visitor," "Diplomatic," or "Official" is one of the conditions for the user to be eligible for tax exemption. The period input unit 215 accepts input from the user regarding the duration of their stay in Japan. When the registration unit 216 is selected, the information entered on the input reception screen 210 is registered as the user's information. When the cancellation unit 217 is selected, the registration of the information entered on the input reception screen 210 is canceled.

[0030] In the following example, when the registration unit 216 is selected in the illustrated state, the following information will be registered: the address "Country A, City B, XYZ", hobbies "Sports", "Music Appreciation", and "Travel", the type of residence "Short-term Visitor", and the period of stay "October 10, 2024 - October 15, 2024". Furthermore, in the following example, the person who registers the information on the input reception screen 210, in other words, the user who owns the user terminal 30, is assumed to be a male in his 40s with U.S. citizenship.

[0031] In this disclosure, the passport information read on the passport reading screen 200 (see Figure 4(A)) and the user information entered on the input acceptance screen 210 are used for identity verification when the user purchases duty-free goods, to determine whether or not duty-free exemption applies to the duty-free goods purchased by the user, and to suggest duty-free goods or duty-free shops to the user. In the following text, the information entered and registered in the period input section 215 as the duration of the user's stay in Japan may simply be referred to as the "stay period."

[0032] Furthermore, the user information that can be input at the user terminal 30 is not limited to the above example. The duty-free app accepts input from the user via the user's terminal 30, including the time the user will arrive in Japan and the departure time of the flight the user will use to depart the country. In this disclosure, the departure time of the flight the user will use to depart the country is assumed to be 14:10 on October 15, 2024. The tax-free app may also obtain information such as the passport number, the user's nationality, name, gender, date of birth, place of origin, date of passport issuance, and passport validity period by accepting input from the user into the user terminal 30.

[0033] Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the process from when the user terminal 30 installs the tax-free app to when the user's purchase of tax-free goods is subject to tax exemption and the consumption tax is refunded to the user. Note that the process shown in Figure 5 is performed for each user. Also, in the example shown in Figure 5, the benefit granted is a non-currency benefit. First, the user operates the user terminal 30, which then installs the tax-free app (Step 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "S"). Next, the user takes a picture of their passport with the camera 31 of the user terminal 30 on the passport reading screen 200 (see Figure 4(A)), and the tax-free app reads the passport (S2). Next, the user enters their information on the input reception screen 210 (see Figure 4(B)), and the user's information is registered in the tax-free app (S3). Steps 1 through 3 may be performed before the user stays in the country where they wish to receive tax exemption, or while the user is staying in that country.

[0034] Next, the user operates the user terminal 30, and the tax-free app accepts the user's selection of eligible recipients (S4). Next, when a user purchases duty-free goods at a duty-free shop, the user operates the user terminal 30, and a code screen is displayed in the duty-free app (S5). As will be explained in more detail later, the code screen is used to provide information about the user and to verify the identity of the user who is purchasing the duty-free goods. Next, a reading means (not shown), such as a camera on the store server 20, reads the image shown on the code screen displayed in step 5 (S6). Next, the reading means of the store server 20 reads the receipt (not shown) that is printed from the duty-free shop's register when the user purchases duty-free goods at the duty-free shop (S7). The store server 20 transmits the information identified from the image read in step 6, and the information read in step 7, to the determination server 40 and the management server 10 (S8, S9). The store server 20 may also transmit the information transmitted in step 8 or step 9 to the user terminal 30. Furthermore, when the management server 10 receives the information transmitted from the store server 20 in step 9, it may transmit the received information to the user terminal 30. The information transmitted from the store server 20 in steps 8 and 9 includes the information shown on the passport read on the passport reading screen 200, and the information entered and registered on the input acceptance screen 210. After this, steps 5 through 9 are repeated each time the user purchases duty-free items during their stay.

[0035] Next, when the user operates the user terminal 30, identification information (not shown) that identifies the user, as displayed on the user terminal 30, is acquired by the receiving device 50 (S10). The acquisition of the identification information by the receiving device 50 is performed, for example, by the reading means (not shown) of the receiving device 50 reading the identification information displayed on the user terminal 30. The identification information is displayed, for example, when the user operates the user terminal 30. Examples of identification information include an image in which information that identifies the user is encoded. Examples of information that identifies the user include the passport number and the user's name. After the processing in step 10 is performed, the user's tax exemption application is received by the receiving device 50. Next, the receiving device 50 transmits the identification information acquired in step 10 to the determination server 40 (S11).

[0036] Next, the determination server 40 determines whether or not to apply the tax exemption to the purchase of tax-free goods for the user identified from the identification information. In the following, it will be assumed that the determination server 40 has determined to apply the tax exemption to the purchase of tax-free goods. In this case, the determination server 40 transmits information indicating the result of the determination to the receiving device 50 and the management server 10 (S12, S13). Next, the reception device 50 displays the result of the determination made by the determination server 40 (S14). Next, the management server 10 sends information indicating the result of the determination by the determination server 40 to the user terminal 30, thereby displaying the determination result on the user terminal 30 (S15). Next, the user terminal 30, in accordance with the determination result by the determination server 40, grants the user the non-currency benefit that is eligible for the benefit in the tax-free app, thereby refunding the consumption tax included in the price of the tax-free goods purchased by the user (S16). Note that the process in step 4 may be performed at any time before the process in step 16 is performed.

[0037] Alternatively, instead of a tax-free app, the management server 10 may handle the refund of consumption tax to the user. In this case, without performing the processing in step 1, in step 2, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 displays the passport reading screen 200 on the user terminal 30. The control unit 116 then reads the passport captured by the camera 31 via the passport reading screen 200. In step 3, the control unit 116 displays the input reception screen 210 on the user terminal 30 and registers the user's information entered on the input reception screen 210. The passport information read in step 2 and the information registered in step 3 are stored in the storage unit 112 of the management server 10. In step 10, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 displays identification information on the user terminal 30 and has the reception device 50 read this identification information. Furthermore, in step 16, the control unit 116 refunds the consumption tax by granting non-currency benefits to the user's account on the website.

[0038] Figure 6 shows the pre-purchase management table. The pre-purchase management table is a table for managing the history of duty-free items that a user has displayed information about on the user terminal 30 before purchasing the duty-free items. The pre-purchase management table is stored on the user terminal 30. However, the pre-purchase management table may also be stored on the management server 10. The pre-purchase management table displays "Date and Time," "Duty-Free Item," "Item," "Store," "Pickup Location," "Price," and "Sales Tax."

[0039] This section explains the specific contents of the pre-purchase management table. The "Date and Time" column shows the date and time when the information on the duty-free item in question was displayed on the user terminal 30. The "Duty-Free Item" section displays the name of the duty-free item in question. The name of the duty-free item displayed under "Duty-Free Item" is the name of the duty-free item that the user has displayed on the user terminal 30 by reading the encoded image attached to the duty-free item with the camera 31 or by searching on the user terminal 30 before purchasing the duty-free item.

[0040] The "Goods" section indicates the type of duty-free item. "Consumable" under "Goods" means the duty-free item is a consumable item. Consumable items are goods that are consumed through use. Examples of consumable items include food and beverages, medicines, and cosmetics. Furthermore, "General" under "Goods" means the duty-free item is a general item. General items are duty-free items that are not consumable items. Examples of general items include home appliances, clothing, jewelry, and folk crafts. This disclosure specifies the conditions under which tax exemption applies to the purchase price of tax-free goods on a daily basis. If the tax-free goods purchased by the user include consumables, the condition for tax exemption is that the total purchase price excluding consumption tax per day must be between 5,000 yen and 500,000 yen. Furthermore, if the tax-free goods purchased by the user do not include consumables, i.e., if the user purchases only general goods, the condition for tax exemption is that the total purchase price excluding consumption tax per day must be 5,000 yen or more.

[0041] The "Store" field displays the name of the store that sells the duty-free goods. When the camera 31 of the user terminal 30 reads an encoded image attached to a duty-free item and information about the duty-free item is displayed on the user terminal 30, the "Store" field displays the name of the store that sells the duty-free item to which the encoded image read by the camera 31 was attached. In addition, when information about duty-free goods is displayed on the user terminal 30 by the user searching on a website or duty-free app, the "Store" field displays the name of the store that was displayed on the user terminal 30 as the store selling the searched duty-free item. The "Pickup Location" indicates the place where the duty-free goods purchased by the user will be picked up by the user. If the "Pickup Location" is a duty-free store, the location of this store will be indicated in "Pickup Location". If the "Pickup Location" is an airport, the name of this airport will be indicated in "Pickup Location". In this disclosure, depending on the duty-free store, when a user purchases duty-free goods at the duty-free store or reserves duty-free goods at the user terminal 30, the user can pick up the duty-free goods at a location selected by the user from among the duty-free store and the airport. The "price" shown includes the sales price of duty-free items, including consumption tax. However, the "price" may also show the sales price of duty-free items excluding consumption tax. The "consumption tax" section shows the consumption tax on duty-free items.

[0042] An example of a pre-purchase management table is described below. "a," which is a "duty-free item," is a duty-free item whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 at "9:40 AM on October 10, 2024," before the user purchased "a." Furthermore, this "duty-free item" "a" has the following characteristics: "item type" is "consumable," "store" is "A," "pickup location" is "A-1-1," "price" is "5500" yen, and "consumption tax" is "500" yen.

[0043] Figure 7 shows the selection management table. The selection management table is used to manage the history of duty-free items selected by the user for purchase. The selection management table is stored on the user terminal 30. However, the selection management table may also be stored on the management server 10. Furthermore, the pre-purchase management table shown in Figure 6 and the selection management table shown in Figure 7 are for the same user. The selection management table shows "Date and Time," "Duty-Free Item," "Item," "Purchase," "Store," "Pickup Location," "Price," "Sales Tax," and "Eligible."

[0044] Let's explain the contents of the selection management table in detail. The "Date and Time" column shows the date and time when the duty-free item was purchased or reserved by the user. The "Duty-Free Items" section displays the names of the duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user. The "items" column indicates the type of duty-free item. The "items" shown in the selection management table have the same meaning as the "items" shown in the pre-purchase management table. The "Purchase" section displays information identifying whether the duty-free item has been purchased or reserved by the user. A "〇" under "Purchase" means the duty-free item has been purchased by the user. A "-" under "Purchase" means the duty-free item has been reserved by the user.

[0045] The "Store" section shows the name of the store that sells duty-free goods. The "Pickup Location" section indicates the location where the user will pick up the duty-free items they purchased. The "price" shown includes the sales price of duty-free items, including consumption tax. However, the "price" may also show the sales price of duty-free items excluding consumption tax. The "consumption tax" section shows the consumption tax on duty-free items. The "Eligible" column indicates who is eligible for the tax exemption when purchasing tax-free goods. "Non-currency benefits" under "Eligible" means the benefit is non-currency. "Cash" under "Eligible" means the benefit is cash. A dash ("-") under "Eligible" means the benefit is not yet determined.

[0046] The selection management table shows "a," "o," "p," "b," "r," "s," "e," "f," and "q" as "duty-free items" selected by the user. On the other hand, the selection management table does not show "c," "i," and "t," which are duty-free items whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase (see Figure 4). In other words, duty-free items "c," "i," and "t" are duty-free items whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase, but which the user did not select to purchase. Duty-free items "a," "o," "p," "r," "s," and "q" are duty-free items whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase and which the user selected to purchase. Duty-free items "b," "e," and "f" are duty-free items whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase, but which the user selected to purchase. Additionally, the duty-free item "p" was purchased for two consecutive days.

[0047] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the reception process. The reception process involves the tax-free application on the user terminal 30 receiving the user's selection of the items to be granted. The tax-free application on the user terminal 30 specifies the timing for granting the user the eligible items for consumption tax refund, for each eligible item (S101). The tax-free application specifies the timing for granting the eligible items according to the timing of the execution of the acceptance process. The timing of the execution of the acceptance process includes the timing before the user purchases or reserves tax-free goods, and the timing after the user purchases or reserves tax-free goods. The timing after the user purchases tax-free goods includes the timing before the application for tax exemption for the purchase of tax-free goods is received by the acceptance device 50, and the timing after the application for tax exemption is received by the acceptance device 50. The timing after the application for tax exemption is received by the acceptance device 50 includes the timing before the determination server 40 determines whether the tax exemption applies, and the timing after the determination server 40 determines whether the tax exemption applies.

[0048] The tax-free app determines whether there are any tax-free items purchased or reserved by the user during their stay for which the eligibility for tax-free benefits has not been selected (S102). The tax-free app makes the determination in step 102 based on whether there are any "tax-free items" in the selection management table (see Figure 7) for which "eligibility" is associated with "-". Tax-free items purchased or reserved by the user during their stay for which the eligibility for tax-free benefits has not been selected may be referred to as "unselected tax-free items" below. If there are unselected tax-free items (Yes in S102), the tax-free app generates cumulative index information for each item to be granted (S103). The cumulative index information is an indicator of the cumulative degree to which items will be granted as a refund when tax exemption applies to the purchase of unselected tax-free items. The tax-free app calculates the cumulative degree to which items will be granted as a refund when tax exemption applies to the purchase of unselected tax-free items by multiplying the cumulative amount of consumption tax for the unselected tax-free items by the refund rate determined for each item to be granted relative to the consumption tax. In the example shown in Figure 7, cumulative index information is generated for the unselected tax-free items "e", "f", and "q".

[0049] If there are no unselected tax-free items (No in S102), or after step 103, proceed to the next step. The tax-free app displays the selection acceptance screen on the user terminal 30 (S104). As will be explained in detail later, the selection acceptance screen is a screen for accepting the user's selection of items to be granted. Also, if the process in step 103 has been performed, the tax-free app displays the cumulative index information for each item to be granted, which was generated in step 103, on the selection acceptance screen. The tax-free app determines whether the user has selected an item to be granted on the selection screen (S105). As long as the result remains negative (No in S105), the process in step 105 is repeated. Furthermore, if the user selects an eligible recipient on the selection screen (Yes in S105), the tax-free app determines the recipient according to the user's selection (S106).

[0050] Figure 9 shows the selection reception screen 230. The selection reception screen 230 is displayed when the reception process is performed (see S104 in Figure 8). The selection reception screen 230 is also displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. In this disclosure, the above-described reception process (see Figure 8) is started when the user instructs the user terminal 30 to display the selection reception screen 230. An example of an instruction to display the selection reception screen 230 on the user terminal 30 is the selection of the display start button (not shown) of the selection reception screen 230 displayed on the user terminal 30. The selection acceptance screen 230 displays a period display section 231, an unselected amount display section 232, a selection promotion section 233, a selection acceptance image 234, a decision section 240, a cancellation section 241, and an individual selection section 242.

[0051] The period display unit 231 displays the period of stay that was entered and registered in the period input unit 215 (see Figure 4(B)). In the illustrated example, the period display unit 231 shows the text "October 10, 2024 - October 15, 2024". The unselected amount display section 232 displays the total price of the unselected tax-free items and the total consumption tax on those items. In the illustrated example, the unselected amount display section 232 shows the text "121,000 yen" for the total price and the text "11,000 yen of which is consumption tax" for the unselected tax-free items "e," "f," and "q" shown in the selection management table (see Figure 7). The selection prompting unit 233 prompts the user to select the item to be awarded. In the illustrated example, the selection prompting unit 233 displays the text, "Please select the item to be awarded."

[0052] The selection acceptance image 234 accepts the selection of the reward to be granted. The selection acceptance image 234 is displayed for each reward to be granted. In this disclosure, the reward to be granted includes "non-currency rewards," "cash," "credit card," and "electronic money," and the selection acceptance image 234 is displayed for each of these four reward to be granted. The selection acceptance image 234 shows a target display section 238, a time display section 235, a content display section 236, and a percentage display section 237. The target display section 238 shows the name of the item to be assigned.

[0053] The timing indicator section 235 shows the estimated time when the consumption tax refund will be granted if the tax exemption is determined to apply on the last day of the stay. In the illustrated example, the time display section 235 for non-currency benefits shows the text "Estimated refund date: October 15, 2024," indicating that the estimated date when the benefit will be granted is the last day of the stay. The time display section 235 for non-currency benefits also shows the text "Within 3 minutes after tax exemption decision," indicating that the estimated date when the benefit will be granted is within 3 minutes after the tax exemption app receives information indicating that the determination server 40 has determined that the tax exemption applies. In addition, in the illustrated example, the time indication section 235 for cash displays the text "Around mid-November 2024". Furthermore, the time indication section 235 for cash displays the text "Approximately one month after tax exemption decision", indicating that the estimated time when the grant is granted is approximately one month after the tax exemption app receives information indicating that the determination server 40 has determined that the tax exemption applies. In addition, in the illustrated example, the time display section 235 for credit cards shows the text "Around mid-November 2024". Furthermore, the time display section 235 for credit cards also shows the text "Approximately one month after tax exemption decision", indicating that the estimated time when the grant will be issued is approximately one month after the tax exemption app receives information indicating that the determination server 40 has determined that the tax exemption applies. In addition, in the illustrated example, the time display unit 235 for electronic money shows the text "Around mid-November 2024". Furthermore, the time display unit 235 for electronic money also shows the text "Approximately one month after tax exemption decision", indicating that the estimated time when the grant is granted is approximately one month after the tax exemption app receives information indicating that the determination server 40 has determined that the tax exemption applies. As described above, in this disclosure, non-currency benefits are granted to users earliest as a sales tax refund.

[0054] The content display unit 236 displays information indicating the items to be granted as a refund when tax exemption applies to the purchase of unselected tax-exempt items. In other words, the content display unit 236 displays the cumulative index information generated in step 103 of the acceptance processing (see Figure 8). In the illustrated example, the content display section 236 for non-currency benefits shows the text "11,110pt," which is the cumulative amount of non-currency benefits awarded as a consumption tax refund when a tax exemption is applied to the purchase of unselected tax-free items. Here, "pt (points)" refers to benefits where 1 pt is worth 1 yen on the website or application software where these non-currency benefits are valid. In other words, when the awarded benefit is a non-currency benefit, more points are awarded than the amount of consumption tax. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the content display section 236 for cash shows the text "10,450 yen," which is the cumulative amount of cash refund as a consumption tax refund when tax exemption is applied to the purchase of unselected tax-exempt items. In other words, if the item to be granted is cash, a cash amount less than the consumption tax amount will be refunded. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the content display section 236 for credit cards shows the text "10,670 yen," which is the cumulative amount of the refund to the credit card as a consumption tax refund when tax exemption is applied to the purchase of unselected tax-free items. In other words, when the recipient is a credit card, a cash amount less than the consumption tax amount is refunded to the credit card. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the content display section 236 for electronic money shows the text "10,670 yen," which is the cumulative amount of electronic money refunded as a consumption tax refund when tax exemption is applied to the purchase of unselected tax-free items. In other words, when the item to be awarded is electronic money, an amount less than the consumption tax amount is refunded in electronic money.

[0055] Furthermore, the content display section 236 for non-currency rewards may display information showing the difference between the refund amount when the reward is a non-currency reward and the refund amount when the reward is a different reward. For example, the content display section 236 for non-currency rewards may display text such as, "Non-currency rewards are 660 yen more advantageous than cash," "Non-currency rewards are 440 yen more advantageous than credit cards," or "Non-currency rewards are 660 yen more advantageous than electronic money."

[0056] The percentage display section 237 shows the percentage of the consumption tax that corresponds to the amount of the indicator that qualifies for a refund when tax exemption applies. In other words, the percentage display section 237 shows the percentage of the value shown in the content display section 236 relative to the consumption tax amount shown in the unselected amount display section 232. In the following, the percentage of the consumption tax that corresponds to the amount of the indicator that qualifies for a refund when tax exemption applies may simply be referred to as the refund percentage. In the illustrated example, the percentage display section 237 for non-currency benefits shows the text "101%". In the illustrated example, the percentage display unit 237 for cash shows the text "95%". In addition, in the illustrated example, the percentage display section 237 for credit cards shows the text "97%". In addition, in the illustrated example, the percentage display unit 237 for electronic money shows the text "97%".

[0057] When either of the selection reception images 234 is selected and the decision unit 240 is selected, the tax-free app determines that the item to be granted according to the selected selection reception image 234 will be eligible for a consumption tax refund. In the illustrated example, the selection reception image 234 for non-currency benefits is displayed with a thick border because it has been selected, and when the decision unit 240 is selected in this state, the tax-free app determines that the non-currency benefit will be granted. Furthermore, if the cancellation unit 241 is selected, the acceptance of the selection of the recipient is canceled. Furthermore, the individual selection section 242 is a button for individually accepting the selection of items to be granted for unselected tax-free items.

[0058] When the user selects the individual selection unit 242, the individual reception screen 250 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 10. The individual reception screen 250 is a screen for individually accepting selections from the user who is eligible for the tax exemption for any unselected tax-free items. The individual reception screen 250 displays an individual promotion unit 251, a percentage display unit 252, an individual reception image 254, a cumulative image 255, a decision unit 256, a cancellation unit 257, and a batch selection unit 258.

[0059] The individual promotion unit 251 facilitates the individual selection of eligible tax-free items for each unselected tax-free item. In the illustrated example, the individual promotion unit 251 displays the text, "Please select eligible tax-free items for each tax-free item." The percentage display unit 252 shows the refund percentage for each item to be awarded. This percentage display unit 252 shows the same information as the percentage display unit 237 for each item to be awarded on the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9). Individual reception image 254 allows for the selection of eligible tax-free items individually for each unselected tax-free item. Individual reception image 254 shows the "tax-free item," "price," "consumption tax," "eligible item," and "refund details" for each unselected tax-free item.

[0060] The information shown in individual reception image 254 will be explained in detail below. The "Duty-Free Items" section displays the names of the duty-free items that were not selected. The "Price" shown includes the sales price of any unselected duty-free items, including sales tax. However, the "Price" may also show the sales price excluding sales tax of any unselected duty-free items. The "Consumption Tax" section shows the consumption tax on unselected tax-exempt items. The "Eligible Rewards" section shows the rewards selected by the user. In individual reception image 254, the user can select the rewards for each unselected duty-free item from non-currency rewards, cash, credit card, and electronic money. In the illustrated example, non-currency rewards are selected as the rewards for unselected duty-free items "e" and "f," and cash is selected as the reward for unselected duty-free item "q." The "Refund Details" section displays information indicating the items to be refunded when tax exemption applies. In the example shown, the "Refund Details" for the unselected tax-free item "e" due to non-currency benefits shows the text "4,040pt". In the example shown, the "Refund Details" for the unselected tax-free item "f" due to non-currency benefits shows the text "6,060pt". In the example shown, the "Refund Details" for the unselected tax-free item "q" due to non-currency benefits shows the text "950 yen". The tax-free app on user terminal 30 displays the value obtained by multiplying the "consumption tax" by the refund rate for the selected items in the "Refund Details" section for each "tax-free item".

[0061] In addition, in individual reception image 254, the "Refund Details" for each duty-free item for which the "Eligible Reward" is a non-currency reward may display information showing the difference between the refund amount when the eligible reward is a non-currency reward and the refund amount when the eligible reward is something other than a non-currency reward. For example, the refund amount for duty-free item "e" when the eligible reward is "cash" is "3,838 yen". In this case, in individual reception image 254, the "Refund Details" for duty-free item "e" may display text such as "Non-currency rewards are 202 yen more advantageous than cash".

[0062] Cumulative image 255 shows the cumulative value of the indicator that determines the amount of a refund granted when tax exemption applies to the purchase of unselected tax-free items, for each eligible reward. In the example shown, cumulative image 255 shows the text "10,100pt" as the cumulative value of the indicator that determines the amount of a non-currency reward granted. This value of "10,100pt" is the cumulative value of the "refund details" shown in individual reception image 254 for unselected tax-free items "e" and "f" for which a non-currency reward was selected as the eligible reward. Also in the example shown, cumulative image 255 shows the text "950 yen" as the cumulative value of the indicator that determines the amount of a cash reward granted. Furthermore, since neither credit card nor electronic money was selected as the eligible reward for the unselected tax-free items, cumulative image 255 shows the text "0 yen" for both the cumulative value of the refund amount to the credit card and the cumulative value of the refund amount to the electronic money.

[0063] Furthermore, if all duty-free items shown in individual reception image 254 are set to be awarded as non-currency rewards, cumulative image 255 will show the text "11,110pt" as the cumulative value of non-currency rewards and the text "0 yen" as the cumulative value of cash. Also, if all duty-free items shown in individual reception image 254 are set to be awarded as cash, cumulative image 255 will show the text "10,450 yen" as the cumulative value of cash and the text "0pt" as the cumulative value of non-currency rewards.

[0064] When the decision unit 256 is selected, the tax-free app determines which items to be granted to the user as a consumption tax refund, based on the items selected for each tax-free item in the individual reception image 254. Furthermore, if the cancellation unit 257 is selected, the acceptance of the selection of the recipient is canceled. Furthermore, the batch selection unit 258 is a button for accepting the selection of items to be granted for all unselected tax-free items at once. When the batch selection unit 258 is selected, the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) is displayed again on the user terminal 30. In the following, it is assumed that when the determination unit 256 is selected in the state shown in Figure 10, the recipients of the unselected duty-free items "e" and "f" are determined to be non-currency benefits, and the recipient of the unselected duty-free item "q" is determined to be cash. In this case, the "Target" for duty-free items "e", "f", and "q" in the selection management table (see Figure 7) are updated to "Non-currency benefits", "Non-currency benefits", and "Cash", respectively.

[0065] Furthermore, a selection screen 230 or individual selection screen 250 may be displayed on the user terminal 30, allowing the user to select duty-free items from among the duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user as eligible for granting. In this case, for example, a list screen (not shown) is displayed on the user terminal 30, showing a list of duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user during their stay, a display acceptance button for the selection screen 230, and a display acceptance button for the individual selection screen 250. After the user selects the duty-free items to be granted from among the duty-free items shown on the list screen, and then presses the display acceptance button for the selection screen 230 or the display acceptance button for the individual selection screen 250, the selection screen 230 or individual selection screen 250 targeting the selected duty-free items will be displayed according to the button pressed. In this case, even for duty-free items for which granting has already been selected, changes to the eligible items will be accepted.

[0066] Alternatively, the management server 10 may perform the reception processing instead of the tax-free app. In this case, the reception processing starts when the transmission / reception unit 111 of the management server 10 receives information from the user terminal 30 indicating that an instruction has been given to display the selection reception screen 230 on the user terminal 30. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 also obtains information regarding the execution timing of the reception processing from the user terminal 30 via the transmission / reception unit 111, and performs the processing in step 101 based on the obtained information. The calculation unit 115 and the control unit 116 perform the processing in steps 102 and 103 based on the selection management table stored in the management server 10. Furthermore, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 performs the processing of steps 104 to 106 of the reception process by controlling the display of the selection reception screen 230 to the user terminal 30 and receiving the determination of the recipient on the selection reception screen 230. In addition, the control unit 116 controls the display of the individual reception screen 250 to the user terminal 30 and receives the determination of the recipient on the individual reception screen 250. The calculation of the indicators displayed on the selection reception screen 230 and the individual reception screen 250 may also be performed by the calculation unit 115 of the management server 10.

[0067] Furthermore, the selection screen 230 and the individual reception screen 250 may be displayed on the user terminal 30 before the user purchases the duty-free goods. In this case, if the selection screen 230 is displayed on the user terminal 30 before the user purchases the duty-free goods, the eligibility for the duty-free goods purchased by the user will be accepted in advance. Also, if the individual reception screen 250 is displayed on the user terminal 30 before the user purchases the duty-free goods, the eligibility for each duty-free item whose information the user has displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase may be accepted via the individual reception screen 250.

[0068] Figure 11 shows a history management table. The history management table is used to manage the purchase history of duty-free goods. The history management table is stored on the management server 10. However, the history management table may also be stored on the user terminal 30. The history management table displays the following information: "Date and Time," "Duty-Free Item," "Item," "Store," "Pickup Location," "Price," "Sales Tax," "Purchaser," "Gender," "Nationality," "Age Group," "Hobbies," "Duty-Free," and "Customs." Note that "..." in the history management table indicates that the information has been omitted.

[0069] Let's explain the contents of the history management table in detail. The "Date and Time" column shows the date and time when the duty-free item was purchased. The "Duty-Free Items" section displays the names of the duty-free items purchased. The "items" column indicates the type of duty-free goods. The "items" shown in the history management table have the same meaning as the "items" shown in the pre-purchase management table (see Figure 6). The "Store" section shows the name of the store that sold the duty-free goods. The "Pickup Location" indicates the place where the duty-free items were received by the purchaser. The "price" shown includes the sales price of duty-free items, including consumption tax. However, the "price" may also show the sales price of duty-free items excluding consumption tax. The "consumption tax" section shows the consumption tax on duty-free items.

[0070] The "Purchaser" section displays information that identifies the purchaser of "duty-free goods." The "Gender" field indicates the gender of the "Purchaser." The "Nationality" field indicates the nationality of the "Purchaser." The "age group" indicates the age group of the "purchaser". The "hobbies" section indicates the hobbies of the "buyer." The "Tax-Free" section displays information to identify whether or not a tax exemption was applied to the purchase of "Tax-Free Goods." A "〇" next to "Tax-Free" means that a tax exemption was applied to the purchase of "Tax-Free Goods." Conversely, a "×" next to "Tax-Free" means that a tax exemption was not applied to the purchase of "Tax-Free Goods." The "Customs" section indicates whether a customs inspection was conducted to determine whether the conditions for tax exemption were met for the purchase of "duty-free goods." A "-" next to "Customs" means that no customs inspection was conducted. A "〇" next to "Customs" means that a customs inspection was conducted.

[0071] Furthermore, the user attributes registered in Figure 4(B) and the attributes of buyer "A" shown in the history management table are the same in that gender is "male," nationality is "United States," and hobby is "sports." Also, the user attributes and the attributes of buyer "B" shown in the history management table are the same in that age is "40s" and hobby is "listening to music." Also, the user attributes and the attributes of buyer "C" shown in the history management table are the same in that gender is "male." Also, the user attributes and the attributes of buyer "D" shown in the history management table are the same in that age is "40s" and hobby is "travel." Furthermore, the duty-free items "a," "c," "p," and "t" shown in the pre-purchase management table as duty-free items whose information was displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase by the user who registered the information shown in Figure 4(B) are shown in the history management table as purchase history by other users. In addition, the duty-free items "a," "b," "e," and "f" shown in the selection management table as duty-free items selected by the user who registered the information shown in Figure 4(B) are shown in the history management table as purchase history by other users.

[0072] Furthermore, in the history management table, "○" is indicated for "Customs" for purchaser "B". In addition, purchaser "B" purchased duty-free item "p" consecutively over three days from October 2, 2024 to October 4, 2024, which is why the judgment server 40 determined that the duty-free purchase may be fraudulent, and therefore a customs inspection is required for the application of the duty-free status. Furthermore, in the transaction history table, "×" is indicated next to "Tax-Free" for purchaser "C". To add to this, the total amount of tax-free purchases by purchaser "C", including consumables and general goods, on October 3, 2024, exceeded 500,000 yen, so the conditions for tax exemption were not met and the tax exemption was not applied.

[0073] The information shown in the "Date and Time," "Duty-Free Item," "Item," "Store," "Pickup Location," "Price," "Consumption Tax," "Purchaser," "Gender," "Nationality," "Age Group," and "Hobbies" fields of the history management table is information transmitted from the duty-free application on the user terminal 30 owned by this "Purchaser." Note that the information shown in the "Date and Time," "Duty-Free Item," "Item," "Store," "Pickup Location," "Price," "Consumption Tax," "Purchaser," "Gender," "Nationality," and "Age Group" fields of the history management table may also be information transmitted from the store server 20. Furthermore, the information shown in the "Duty-Free" and "Customs" fields of the history management table is information transmitted from the determination server 40 regarding the result of the determination server 40's determination of whether or not duty-free is applicable.

[0074] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the suggestion process. The suggestion process is the process of suggesting duty-free goods and duty-free shops to the user. The suggestion process is performed by the duty-free application on the user terminal 30. The tax-free application on the user terminal 30 obtains the latest information about the user and information from the history management table (S201). The latest information about the user includes the latest location information identified by the identification means 32 of the user terminal 30, information from the pre-purchase management table, information from the selection management table, information identified from the passport read on the passport reading screen 200, and user attribute information registered on the input acceptance screen 210.

[0075] The duty-free app extracts duty-free items from among the duty-free items whose information is stored as eligible for the proposal that meet the range conditions (S202). The range conditions are defined as conditions within a range from the user's current location. In this disclosure, the range conditions are defined as the range located within a predetermined distance from the user's location identified from the latest location information. The predetermined distance may be any distance, for example, 5 km. In step 202, the duty-free app extracts duty-free items from duty-free shops located in locations that meet the range conditions or duty-free items that can be picked up in locations that meet the range conditions.

[0076] The tax-free app determines whether a history of tax-free items is shown in both the pre-purchase management table and the selection management table (S203). If the user has not displayed any information on tax-free items on the user terminal 30 before purchasing any tax-free items, no history of tax-free items will be recorded in the pre-purchase management table. Also, if the user has not selected any tax-free items as items to purchase, no history of tax-free items will be recorded in the selection management table. Therefore, the tax-free app makes the determination in step 203 by referring to the pre-purchase management table and the selection management table. If the history of duty-free items is shown in both the pre-purchase management table and the selection management table (Yes in S203), the duty-free app further extracts duty-free items that satisfy the relational conditions from the duty-free items extracted in step 202 (S204). The relational conditions are defined as the relationship between the history of duty-free items shown in the pre-purchase management table and the history of duty-free items shown in the selection management table. In this disclosure, the relational conditions are defined as the duty-free items subject to the proposal being shown as history in the pre-purchase management table and not shown as history in the selection management table. In the examples shown in Figures 6 and 7, duty-free items "c" and "i" satisfy the relational conditions.

[0077] Furthermore, if the history of duty-free items is not shown in at least one of the pre-purchase management table and the selection management table (No in S203), the duty-free app determines whether or not the history of duty-free items is shown in either the pre-purchase management table or the selection management table (S205). If a history of duty-free items is shown in either the pre-purchase management table or the selection management table (Yes in S205), the duty-free app determines whether a history of duty-free items is shown in the selection management table (S206). If the selection management table shows a history of duty-free items (Yes in S206), the duty-free app further extracts duty-free items that satisfy the selection relationship conditions from the duty-free items extracted in step 202 (S207). The selection relationship conditions are defined conditions that define the relationship between the duty-free items under proposal and the history in the selection management table. In this disclosure, the selection relationship condition is defined as the duty-free items under proposal having a predetermined relationship with the duty-free items shown as history in the selection management table. The predetermined relationship may be any relationship, for example, the type of duty-free item under proposal and the type of duty-free item shown as history in the selection management table are the same or similar.

[0078] Furthermore, if the selection management table does not show a history of duty-free items (No in S206), it means that the pre-purchase management table does show a history of duty-free items. In this case, the duty-free app further extracts duty-free items that satisfy the pre-purchase relationship conditions from the duty-free items extracted in step 202 (S208). The pre-purchase relationship conditions are defined conditions regarding the relationship between the proposed duty-free items and the history in the pre-purchase management table. In this disclosure, the pre-purchase relationship condition is defined as the proposed duty-free items having a predetermined relationship with the duty-free items shown as history in the pre-purchase management table. The predetermined relationship may be any relationship, for example, the type of the proposed duty-free items and the type of duty-free items shown as history in the pre-purchase management table are the same or similar.

[0079] If, after any of steps 204, 207, or 208, or if no history of duty-free items is shown in either the pre-purchase management table or the selection management table (No in S205), proceed to the next step. The duty-free app further extracts duty-free items that satisfy the attribute history relationship conditions from the duty-free items last extracted as proposal items (S209). The attribute history relationship conditions are defined conditions regarding the relationship between the attributes of the user to whom the proposal is being made and the purchase history of the duty-free items. In this disclosure, the attribute history relationship condition is defined as the duty-free items to whom the proposal is being made being purchased by a buyer whose attributes have a predetermined relationship with the attributes of the user to whom the proposal is being made. The predetermined relationship can be any relationship, but for example, it could be having attributes in common with the user to whom the proposal is being made. Other attributes may include gender, nationality, age, hobbies, etc. The duty-free app performs the process in step 209 by referring to the history management table.

[0080] The duty-free app further extracts duty-free items that meet the determination criteria from the duty-free items extracted in step 209 (S210). The determination criteria are conditions defined for the determination made by the determination server 40 regarding whether or not duty exemption applies. In this disclosure, the determination criteria are defined as the assumption that, if the duty-free items subject to the proposal are purchased by the user, the application of duty exemption will be determined for the purchase of duty-free items during the user's stay. Alternatively, the determination criteria may be that, if the duty-free items subject to the proposal are purchased by the user, the application of duty exemption for the purchase of duty-free items during the user's stay will be determined without requiring customs inspection. The specific details of the criteria for determining eligibility for tax exemption will be explained below. If certain purchases are made by the same user during their stay, it may be determined that the tax exemption is not applicable because the purchase may be fraudulent. Examples of such purchases include purchasing more than a predetermined number of the same tax-free item during the stay, purchasing the same tax-free item for more than a predetermined number of consecutive days during the stay, and purchasing tax-free items at the same tax-free shop more frequently than a predetermined number during the stay. Therefore, a criterion for determining eligibility for tax exemption may be that when the tax-free item in question is purchased by the user, it does not constitute purchasing more than a predetermined number of the same tax-free item during the stay. The predetermined number can be any number, but for example, it could be 10. Alternatively, a criterion for determining eligibility for tax exemption may be that when the tax-free item in question is purchased by the user, it does not constitute purchasing the same tax-free item for more than a predetermined number of consecutive days during the stay. The predetermined number of days can be any number, but for example, it could be 3 days. Furthermore, a determination criterion may also be that when a user purchases duty-free goods at the duty-free shop that is the subject of the proposal, the purchase of duty-free goods at the same duty-free shop during the period of stay does not exceed a predetermined frequency. The predetermined frequency can be any frequency, but for example, it could be three times per day. In addition, a determination criterion may also be that in the history management table (see Figure 11), the "Duty-Free" status for the purchaser of the duty-free goods that are the subject of the proposal is "○" and the "Customs" status is "-". The tax-free app performs the process in step 210 based on the history of tax-free items in the selection management table and the relationship between tax-free items in the selection management table and the "tax-free" and "customs" status for each tax-free item in the history management table.

[0081] If multiple duty-free items are extracted in step 210, the duty-free app determines the priority of the suggestions for these multiple duty-free items (S211). The duty-free app may give higher priority to duty-free items that are closer to the user's current location. Duty-free items that are close to the user's current location are duty-free items from duty-free shops located near the user's current location or duty-free items that can be picked up at a location near the user's current location. The duty-free app may also give higher priority to duty-free items that have high sales among the extracted duty-free items. Sales of duty-free items may be identified, for example, from a history management table. Sales of duty-free items may also be sales for a predetermined period, such as the most recent month. If only one duty-free item is extracted in step 210, the duty-free app will determine the priority of this single duty-free item to be the highest. The duty-free app displays a suggestion screen on the user terminal 30 (S212). As will be explained in more detail later, the suggestion screen is a screen for suggesting duty-free goods and duty-free shops to the user. On the suggestion screen, duty-free goods and duty-free shops are suggested to the user according to the priority determined in step 211.

[0082] The suggestion process may be initiated, for example, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. This predetermined period of time may be any length, but for example, it may be one hour. Alternatively, the suggestion process may be initiated, for example, when the duty-free app is launched on the user terminal 30. Furthermore, the suggestion process may be initiated, for example, when a duty-free retailer or a location where duty-free goods can be picked up, which is predetermined as a candidate for a suggestion, is located within a predetermined range from the location identified from the latest location information.

[0083] Note that the range conditions are not limited to the examples given above. The range conditions may also be, for example, the range to which a user can reach from their current location within a predetermined time, either by their own power or by means of transportation. The predetermined time can be any amount of time, but for example, it could be 60 minutes. Furthermore, the relational conditions are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the relational conditions may include the fact that the duty-free item being proposed is of the same or similar type as the duty-free item shown as a history in both the pre-purchase management table and the selection management table.

[0084] Furthermore, in this disclosure, duty-free goods and duty-free retailers that satisfy any of the conditions in steps 202 to 210 of the proposal processing are determined to be the target of the proposal to the user, but this is not limited to this. For example, duty-free goods and duty-free retailers that satisfy at least one of the range conditions, relationship conditions, selection relationship conditions, pre-purchase relationship conditions, and attribute history relationship conditions in the proposal processing may be determined to be the target of the proposal to the user. Even in this case, duty-free goods and duty-free retailers that do not satisfy the determination conditions may not be determined to be the target of the proposal to the user. For example, if there are specific duty-free items that satisfy the scope and determination conditions, these specific duty-free items may be selected as eligible for the proposal even if they do not satisfy any of the relational conditions, selection relational conditions, pre-purchase relational conditions, or attribute history relational conditions. Furthermore, for example, assume that there are retailers selling duty-free item "p" that satisfy the range condition. Also, duty-free item "p" is shown in the pre-purchase management table (see Figure 6) but not in the selection management table (see Figure 7), thus satisfying the relation condition. Additionally, duty-free item "p" is a duty-free item shown in the purchase history of purchaser "B," who shares the same attributes as the user, being in their "40s" and having the hobby of "listening to music," thus satisfying the attribute history relation condition. On the other hand, the user purchased duty-free item "p" consecutively on October 10th and October 11th, 2024. If the user purchases duty-free item "p" again on October 12th, 2024, this would constitute three consecutive purchases of the same duty-free item "p" during the stay, and the judgment server 40 may determine that there is a possibility of fraud in the duty-free purchase. Furthermore, the duty-free item "p" is a duty-free item purchased by buyer "B," whose "Customs" field in the history management table is "○," for three consecutive days during their stay. Therefore, the duty-free item "p" does not meet the criteria, and in this case, the duty-free item "p" is not selected as a suggestion for the user. Furthermore, for example, duty-free products whose sales ranking is above a predetermined rank may be selected as candidates for the proposal. The predetermined rank can be any rank, but for example, it could be 10th place. Also, sales of duty-free products may be identified, for example, from a history management table. Also, sales of duty-free products may be sales for a predetermined period, such as the most recent month.

[0085] Figure 13(A) shows the proposal screen 270. The proposal screen 270 is displayed when the proposal process is executed (see S212 in Figure 12). The proposal screen 270 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The proposal screen 270 displays a proposal image 271 and a cancel button 280 to stop the display of the proposal screen 270. The suggested image 271 is an image used to suggest duty-free items to the user. On the suggested screen 270, a suggested image 271 is displayed for each duty-free item being suggested. More specifically, on the suggested screen 270, suggested images 271 related to duty-free items with higher priority, determined in the suggestion process, are displayed higher up in the diagram, so suggested images 271 related to duty-free items with lower priority are not displayed. Furthermore, by scrolling the suggested screen 270, suggested images 271 related to duty-free items with lower priority will be displayed. However, it is also possible to display only the two suggested images 271 shown in the diagram on the suggested screen 270, and suggestion images 271 for duty-free items with lower priority than these two suggested images 271 may not be shown on the suggested screen 270. In the example shown, on the suggested screen 270, the suggested image 271 related to duty-free item "c" is displayed at the top, and the suggested image 271 related to duty-free item "t" is displayed second from the top.

[0086] Here, we assume that there is a retailer selling duty-free item "c" that satisfies the range condition (see S202 in Figure 12). Also, duty-free item "c" is shown in the pre-purchase management table (see Figure 6) but not in the selection management table (see Figure 7), so the relation condition is satisfied (see S204 in Figure 12). Furthermore, duty-free item "c" is a duty-free item shown in the purchase history of purchaser "A", who has the same attributes as the user: nationality "USA", gender "Male", and hobby of "Sports" (see Figure 11), so the attribute history relation condition is satisfied (see S209 in Figure 12). In addition, the user's purchase of duty-free item "c" does not fall under the conditions that would indicate potential fraud, and in the history management table, the "duty-free" status for purchasers "A" and "D" of duty-free item "c" is "〇" and the "customs" status is "-". Therefore, duty-free item "c" satisfies the criteria (see S210 in Figure 12). As a result, duty-free item "c" is selected as an item to be proposed on the proposal screen 270. Furthermore, it is assumed that there are retailers that meet the scope conditions for selling duty-free item "t". Also, duty-free item "t" is shown in the pre-purchase management table but not in the selection management table, thus satisfying the relationship conditions. Additionally, duty-free item "t" is a duty-free item shown in the purchase history of purchaser "D", who shares the same attributes as the user, being in their "40s" and having the hobby of "travel", thus satisfying the attribute history relationship conditions. Moreover, the user's purchase of duty-free item "t" does not fall under any conditions that would indicate potential fraud, and in the history management table, the "duty-free" status for "D", the purchaser of duty-free item "t", is "○" and the "customs" status is "-". Therefore, duty-free item "c" satisfies the judgment conditions. As a result, duty-free item "t" is determined to be an item to be proposed on the suggestion screen 270.

[0087] Proposed image 271 shows a duty-free section 272, a price section 273, a consumption tax section 274, a photo section 275, a related display section 276, a list button 277, a map button 278, and a transportation button 279. The following explains proposed image 271 related to duty-free item "c". Section 272 of the duty-free section shows the name of the duty-free item to which the proposal applies. In the example shown, the text "c", which is the name of the duty-free item, is displayed.

[0088] The price section 273 shows the sales price, including consumption tax, of the duty-free item being offered at the duty-free shop that is the subject of the proposal. However, the price section 273 may also show the sales price excluding consumption tax. In the illustrated example, the price section 273 shows the text "11,000 yen," which is the regular sales price, the text "9,900 yen," which is the discounted sales price, and the text "10% OFF," which is the discount rate of the sales price from the regular price excluding consumption tax. In addition, in this disclosure, a benefit is granted when a user purchases a duty-free item that meets the benefit conditions, and the price section 273 of the proposed image 271 relating to the duty-free item that meets the benefit conditions shows the details of the benefit. Furthermore, in this disclosure, one of the benefit conditions is that the duty-free item must be available for sale or pickup at a location within a predetermined distance from the location identified from the latest location information. Furthermore, in this disclosure, one of the benefit conditions is that the duty-free item must be sold at the store where the duty-free item was purchased or reserved by the user during their stay. Furthermore, the conditions for receiving a benefit may be that both of the above two conditions are met, or that either of the above conditions is met. In the illustrated example, the price section 273 shows the details of the discount, which is a benefit for duty-free items that meet the benefit conditions. The price section 273 also shows the text "Price at the nearest handling location," indicating that it is the selling price at the duty-free shop to which the proposal applies.

[0089] Section 274 of the Consumption Tax section shows the consumption tax on the sales price of the duty-free goods covered by the proposal at the duty-free shop covered by the proposal. In the example shown, Section 274 of the Consumption Tax section shows the text "Consumption Tax: 900 yen". Photo section 275 shows a photograph of the duty-free item that is the subject of the proposal. The relationship display unit 276 shows information indicating the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the duty-free shop that is the subject of the suggestion. In the illustrated example, the relationship display unit 276 shows the text "Nearest location: Approximately 15 minutes from current location," which indicates the time it will take for the user to reach the duty-free shop from their identified location.

[0090] List button 277 accepts a list of locations that handle the proposed duty-free goods. These locations include duty-free shops that sell the proposed duty-free goods, airports where the proposed duty-free goods can be picked up, etc. Map button 278 accepts display as a map showing the locations that handle the proposed duty-free goods. The transportation button 279 accepts requests for information on transportation options to help the user reach the suggested duty-free shop from their current location.

[0091] In the example described above, the proposal screen 270 is displayed on the user terminal 30 when the proposal process is executed, but this is not the only example. When the suggestion process is executed, an email or push notification may be sent to the user terminal 30. In this case, if the user terminal 30 selects a button that accepts the URL or launch of the tax-free app shown in the email or push notification received on the user terminal 30, the suggestion screen 270 may be displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0092] Here, if the user selects, for example, the list button 277 for the suggestion image 271 related to duty-free item "c" on the suggestion screen 270, the duty-free shop list screen 290 for duty-free item "c" will be displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 13(B). The duty-free shop list screen 290 shows the target display section 291 and the handling location image 293. The target display section 291 displays information indicating the duty-free items that are the subject of the suggestion on the duty-free shop list screen 290. In the illustrated example, the target display section 291 displays the text "List of locations handling duty-free item "c"".

[0093] The location image 293 shows information about the locations where the proposed duty-free goods are handled. The duty-free shop list screen 290 displays the location image 293 for each location where the proposed duty-free goods are handled. The location image 293 shows a location display section 294, a price display section 295, a place name display section 296, a related information display section 297, and a transportation button 298. In the following text, the locations where the proposed duty-free goods are handled in the location image 293 may be referred to as the target locations.

[0094] This section explains the location image 293 related to store "I", which is the location where the item in question is handled. The location display unit 294 shows information indicating the name of the handling location. In the illustrated example, the location display unit 294 shows the text "Store A," which is a duty-free shop. The price display section 295 shows the sales price including consumption tax and the consumption tax for duty-free items at the relevant sales location. In the illustrated example, the price display section 295 shows the text "Price: 9,900 yen (Consumption tax: 900 yen)". The location display section 296 shows the location of the handling location. In the example shown, the location display section 296 displays the text "Location: A-2-1". The relationship display unit 297 displays information showing the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the target handling location. In the illustrated example, the relationship display unit 297 displays the text "Estimated time from current location: approximately 15 minutes," which indicates the time it will take for the user to reach the target handling location from their identified location. The transportation button 298 accepts the display of information about the means of transportation the user can use to reach the target location from their current location.

[0095] Furthermore, the duty-free shop list screen 290 also shows the queue acceptance section 292 and the cancellation section 299. The queue reception unit 292 accepts the selection of the display order for each handling location image 293. The duty-free shop list screen 290 in this disclosure shows a queue reception unit 292 related to time and a queue reception unit 292 related to price. When the queue reception unit 292 related to time is selected, the handling location images 293 are displayed in order from the handling location closest to the user's location. When the queue reception unit 292 related to price is selected, the handling location images 293 are displayed in order from the handling location with the lowest selling price of the proposed duty-free item. In the illustrated example, the queue reception unit 292 related to time is selected. Note that by scrolling the duty-free shop list screen 290, the handling location images 293 that are displayed later in the display order will also be displayed. However, it is also possible to display only the two handling location images 293 shown in the illustration on the duty-free shop list screen 290, and handle location images 293 related to handling locations with a lower priority for the proposal than these two handling location images 293 may not be displayed on the duty-free shop list screen 290. The cancellation unit 299 accepts the request to cancel the display of the duty-free shop list screen 290. When the cancellation unit 299 is selected, the suggestion screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)) is displayed again on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30.

[0096] Furthermore, if the user selects, for example, the map button 278 on the suggestion image 271 related to duty-free item "c" on the suggestion screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)), a handling map screen 300 targeting duty-free item "c" will be displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 14(A). The handling map screen 300 is a screen that shows a map of the locations where the duty-free item that is the subject of the suggestion is handled. The handling map screen 300 shows a map image 301 and a selected location image 306. Map image 301 is a map of the locations that handle the proposed duty-free goods. In the example shown, map image 301 shows a map spanning "Area A" and "Area B". Map image 301 shows the target display section 302, the current location display section 303, the location section 304, and the selection display section 305.

[0097] The target display unit 302 displays information indicating the duty-free items that are the subject of the suggestion on the handling map screen 300. In the illustrated example, the target display unit 302 displays the text "Handling location map for duty-free item "c"". The current location display unit 303 shows the user's current location on a map, which is identified from the latest location information. The location section 304 shows the map location of the duty-free goods handling locations that are the subject of the proposal. In this disclosure, the location section 304 for each location of the duty-free goods handling locations that are located within a predetermined range from the user's current location is displayed on the map image 301. In this disclosure, when the map on the map image 301 is zoomed out by the user operating the user terminal 30, a wider map is displayed as it is zoomed out. In this case, the location section 304 for each duty-free goods handling location located on the newly displayed map is also newly displayed. The selection display unit 305 is a frame-shaped image that indicates which location unit 304 has been selected. In this disclosure, when a location unit 304 is selected by the user, the selection display unit 305 corresponding to the selected location unit 304 is displayed. In the following, it is assumed that the location unit 304 related to duty-free shop "A" has been selected.

[0098] The selected location image 306 is an image that shows information about the location of duty-free goods for which the location unit 304 was selected in the map image 301. The selected location image 306 shows the location display unit 307, the price display unit 308, the address display unit 309, the related display unit 310, and the transportation button 311. The location of duty-free goods for which the location unit 304 was selected in the map image 301 may be referred to as the selected location below. The location display unit 307 shows information indicating the name of the selected location. In the illustrated example, the location display unit 307 shows the text "Store A," which is a duty-free shop. The price display section 308 shows the sales price including consumption tax and consumption tax for duty-free items at the selected location. In the illustrated example, the price display section 308 shows the text "Price: 9,900 yen (Consumption tax: 900 yen)". Alternatively, the price display section 308 may show the sales price excluding consumption tax and consumption tax for duty-free items at the selected location. The location display section 309 shows the location of the selected location. In the illustrated example, the location display section 309 shows the text "Location: A-2-1". The relationship display unit 310 displays information showing the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the selected location. In the illustrated example, the relationship display unit 310 displays the text "Estimated time from current location: approximately 15 minutes," which indicates the time it will take for the user to reach the selected location from the identified location. The transportation button 311 accepts the display of information about the means of transportation the user can use to reach the selected location from their current location.

[0099] Additionally, the handling map screen 300 displays a cancellation unit 312 that accepts requests to cancel the display of the handling map screen 300. When the cancellation unit 312 is selected, the suggestion screen 270 is displayed again. Furthermore, if the user selects, for example, the transportation button 279 for the suggested image 271 related to duty-free item "c" on the suggested screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)), the transportation screen 320 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 14(B). The transportation screen 320 is a screen that displays information on the means of transportation for the user to reach the duty-free item handling location from the user's current location. The transportation screen 320 shows a duty-free item display section 321, a price display section 322, a location display section 323, a photo display section 324, a related display section 325, a transportation display section 326, a map reception section 327, and a cancellation section 328. In the following, it is assumed that the transportation screen 320 is displayed because the transportation button 279 of the proposed image 271 related to duty-free item "c" was selected on the proposed screen 270.

[0100] The duty-free item display section 321 shows the name of the duty-free item that is the subject of the proposal. In the illustrated example, the duty-free item display section 321 shows the text "Duty-free item "c"". The price display section 322 shows the sales price including consumption tax and the consumption tax for the proposed duty-free item at the location where the proposed duty-free item is handled. In the illustrated example, the price display section 308 shows the text "Price: 9,900 yen (Consumption tax: 900 yen)". The price display section 322 may also show the sales price of the duty-free item excluding consumption tax. The location display section 323 shows the location of the place where the proposed duty-free goods are handled. In the illustrated example, the location display section 323 shows the text "Location: A-2-1". The photo display section 324 shows a photograph of the duty-free product that is the subject of the proposal. The relationship display unit 325 displays information showing the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the location where the suggested duty-free goods are handled. In the illustrated example, the relationship display unit 325 displays the text "Estimated time from current location: approximately 15 minutes," which indicates the time it will take for the user to reach the location where the suggested duty-free goods are handled from their identified location.

[0101] The traffic display unit 326 shows the means of transportation for the user to reach the location where the proposed duty-free goods are sold, from the user's current location. In the illustrated example, the traffic display unit 326 shows the text "(1) Walking (current location to Station A): 5 minutes," which indicates the means of transportation and the time required to reach the station from the user's current location. The traffic display unit 326 also shows the text "(2) Train (Station A to Station B): 4 minutes → Line C to Station D, 1 stop," which indicates the means of transportation, the train line and destination, and the time required to reach the nearest station to the location where the proposed duty-free goods are sold, from the station the user reaches on foot. The traffic display unit 326 also shows the text "(3) Walking (Station B to Store A): 6 minutes," which indicates the means of transportation and the time required to reach the location where the proposed duty-free goods are sold, from the station the user reaches by train.

[0102] The map reception unit 327 accepts the display of a map showing the positional relationship between the user's location and the location of the duty-free goods being offered. When the map reception unit 327 is selected, the handling map screen 300 is displayed. In this case, the location section 304 displayed on the handling map screen 300 is only the location section 304 related to the location of the duty-free goods that was offered on the transportation screen 320. The cancellation unit 328 accepts the request to cancel the display of the transportation screen 320. When the cancellation unit 328 is selected, the suggestion screen 270 is displayed again.

[0103] The duty-free app identifies the contents of the relationship display section 276 on the suggestion screen 270, the relationship display section 297 on the duty-free shop list screen 290, the relationship display section 310 on the handling map screen 300, and the relationship display section 325 and the transportation display section 326 on the transportation screen 320, based on the latest location information and the location relationship with the handling location that is the target of the suggestion.

[0104] Furthermore, if the transportation button 298 on the duty-free shop list screen 290 (see Figure 13(B)) is selected, the transportation screen 320 will be displayed for the duty-free goods handling location related to the handling location image 293 where this transportation button 298 is located. Furthermore, if the transportation button 311 on the handling map screen 300 (see Figure 14(A)) is selected, a transportation screen 320 will be displayed that targets the duty-free goods handling location related to the selected location image 306 where the transportation button 311 is located.

[0105] Alternatively, instead of the tax-free app, the management server 10 may perform the suggestion processing. In this case, the suggestion processing is started when the transmission / reception unit 111 of the management server 10 receives information from the user terminal 30 indicating that the conditions for starting the suggestion processing have been met. The transmission / reception unit 111 of the management server 10 also obtains the information described in step 201 from the user terminal 30. The extraction unit 114 of the management server 10 performs the processing in steps 202 to 210 based on the information received by the transmission / reception unit 111. The control unit 116 performs the processing in steps 211 and 212 based on the results of the extraction by the extraction unit 114. Furthermore, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 controls the display of the suggestion screen 270, the duty-free shop list screen 290, the handling map screen 300, and the transportation screen 320 on the user terminal 30. The control unit 116 also receives user operations on the suggestion screen 270, the duty-free shop list screen 290, the handling map screen 300, and the transportation screen 320, and controls the display of images on the user terminal 30 by transmitting information corresponding to the received operations to the user terminal 30 via the transmitting / receiving unit 111.

[0106] Furthermore, while it has been explained that the location and transportation information displayed on the suggestion screen 270, duty-free shop list screen 290, handling map screen 300, and transportation screen 320 pertains to duty-free shops, this is not limited to duty-free shops. The location and transportation information displayed on the suggestion screen 270, duty-free shop list screen 290, handling map screen 300, and transportation screen 320 pertains to airports that sell or handle duty-free goods.

[0107] Figure 15(A) shows the code screen 340. The code screen 340 displays a code containing information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies. The code screen 340 is used when a user purchases tax-free goods. The code screen 340 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The code screen 340 displays the identity verification image 341 and the code image 351.

[0108] The identity verification image 341 is an image used for identity verification to confirm whether the user, who is purchasing duty-free goods, is the same person as the person shown on the passport. The identity verification image 341 shows an explanation section 342, a photograph section 343, a name section 354, a gender section 344, an age section 345, a nationality section 346, a height section 347, a photographed explanation section 348, a self-photography explanation section 349, and a self-photography acceptance button 350. The explanatory section 342 contains information explaining that identity verification will be performed using the identity verification image 341. In the illustrated example, the explanatory section 342 displays the text, "We will perform identity verification." Photograph 343 shows the facial photograph provided on the passport. The name section 354 shows the name as it appears on the passport. Section 344, which shows the gender as recorded on the passport, is displayed. Section 345 of the age category shows the age determined from the date of birth recorded on the passport. Section 346 of the Nationality section shows the nationality listed on the passport. The information displayed in the photo section 343, name section 354, gender section 344, age section 345, and nationality section 346 is information identified from the passport information read by the passport reading screen 200. The tax-free application on the user terminal 30 generates the information to be displayed in the photo section 343, name section 354, gender section 344, age section 345, and nationality section 346 from the passport information read by the passport reading screen 200. If the passport is not read, the information to be displayed in the photo section 343, name section 354, gender section 344, age section 345, and nationality section 346 may be generated from information entered by the user into the user terminal 30.

[0109] The height section 347 shows the height of the passport holder estimated from the facial photograph shown on the passport. The duty-free application on the user terminal 30 estimates the height of the passport holder from the facial photograph read on the passport reading screen 200. Any method may be used to estimate height based on the facial photograph. The "Photographed" instruction section 348 explains that the user may be photographed. An example of a situation where the user may be photographed is when a duty-free shop uses a system that authenticates the user by comparing the image in the photo section 343 with a photograph taken by the user. In such cases, the duty-free shop reads the image in the photo section 343 and photographs the user, so the "Photographed" instruction section 348 indicates that the user will be photographed. In the illustrated example, the "Photographed" instruction section 348 displays the text, "If the store is subject to the verification system, the store's equipment will take a photograph." The information displayed in the "Photographed" instruction section 348 may also be text such as, "Message to the store: Please take a photograph to verify the purchaser of duty-free goods." In other words, the information displayed in the "Photographed" instruction section 348 only needs to be information regarding the fact that the user will be photographed.

[0110] The self-photography instruction section 349 provides instructions regarding the user taking a photograph of themselves. The tax-free app in this disclosure enables user authentication by comparing a photograph of the user taken by the camera 31 with a photograph of the passport read by the passport reading screen 200. Therefore, the self-photography instruction section 349 provides instructions regarding the user taking a photograph of themselves for comparison. The self-photography instruction section 349 also provides an explanation that the percentage of consumption tax refund due to the tax exemption increases when the user takes a photograph of themselves for comparison. In the illustrated example, the self-photography instruction section 349 displays the text, "If you take a photograph of yourself for comparison, the consumption tax refund rate will increase by 1%." The self-photography button 350 is a button that accepts verification by having the user take a photo of themselves.

[0111] The information shown in the identity verification image 341 is not limited to the examples described above. The identity verification image 341 may also show the weight of the passport holder estimated from the facial photograph shown on the passport. In this case, the tax-free application on the user terminal 30 estimates the weight of the passport holder from the facial photograph on the passport read on the passport reading screen 200. Any method may be used to estimate weight based on the facial photograph. Furthermore, the identity verification image 341 shows the user's name in the name section 354, as well as the user's attributes, including the gender section 344, age group section 345, nationality section 346, and height section 347, but is not limited to this. The identity verification image 341 only needs to show the user's name and at least one of the user's attributes.

[0112] Code image 351 is an image showing a code containing information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies. Code image 351 shows a read-facilitation unit 352 and a code unit 353. The reading assistance unit 352 facilitates the reading of the code unit 353 by the duty-free shop staff. In the illustrated example, the reading assistance unit 352 displays the text, "Please scan the QR code (for in-store use)." The code section 353 displays a code containing information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies. In the illustrated example, the code section 353 displays a QR code (registered trademark). The information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies, as identified from the code section 353, includes the name, gender, date of birth, and passport number as stated on the passport. In addition, the information used to determine whether or not tax exemption applies, as identified from the code section 353, includes information entered and registered on the input acceptance screen 210 (see Figure 4(B)).

[0113] When a user purchases duty-free goods, the user operates the user terminal 30, which displays a code screen 340 on the user terminal 30. The duty-free shop employee uses the reading means of the store server 20 to read the code section 353 displayed on the code screen 340, thereby obtaining information used to determine whether or not duty exemption applies (see S6 in Figure 5). The information obtained by the store server 20 through the reading of the code section 353 includes information shown on the passport read on the passport reading screen 200, and information entered and registered on the input acceptance screen 210. The duty-free shop employee also instructs the user to present their passport. The employee then verifies the user's identity by visually determining whether the user is the same person as the person whose photograph is shown on the passport, using the photograph shown on the presented passport and the information shown in the photograph section 343, name section 354, gender section 344, age section 345, nationality section 346, and height section 347. Furthermore, if a duty-free shop uses a system that authenticates users by comparing the photo section 343 with a photograph taken by the user, the duty-free shop staff will use the equipment to read the photo section 343 and take a photograph of the user, thereby authenticating the user and verifying their identity.

[0114] Furthermore, for example, if the user selects the self-photography acceptance button 350 on the code screen 340, the self-verification screen 360 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 15(B). The self-verification screen 360 is a screen for verification by the user taking a photograph of themselves. The self-verification screen 360 shows a photography promotion unit 361, a verification explanation unit 362, a reading display unit 363, a photography unit 364, and a cancellation unit 365. The shooting assistance unit 361 prompts the user to take a picture of themselves. In the illustrated example, the shooting assistance unit 361 displays the text, "Please take a picture of your own face." The verification explanation section 362 displays information that explains the subject of the verification. In the illustrated example, the verification explanation section 362 displays the text, "We will verify your identity by comparing the photographed face with the photograph on your passport." The reading display unit 363 shows the subject being photographed by the camera 31. When the user's face is included in the field of view of the camera 31 while the self-recognition screen 360 is displayed, the portion of the face included in the field of view is displayed on the reading display unit 363. The user adjusts the portion of their face to be read by the camera 31 while checking the portion of their face displayed on the reading display unit 363. When the shooting unit 364 is selected, shooting is performed by the camera 31. When the cancellation unit 365 is selected, the camera 31 stops taking pictures, and the code screen 340 is displayed again on the user terminal 30.

[0115] For example, if the user selects the camera unit 364, the tax-free app compares the user's face shown in the image obtained by the camera with the facial photograph on the passport read by the passport reading screen 200. If the tax-free app authenticates that the user is the same person as shown in the facial photograph on the passport, it displays the comparison result screen 370 shown in Figure 16(A) on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The comparison result screen 370 is a screen that shows the result of comparing the user's face, which was photographed by the user, with the facial photograph on the passport. The comparison result screen 370 shown in Figure 16(A) includes an explanation unit 371, a comparison result display unit 372, a refund explanation unit 373, and an exit button 374.

[0116] The explanatory section 371 explains that the matching results are displayed on the matching results screen 370. In the illustrated example, the explanatory section 371 displays the text "Matching Results". The matching result display unit 372 shows the matching result. In the illustrated example, the matching result display unit 372 shows the text "Authenticated as the passport holder," which means that the user has been authenticated as being the same person as the person shown in the passport's photograph. The refund explanation section 373 explains that the percentage of consumption tax refund due to the application of tax exemption will increase because the verification was performed by the user taking a photograph themselves. In the illustrated example, the refund explanation section 373 displays the text, "The consumption tax refund rate will increase by 1%." When the Exit button 374 is selected, the matching results screen 370 is hidden.

[0117] Furthermore, the tax-free app may determine, after comparing the user's face shown in the image obtained through the self-verification screen 360 with the passport's facial photograph read by the passport reading screen 200, that the user is not the same person as the one shown in the passport's facial photograph. In this case, the tax-free app displays the verification result screen 370 shown in Figure 16(B) on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The verification result screen 370 shown in Figure 16(B) includes an explanation section 371, a verification result display section 372, and an exit button 374. The explanatory unit 371 and the exit button 374 shown in Figure 16(B) are identical to the explanatory unit 371 and the exit button 374 shown in Figure 16(A). Furthermore, the matching result display unit 372 shown in Figure 16(B) displays the text "The user did not match the passport holder," which means that the matching result did not authenticate that the user was the same person as the person shown in the passport's photograph. Furthermore, the refund explanation section 373 (see Figure 16(A)) is not displayed on the verification result screen 370 shown in Figure 16(B). In other words, if the user is not authenticated, the percentage of consumption tax refund due to the application of tax exemption will not increase.

[0118] The duty-free shop staff will verify the customer's identity by referring to the verification results displayed on the verification results screen 370. If the user is authenticated to be the same person as the one shown in the passport's photograph, the duty-free shop employee will have the receipt printed from the duty-free shop's register (not shown) upon purchase of duty-free goods read by the reading device of the store server 20 (see S7 in Figure 5). The employee will also have the store server 20 transmit the information identified from the code section 352 read on the code screen 340, as well as the information from the read receipt, to the determination server 40 and the management server 10 (see S8 and S9 in Figure 5).

[0119] Alternatively, instead of the tax-free app, the management server 10 may display the code screen 340 on the user terminal 30. In this case, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 generates the code screen 340 based on the passport information read on the passport reading screen 200 and the user information entered and registered on the input acceptance screen 210, and displays the generated code screen 340 on the user terminal 30. Furthermore, when the control unit 116 of the management server 10 receives information from the user terminal 30 indicating that the self-photography acceptance button 350 on the code screen 340 has been selected, it displays the self-verification screen 360 on the user terminal 30. Then, when the user's face is photographed on the self-verification screen 360, the control unit 116 compares the photographed face with the photograph on the passport read by the passport reading screen 200, and displays a verification result screen 370 (see Figures 16(A) and (B)) on the user terminal 30 according to the result of the comparison.

[0120] Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the post-purchase processing flow. Post-purchase processing is the process performed after a user purchases or reserves duty-free goods. Post-purchase processing is performed by the duty-free application on the user terminal 30. In this disclosure, if a user reserves duty-free goods on the user terminal 30, post-purchase processing begins when the reservation is completed. Also, if a user purchases or reserves duty-free goods at a duty-free store, post-purchase processing begins when information indicating the completion of the purchase or reservation is sent from the store server 20 to the user terminal 30. However, the user terminal 30 may obtain information indicating the completion of the purchase or reservation of duty-free goods from the store server 20 via the management server 10. The duty-free application on the user terminal 30 acquires purchase information (S301). The purchase information is information about duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user. Examples of purchase information include information identifying the purchased or reserved duty-free items, the purchase price of the purchased duty-free items or the reservation price of the reserved duty-free items, the amount of consumption tax applied to the purchase of the purchased or reserved duty-free items, and information identifying the duty-free store used for the purchase or reservation of the duty-free items. Furthermore, if the user purchases or reserves duty-free items at a duty-free store, the user terminal 30 acquires purchase information from the store server 20. The user terminal 30 may also acquire the purchase information from the store server 20 via the management server 10. The duty-free application also updates the history of duty-free items in the selection management table (see Figure 7) by writing the acquired purchase information to the selection management table.

[0121] The tax-free app determines whether the tax-free item purchased or reserved has been selected for the tax-free status (S302). The tax-free app makes the determination in step 302 by referring to the selection management table. If the eligible recipients for the purchased or reserved duty-free items have been selected (Yes in S302), the duty-free app generates refund information for the purchased or reserved duty-free items (S303). The refund information indicates what will be refunded as a result of the selected eligible recipients.

[0122] If the eligibility for the purchased or reserved duty-free item has not been selected (No in S302), or after step 303, the duty-free app determines whether the user's purchase or reservation of duty-free items during their stay meets the warning conditions (S304). The warning conditions are the conditions used to determine whether or not to issue a warning for the user's current or future duty-free purchase or reservation. If the warning conditions are met, the duty-free app decides to issue a warning for the user's duty-free purchase or reservation. In addition, this disclosure defines a warning condition as the determination that the duty-free exemption may not apply to the user's current or future duty-free purchase or reservation. Examples of cases where the duty-free exemption may not apply to the user's current or future duty-free purchase or reservation include cases where the user's current or future duty-free purchase or reservation does not meet the conditions for duty-free exemption, or cases where customs inspection is determined to be required for the application of the duty-free exemption to the user's current or future duty-free purchase or reservation. Furthermore, a customs inspection may be required for the application of tax exemption to the user's current or future purchase or reservation of tax-free goods, as mentioned above, if the tax-free purchase is deemed potentially fraudulent. The tax-free app determines whether the warning conditions are met based on the history of tax-free goods in the selection management table.

[0123] If the warning conditions are met (Yes in S304), the tax-free app determines whether the warning conditions are met in this instance (S305). In this disclosure, the warning conditions are defined as the determination that the tax exemption may not apply to the user's purchase or reservation of tax-free goods in this instance. If the warning conditions are met this time (Yes in S305), the tax-free app generates a warning for this time (S306). This warning indicates a warning regarding the user's current purchase or reservation of tax-free goods.

[0124] Furthermore, if the warning condition is not met (No in S305), it means that the next warning condition will be met. The next warning condition is when it is determined that the tax exemption may not apply to the user's next purchase or reservation of tax-free goods. In this case, the tax exemption app generates next warning information (S307). The next warning information is information indicating a warning for the user's next purchase or reservation of tax-free goods. After either step 306 or step 307, or if the warning condition is not met (No in S304), proceed to the next step. The tax-free app displays the purchase results screen on the user terminal 30 (S308). As will be explained in detail later, the purchase results screen is a screen that shows information regarding the results of the user's purchase or reservation of tax-free goods. In addition, if the tax-free app generated information in step 303, step 306, or step 307, it displays the generated information on the purchase results screen.

[0125] Figure 18 shows the purchase results screen 380. The purchase results screen 380 is displayed after post-purchase processing is performed (S308 in Figure 17). The purchase results screen 380 is also displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. Furthermore, the purchase result screen 380 shown in Figure 18 is assumed to be the purchase result screen 380 displayed on the same day as the purchase, as a result of post-purchase processing (see Figure 17) performed when the user purchased duty-free item "c" at duty-free shop "I" on October 12, 2024. Additionally, the user had previously selected that the reward for the purchased duty-free item "c" be a non-currency reward before the purchase. The purchase results screen 380 displays the purchase results image 381, the warning image 390, and the reception explanation image 395.

[0126] Purchase result image 381 is an image showing information regarding the results of a user's purchase or reservation of duty-free goods. Purchase result image 381 shows a duty-free goods description section 382, ​​a price description section 383, a store description section 384, a planned refund description section 385, a cumulative refund description section 386, a change description section 387, a bulk order button 388, and an individual order button 389. The duty-free item description section 382 provides information indicating whether the duty-free item is being purchased or reserved, and explains which duty-free item the user has purchased or reserved. In the illustrated example, the duty-free item description section 382 displays the text, "You purchased duty-free item "c". The price description section 383 displays the purchase price of the duty-free item including consumption tax, or the sales price including consumption tax at the time of reservation, and the amount of consumption tax on the duty-free item. In the illustrated example, the price description section 383 displays the text "Purchase price: 9,900 yen (Consumption tax: 900 yen)". Note that the price description section 383 may also display the price excluding consumption tax.

[0127] The store description section 384 describes the duty-free shop where the user purchased or reserved duty-free goods. In the illustrated example, the store description section 384 displays the text "Purchase store: A". The planned refund explanation section 385 explains the details of the refund that will be applied to the user's current purchase or reservation of tax-free goods due to the tax exemption. In the illustrated example, the planned refund explanation section 385 displays the text "Planned refund details: Non-currency benefit 909pt". The tax-free app calculates the value shown in the planned refund explanation section 385 by multiplying the amount of consumption tax shown in the price explanation section 383 by the refund percentage selected for the tax-free goods purchased or reserved by the user. The information shown in the planned refund explanation section 385 is also planned refund information (see S303 in Figure 17).

[0128] The cumulative refund explanation section 386 explains the cumulative indicator of the degree to which a refund will be granted as a consumption tax refund due to the application of tax exemption to the purchase or reservation of tax-free goods during the user's stay. The cumulative refund explanation section 386 also explains the cumulative indicator for each eligible item. In the illustrated example, the cumulative refund explanation section 386 shows the text "Cumulative Expected Refund Details", the text "Non-Currency Benefit: 22,321pt", and the text "Cash: 11,970 yen". The tax-free app generates the information shown in the cumulative refund explanation section 386 by referring to the selection management table (see Figure 7) and calculating the cumulative indicator of the degree to which an eligible item will be granted for each eligible item. In other words, in the illustrated example, the cumulative refund explanation section 386 shows the details of the amount of the refund granted due to the application of tax exemption to the purchase of tax-free goods shown in the selection management table in Figure 7 and a new tax-free item "c". Furthermore, if non-currency rewards are selected as the reward for any duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user during their stay, the cumulative refund explanation section 386 will display the text "Non-currency rewards: 35,047pt" as the cumulative estimated refund. Also, if cash is selected as the reward for any duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user during their stay, the cumulative refund explanation section 386 will display the text "Cash: 32,965 yen" as the cumulative estimated refund. Furthermore, if credit card or electronic money is selected as the reward for any duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user during their stay, the cumulative refund explanation section 386 will display the text "Credit card: 33,659 yen" or "Electronic money: 33,659 yen" as the cumulative estimated refund.

[0129] The change explanation section 387 explains the changes to the eligibility criteria for the duty-free items purchased or reserved by the user. The batch acceptance button 388 is a button that allows the user to select the items to be granted in a single batch for all the duty-free items purchased or reserved this time. When the batch acceptance button 388 is selected, the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) is displayed on the user terminal 30, and the selection of items to be granted is accepted in a single batch for all the duty-free items purchased or reserved this time. The individual request button 389 is used to allow the user to individually select the items to be granted for each duty-free item purchased or reserved. When the individual request button 389 is selected, the individual request screen 250 (see Figure 10) is displayed on the user terminal 30, and the user is able to individually select the items to be granted for each duty-free item purchased or reserved. In the example shown, since the user purchased only one duty-free item, regardless of whether the bulk order button 388 or the individual order button 389 is selected, the selection of duty-free item "c" will only be accepted.

[0130] Warning image 390 is an image that displays a warning to the user regarding the purchase or reservation of duty-free goods. Warning image 390 shows a warning section 391, a purchase opportunity warning section 392, and a purchase amount warning section 393. The warning unit 391 alerts the user.

[0131] The purchase opportunity warning section 392 displays a warning regarding the user's opportunity to purchase or reserve duty-free goods. In the illustrated example, the purchase opportunity warning section 392 displays the text: "If you purchase duty-free item "p" today, you may be required to undergo customs inspection due to the high frequency and number of purchases of duty-free item "p". The user purchased the duty-free item "p" consecutively on October 10th and October 11th, 2024 (see Figure 7). If the user purchases the duty-free item "p" again on October 12th, 2024, the day the purchase results screen 380 is displayed, the duty-free purchase may be deemed potentially fraudulent. Therefore, in the post-purchase processing, the next warning condition is met, and next warning information is generated (S307 in Figure 17). In other words, the information shown in the purchase opportunity warning unit 392 is an example of next warning information. For example, if a user purchases duty-free item "p" on October 12, 2024, the warning conditions will be met during post-purchase processing. In this case, the purchase opportunity warning section 392 on the purchase result screen 380 displayed on the user terminal 30 will show text such as, "Due to the high frequency and number of purchases of duty-free item "p", a customs inspection may be required."

[0132] The purchase amount warning section 393 displays a warning regarding the amount the user has spent on tax-free items. In the illustrated example, the purchase amount warning section 393 displays the text: "If you purchase tax-free items such as tax-free item "i" that you are interested in, with a price exceeding 390,000 yen, you will exceed the daily tax-free limit." On October 12, 2024, the user purchased duty-free general goods and duty-free consumables totaling 110,000 yen excluding consumption tax (see Figure 7). In this case, if the user purchases duty-free goods with a price exceeding 390,000 yen excluding consumption tax, such as duty-free item "i" (see Figure 6), which the user displayed information about on the user terminal 30 before purchase, on October 12, 2024, the daily limit for the amount of duty-free goods, including consumables, to be eligible for tax exemption will be exceeded. Therefore, in post-purchase processing, the next warning condition is met and next warning information is generated; that is, the information shown in the purchase amount warning unit 393 is an example of next warning information. For example, if a user purchases tax-free item "i" on October 12, 2024, the warning conditions will be met during post-purchase processing. In this case, the purchase amount warning section 393 on the purchase results screen 380 displayed on the user terminal 30 will show text such as "You have exceeded the daily tax-free purchase limit."

[0133] Reception explanation image 395 provides an explanation regarding the acceptance of tax exemptions by the reception device 50. Reception explanation image 395 shows the reception explanation section 396, the time explanation section 397, and the reception confirmation button 398. The reception explanation section 396 provides instructions regarding the tax refund application process on the day the user departs the country. In the illustrated example, the reception explanation section 396 displays the text, "Regarding the tax refund application time on the day of departure." The time description section 397 displays information regarding the time required for the tax refund application to be completed before the user departs the country. In the illustrated example, the time description section 397 displays the text, "On the day of departure, please complete the tax refund application by 13:40 (30 minutes before departure)." The tax refund app generates the information shown in the time description section 397 based on the departure time of the flight the user will use to depart the country. Note that the information shown in the time description section 297 is not limited to information showing the relationship between the departure time and the tax refund application time. The information shown in the time description section 297 may also be information showing the relationship between the departure time and the tax refund application time, such as, "On the day of departure, please complete the tax refund application by 13:10 (60 minutes before check-in)." When the reception confirmation button 398 is selected, a map showing the location of the reception device 50 at the airport used by the user to depart the country is displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0134] Note that the screen displaying the cumulative refund explanation section 386 is not limited to the purchase results screen 380. The cumulative refund explanation section 386 may also be displayed, for example, on the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) or the individual acceptance screen 250 (see Figure 10).

[0135] Furthermore, the time explanation section 397 may also display information regarding the time of acceptance necessary for the acceptance of tax exemption to be completed before the user departs the country, as this information corresponds to the congestion status of tax exemption acceptance by the acceptance device 50. An example of how information corresponding to the congestion status of tax-free applications accepted by the reception device 50 is displayed on the time explanation unit 397 is described below. The transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 acquires information indicating the congestion status from a specific device (not shown) that identifies the congestion status of tax-free applications accepted by the reception device 50. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 may also determine the time required for the tax-free application to be completed before the user departs the country, based on the information acquired by the transmitting / receiving unit 111, and display the determined time on the item explanation unit 397. In this case, the specific device may identify the congestion status according to, for example, the number of people who have had their tax-free applications accepted by the reception device 50 per hour.

[0136] Alternatively, instead of a duty-free app, the management server 10 may perform post-purchase processing. In this case, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 receives information from the user terminal 30, such as the departure time of the airplane used by the user to travel abroad. Furthermore, when the transmitting / receiving unit 111 receives information from the user terminal 30 or the store server 20 indicating that the conditions for starting post-purchase processing have been met, post-purchase processing is started. In step 301, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 also receives purchase information from the user terminal 30 or the store server 20. Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 receives a selection management table from the user terminal 30. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 then performs the processing in steps 302 to 308 based on the purchase information and the selection management table. Finally, the control unit 116 displays the purchase result screen 380 on the user terminal 30.

[0137] Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating the post-determination processing flow. Post-determination processing is performed after the determination server 40 has determined whether or not tax exemption applies. Post-determination processing is performed by the tax exemption application on the user terminal 30. In this disclosure, post-determination processing begins when information indicating the determination result from the determination server 40 is transmitted from the management server 10 to the user terminal 30. The tax-free application on the user terminal 30 determines whether or not the tax exemption has been applied to the user's purchase of tax-free goods (S401). The tax-free application makes the determination in step 401 based on the information obtained from the management server 10, which indicates the result of the determination by the determination server 40 regarding whether or not the tax exemption applies.

[0138] If tax exemption is approved (Yes in S401), the tax exemption app generates cumulative information (S402). This cumulative information represents the cumulative percentage of tax refunds granted for tax-free purchases during the user's stay. The tax exemption app generates this cumulative information for each tax exemption category by referring to the selection management table. The tax-free app performs a refund process (S403). The refund process is the process of refunding consumption tax due to the tax exemption on the purchase of tax-free goods. If the benefit to be granted is a non-currency benefit, the tax-free app grants the non-currency benefit in the refund process. If the benefit to be granted is in the form of cash, credit card, or electronic money, the tax-free app instructs the refund system (not shown), which refunds the currency to the user's account, to refund the currency in the refund process, thereby refunding the consumption tax.

[0139] The tax-free app identifies the timing of the consumption tax refund for each granted item (S404). If the granted item is currency, the tax-free app identifies the timing of the consumption tax refund for the currency by obtaining information indicating the timing of the grant from the refund system that refunds the currency to the user's account. For non-currency benefits, the timing of the grant as a consumption tax refund is predetermined in the tax-free app. Even if the granted item is currency, the timing of the grant may be predetermined. Furthermore, the timing of the consumption tax refund for the granted item may be the timing indicated in the timing display section 235 of the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9). The tax-free app determines whether non-currency benefits are included in the rewards (S405). The tax-free app makes the determination in step 405 by referring to the selection management table.

[0140] If the rewards include non-currency rewards (Yes in S405), the tax-free app determines whether there are any products that meet the usage conditions (S406). The usage conditions are the conditions used by the tax-free app to determine whether the user can use the non-currency rewards before departing the country. In this disclosure, there are products that can be exchanged for non-currency rewards or discounted in exchange for using non-currency rewards at stores located at or near the airport. Therefore, usage conditions are defined so that the tax-free app can extract tax-free items for which non-currency rewards can be used before the user departs the country. This disclosure stipulates that one of the conditions for using non-currency rewards is that the products eligible for non-currency rewards must be located in a place the user can visit before departing the country. The duty-free app extracts products located in a place the user can visit before departing the country, based on the user's location identified from the latest location information and information indicating the location of each product eligible for non-currency rewards. Examples of places the user can visit before departing the country include locations where the time required for the user to reach the product's retailer is shorter than the time from the current time until the user's check-in time. Furthermore, this disclosure stipulates that one of the conditions for using non-currency rewards is that the non-currency rewards granted to the user must be sufficient to exchange for the product.

[0141] If there is a product that meets all of the above usage conditions (Yes in S406), the tax-free app determines the priority of the suggested products for each product that meets the usage conditions, based on the user's location, and then determines the content of the suggested products based on the determined priority (S407). For example, if there are multiple products that meet the usage conditions, the tax-free app may give a higher priority to suggested products from stores located closer to the user's location, which is identified from the latest location information.

[0142] If the reward does not include non-currency benefits (No in S405), if there are no products that meet the usage conditions (No in S406), or if the process proceeds to the next step after step 407, the tax-free app displays a refund notification screen on the user terminal 30. As will be explained in more detail later, the refund notification screen is a screen that notifies the user that consumption tax will be refunded due to the application of tax exemption for the purchase of tax-free goods. Furthermore, if the application of tax exemption has not been determined (No in S401), the tax exemption app displays a non-determined notification screen on the user terminal 30 (S409). As will be explained in more detail later, the non-determined notification screen is a screen that notifies the user that the application of tax exemption to the purchase of tax-exempt goods has not been determined.

[0143] Figure 20 shows the refund notification screen 400. The refund notification screen 400 is displayed after the processing in step 408 of the post-determination processing is completed. The refund notification screen 400 is also displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The refund notification screen 400 displays a refund image 401 and a non-currency reward image 406.

[0144] Refund image 401 is an image used to notify the user that consumption tax will be refunded due to the application of tax exemption for the purchase of tax-free goods. Refund image 401 shows a refund notification section 402, a total amount notification section 403, a refund details notification section 404, and a period notification section 405. The refund notification section 402 notifies the user that tax exemption applies to tax-free purchases made during their stay. In the illustrated example, the refund notification section 402 displays the text "Tax exemption has been determined" and the text "Sales tax will be refunded." The total amount notification unit 403 displays the total purchase amount including consumption tax and the total consumption tax for duty-free items purchased by the user during their stay. In the illustrated example, the total amount notification unit 403 displays the text "Total purchase amount for duty-free items: 381,700 yen" and the text "Consumption tax: 34,700 yen". In other words, in the illustrated example, the total amount notification unit 403 displays the total purchase amount and the total consumption tax for duty-free items shown in the selection management table in Figure 7 and the most recent duty-free item "c" not shown in Figure 7. The total amount notification unit 403 may also display the total purchase amount excluding consumption tax for duty-free items purchased by the user during their stay.

[0145] The refund notification unit 404 notifies the user of the details of the consumption tax refund for purchases of duty-free goods during the user's stay, categorized by the type of refund granted. In the illustrated example, the refund notification unit 404 displays the text "Cumulative refund details," the text "Non-currency benefits: 22,321pt," and the text "Cash: 11,970 yen." In other words, the refund notification unit 404 displays the details of the consumption tax refund granted for purchases of duty-free goods shown in the selection management table in Figure 7 and the most recent duty-free item "c" not shown in Figure 7, categorized by the type of refund granted. Furthermore, if non-currency rewards are selected as the eligible reward for any duty-free items purchased by the user during their stay, the refund notification unit 404 will display the text "Non-currency rewards: 35,047pt" as the cumulative refund amount. Also, if cash is selected as the eligible reward for any duty-free items purchased by the user during their stay, the refund notification unit 404 will display the text "Cash: 32,965 yen" as the cumulative refund amount. Also, if credit card or electronic money is selected as the eligible reward for any duty-free items purchased by the user during their stay, the refund notification unit 404 will display the text "Credit card: 33,659 yen" or "Electronic money: 33,659 yen" as the cumulative refund amount.

[0146] The period notification unit 405 notifies the period until the granting of the consumption tax refund. In the illustrated example, the period notification unit 405 displays the text "Estimated period until refund", the text "Non-currency benefit: Approximately 3 minutes", and the text "Cash: Approximately 1 month". Non-currency rewards image 406 is an image used to notify users of information regarding non-currency rewards granted as a refund of consumption tax. Non-currency rewards image 406 shows an instruction section 414, a user instruction section 407, a product search instruction section 408, a product search button 409, a store search instruction section 410, a store search button 411, a map instruction section 412, and a map button 413. The instruction unit 414 instructs the user not to uninstall the tax-free app. If the non-currency benefit to be granted is granted through the tax-free app, the instruction unit 414 is displayed on the non-currency benefit image 406 because not uninstalling the tax-free app is a condition for granting the non-currency benefit. In the illustrated example, the instruction unit 414 displays the text, "Do not uninstall this app until the non-currency benefit is granted."

[0147] The user instruction section 407 explains how to search for products and stores where non-currency rewards can be used at the airport the user will use for departure to another country. In the illustrated example, the user instruction section 407 displays the text, "You can search for products and stores within Airport A where you can use the granted non-currency rewards." The product search explanation section 408 explains that selecting the product search button 409 will search for products for which non-currency benefits are available. When selected, the product search button 409 initiates a search for products for which non-currency benefits are available.

[0148] The store search explanation section 410 explains that selecting the store search button 411 will search for stores where non-currency benefits can be used. When selected, the store search button 411 initiates a search for stores where non-currency benefits can be used. The map explanation section 412 explains that selecting the map button 413 will display a map showing the locations of stores where non-currency benefits can be used. When selected, the map button 413 accepts the display of a map showing the locations of stores where non-currency rewards can be used.

[0149] For example, when a user selects the product search button 409 by operating the user terminal 30, the product results screen 420 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 20(B). The product results screen 420 is a screen that shows the search results for products for which the user can use non-currency benefits. The product results screen 420 includes a screen explanation section 421, a product suggestion image 425, a time-order reception section 422, a price-order reception section 423, a limited-time reception section 424, a store search button 411, a map button 413, and a cancel section 434. The screen description section 421 explains that the product results screen 420 is a search result for products for which the user can use non-currency benefits. In the illustrated example, the screen description section 421 displays the text "Products at Airport A for which non-currency benefits can be used."

[0150] Product suggestion image 425 is an image used to suggest products that can be used by non-currency benefits granted to the user. The product results screen 420 displays product suggestion images 425 for each product that is the subject of the suggestion. The product results screen 420 also displays product suggestion images 425 in order from the products with the highest suggestion priority determined in step 407 of the post-determination processing (see Figure 19). In the illustrated example, the entire product suggestion image 425 for product "A", which has the highest priority, is displayed, as well as only a portion of the product suggestion image 425 for product "B", which has the second highest priority. In addition, product suggestion images 425 for products other than products "A" and "B" are not displayed, but by scrolling the product results screen 420, product suggestion images 425 for products with lower priority will be displayed. However, it is also possible to display only the two illustrated product suggestion images 425 on the product results screen 420, and product suggestion images 425 for products with a lower suggestion priority than the products related to these two product suggestion images 425 may not be shown on the product results screen 420. Product proposal image 425 shows a product name section 426, a photo section 427, a price section 428, a store section 429, a location section 430, a related section 431, a category section 432, and a map reception section 433. The following section will explain product proposal image 425 related to product "A".

[0151] The product name is shown in product name section 426. Photo section 427 shows a photograph of the product. The price section 428 shows the price of the product in terms of the amount of non-currency benefits required in exchange for the product. The store section 429 shows the name of the store where the product is sold. In the example shown, the store section 429 shows the text "Store: Store A". The location section 430 shows the airport location of the store selling the product. In the example shown, the location section 430 shows the text "Location: 1st floor, area A-1". The relevant section 431 displays information regarding the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location data, and the location of the product's retailer. In the illustrated example, the relevant section 431 displays the distance from the user to the retailer and the text "Distance from current location: approximately 30m (approximately 1 minute on foot)," which indicates the time it will take the user to get to the retailer. The category section 432 indicates the type of product. In the illustrated example, the category section 432 displays the text "Genre: Food". The map reception unit 433 receives requests to display a map showing the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the location of the product's retailer.

[0152] The time-order reception unit 422 accepts requests for product suggestion images 425 in order of the shortest time it takes the user to get to the store. Products that take a short time to get to the store are products sold at stores that are short a time for the user to get to. In the illustrated example, because the time-order reception unit 422 is selected, the product suggestion images 425 are displayed in order of the shortest time it takes the user to get to the store. The price sorting reception unit 423 accepts requests to display product suggestion images 425 in order of lowest price. The restriction reception unit 424 accepts requests to limit the product suggestion images 425 displayed on the product results screen 420 to product suggestion images 425 related to the type of product selected by the user. In the illustrated example, "All" is selected in the restriction reception unit 424, which means that the product suggestion images 425 displayed on the product results screen 420 are not limited. When the cancellation section 434 is selected, the product results screen 420 is hidden, and the refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)) is displayed again.

[0153] Furthermore, for example, if a user operates the user terminal 30 and selects the store search button 411 on the refund notification screen 400 or the product results screen 420, the tax-free app displays the store results screen 440 on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 21(A). The store results screen 440 is a screen that shows the search results for stores where the non-currency benefits granted to the user can be used. The store results screen 440 displays a screen explanation section 441, a store suggestion image 445, a time-order reception section 442, a price-order reception section 443, a limited reception section 444, a product search button 409, a map button 413, and a cancel section 452. The screen description section 441 explains that the store results screen 440 is a search result for stores where the user can use non-currency benefits. In the illustrated example, the screen description section 441 displays the text "Stores in Airport A where non-currency benefits can be used".

[0154] The store suggestion image 445 is an image used to suggest stores where the user can use non-currency benefits granted to them. The store results screen 440 displays the store suggestion image 445 for each store that is the target of the suggestion. The store results screen 440 also displays the store suggestion images 445 in order from the stores selling products with the highest priority, as determined in step 407 of the post-determination processing (see Figure 19). In the illustrated example, the entire store suggestion image 445 for store "A", which has the highest priority, is displayed, while only a portion of the product suggestion image 445 for store "B", which has the second highest priority, is displayed. In addition, store suggestion images 445 for stores other than "A" and "B" are not displayed, but by scrolling the store results screen 440, the store suggestion images 445 for stores selling products with lower priority will be displayed. However, only the two store suggestion images 445 shown in the diagram may be displayed on the store results screen 440, and store suggestion images 445 for stores with a lower suggestion priority than the stores related to these two store suggestion images 445 may not be displayed on the store results screen 440. The store proposal image 445 shows the store name section 446, the lowest price section 447, the location section 448, the related section 449, the type section 450, the product display reception section 451, and the map reception section 433. The following section will explain the proposed store image 445 related to store "A".

[0155] The store name is shown in section 446. The lowest price section 447 shows the price of the lowest-priced item sold in the store, expressed in terms of the amount of non-currency reward required for redemption. Location section 448 shows the store's location at the airport. In the example shown, location section 448 shows the text "Location: 1st floor, area A-1". Section 449 displays information regarding the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location data, and the store's location. In the illustrated example, section 449 displays the distance from the user to the store and the text "Distance from current location: approximately 30m (approximately 1 minute on foot)," which indicates the time it will take the user to get to the store. The category section 450 indicates the type of product sold in the store. In the illustrated example, the category section 45 displays the text "Genre: Food". The product display reception unit 451 receives information about products sold in stores.

[0156] The time-order reception unit 442 accepts requests for the display of store suggestion images 445 in order of the shortest travel time for the user. In the illustrated example, because the time-order reception unit 442 is selected, the store suggestion images 445 are displayed in order of the shortest travel time for the user. The price sorting reception unit 443 accepts requests for display of store suggestion images 445, sorted by the order of stores selling the lowest-priced products. The restriction reception unit 444 accepts a request to limit the store suggestion images 445 displayed on the store results screen 440 to store suggestion images 445 related to stores that sell products of the type selected by the user. In the illustrated example, "All" is selected in the restriction reception unit 434, which means that the store suggestion images 445 displayed on the store results screen 440 are not limited. When the cancellation section 452 is selected, the store results screen 440 is hidden, and the refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)) is displayed again.

[0157] Furthermore, for example, if a user operates the user terminal 30 and selects the map button 413 on the refund notification screen 400, the product results screen 420, or the store results screen 440, the tax-free app displays the relationship map screen 460 on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 21(B). The relationship map screen 460 is a screen that shows the relationship on a map between the user's location, which is identified from the latest location information, and the location of the store that is the subject of the suggestion. The relationship map screen 460 displays a relationship map image 461, a selected store image 466, a product search button 409, a store search button 411, and a cancel section 472.

[0158] The relational map image 461 is an image that shows the relationship on a map between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the location of the proposed store. The relational map image 461 shows the map display section 462, the store display section 463, the selection display section 464, and the user display section 465. The map display unit 462 shows a map that includes the user's location identified from the latest location information, and the locations of stores among the proposed stores that are located near the user.

[0159] The store display unit 463 is a mark indicating the store that is the subject of the proposal. The store display unit 463 is shown in the map display unit 462 at the corresponding location on the map. Furthermore, the related map image 461 shows only the store display units 463 related to stores located within a predetermined range relative to the user's location identified from the latest location information. In this disclosure, when the map on the map display unit 462 is zoomed out by the user operating the user terminal 30, a wider map is displayed in conjunction with this zooming out. In this case, the store display units 463 for each store located on the newly displayed map are also newly displayed. The selection display unit 464 is a frame-shaped image that identifies the store display unit 463 selected by the user's operation on the user terminal 30. When a store display unit 463 is selected by the user, the selection display unit 464 targeting the selected store display unit 463 is displayed. In the illustrated example, the selection display unit 464 is displayed so as to surround the store display unit 463 related to store "A". The user display unit 465 is a mark indicating the user. The user display unit 465 is shown on the map display unit 462 at the corresponding location on the map, as the user's location identified from the latest location information.

[0160] The selected store image 466 is an image used to suggest the store that is the target of the store display unit 463 selected in the relational map image 461. The selected store image 466 shows the store name section 467, the lowest price section 468, the location section 469, the relational section 470, the type section 471, and the product display reception section 451. The following describes the selected store image 466 related to store "A" that was displayed when the store display unit 463 related to store "A" was selected.

[0161] The store name is shown in section 467. The lowest price section 468 shows the price of the lowest-priced item sold in the store, expressed in terms of the amount of non-currency reward required for redemption. Location section 469 shows the store's location at the airport. The relevant section 470 displays information regarding the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location data, and the store's location. In the illustrated example, the relevant section 470 displays the distance from the user to the store and the text "Distance from current location: approximately 30m (approximately 1 minute on foot)," which indicates the time it will take the user to get to the store. The category section 471 indicates the type of product sold in the store. In the illustrated example, the category section 71 displays the text "Genre: Food". Furthermore, if the cancellation section 472 is selected, the related map screen 460 will be hidden, and the refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)) will be displayed again.

[0162] Figure 22 shows the non-decision notification screen 480. The non-decision notification screen 480 is displayed when the processing in step 409 of the post-decision processing (see Figure 19) is performed. The non-decision notification screen 480 is also displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The undecided notification screen 480 displays the undecided notification image 481 and the map image 484.

[0163] The non-determined notification image 481 is an image used to inform the user that the application of tax exemption to the purchase of tax-free goods has not been determined. The non-determined notification image 481 shows a non-determined notification section 482 and a necessary notification section 483. The non-determined notification unit 482 notifies that the application of tax exemption to the purchase of tax-exempt goods has not been determined. In the illustrated example, the non-determined notification unit 482 displays the text "Determination Result," which indicates that it is the result of the determination by the determination server 40, and the text "The application of tax exemption has not been determined at this time," which indicates that the application of tax exemption has not been determined. The required notification section 483 notifies the customer of the matters necessary for tax exemption. In the illustrated example, the text "Customs inspection is required for tax exemption" is shown, meaning that a customs inspection is required for tax exemption to be applied. The required notification section 483 also shows the text "See the map below for the location of the customs inspection" which provides information on the location of the customs inspection.

[0164] Map image 484 is an image that shows the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the location of the customs office on a map. Map image 484 shows a map display section 485, a customs display section 486, a user display section 487, a location display section 488, and a relationship display section 489. The map display unit 485 shows a map that includes the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the location of the customs office. The customs indication section 486 is a mark indicating customs. The customs indication section 486 is shown at the corresponding location on the map in the map indication section 485. The user display unit 487 is a mark indicating the user. The user display unit 487 is shown on the map display unit 485 at the corresponding location on the map, as the user's location identified from the latest location information.

[0165] Location section 488 shows the location of the customs office at the airport. The relationship display unit 489 shows information regarding the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the location of the customs office. In the illustrated example, the relationship display unit 489 shows the distance from the user to the customs office and the text "Distance from current location: approximately 300m (approximately 5 minutes on foot)," which indicates the time it will take for the user to reach the customs office.

[0166] Furthermore, if the determination server 40 determines that the tax exemption does not apply to the purchase of tax-free goods, the non-determined notification section 482 of the non-determined notification screen 480 may indicate that the tax exemption does not apply. For example, the non-determined notification section 482 may display the text, "It has been determined that the tax exemption does not apply."

[0167] Furthermore, the method for determining the priority of stores for which the store suggestion image 445 is displayed on the store results screen 440 is not limited to the example described above. For example, in step 407 of the post-determination processing (see Figure 19), the priority of the stores may be determined, and the store suggestion images 445 may be displayed in order of the highest determined priority. In this case, for example, stores located closer to the user's location identified from the latest location information may be assigned a higher priority.

[0168] Furthermore, the duty-free app determines the content of the information to be displayed on the product results screen 420 (see Figure 20(B)) related section 431, the store results screen 440 (see Figure 21(A)) related section 449, the related map screen 460, and the undecided notification screen 480, based on the relationship between the latest location information and the location of the duty-free store or customs office.

[0169] Alternatively, instead of the duty-free app, the management server 10 may perform the post-determination processing (see Figure 19). In this case, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 receives information such as the departure time of the airplane used by the user to travel abroad from the user terminal 30. When the transmitting / receiving unit 111 receives information from the determination server 40 indicating the result of the determination made by the determination server 40, the post-determination processing is started. The calculation unit 115 of the management server 10 performs the processing in step 402 based on the selection management table. The control unit 116 acquires the information necessary for processing from the user terminal 30 and performs the processing in steps 401, 403 to 409 based on the acquired information. Furthermore, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 controls the display of the refund notification screen 400, product result screen 420, store result screen 440, relationship map screen 460, and non-decision notification screen 480 on the user terminal 30. The control unit 116 also receives user input on the images displayed on the user terminal 30 and displays an image on the user terminal 30 corresponding to the received input.

[0170] (modified version) Next, we will explain some variations of the duty-free shop list screen. The duty-free shop list screen is not limited to the example shown in Figure 13(B). Figure 23(A) shows a modified example of a duty-free shop list screen 500. The duty-free shop list screen 500 shows a target display section 501, a handling location image 502, and a cancellation section 509 that accepts the request to hide the duty-free shop list screen 500 if selected. The target display unit 501 displays information indicating the duty-free items that are the subject of the suggestion on the duty-free shop list screen 500. In the illustrated example, the target display unit 501 displays the text "List of locations handling duty-free item "c"".

[0171] The location image 502 shows information about the location where the proposed duty-free goods are handled. The duty-free shop list screen 500 displays the location image 502 for each location where the proposed duty-free goods are handled. The duty-free shop list screen 500 may display the location images 502 in order of the location of the duty-free goods closest to the user's location, which is determined from the latest location information, or it may display the location images 502 in order of the location where the proposed duty-free goods are sold at the lowest price. Furthermore, by operating the user terminal 30 and scrolling the duty-free shop list screen 500, the location images 502 that are displayed later in the display order will also be displayed. However, only the two location images 502 shown in the figure may be displayed on the duty-free shop list screen 500, and location images 502 related to locations with a lower priority for the proposal than the location of these two location images 502 may not be displayed on the duty-free shop list screen 500. Image 502 of the handling location shows a location display section 503, a place name display section 504, a related display section 505, a product display button 506, a traffic information button 507, and a map display button 508. In the handling location image 502, the locations handling the proposed duty-free goods may be referred to as "the target handling locations" below, in the same way as the locations handling the proposed duty-free goods in handling location image 293 (see Figure 13(B)).

[0172] This section explains the handling location image 502 related to store "I", which is the target handling location. The location display unit 503 shows information indicating the name of the handling location. In the illustrated example, the location display unit 503 shows the text "Store A," which is a duty-free shop. The location display section 504 shows the location of the handling location. In the illustrated example, the location display section 504 shows the text "Location: A-2-1". The relationship display unit 505 displays information showing the relationship between the user's location, identified from the latest location information, and the target handling location. In the illustrated example, the relationship display unit 505 displays the text "Estimated time from current location: approximately 15 minutes," which indicates the time it will take for the user to reach the target handling location from their identified location.

[0173] The product display button 506 accepts the display of duty-free products sold at the designated sales location. The traffic information button 507 accepts the display of information about the means of transportation for the user to reach the target handling location from the user's current location. When the traffic information button 507 is selected, the transportation screen 320 (see Figure 14(B)) is displayed. The map display button 508 accepts the display of a map showing the positional relationship between the user's location and the target handling location. When the map display button 508 is selected, the handling map screen 300 (see Figure 14(A)) is displayed. In this case, the location section 304 shown on the handling map screen 300 is only the location section 304 for the target handling location related to the handling location image 502 on which the selected map display button 508 is located.

[0174] Here, for example, when the user operates the user terminal 30 to select the sales item display button 506 of the handling location image 502 related to store "A", as shown in FIG. 23(B), a duty-free list screen 520 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The duty-free list screen 520 is a screen that shows a list of duty-free items sold at the handling location of duty-free items. Note that the duty-free items shown on the duty-free list screen 520 are duty-free items sold at the target handling location related to the handling location image 502 provided with the selected sales item display button 506. On the duty-free list screen 520, a target location display section 521, a duty-free item image 522, and a cancellation section 528 that accepts the non-display of the duty-free list screen 520 when selected are shown.

[0175] The target location display section 521 shows the target handling location where the duty-free items shown on the duty-free list screen 520 are sold. In the illustrated example, the text "Handling Duty-Free Item List of Store A" is shown in the target location display section 521. The duty-free item image 522 is an image related to the duty-free item that is the subject of the proposal. On the duty-free list screen 520, a duty-free item image 522 is shown for each duty-free item sold at the target handling location. The duty-free item images 522 may be shown on the duty-free list screen 520 in the order of duty-free items with higher priorities determined in the proposal process, or the duty-free item images 522 may be shown in the order of higher priorities for duty-free items with a larger number of extraction targets in the proposal process. Also, when the user operates the user terminal 30 to scroll the duty-free list screen 520, the duty-free item images 522 related to duty-free items with lower priorities are displayed. However, only the two illustrated duty-free item images 522 may be displayed on the duty-free list screen 520, and the duty-free item images 522 related to duty-free items with lower priorities than the duty-free items related to these two duty-free item images 522 may not be displayed on the duty-free list screen 520. The duty-free item image 522 shows a duty-free item section 523, a price section 524, a consumption tax section 525, a photo section 526, and a store display button 527.

[0176] This explains the duty-free item image 522 related to duty-free item "c". The duty-free section 523 displays the name of the duty-free item. In the example shown, the text "c", which is the name of the duty-free item, is displayed. The price section 524 shows the sales price including consumption tax for duty-free goods at the relevant sales location. However, the price section 524 may also show the sales price excluding consumption tax. In the illustrated example, the price section 524 shows the text "11,000 yen" which is the regular sales price, the text "9,900 yen" which is the discounted sales price, and the text "10% OFF" which is the discount rate on the sales price excluding consumption tax.

[0177] Section 525 of the sales tax section shows the sales tax on duty-free items. In the example shown, section 525 of the sales tax section displays the text "Sales Tax: 900 yen". Photo section 526 shows a photograph of duty-free goods. The store display button 527 accepts the display of a list of locations that handle the target duty-free goods. More specifically, when the store display button 527 is selected, the duty-free shop list screen 500 is displayed. Furthermore, the duty-free shop list screen 500 displayed when the store display button 527 is selected is the store display button 527 related to the duty-free goods that are the target of the duty-free goods image 522 on which the selected store display button 527 is located.

[0178] As mentioned above, the characters displayed on the screens shown in Figures 9, 10, 13 to 16, 18, 20 to 23 are displayed in the language specified by the user. In this case, the control unit 116 of the tax-free application or management server 10 displays a confirmation image on the user terminal 30 to receive the user's specification of which language the characters displayed on the user terminal 30 should be in. This confirmation image may be displayed on the screens described above, or on a different screen from those described above.

[0179] Furthermore, the information shown in Figures 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13 to 16, 18, and 20 to 23 all pertains to the same user. In other words, the information shown in Figures 6, 7, 9, 10, 13 to 16, 18, and 20 to 23 pertains to the user who holds the passport read on the passport reading screen 200 shown in Figure 4(A), and who is also the user whose information is registered on the input acceptance screen 210 shown in Figure 4(B).

[0180] As described above, the program comprising the tax-free application in this disclosure is a program that enables a computer to implement a function for acquiring information indicating that the consumption tax included in the price of tax-free goods purchased by the user is tax-free, and a control function that, when information indicating tax exemption is acquired by the acquisition function, refunds the consumption tax by granting a non-currency benefit different from currency. Examples of information indicating tax exemption include information sent from the management server 10 indicating the result of the determination by the determination server 40 that tax exemption applies. In this case, a refund can be implemented in a manner different from the granting of currency, as a refund of the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user.

[0181] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 in this disclosure acquires information indicating that the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user is exempt from tax. Examples of information indicating that the tax is exempt include information transmitted from the determination server 40 indicating the result of the determination server 40's determination that the tax exemption applies. When the control unit 111 acquires information indicating that the tax is exempt from tax, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 refunds the consumption tax by granting a non-currency benefit different from currency. In this case, a refund can be implemented in a manner different from the granting of currency, as a refund of the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user.

[0182] Furthermore, the program that makes up the tax-free app is a program that enables a computer to implement an acquisition function that obtains information indicating that the consumption tax included in the price of tax-free goods purchased by the user is tax-free, and a display function that, when the acquisition function obtains information indicating that the tax is tax-free, displays information regarding the refund of consumption tax through the granting of non-currency benefits different from currency. Examples of information regarding refunds include the information shown on the refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)). In this case, a refund can be implemented in a manner different from the granting of currency, as a refund of the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user.

[0183] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 in this disclosure acquires information indicating that the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user is exempt from tax. When the transmitting / receiving unit 111 acquires information indicating that the tax is exempt from tax, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 displays information regarding the refund of consumption tax through the granting of benefits other than currency. In this case, a refund can be implemented in a manner different from the granting of currency, as a refund of the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user.

[0184] In this disclosure, a tax-free app, which is an application software installed on the user terminal 30, handles the acceptance of the user's choice of which benefits to grant as a consumption tax refund when tax exemption applies, and grants non-currency benefits to the user. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. The process of accepting which rewards to grant to the user and the granting of non-currency benefits to the user may be implemented by different application software. In other words, the functions described above may be implemented by two application software programs as functions of a tax-free app. In this case, the application software within the tax-free app that accepts which rewards to grant to the user will be referred to as the "acceptance app" below. The application software within the tax-free app that grants non-currency benefits to the user will be referred to as the "granting app" below.

[0185] The reception application displays the passport reading screen 200 (see Figure 4(A)) and the input reception screen 210 (see Figure 4(B)) on the user terminal 30, and receives information read by the passport reading screen 200 and information entered on the input reception screen 210. The reception application also executes the reception process (see Figure 8), displays the selection reception screen 230 (see Figure 9) and the individual reception screen 250 (see Figure 10) on the user terminal 30, and accepts the user's selection of the items to be granted. When the reception application receives information from the management server 10 indicating the result of the determination server 40's determination that tax exemption applies, it may instruct the granting application to refund the consumption tax by granting non-currency benefits to the user, thereby granting non-currency benefits as a consumption tax refund. Furthermore, even when the reward recipient is different from a non-currency reward recipient, if the reception app receives information from the management server 10 indicating the result of the determination server 40's determination that tax exemption applies, it instructs the rewarding means that grants the reward recipient to the user to refund the consumption tax by granting the reward recipient to the user. The granting application also performs suggestion processing (see Figure 12). The granting application also displays the following on the user terminal 30: suggestion screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)), duty-free shop list screen 290 (see Figure 13(B)), handling map screen 300 (see Figure 14(A)), transportation screen 320 (see Figure 14(B)), code screen 340 (see Figure 15(A)), self-verification screen 360 (see Figure 15(B)), verification result screen 370 (see Figure 16), duty-free shop list screen 500 (see Figure 23(A)), and duty-free item list screen 520 (see Figure 23(B)). The granting application also performs post-purchase processing (see Figure 17) and displays the purchase result screen 380 (see Figure 18) on the user terminal 30. The granting application also performs post-determination processing (see Figure 19). The granting app also displays a refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)), a product results screen 420 (see Figure 20(B)), a store results screen 440 (see Figure 21(A)), a relationship map screen 460 (see Figure 21(B)), and a non-decision notification screen 480 (see Figure 22) on the user terminal 30. The granting app then accepts information input from the user on the screens displayed on the user terminal 30 and controls the display of information on the user terminal 30 by displaying information corresponding to the received information. Furthermore, when the granting app receives instructions from the receiving app to grant non-currency benefits to the user, it grants the non-currency benefits to the user according to the instructions, thereby refunding the consumption tax.

[0186] Thus, even if the reception app and the granting app are installed on the user terminal 30, the various functions described above are realized for the tax-free app. Here, the program that constitutes the reception app can be understood as a program that enables the computer to implement an acquisition function that acquires information on what will be granted as a consumption tax refund when the consumption tax included in the price of the tax-free goods purchased by the user is tax-free, and a control function that, when the information acquired by the acquisition function is predetermined information, causes the consumption tax to be refunded by granting a benefit other than currency. Information on what will be granted as a consumption tax refund includes information that is acquired by the reception app when the decision unit 240 of the selection reception screen 230 or the decision unit 256 of the individual reception screen 250 is selected, indicating which grant target has been selected by the user. In addition, predetermined information includes, for example, information indicating that a non-currency benefit has been selected by the user as the grant target. In this case, a refund can be implemented in a manner different from the granting of currency, as a refund of the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user.

[0187] Furthermore, the management server 10 may implement the functions of the reception application described above instead of the reception application. That is, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 may acquire information regarding the items to be refunded as a consumption tax when the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user is exempt from consumption tax. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 may then refund the consumption tax by granting a benefit other than currency if the information acquired by the transmitting / receiving unit 111 is predetermined information. In this case, a refund can be implemented in a manner different from the granting of currency, as a refund of the consumption tax included in the price of the duty-free goods purchased by the user.

[0188] Alternatively, instead of the granting application, the reception application may display the code screen 340, the self-verification screen 360, and the verification result screen 370 on the user terminal 30. Furthermore, instead of the granting application, the reception application may perform post-determination processing and display the refund notification screen 400 on the user terminal 30. The reception application may also control the display of information on the user terminal 30 by accepting user input for the screens displayed on the user terminal 30 and displaying information on the user terminal 30 according to the received input. Furthermore, if the generation of the various types of information described above as displayed on the user terminal 30 cannot be achieved by the receiving application alone, the receiving application may generate the information to be displayed on the user terminal 30 using the information obtained from the granting application via sending and receiving information to and from the granting application. Alternatively, either the reception application or the granting application function may be implemented by the management server 10.

[0189] Furthermore, this disclosure states that the items granted as refunds include non-currency benefits and currency benefits. The programs comprising the tax-free app, the reception app, and the granting app further implement a display function that causes the computer to display a reception image for accepting the selection of items to be granted as refunds. Examples of reception images include the selection reception screen 230 and the individual reception screen 250. The display function may also be implemented by the control unit 116 of the management server 10. In this case, it is possible to realize a consumption tax refund by granting benefits tailored to each user.

[0190] Furthermore, the display function or the control unit 116 of the management server 10 displays timing information regarding the timing at which the refund will be granted before the selection of the items to be refunded is accepted. Examples of timing information include the information shown in the timing display unit 235 (see Figure 9). In this case, based on the timing when the refund target is granted, the user can be allowed to select the grant target.

[0191] In the present disclosure, although it has been described that the timing display section 235 is shown on the selection reception screen 230, it is not limited thereto. The timing display section 235 may be shown on the individual reception screen 250 for each grant target. Also, as long as it is before the selection of the target granted as a refund is received, the timing display section 235 may be shown in the image displayed on the user terminal 30 as an image different from the selection reception screen 230 or the individual reception screen 250.

[0192] Further, the display function and control section 116 causes the timing information related to the non-monetary privilege and the timing information related to the currency to be displayed on the reception image (see FIG. 9). In this case, when the user selects the grant target based on the timing when the non-monetary privilege is granted and the timing when the currency is granted, there is no need to display an image different from the reception image on the user terminal 30.

[0193] Also, the display function and control section 116 displays an index regarding the degree to which the refund target is granted before the selection of the target granted as a refund is received. Examples of the index include the information shown in the content display section 236 (see FIG. 9) and the ratio display section 237. In this case, based on the degree to which the refund target is granted, the user can be allowed to select the grant target.

[0194] Further, the display function and control section 116 causes the index related to the non-monetary privilege and the index related to the currency to be displayed on the reception image. In this case, when the user selects the grant target based on the degree to which the non-monetary privilege is granted and the degree to which the currency is granted, there is no need to display an image different from the reception image on the user terminal 30.

[0195] Furthermore, the acquisition function and the transmission / reception unit 111 of the management server 10 acquire information indicating the period during which the user is scheduled to stay in Japan. Examples of information indicating the period during which the user is scheduled to stay in Japan include the information entered in the period input unit 215. The display function and control unit 116 then display an indicator showing the cumulative refund for the user's tax-free purchases during the scheduled stay, separately for cases where the refund is for non-currency benefits and cases where the refund is for currency, and after displaying the indicator, it displays a reception image (see Figure 9). Examples of indicators showing the cumulative refund for the user's tax-free purchases during the scheduled stay include the content display unit 236. In this case, the user can be given the option to select which benefits to receive, based on the cumulative amount of refunds received for duty-free purchases made by the user during their planned stay, for both non-currency benefits and currency benefits.

[0196] In this disclosure, the content display unit 236 and the percentage display unit 237 are shown on the selection acceptance screen 230, but this is not limited to this. The content display unit 236 and the percentage display unit 237 may be shown in an image displayed on the user terminal 30 as a different image from the selection acceptance screen 230, before the selection of the items to be granted as a refund is accepted.

[0197] Furthermore, the control function and control unit 116 grant non-currency benefits via specific application software installed on the user terminal 30. Examples of specific application software include tax-free apps and benefit granting apps. The programs comprising the tax-free app, reception app, and benefit granting app further implement a display function that displays information to the computer regarding not uninstalling specific application software when a refund is made due to the granting of non-currency benefits. Examples of information regarding not uninstalling specific application software include the information shown in the instruction section 414 of the refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)). The display function may also be implemented by the control unit 116 of the management server 10. In this case, compared to a configuration where information regarding not uninstalling specific application software is not displayed, the likelihood of non-currency benefits being denied due to the uninstallation of specific application software on the user terminal 30 is suppressed.

[0198] Furthermore, the control function and control unit 116 refund a portion of the consumption tax by granting non-currency benefits and a portion of the consumption tax by granting currency. In this case, compared to a configuration where the recipients of the consumption tax refund are limited to a single recipient, a variety of recipients of the consumption tax refund can be granted.

[0199] Furthermore, the programs comprising the tax-free app, the application app, and the granting app further implement a display function that allows the computer to display an indicator regarding the extent of the non-currency benefit granted and an indicator regarding the amount of currency granted, before the refund is made, when a portion of the consumption tax is refunded through the granting of a non-currency benefit and a portion of the consumption tax is refunded through the granting of currency. Examples of the indicators regarding the extent of the non-currency benefit granted and the amount of currency granted include the information shown in the cumulative image 255 (see Figure 10), the cumulative refund explanation section 386 (see Figure 18), and the refund content notification section 404 (see Figure 20(A)). The display function may also be implemented by the control unit 116 of the management server 10. In this case, the extent of any non-currency benefits and the amount of currency to be provided when a consumption tax refund is issued can be made known to the user in advance, before the refund is made.

[0200] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 in this disclosure acquires determination information indicating the result of the determination regarding the application of tax exemption to the user's purchase of tax-free goods. Examples of determination information include information transmitted from the determination server 40 indicating the result of the determination of whether or not tax exemption applies to the purchase of tax-free goods. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 then displays information regarding the determination result on the user terminal 30 in a manner corresponding to the determination information acquired by the transmitting / receiving unit 111 (see Figures 20(A) and 22). In this case, compared to a configuration where users are notified only if it is determined that tax exemption applies, the result of the determination regarding the application of tax exemption to the purchase of tax-exempt goods becomes easier for users to recognize. The determination of whether or not the purchase of duty-free goods is eligible for duty-free treatment includes both the determination that the duty-free treatment is applicable and the determination that the duty-free treatment is not applicable. Furthermore, the determination of whether or not the duty-free treatment is applicable to the purchase of duty-free goods also includes the determination that the application of duty-free treatment has not yet been decided, as this will be determined by customs inspection, as mentioned above (see Figure 22).

[0201] Furthermore, the program comprising the tax-free application described herein is a program that enables a computer to implement an acquisition function that acquires determination information indicating the result of a determination regarding the applicability of tax exemption to a user's purchase of tax-free goods, and a display function that displays information regarding the determination result in a manner corresponding to the determination information acquired by the acquisition function. In this case, compared to a configuration where users are notified only if it is determined that tax exemption applies, the result of the determination regarding the application of tax exemption to the purchase of tax-exempt goods becomes easier for users to recognize.

[0202] Furthermore, when the consumption tax included in the price of tax-free goods purchased by the user is refunded due to the application of tax exemption to the purchase, and the refund is made by granting the user a non-currency benefit different from currency, the control unit 116 and the tax-free application display location information regarding the location of stores or products where the non-currency benefit can be used on the user terminal 30. Examples of location information include the location section 430 on the product results screen 420 (see Figure 20(B)), the location section 448 on the store results screen 440 (see Figure 21(A)), and the information shown in the related map image 461 and location section 469 on the related map screen 460 (see Figure 21(B)). When a user is staying in Japan for a short period, they may not be familiar with the stores or products that accept non-currency rewards. Even in this case, if location information regarding the location of stores or products that accept non-currency rewards is displayed on the user's terminal 30, it becomes easier for the user to use the non-currency rewards before departing the country.

[0203] Furthermore, the transmission / reception unit 111 of the management server 10 and the tax-free application acquire user location information regarding the user's location. User location information includes location information generated by the identification means 32 of the user terminal 30. The control unit 116 and the tax-free application then prioritize displaying information on stores or products that satisfy the conditions defined in relation to the location identified from the user location information to the user terminal 30, rather than information on stores or products that do not satisfy the conditions defined in relation to the location identified from the user location information. The conditions defined in relation to the location identified from the user location information include stores or products of these stores that are within a predetermined order in order of proximity to the user's location identified from the latest location information. The predetermined order can be any order, but for example, it could be number 2. Information on stores or products that satisfy the conditions includes, for example, the store suggestion image 445 on the store results screen 440 (see Figure 21(A)) and the information shown on the relationship map screen 460 (see Figure 21(B)). In this case, among the stores or products where non-currency benefits can be used, the user can be prioritized to see stores or products that are relevant to their location.

[0204] Furthermore, prioritizing the display of information on stores or products that meet the specified conditions in relation to the location identified from the user's location information, over information on stores or products that do not meet the conditions, also includes the case where information on stores or products that do not meet the conditions is not displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0205] Furthermore, the control unit 116 and the tax-free application display information about stores or products corresponding to the non-currency benefits granted as a refund on the user terminal 30 (see Figures 21(A) and (B)). In this case, the user can be made aware of the store or product corresponding to the non-currency reward granted as a refund.

[0206] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 and the duty-free app acquire information regarding the departure time of the flight the user will use to travel abroad. This departure time information includes, for example, the departure time of the flight the user will use to leave the country. The control unit 116 and the duty-free app then display information about stores or products on the user terminal 30, corresponding to the time remaining until departure. In this case, the user can be made aware of stores or products that are relevant to the time remaining until departure.

[0207] Furthermore, when tax exemption applies to a purchase, the control unit 116 and the tax exemption application display refund information on the user terminal 30 indicating that the consumption tax included in the price of the tax-exempt goods purchased by the user will be refunded before the consumption tax is refunded (see Figure 20(A)). Examples of refund information include the information shown in the refund notification section 402 of the refund notification screen 400. In this case, the user can be made aware that the consumption tax will be refunded before the refund is actually processed.

[0208] Furthermore, when the control unit 116 and the tax-free application display refund information on the user terminal 30, they also display information on the user terminal 30 regarding the period until the consumption tax is refunded. This information regarding the period until the consumption tax is refunded includes the information shown in the period notification section 405 of the refund notification screen 400. In this case, users can be informed of the estimated timeframe for when the consumption tax will be refunded, before the refund is actually processed.

[0209] Furthermore, when tax exemption applies to a purchase, the control unit 116 and the tax exemption application display on the user terminal 30 the amount of consumption tax included in the price of the tax-exempt goods purchased by the user, and the details of the benefits granted to the user as a consumption tax refund. In this case, the user can be made aware of the relationship between the amount of consumption tax and the benefits granted as a refund of the consumption tax.

[0210] Furthermore, if the result of the determination identified from the acquired determination information is different from the decision to apply tax exemption to the purchase, the control unit 116 and the tax exemption application will display information regarding the means necessary for applying tax exemption on the user terminal 30. In this case, even if the application of tax exemption has not been determined, the user can be made aware of the necessary steps to apply for tax exemption.

[0211] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 and the tax-free application acquire information indicating the period during which the user is scheduled to stay in Japan. The control unit 116 and the tax-free application then display an indicator on the user terminal 30 before the refund decision is made, showing the cumulative amount of consumption tax refunds expected for the user's purchases of tax-free goods during the scheduled period. Examples of indicators showing the cumulative amount of consumption tax refunds expected for the user's purchases of tax-free goods during the scheduled period include the information shown in the cumulative refund explanation section 386 on the purchase results screen 380 (see Figure 18). In this case, even before the refund decision is made, the user can be made aware of the details of the VAT refund for tax-free purchases made by the user during the scheduled period.

[0212] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 and the tax-free application acquire additional information regarding the departure time of the airplane the user will use to travel overseas. Then, the control unit 116 and the tax-free application display information regarding tax-free application on the user terminal 30 based on the departure time. In this case, the user can be made aware of the tax exemption process, which takes the departure time into account.

[0213] Furthermore, the program comprising the tax-free application in this disclosure is a program for a computer to implement an acquisition function for acquiring user information about the user, and a display function for displaying on a single screen an encoded image, which is an image readable by a device that transmits tax-free information and on which user information is encoded, and a specific image showing attribute information about the user's attributes and / or the user's name. Examples of user information include information shown on the passport read by the reading display unit 203 of the passport reading screen 200 (see Figure 4(A)), and information entered in the address input unit 212, type selection unit 214, and period input unit 215 of the input acceptance screen 210 (see Figure 4(B)). Examples of devices that transmit tax-free information include the reading means of the store server 20. Examples of encoded images include the code unit 353 shown on the code screen 340 (see Figure 15(A)). Furthermore, attribute information includes the gender section 344, age section 345, nationality section 346, height section 347, etc., as shown on the code screen 340. In addition, the identification image is the personal identification image 341. In this case, the process of providing information about purchasers of duty-free goods and verifying whether or not those purchasers are eligible for duty-free shopping becomes more efficient.

[0214] Furthermore, the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 in this disclosure acquires user information about the user. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 then displays on a single screen an encoded image, which is readable by a device that transmits tax exemption information and contains encoded user information, and a specific image showing attribute information about the user's attributes and / or the user's name. In this case, the process of providing information about purchasers of duty-free goods and verifying whether or not those purchasers are eligible for duty-free shopping becomes more efficient.

[0215] Furthermore, attribute information includes at least one of the following: gender, age, nationality, height, and weight. In this case, the person verifying the user's identity can verify their identity by comparing the user with the information provided in their attribute data.

[0216] Furthermore, the acquisition function and the transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 acquire information shown in the passport by reading the user's passport. The attribute information is information identified from the characters shown in the passport. In this case, the user does not need to enter information used for user identity verification into the user terminal 30.

[0217] Furthermore, the acquisition function and transmission / reception unit 111 acquire facial information showing the user's face. The attribute information is textual information identified from the facial information. Examples of textual information include information indicating the user's height and information indicating the user's weight. In this case, during user identity verification, the user's identity can be confirmed by comparing them with attribute information that is not included in the facial photograph.

[0218] Furthermore, the display function and the control unit 116 of the management server 10 display information regarding the taking of a photograph by the user. This information regarding the taking of a photograph by the user includes the information shown in the photographed subject explanation section 348 of the code screen 340. In this case, compared to a situation where the user is unaware that they are being photographed, the likelihood of the user feeling distrustful of the photography process is reduced.

[0219] Furthermore, the acquisition function and transmission / reception unit 111 acquire passport information shown on the passport by reading the user's passport. This passport information includes the facial information shown on the passport. The display function and control unit 116 display information prompting the user to take a photograph. The program constituting the tax-free application further implements a matching function that compares the user's face shown in the image generated by the user's photograph taken by the user terminal 30's camera with the face shown on the passport. This matching function may be implemented by the control unit 116 of the management server 10. In this case, the burden on the verifier is reduced compared to a configuration where identity verification is performed solely by visual inspection by a verifier.

[0220] Furthermore, the display function and control unit 116 display information regarding the granting of benefits when a user is authenticated by matching an image generated by the shooting means. Examples of benefits include non-currency benefits. However, the benefits may be different products or services from non-currency benefits. In this case, the user can be facilitated to verify their identity through the use of the imaging device.

[0221] Furthermore, user information or attribute information is information identified from passport information. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information regarding identity verification and / or information to prevent the reading of a passport belonging to someone other than the user before the passport is read. In this case, it is deterred from having a user scan someone else's passport in order to impersonate them.

[0222] Furthermore, the program comprising the duty-free application in this disclosure is a program that enables a computer to implement an acquisition function to acquire user information regarding the results of the user's actions, and a display function to display information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops according to the user information. User information includes location information, information shown in the pre-purchase management table (see Figure 6) as duty-free goods that the user displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchasing them, and information shown in the selection management table (see Figure 7) as duty-free goods selected by the user. Information regarding duty-free goods or duty-free shops according to the user information includes information shown on the suggestion screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)), duty-free shop list screen 290 (see Figure 13(B)), handling map screen 300 (see Figure 14(A)), transportation screen 320 (see Figure 14(B)), duty-free shop list screen 500 (see Figure 23(A)), and duty-free item list screen 520 (see Figure 23(B)), etc. In this case, information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops can be provided based on the user's behavior.

[0223] Furthermore, the transmission / reception unit 111 of the management server 10 in this disclosure acquires user information regarding the results of the user's actions. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 then displays information regarding duty-free goods or duty-free shops according to the user information. In this case, information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops can be provided based on the user's behavior.

[0224] Furthermore, the user information includes location information related to the user's location. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops according to the location information. In this case, information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops can be provided based on the user's location.

[0225] Furthermore, the acquisition function and transmission / reception unit 111 acquires historical information regarding the purchase history of duty-free goods. This historical information includes the information shown in the selection management table and the history management table (see Figure 11) as the purchase history of duty-free goods. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops according to the location information and historical information. In this case, information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops can be provided based on the user's location and purchase history of duty-free goods.

[0226] Furthermore, duty-free goods or duty-free shops corresponding to location information are duty-free goods or duty-free shops located within a range that satisfies conditions defined for the location identified from the location information. Conditions defined for the location identified from the location information include range conditions, etc. The display function or control unit 116 then displays information regarding the means of transportation from the location identified from the location information to the location that satisfies the conditions (see Figure 14(B), etc.). Users staying in Japan for short periods may not be familiar with transportation options. Even in such cases, the system can help users understand the means of transportation from their current location to locations with duty-free goods or duty-free shops within a reasonable range based on their location.

[0227] Furthermore, the display function and control unit 116 display information regarding the location of a place where duty-free goods or duty-free shops are located, which satisfies the conditions defined in relation to the location identified by the location information (see Figures 13(A), (B), 14(A), (B), 23(A), etc.). In this case, the user can be made aware of the location of the duty-free goods or duty-free shop where the information was provided, taking into account the user's location.

[0228] Furthermore, the display function and control unit 116 displays information about a specific duty-free item, and that specific duty-free item is available in multiple locations. In other words, the specific duty-free item is a duty-free item that is sold in multiple stores or handled in multiple locations. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information about the location of each of the multiple locations, along with information about the price of the specific duty-free item at each of the multiple locations (see Figures 13(B), 14(A), and 23(A)). In this case, the user can be allowed to choose which store to purchase a particular duty-free item from, based on the location of each place where that duty-free item is sold or handled, and the price of that duty-free item.

[0229] Furthermore, certain duty-free items are those located in places that meet specific conditions regarding their relationship to a location identified by location information. These conditions regarding the relationship to a location identified by location information include range conditions, etc. In this case, the duty-free items that users can choose to purchase at a particular store, based on their location and the price of the duty-free item, can be limited to duty-free items that meet specified conditions in relation to the user's location.

[0230] Furthermore, when the display function and control unit 116 displays information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops, if the duty-free goods or duty-free shops are located in multiple locations, it displays information about locations that satisfy predetermined conditions regarding their relationship to the location identified by the location information among the multiple locations, and restricts the display of information about locations that do not satisfy the conditions among the multiple locations (see Figures 13(B), 14(A), and 23(A)). Examples of predetermined conditions regarding their relationship to the location identified by the location information include range conditions. Another example of predetermined conditions regarding their relationship to the location identified by the location information is that the location is within a predetermined range from the user's current location, which is a condition defined for the display of the location section 304 on the map image 301 in the handling map screen 300. In this case, the system can prioritize displaying the location of duty-free items that meet the specified conditions regarding the user's location.

[0231] Furthermore, restricting the display of information about locations that do not meet the criteria among multiple locations includes not displaying information about locations that do not meet the criteria. Also, restricting the display of information about locations that do not meet the criteria among multiple locations includes prioritizing the display of information about locations that do not meet the criteria over information about locations that do not meet the criteria among multiple locations.

[0232] Furthermore, when displaying information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops, the display function and control unit 116 also displays information about the means of transportation from the location identified by the location information to the location of the duty-free goods or duty-free shop (see Figures 13(B), 14(B), etc.). Users staying in Japan for short periods may not be familiar with transportation options. Even in such cases, the system can help users understand the means of transportation from their current location to the location of the duty-free goods or duty-free shops for which information is being provided.

[0233] Furthermore, when the display function and control unit 116 displays information regarding duty-free goods or duty-free shops, it also displays information regarding the relationship between the location identified by the location information and the location where the duty-free goods or duty-free shops are located (see Figures 13(A), (B), 14(A), (B), and 23(A), (B)). In this case, the user can be made aware of the relationship between their current location and the location of the duty-free goods or duty-free shop for which information is being provided, and then be given the option to choose whether or not to go to the location of the duty-free goods or duty-free shop for which information is being provided.

[0234] Furthermore, the display function and control unit 116 display information indicating benefits related to the purchase of duty-free goods that meet the conditions defined in relation to user information. Examples of conditions defined in relation to user information include benefit conditions. Examples of benefits related to the purchase of duty-free goods include discounts on sales prices. In this case, users can be given the option to decide whether or not to purchase duty-free items based on the details of the benefits offered.

[0235] Furthermore, the benefits granted when purchasing duty-free goods that meet the benefit conditions are not limited to discounts on the sales price. For example, when duty-free goods that meet the benefit conditions are purchased at a specific store, the benefits granted when purchasing such goods or services at that specific store may include preferential treatment for the user in receiving goods or services offered at that specific store. For example, preferential treatment for goods or services could include the user being able to purchase specific goods or services at a specific store without having to wait in line. In this case, the price section 273 of the proposal image 271 on the proposal screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)) related to duty-free goods that meet the benefit conditions would show text such as, "If you purchase this duty-free item at a specific store, you can purchase specific goods or services without having to wait in line," as the content of the benefit. In addition, the goods or services given to the user preferentially as a benefit may be paid or free of charge.

[0236] Furthermore, duty-free items that meet the specified conditions regarding their relationship with user information are duty-free items located in a place that meets the specified conditions regarding their relationship with the location identified by location information. Examples of specified conditions regarding the relationship with the location identified by location information include range conditions. In this case, the duty-free items that users can choose whether or not to purchase based on the benefits offered can be limited to duty-free items located in places that meet the specified conditions in relation to the user's location.

[0237] Furthermore, user information includes at least display information regarding duty-free items displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase in response to operations on the user terminal 30, and purchase information regarding duty-free items purchased by the user. Examples of display information include information shown in the pre-purchase management table as duty-free items whose information the user displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchasing them. Examples of purchase information include information shown in the selection management table as duty-free items selected by the user. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information regarding duty-free items or duty-free shops according to the relationship between the display information and the purchase information. Examples of duty-free items or duty-free shops according to the relationship between the display information and the purchase information include duty-free items that satisfy the relationship conditions or duty-free shops that satisfy the relationship conditions. In this case, in response to an operation on the user terminal 30, information regarding duty-free items or duty-free shops can be provided, taking into account the relationship between the duty-free items displayed on the user terminal 30 before purchase and the duty-free items purchased by the user.

[0238] Furthermore, the acquisition function and transmission / reception unit 111 acquires information about the user's attributes, information about the attributes of other people different from the user, and historical information about the purchase history of duty-free goods. Information about the user's attributes includes the user's gender, nationality, age, hobbies, etc. Information about other people's attributes includes, for example, the gender, nationality, age, hobbies, etc. of other people shown in the history management table. Historical information includes the history of duty-free goods shown in the history management table. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops corresponding to the historical information of persons whose attributes satisfy predetermined conditions in relation to the user's attributes. Duty-free goods or duty-free shops corresponding to the historical information of persons whose attributes satisfy predetermined conditions in relation to the user's attributes include duty-free goods that satisfy the attribute history relationship conditions or duty-free goods retailers that satisfy the attribute history relationship conditions. In this case, it is possible to provide information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops based on the purchase history of duty-free goods by others, which is an attribute related to the user's attributes. The purchase history of duty-free items shown in the history management table may include not only information about others other than the user, but also information about the user themselves. Furthermore, when selecting duty-free items or duty-free shops to suggest to the user, the user's own information shown in the history management table may also be taken into consideration.

[0239] Furthermore, the acquisition function and transmission / reception unit 111 acquires historical information regarding the purchase history of duty-free goods and determination information regarding the history of determinations concerning the application of duty-free status to the purchase of duty-free goods. The determination information includes the "duty-free" and "customs" information shown in the history management table. The display function and control unit 116 then displays information about duty-free goods or duty-free shops corresponding to the purchase information, historical information, and determination information. The duty-free goods or duty-free shops corresponding to the purchase information, historical information, and determination information include duty-free goods that meet the determination conditions or duty-free shops that meet the determination conditions. In this case, information about duty-free items or duty-free shops can be provided, taking into account the duty-free items purchased by the user, the purchase history of duty-free items, and the history of decisions regarding the applicability of duty-free status to the purchase of duty-free items.

[0240] In this disclosure, the reading means of the store server 20 is described as reading the code image 351 on the code screen 340 displayed on the user terminal 30 or the receipt printed from the duty-free store's register upon purchase of duty-free goods, but this is not limited to this. The code image 351 or the receipt can be read by equipment in the system where the store server 20 is installed at the duty-free store. Furthermore, while this disclosure explains that duty-free shops may use a verification system that authenticates users by comparing the photo section 343 of the code screen 340 with a photograph taken by the user, it is not limited to this. The verification system may be used for any entity other than the user. In this case, the photographed explanation section 348 may display text such as "Photography will be performed using a photographic device installed nearby for identity verification by the verification system," indicating that the photograph will be taken using equipment different from the user terminal 30 used by an entity other than the user.

[0241] Furthermore, while this disclosure primarily uses the case where the non-currency reward is points as an example to explain various configurations, the non-currency reward may also be a voucher redeemable for a specific product or service, as described above. If the non-currency reward is a voucher, the information displayed on the user terminal 30 regarding the content of the non-currency reward will be related to the content of the voucher.

[0242] Furthermore, a tax exemption application may be accepted by the acceptance device 50 even if no recipient has been selected. In this case, if the determination server 40 determines that the tax exemption is applicable, a batch acceptance button 388 (see Figure 18) and an individual acceptance button 389 may be displayed on the refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)). When the batch acceptance button 388 or the individual acceptance button 389 is selected, a selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) or an individual acceptance screen 250 (see Figure 10) will be displayed, and recipients may be selected on the displayed screen. In this case, the timing display unit 235 for each recipient on the selection acceptance screen 230 will show the estimated timing when the recipient will be granted, which is the time elapsed from the time the determination server 40 determined that the tax exemption was applicable, added to the time shown in Figure 9.

[0243] Furthermore, multiple eligibility criteria may be selected for each duty-free item. For example, the selection screen 230 may display a reception unit (not shown) that accepts the specification of the percentage and amount of grants for each grant target. When the user selects the decision unit 240 with the percentage and amount of grants for each grant target entered in the reception unit, the entered percentage and amount of grants for each grant target are accepted, and the content display unit 236 shows the accepted grant details for each grant target. In addition, the individual reception screen 250 may also accept the specification of the percentage and amount of grants for each grant target for each duty-free item, and the individual reception image 254 may show the accepted grant details for each grant target.

[0244] Furthermore, while this disclosure explains that the redemption rate for non-currency rewards may exceed 100%, it is not limited to this. The redemption rate for non-currency rewards may be less than 100% or greater than the aforementioned 101%. Also, even if the redemption rate for non-currency rewards is less than 100%, it may be greater than the redemption rate for any of the rewards offered, such as cash, credit cards, or electronic money.

[0245] Furthermore, while this disclosure explains that the proposal screen 270 (see Figure 13(A)) is displayed when the proposal process (see Figure 12) is executed, the conditions for displaying the proposal screen 270 are not limited to the execution of the proposal process. For example, in the duty-free application on the user terminal 30, a search screen for duty-free items (not shown) may be displayed, and a button to accept the display of a suggestion screen 270 targeting the searched duty-free items may be displayed on this search screen. In this case, if the user selects the button to accept the display of a suggestion screen 270 targeting the searched duty-free items, a suggestion screen 270 including a suggestion image 271 related to the searched duty-free items may be displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0246] Furthermore, the image displayed on the user terminal 30 as a result of the proposal process is not limited to the proposal screen 270. When the proposal process is executed, the duty-free shop list screen 290 (see Figure 13(B)) or the duty-free shop list screen 500 (see Figure 23(A)) may be displayed on the user terminal 30 first. In this case, the duty-free items targeted by the duty-free shop list screen 290 or the duty-free shop list screen 500 may be the duty-free items that were determined to have the highest proposal priority in the proposal process.

[0247] Furthermore, after the user terminal 30 receives the result of the tax exemption application determination, a refund notification screen 400 (see Figure 20(A)) may be displayed on the user terminal 30 in response to the user's operation of the user terminal 30. In this case, the content shown in the period notification section 405 of the refund notification screen 400 may be updated to reflect the period until the granting of the granting target at the time the refund notification screen 400 is displayed. Also, the period until the granting of each granting target at the time the refund notification screen 400 is displayed is the period shown in the time display section 235 of the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) minus the period from the time the tax exemption application determination result is received by the user terminal 30 to the time the refund notification screen 400 is displayed.

[0248] Furthermore, the recipients of the grant are not limited to the examples mentioned above. Refunds to prepaid cards may also be included. Note that refunds to prepaid cards are an example of the granting of currency as a refund of consumption tax. Furthermore, the user may choose which country's currency to be awarded. In other words, the user may choose the type of currency to be awarded.

[0249] Furthermore, while this disclosure explains that information about individual duty-free items is displayed on the suggestion screen 270, duty-free shop list screen 290, handling map screen 300, and duty-free shop list screen 500, it is not limited to this. In the suggestion screen 270, the duty-free shop list screen 290, the handling map screen 300, and the duty-free shop list screen 500, information about the types of duty-free goods may be displayed, for example. For example, the suggestion screen 270 may show suggestion images 271 for each type of duty-free item such as food and beverages. The duty-free item list screen 290 and the duty-free item list screen 500 may show a list of locations that handle a specific type of duty-free item such as food and beverages. The handling map screen 300 may show a map of locations that handle a specific type of duty-free item such as food and beverages.

[0250] Furthermore, while this disclosure explains that the tax-free app and management server 10 suggest tax-free items to the user by outputting information about tax-free items to the user terminal 30, it is not limited to this. The tax-free app and management server 10 may also output various types of information, as described above, to the store server 20 for the purpose of providing suggestions to the user to the user terminal 30. In this case, the information sent to the store server 20 will be used to promote the sale of tax-free goods.

[0251] Furthermore, while this disclosure explains that the height and weight of the passport holder are estimated from the facial photograph of the passport read on the passport reading screen 200 (see Figure 4(A)), it is not limited to this. The facial photograph used for estimating height and weight shown on the code screen 340 may be any photograph received by the user terminal 30. In addition, the photograph used for estimating height and weight shown on the code screen 340 may also be a photograph that shows parts other than the face, as long as it shows at least the face.

[0252] Furthermore, this disclosure explains that the user terminal 30 displays the time it takes for the user to reach a location such as a duty-free shop or a merchandise store from their current location. Here, the time displayed on the user terminal 30 may be the time it would take for the user to travel on foot.

[0253] Furthermore, in this disclosure, the tax-free app and management server 10 display an explanation image 395 on the purchase results screen 380 (see Figure 18) as information regarding tax-free application based on the departure time of the flight used by the user to travel overseas, but this disclosure is not limited to this. The tax-free app and management server 10 may, for example, display text such as "Please register for tax exemption" on the user terminal 30 when it arrives a predetermined time before the departure time of the airplane. Such information displayed at a timing based on the departure time can also be considered as information regarding tax exemption registration based on the departure time of the airplane used by the user to travel overseas. Furthermore, the tax-free app and management server 10 may display text such as "Please register for tax exemption" on the user terminal 30 at a timing corresponding to the departure time and the congestion level of tax exemption registration at the registration device 50. For example, the tax-free app and management server 10 may display text such as "Please register for tax exemption" earlier relative to the departure time if the tax exemption registration at the registration device 50 is congested.

[0254] Next, we will explain how to encourage users to configure settings related to consumption tax refunds. When a tax exemption applies to a user's purchase of tax-free goods, the user will receive a refund of the consumption tax once the necessary settings for the refund are configured. These settings include registering the user's name in the tax exemption system 1, registering the passport number shown on the user's passport in the tax exemption system 1, selecting the recipient of the benefit, and configuring the settings necessary to grant the selected benefit to the user. For example, if the benefit is a non-currency benefit, this may include configuring the installation of application software that allows the use of the non-currency benefit, and registering as a member on a website where the non-currency benefit is available. In this embodiment, when the user's passport is read on the passport reading screen 200, the user's name and passport number shown on the read passport are registered in the tax exemption system 1. Also, when a reward target is selected on the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) or the individual acceptance screen 250 (see Figure 10), the selection of the reward target is completed in the tax exemption system 1. Furthermore, if the reward target is a non-currency benefit, when the tax exemption app or reward app is installed on the user terminal 30, the settings in the tax exemption system 1 for the installation of application software that enables the use of non-currency benefits are completed. Once these settings necessary for the consumption tax refund are completed, the consumption tax is refunded to the user. On the other hand, if the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund are not completed, the consumption tax refund to the user will not be realized. Therefore, the tax exemption system 1 in this embodiment prompts the user to complete the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund.

[0255] Furthermore, information indicating whether or not the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund have been completed is managed by the management server 10. The management server 10 may obtain information indicating whether or not the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund have been completed by receiving the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund via the user terminal 30. In addition, if the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund are received by a tax-free application, reception application, or granting application installed on the user terminal 30, the management server 10 may obtain information indicating whether or not the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund have been completed from the application software that received the settings on the user terminal 30.

[0256] Figure 24 shows the functional configuration of the store server 20. The store server 20 comprises a transmitting / receiving unit 21, a storage unit 22, a timing unit 23, a request unit 24, a setting identification unit 25, a determination unit 26, a timing identification unit 27, and a display control unit 28. These functional units are realized through the cooperation of the store server 20 hardware and a program. As an example of an acquisition method, the transmitting / receiving unit 21 transmits and receives information to and from external devices. The information transmitted by the transmitting / receiving unit 21 includes information indicating a request for information about the user. The information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 21 includes information requested by the store server 20. In addition, as described above, the information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 21 includes information identified from the code section 353 of the code screen 340 (see Figure 15(A)) read by the reading means (not shown) of the store server 20. The storage unit 22 stores information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 21, information generated by the store server 20, and the like.

[0257] The timing unit 23 measures time. Examples of the timing unit 23 include an RTC (Real Time Clock). The request unit 24 requests user information from the management server 10 via the transmission / reception unit 21. More specifically, it requests information from the management server 10 indicating which settings are configured for a particular user in relation to the refund of consumption tax. The information indicating which settings are configured for a particular user in relation to the refund of consumption tax may be referred to as configuration information below. Configuration information is settings for a user and can also be understood as information regarding the history of settings related to the refund of consumption tax included in the price of tax-exempt goods. When the request unit 24 obtains the configuration information from the management server 10 via the transmission / reception unit 21, it stores the obtained configuration information in the storage unit 22.

[0258] The setting identification unit 25 identifies the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund from the setting information. If the setting information includes information indicating which grant target has been selected, in other words, if a grant target has already been selected, the setting identification unit 25 identifies the settings necessary to realize the granting of the selected grant target to the user as settings necessary for the consumption tax refund. In the following, settings necessary for the consumption tax refund may be referred to as necessary settings. In this embodiment, the registration of the user's name, the registration of the passport number, and the selection of one grant target are predetermined as necessary settings.

[0259] The determination unit 26 determines whether there are any incomplete required settings based on the settings defined as required settings and the setting information. The determination unit 26 transmits information indicating the incomplete required settings and information indicating the completed required settings to the timing specification unit 27 and the display control unit 28. The timing determination unit 27 uses the date and time measured by the timing unit 23 and the information obtained from the determination unit 26 to determine the timing at which the assigned target will be assigned to the user if the necessary settings are made. The timing determination unit 27 transmits information indicating the determined timing to the display control unit 28. As an example of a control means, the display control unit 28 uses information acquired from the determination unit 26 to generate information that encourages the completion of any necessary settings that have not yet been made. The display control unit 28 also uses information acquired from the timing identification unit 27 to generate information indicating when the assigned items will be assigned to the user when the necessary settings are made. The display control unit 28 then displays the generated information on the display unit 105 (see Figure 2) of the store server 20.

[0260] Figure 25 shows the settings management table. The settings management table is used to manage settings related to the refund of consumption tax. The settings management table is stored on the management server 10. The settings management table displays the following information associated with each user: "No.", "Name", "Passport Number", "Non-Currency Benefits", "Cash", "Credit Card", and "Electronic Money". The information shown for "Name", "Passport Number", "Non-Currency Benefits", "Cash", "Credit Card", and "Electronic Money" in the settings management table is an example of the settings information. Note that "..." in the settings management table indicates that the information has been omitted.

[0261] This section will provide a detailed explanation of the contents of the settings management table. The "No." field displays a number that identifies the user. The "Name" field displays the name of the user registered in the tax exemption system 1. In the example shown, the letters "A" and other letters in the "Name" field indicate the name of a user registered in the tax exemption system 1. The "-" in the "Name" field indicates that the user's name is not registered in the tax exemption system 1. The "Passport Number" field shows the passport number registered in the tax-free system 1. In the example shown, the alphanumeric characters in "Passport Number" represent the passport number registered in the tax-free system 1. The "-" in "Passport Number" indicates that the passport number is not registered in the tax-free system 1.

[0262] For "non-currency benefits," "cash," "credit card," and "electronic money," the "eligibility criteria" and "registration requirements" are indicated for each. The "Eligible Items" section indicates whether the item in question has been selected as an eligible item. The eligible items are those items in the settings management table that are listed as "Eligible Items" among "Non-Currency Benefits," "Cash," "Credit Card," and "Electronic Money." A "〇" in the "Eligible Items" section means that the item in question has been selected as an eligible item. A "-" in the "Eligible Items" section means that the item in question has not been selected as an eligible item. For example, a user with "No." "1" has selected "Non-Currency Benefits" and "Cash" as "Eligible Items," but has not selected "Credit Card" or "Electronic Money" as "Eligible Items." In addition, if a user purchases multiple duty-free items during their stay, a "〇" will be displayed for "Eligible Items" selected for at least one of these duty-free items. The "Settings" section displays information indicating whether the necessary settings for granting the target item to the eligible user have been completed. A "〇" in "Settings" means that the necessary settings for granting the target item to the eligible user have been completed. A "-" in "Settings" means that the necessary settings for granting the target item to the eligible user have not been completed. For example, for a user whose "No." is "1", the "Settings" for "Non-Currency Benefits" and "Cash" have been completed, but the "Settings" for "Credit Card" and "Electronic Money" have not been completed.

[0263] The settings required to enable the provision of non-currency benefits include the installation of application software that enables the use of non-currency benefits, and member registration on websites where non-currency benefits can be used. The settings required to enable the provision of cash include the registration of the bank name, branch name, and account number of the bank to which the cash will be transferred in the tax exemption system 1. The settings required to enable refunds to credit cards include the registration of the credit card type and credit card number in the tax exemption system 1. The settings required to enable the provision of electronic money include the installation of application software that enables the use of electronic money, and member registration on websites where electronic money can be used. However, the settings necessary to realize the granting of non-currency benefits are not limited to the above examples, and may be any settings necessary to realize the granting of non-currency benefits.

[0264] In the example shown, all necessary settings have been completed for each user whose "No." in the settings management table is "1" through "5". Furthermore, for users whose "No." is "6," while the "Name" and "Passport Number" settings have been completed, the selection of "Eligible Users" and the "Settings" necessary to realize the granting of eligible users have not been completed. Furthermore, for users whose "No." is "7," the settings for "Name," "Passport Number," and "Eligible Rewards" ("Non-Currency Benefits" and "Cash"), as well as the "Settings" necessary for the provision of cash, have been completed, but the "Settings" necessary for the provision of non-currency benefits have not been completed. Furthermore, for users whose "No." is "8," the settings for "Name," "Passport Number," and "Eligible Users," as well as the "Settings" necessary for the granting of eligible users, have not been completed. Furthermore, for users whose "No." is "9," while the "passport number" and "electronic money" settings as the "eligible item" have been completed, the "name" setting and the "settings" necessary for the electronic money to be granted have not been completed. Furthermore, for users whose "No." is "10," while their "Name," selection of "Non-Currency Benefits" as the "Eligible Rewards," and the "Settings" necessary for granting non-currency benefits have been completed, their "Passport Number" has not been set. Furthermore, for users whose "No." is "11," while their "Name," "Passport Number," and the selection of "Non-Currency Benefits" as the "Eligible Recipient" have been completed, the "Settings" necessary for the granting of non-currency benefits have not been completed. Furthermore, in the following, users whose "No." is "7" are assumed to be the users covered by the information shown in Figures 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13 through 16, 18, and 20 through 23.

[0265] In this embodiment, when the user's passport is read by the user terminal 30 via the passport reading screen 200 (see Figure 4(A)), information indicating the user's name and passport number as shown on the passport is acquired by the user terminal 30. Also, when a reward target is selected on the selection acceptance screen 230 (see Figure 9) or the individual acceptance screen 250 (see Figure 10), information indicating that a reward target has been selected is acquired by the user terminal 30. Furthermore, if the reward target is a non-currency benefit, when the tax-free app is installed on the user terminal 30, information indicating that the setting of the recipient of the non-currency benefit has been completed is acquired by the user terminal 30. In this way, when the user terminal 30 acquires information indicating that the settings related to consumption tax refund have been completed, it transmits the acquired information to the management server 10. The transmitting / receiving unit 111 of the management server 10 acquires the information from the user terminal 30 indicating that the settings related to consumption tax refund have been completed. The control unit 116 of the management server 10 also updates the contents of the setting management table using the acquired information.

[0266] Figure 26 is a flowchart showing the flow of the acceleration process. The acceleration process is a process in which the store server 20 prompts the user to make the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund. In this embodiment, for example, the acceleration process is started every time a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. The predetermined amount of time can be any amount of time, but for example, it is 0.1 seconds. The determination unit 26 of the store server 20 determines whether or not the execution conditions are met (S501). The execution conditions are conditions used by the determination unit 26 to determine whether or not to perform a determination of whether or not there are any incomplete required settings. In this embodiment, the execution condition is defined as the receipt of information indicating the user's name or passport number by the transmission / reception unit 21. In this embodiment, for example, when a user purchases duty-free goods at a duty-free shop, the user terminal 30 displays a code screen 340 (see Figure 15(A)), and when the code section 353 of the code screen 340 is read by the reading means (not shown) of the store server 20, information indicating the name or passport number is newly received by the transmission / reception unit 21. Also, for example, when a user purchases duty-free goods at a duty-free shop, they present their passport to a store clerk, and when the clerk inputs the name or passport number shown on the presented passport into the store server 20, information indicating the name or passport number is newly received by the transmission / reception unit 21.

[0267] If the execution conditions are not met (No in S501), the acceleration process will terminate. Furthermore, if the execution conditions are met (Yes in S501), the request unit 24 requests configuration information from the management server 10 and obtains the requested configuration information (S502). Along with the request, the request unit 24 sends information indicating the name or passport number newly received by the transmission / reception unit 21 to the management server 10, thereby obtaining from the management server 10 the information indicated in "Name", "Passport Number", "Non-Currency Benefits", "Cash", "Credit Card", and "Electronic Money" in the configuration management table (see Figure 25) associated with this "Name" or "Passport Number". Furthermore, if the name or passport number transmitted as information from the store server 20 to the management server 10 along with the request is not shown in the settings management table, in other words, the name or passport number may not be registered in the tax-free system 1. In this case, the management server 10 may send information to the store server 20 as setting information indicating that none of the necessary settings have been completed for the user corresponding to this name or passport number. Thus, the setting information includes not only information showing the history of settings related to the refund of consumption tax included in the price of tax-free goods that have been made for a user, but also information showing the history of settings related to the refund of consumption tax included in the price of tax-free goods that have not been made for a user. In addition, when identification information that identifies a user is received by the transmitting / receiving unit 21 along with information showing the name or passport number, the identification information may allow the system to identify which user in the settings management table corresponds to the user for whom the setting information requested by the request unit 24 is located. In this case, the management server 10 may send to the store server 20 the information indicated in the settings management table for "Name," "Passport Number," "Non-Currency Benefits," "Cash," "Credit Card," and "Electronic Money" for the user identified from the identification information.

[0268] The determination unit 26 determines whether or not the acceleration condition is met (S503). The acceleration condition is a condition used by the determination unit 26 to determine whether or not to accelerate the user to make the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund. In this embodiment, the acceleration condition is defined as the existence of incomplete necessary settings among the necessary settings for the user who is the target of the acceleration process. The determination unit 26 determines whether or not the acceleration condition is met based on the settings defined as necessary settings and the setting information acquired in step 502. If the acceleration conditions are not met (No in S503), the acceleration process ends. Furthermore, if the prompting conditions are met (Yes in S503), the display control unit 28 displays a prompting screen on the display unit 105 corresponding to the necessary settings that have not yet been completed (S504). As will be described in detail later, the prompting screen is a screen that prompts the user to complete the settings necessary for the consumption tax refund.

[0269] Furthermore, if the acceleration process is performed for each user whose "No." in the settings management table (see Figure 25) is "1" through "5", the acceleration conditions will not be met (No. in step 503 of Figure 26), and the acceleration screen will not be displayed. Furthermore, if the acceleration process is performed for each user whose "No." in the settings management table is "6" through "11", the acceleration condition is met (Yes in step 503 of Figure 26), and the acceleration screen is displayed.

[0270] Figure 27 shows the promotion screen 530. The promotion screen 530 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the store server 20 when the promotion process is performed (see S504 in Figure 26). The promotion screen 530 displays a promotion image 531, a set image 532, an unset image 533, a time image 534, and a guidance image 537. In the following, we will assume that on October 12, 2024, a prompt processing was performed for a user whose "No." in the settings management table is "7," resulting in the prompt screen 530 shown in Figure 27 being displayed on the same day.

[0271] Promotional image 531 shows text prompting the user to complete the necessary settings for a sales tax refund. In the example shown, promotional image 531 displays the text, "The necessary settings for tax exemption have not been completed," and the text, "Please complete the settings using the code or URL below." The configured image 532 shows the completed settings among the required settings. In the example shown, the configured image 532 shows the text "Name," "Passport Number," "Selection of Refund Target (Non-Currency Benefit, Cash)," and "Settings Required for Cash Grant." This allows the user to recognize that the required settings, including registration of the user's name, registration of the passport number, setting of the grant target, and settings necessary for realizing cash granting, have been completed. It also allows the user to recognize that non-currency benefits and cash have been selected as the grant target. Image 533, which shows the incomplete settings among the required settings, illustrates the content of the settings that have not been completed. In the example shown, image 533 displays the text "Settings required to grant non-currency benefits (app installation or web membership registration)." This allows the user to recognize that the settings required to grant non-currency benefits have not been completed. It also allows the user to recognize that the settings required to grant non-currency benefits are either the installation of the tax-free app or membership registration on a website where non-currency benefits can be used.

[0272] The timing image 534 is an image that shows information about the timing at which the recipient will be granted. The timing image 534 shows the delay notification unit 535 and the timing notification unit 536. The delay notification unit 535 displays information regarding the delay in the timing of the granting of the eligible items. In the illustrated example, the delay notification unit 535 displays the text "Regarding the timing of the consumption tax refund." In the illustrated example, the delay notification unit 535 also displays the text "If the settings are completed at this time, the consumption tax will be refunded without delay. If the settings are not completed by the time of the tax-free application at the airport, the timing of the consumption tax refund may be delayed." This allows the user to understand that the current time is the time when the eligible items will be granted without delay if the necessary settings are completed, and that there is a deadline by which the necessary settings must be completed in order to avoid delays in the granting of the eligible items. The timing notification section 536 indicates the timing at which the benefits will be granted if all necessary settings are completed at this time. In the illustrated example, the timing notification section 536 displays the text "Refund timing if settings are completed at this time." In addition, the timing notification section 536 displays the text "Non-currency benefits: October 15, 2024 (within 3 minutes after tax exemption decision)," "Cash: Around mid-November 2024 (approximately 1 month after tax exemption decision)," "Credit card: Around mid-November 2024 (approximately 1 month after tax exemption decision)," and "Electronic money: Around mid-November 2024 (approximately 1 month after tax exemption decision)." This allows the user to understand the timing at which benefits will be granted for each type of benefit if all necessary settings are completed at this time. The timing notification section 536 shows the timing for all eligible recipients, regardless of which recipient is selected, but is not limited to this. The timing notification section 536 may show timing information only for the selected recipient. In the illustrated example, the timing notification section 536 may show only information regarding the timing of the non-currency benefits and the timing of the cash benefits. The information displayed in the timing notification unit 536 is information generated by the display control unit 28 based on the timing specified by the timing identification unit 27.

[0273] Guidance image 537 is an image that guides the user terminal 30 to a screen for performing any necessary settings that have not yet been completed. Guidance image 537 shows a code explanation section 538, a code section 539, a URL explanation section 540, and a URL section 541. The code description section 538 shows an explanation of the code that encodes the screen for making the necessary settings. In the example shown, the code description section 538 shows the text, "Reading the code below will connect you to the settings screen." The code section 539 contains a code that encodes a screen for performing the necessary settings; in other words, it contains a code that displays a screen for accepting the necessary settings on the user terminal 30. In the illustrated example, the code section 539 contains a QR code (registered trademark). The URL description section 540 shows the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for the screen where necessary settings are made. In the example shown, the text reads, "Entering the URL below will connect you to the settings screen." The URL section 541 shows the URL of the screen where the necessary settings are made. The user will understand that by having the user terminal 30 read the code in the code section 539 from the guidance image 537, or by entering the URL in the URL section 541 into the user terminal 30, a screen for performing the necessary settings will be displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0274] Here, if the user, for example, has the camera 31 of the user terminal 30 read the code in the code section 539, or enters the URL in the URL section 541 into the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, the setting acceptance screen 550 will be displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, as shown in Figure 28(A). The setting acceptance screen 550 is a screen that accepts the necessary settings. The setting acceptance screen 550 shows an explanatory image 551, a setting acceptance image 552, an acceptance section 563, and a cancellation section 564. Explanatory image 551 is an image that explains how the necessary settings are accepted on the settings acceptance screen 550. In the example shown, explanatory image 551 displays the text, "Please enter the information in the items below to complete the settings required for tax exemption."

[0275] The setting reception image 552 is an image for receiving necessary settings. The setting reception image 552 shows a name reception section 553, a number reception section 554, an assignment target reception section 555, an assignment destination reception image 556, a necessary setting notification section 560, an unset notification section 561, and an additional reception section 562. The name reception unit 553 accepts the user's name input. Number reception desk 554 accepts the input of passport numbers.

[0276] The grant recipient reception unit 555 accepts the selection of the grant recipient. In the illustrated example, the setting reception image 552 shows the grant recipient reception unit 555 that has accepted the selection of a non-currency benefit as the grant recipient, and the grant recipient reception unit 555 that has accepted the selection of cash as the grant recipient. The setting reception image 552 also shows the selection cancellation unit 559 that, when operated, accepts the cancellation of the selection of the grant recipient that was accepted in the corresponding setting reception image 552. In the illustrated example, the selection cancellation unit 559 corresponding to the grant recipient reception unit 555 that accepted the selection of a non-currency benefit is not displayed, and the selection cancellation unit 559 corresponding to the grant recipient reception unit 555 that accepted the selection of cash is displayed. In addition, the selection cancellation unit 559 is provided so that at least one grant recipient remains accepted by the grant recipient reception unit 555.

[0277] The recipient acceptance image 556 is an image used to accept the settings of the recipient to whom the reward will be granted. In the illustrated example, the setting acceptance image 552 shows both a recipient acceptance image 556 for non-currency rewards and a recipient acceptance image 556 for cash rewards. Image 556 of the recipient acceptance screen for non-currency benefits shows the text "Recipient of non-currency benefits". Image 556 of the recipient acceptance screen for non-currency benefits also shows the installation acceptance unit 557 and the registration acceptance unit 558. The installation reception unit 557 accepts the installation of a tax-free app that enables the use of non-currency benefits. When the installation reception unit 557 is selected, the tax-free app is installed on the user terminal 30, and the settings necessary for granting non-currency benefits are completed. The registration reception unit 558 accepts member registrations for websites where non-currency benefits are available. When the registration reception unit 558 is selected, the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30 displays a registration screen (not shown) for accepting member registrations for websites where non-currency benefits are available, as a separate window from the selection reception screen 550. Once the user's information is entered on this registration screen and member registration is completed, the settings necessary for granting non-currency benefits are completed. Image 556, which is for receiving cash payments, displays the text "Bank details for cash transfer." Image 556 also accepts input for the bank name, branch name, and account number of the bank to which the cash will be transferred.

[0278] In this embodiment, for settings related to the refund of consumption tax that have been completed before the setting acceptance screen 550 is displayed, the setting acceptance screen 550 is displayed with the setting details already entered. In the illustrated example, when the setting acceptance screen 550 is displayed, the name is entered in the name acceptance section 553 and the passport number is entered in the number acceptance section 554. Also, when the setting acceptance screen 550 is displayed, the grant recipient acceptance section 555 where the selection of non-currency benefits has been accepted and the grant recipient acceptance section 555 where the selection of cash has been accepted are displayed. Also, when the setting acceptance screen 550 is displayed, the bank name, branch name, and account number are entered in the grant recipient acceptance image 556 related to cash.

[0279] The required settings notification unit 560 notifies the user of the required settings among the settings that can be accepted on the settings acceptance screen 550. In the illustrated example, the required settings notification unit 560 displays the text "* indicates a required setting item". In addition, in the illustrated example, the name acceptance unit 553, the number acceptance unit 554, the non-currency benefit recipient acceptance unit 555, the non-currency benefit recipient acceptance image 556, and the cash recipient acceptance image 556 all display the text "*". The unconfigured notification unit 561 notifies the user of any necessary settings that have not been completed. In the illustrated example, the unconfigured notification unit 561 displays the text "× indicates an unconfigured required setting item." Also in the illustrated example, the recipient acceptance image 556 related to non-currency benefits displays the text "×." This allows the user to recognize that the settings necessary for granting non-currency benefits have not been completed.

[0280] The additional reception unit 562 accepts additional requests for the grant recipient reception unit 555. When the reception unit 563 is operated, the settings entered on the setting reception screen 550 are accepted. In this case, the user terminal 30 sends information indicating the contents entered on the setting reception screen 550, along with user identification information, to the management server 10. When the management server 10 receives the information from the user terminal 30, it updates the setting management table (see Figure 25) based on the received information. When the cancellation unit 564 is operated, the settings based on the information entered on the setting reception screen 550 are canceled.

[0281] If the user selects the additional reception unit 562, the setting reception screen 550 will now display the assignment target reception unit 555 and the selection cancellation unit 559, as shown in Figure 28(B). The newly displayed assignment target reception unit 555 will show the text "Please select" to indicate that no assignment target has been selected. Furthermore, the user selects "Electronic Money" in the newly displayed grant recipient reception unit 555, as shown in Figure 29(A). In this case, as shown in Figure 29(B), a grant recipient reception image 556 related to electronic money is newly displayed on the setting reception screen 550. The grant recipient reception image 556 related to electronic money shows the installation reception unit 565 and the registration reception unit 566. The installation reception unit 565 accepts the installation of application software that enables the use of electronic money. When the installation reception unit 565 is selected, the application software that enables the use of electronic money is installed on the user terminal 30, and the settings necessary for granting electronic money are completed. The registration reception unit 566 accepts member registrations for websites where electronic money can be used. When the registration reception unit 566 is selected, the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30 displays a reception screen (not shown) for accepting member registrations for websites where electronic money can be used, as a separate window from the selection reception screen 550. Once the user's information is entered on this reception screen and member registration is completed, the settings necessary for granting electronic money are completed.

[0282] In the illustrated example, when the tax-free app is installed via the installation reception unit 557, or when member registration on the website is completed via the registration reception unit 558, the settings necessary for granting non-currency benefits are completed. Also, when the application software is installed via the installation reception unit 565, or when member registration on the website is completed via the registration reception unit 566, the settings necessary for granting electronic money are completed. In this case, the user terminal 30 sends information to the management server 10 indicating that the settings necessary for granting the benefit have been completed, along with information identifying the type of benefit for which the settings have been completed and information identifying the user. When the management server 10 receives the information from the user terminal 30, it updates the settings management table (see Figure 25) based on the received information.

[0283] Furthermore, when a prompting process is performed for a user whose "No." is "6" in the settings management table, a prompting screen 530 is displayed, showing the text "Name" and "Passport Number" in the configured image 532, and the text "Target" and "Settings required for granting the target" in the unconfigured image 533. Furthermore, when a user whose "No." is "8" in the settings management table is processed, the configured image 532 does not show any information about the necessary settings, and the unconfigured image 533 displays a processing screen 530 with the text "Name," "Passport Number," "Refund Eligible," and "Settings Required for Granting Refund Eligibility." Furthermore, when a user whose "No." in the settings management table is "9" is prompted to complete the process, a prompt screen 530 is displayed, showing the text "Passport Number" and "Selection of Refund Target (Electronic Money)" in the configured image 532, and the text "Name" and "Settings Required for Granting Electronic Money (Installation of Electronic Money-Usable App or Web Member Registration)" in the unconfigured image 533. Furthermore, when a user whose "No." in the settings management table is "10" is prompted to complete the process, a prompting screen 530 is displayed, showing the text "Name," "Selection of Refund Target (Non-Currency Benefit)," and "Settings Required for Granting Non-Currency Benefits" in the configured image 532, and the text "Passport Number" in the unconfigured image 533. Furthermore, when a user whose "No." in the settings management table is "11" is prompted to complete the process, a prompt screen 530 is displayed, showing the text "Name," "Passport Number," and "Selection of Refund Eligibility (Non-Currency Benefits)" in the configured image 532, and the text "Settings Required for Granting Non-Currency Benefits" in the unconfigured image 533.

[0284] (modified version) Next, we will describe a modified configuration of the tax exemption system 1 that facilitates settings related to the refund of consumption tax. In this embodiment, the store server 20 facilitates settings related to the refund of consumption tax, but this is not limited to this. The following describes an example in which a tax-free app installed on user terminal 30 facilitates settings related to sales tax refunds. In the following, we will omit the explanation of the configuration of tax exemption system 1 that is the same as the configuration described above, and instead explain a configuration that is different from the one described above.

[0285] Figure 30 is a flowchart showing the flow of an accelerated treatment as a modified example. The tax-free app on user terminal 30 determines whether the execution conditions are met (S601). In this modified example, three execution conditions are defined as conditions used by the tax-free app to determine whether or not to perform a check for the existence of incomplete required settings. The first execution condition is that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. This predetermined amount of time can be any amount, but for example, it may be 24 hours. The second execution condition is that a tax-free item is purchased or reserved on user terminal 30. The third execution condition is that the tax-free app is installed on user terminal 30.

[0286] If none of the three execution conditions are met (No in S601), the acceleration process terminates. Furthermore, if any of the three execution conditions are met (Yes in S601), the tax-free app requests configuration information from the management server 10 and obtains the requested configuration information (S602). If the user's name or passport number is stored in the user terminal 30, the tax-free app sends information indicating this name or passport number to the management server 10, thereby obtaining from the management server 10 the information shown in the configuration management table (see Figure 25) for "Name," "Passport Number," "Non-Currency Benefits," "Cash," "Credit Card," and "Electronic Money" associated with this "Name" or "Passport Number." Alternatively, the tax-free app may send user identification information to the management server 10, thereby obtaining from the management server 10 the information shown in the configuration management table for "Name," "Passport Number," "Non-Currency Benefits," "Cash," "Credit Card," and "Electronic Money" that pertains to the user identified from the identification information. Furthermore, the registration of name and passport number is configured to be done via the passport reading screen 200. In addition, the selection of non-currency benefits to be granted is configured to be done via the selection acceptance screen 230 or the individual acceptance screen 250. Moreover, as mentioned above, the setting required for the granting of non-currency benefits is the installation of the tax-free app. In this way, when settings related to the consumption tax refund are made via the tax-free app, the setting information related to the completed settings is acquired by the tax-free app when these settings are completed. Therefore, if all setting information related to the consumption tax refund is acquired by the tax-free app before the start of the acceleration process, the processing in step 602 may be omitted.

[0287] The tax-free app determines whether the promotion conditions are met (S603). The process in step 603 is the same as the process in step 503 of the promotion process shown in Figure 26. If the acceleration conditions are not met (No in S603), the acceleration process ends. Furthermore, if the acceleration conditions are met (Yes in S603), the tax-free app determines whether the deadline conditions are met (S604). The deadline conditions are used by the tax-free app to determine whether the deadline for completing the necessary settings in order to ensure that the granting of the eligible items is not delayed has passed. In this example, the deadline condition is defined as the current time being past the deadline for completing the necessary settings in order to ensure that the granting of the eligible items is not delayed. The deadline for completing the necessary settings in order to ensure that the granting of the eligible items is not delayed is until the tax-free application is received by the receiving device 50. In this case, when the receiving device 50 receives the tax-free application from the user terminal 30, it sends reception information indicating that it has been received to the user terminal 30. The tax-free app on the user terminal 30 determines whether the deadline conditions are met based on whether or not it has already received the reception information.

[0288] If the deadline conditions are met (Yes in S604), the tax-free app decides to display information on the promotion screen 530 indicating that the granting of the benefits will be delayed because the necessary settings have not been completed (S605). After step 605, or if the deadline conditions are not met (No in S604), the tax-free app displays a prompt screen 530 on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, corresponding to the required settings that have not been completed (S606).

[0289] Figure 31 shows the acceleration screen 530 that is displayed when the acceleration process shown in Figure 30 is performed. The acceleration screen 530 shown in Figure 31 is displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. In the following, we assume that for a user whose "No." in the settings management table is "7", the necessary settings, name registration and passport number registration, have been completed. We also assume that the selection of recipients and the settings necessary for granting recipients have not been completed for the user. Then, in this state, we assume that the acceleration process was performed on October 20, 2024, five days after the user's stay, and that the acceleration screen 530 shown in Figure 31 was displayed on the same day. Furthermore, in this example, we assume that the acceleration process was performed and the acceleration screen 530 was displayed after the tax exemption application was received by the reception device 50 and the application of tax exemption was determined by the judgment server 40.

[0290] In the configured image 532, the text "Name" and "Passport Number" are shown as the completed settings among the required settings. Image 533, which shows the unconfigured settings, displays the text "Selection of Refund Eligibility" and "Setting of Refund Eligibility Destination" as the settings that have not been completed among the required settings.

[0291] The delay notification section 535 of the timeframe image 534 displays information regarding a delay in the timing of the granting of the grant. In the illustrated example, the delay notification section 535 displays the text, "Because the settings are not yet complete, the deadline for the consumption tax refund without delay has now passed." In the illustrated example, the delay notification section 535 also displays the text, "In the future, the later the settings are completed, the later the consumption tax refund will be." The timing notification section 536 indicates when the benefits will be granted, assuming all necessary settings are completed at this time. In the illustrated example, the timing notification section 536 displays the following text: "Non-currency benefits: October 20, 2024 (within 3 minutes after setup completion)", "Cash: Around late November 2024 (approximately 1 month after setup completion)", "Credit card: Around late November 2024 (approximately 1 month after setup completion)", and "Electronic money: Around late November 2024 (approximately 1 month after setup completion)".

[0292] Here, if the user, for example, has the camera 31 of the user terminal 30 read the code in the code section 539, or enters the URL in the URL section 541 into the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30, the setting acceptance screen 550 shown in Figure 32(A) will be displayed on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30. The setting reception screen 550 shown in Figure 32(A) displays one grant target reception section 555. In the illustrated example, the grant target reception section 555 displays the text "Please select" indicating that no grant target has been selected. The grant target reception section 555 also displays the text "× Refund Target *" indicating that the grant target selection is an unset required setting. Furthermore, because no grant targets have been selected, the grant destination reception image 556 is not displayed on the setting reception screen 550.

[0293] Here, when "Non-Currency Benefit" is selected in the grant recipient reception unit 555, a new grant recipient reception image 556 related to the non-currency benefit is displayed on the setting reception screen 550, as shown in Figure 32(B). The grant recipient reception image 556 shows the text "×Non-Currency Benefit Grant Recipient*", indicating that the setting for the grant recipient of the non-currency benefit is not yet set. At this time, the text "×" is hidden in the grant recipient reception unit 555.

[0294] Furthermore, when the acceleration process shown in Figure 30 is performed, and non-currency benefits and cash are selected as the recipients (see Figures 7 and 10), the necessary settings for granting the recipients may not be completed. In this case, the configured image 532 of the acceleration screen 530 shown in Figure 31 will display the text "Name," "Passport Number," and "Selection of Refund Recipient (Non-currency Benefit, Cash)." Additionally, the unconfigured image 533 of the acceleration screen 530 shown in Figure 31 will display the text "Setting the Recipient of Non-currency Benefits (Tax-Free App Installation or Web Member Registration)" and "Setting the Recipient of Cash."

[0295] Furthermore, as explained above, the acceleration screen 530 shown in Figure 31 is an image that was displayed because the acceleration process was performed on October 20, 2024. Here, if the acceleration process was performed on October 12, 2024 for a user whose "No." in the settings management table is "7," and the acceleration screen 530 is displayed on the same day, the delay notification unit 535 and timing notification unit 536 of this acceleration screen 530 will show the same content as the delay notification unit 535 and timing notification unit 536 of the acceleration screen 530 shown in Figure 27.

[0296] Furthermore, it was explained that the delay notification section 535 of the promotion screen 530 shown in Figure 27 displays the text, "If the settings are completed at this time, the consumption tax will be refunded without delay." Here, the text displayed in the delay notification section 535 may also indicate the deadline by which the benefits will be granted without delay if the necessary settings are completed, such as, "If the settings are completed before applying for tax exemption at the airport, the consumption tax will be refunded without delay." Furthermore, the timing for each grant recipient shown in the timing notification section 536 of the promotion screen 530 shown in Figure 27 may be the timing when the necessary settings are completed when the promotion screen 530 is displayed, or it may be the timing when the necessary settings are completed by the deadline for granting the grant recipients without delay. In addition, instead of the text "Refund timing if settings are completed at this time" in the timing notification section 536, text such as "Refund timing if settings are completed by the deadline for refunds without delay" or "Refund timing if settings are completed by the time of tax exemption application at the airport" may be displayed. In other words, the text displayed in the timing notification section 536 should be text that indicates that the timing for each grant recipient shown in the timing notification section 536 is the timing when the necessary settings are completed by the deadline for granting the grant recipients without delay.

[0297] Furthermore, this disclosure describes, but is not limited to, how the store server 20 or user terminal 30 prompts the user to make settings related to the refund of consumption tax. For example, the management server 10 may facilitate settings related to the refund of consumption tax. In this case, the management server 10 may execute either the facilitation process shown in Figure 26 or the facilitation process shown in Figure 30. Alternatively, the conditions for executing the facilitation process may be met when new information indicating the user's name or passport number is received by the store server 20, and this information is transmitted from the store server 20 to the management server 10. Furthermore, the conditions for executing the facilitation process may be met when the management server 10 obtains information indicating that the user has purchased or reserved tax-free goods, or information indicating that the tax-free app has been installed on the user terminal 30. Additionally, the conditions for executing the facilitation process may be met each time a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. Finally, the conditions for executing the facilitation process may be met when the determination server 40 sends information indicating that the application of tax exemption has been decided to the management server 10, and the transmitted information is obtained by the management server 10. Furthermore, the control unit 116 of the management server 10 may execute steps 503 and 504 of the acceleration process shown in Figure 26, or steps 603 to 606 of the acceleration process shown in Figure 30. In addition, the control unit 116 may display the acceleration screen 530 (see Figures 27 and 31) or the setting acceptance screen 550 (Figures 28, 29, and 32) on the display unit 105 of the user terminal 30.

[0298] Furthermore, the reception device 50 may facilitate settings related to the refund of consumption tax. In this case, the reception device 50 may execute either the facilitation process shown in Figure 26 or the facilitation process shown in Figure 30. The conditions for executing the facilitation process may also be met when the reception device 50 receives an application for tax exemption. Then, an acquisition unit (not shown) ...

Claims

1. A means for obtaining setting information relating to the history of settings that target users and are related to the refund of consumption tax included in the price of duty-free goods, A control means that displays promotional information to encourage the setting of a setting among the aforementioned settings that has not been made for the aforementioned user if the specified conditions are met, An information processing system equipped with the following features.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the setting subject to the promotion by the promotion information includes setting up the installation of specific application software related to the refund, or setting up registration for a specific service related to the refund.

3. The items granted as a refund include currency and benefits other than the aforementioned currency. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the aforementioned benefits are granted through the aforementioned specific application software or the aforementioned specific service.

4. If the aforementioned benefit cannot be granted, and the aforementioned benefit has not been selected as an eligible item for the aforementioned refund, the aforementioned conditions are not met. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the condition is met when it is not possible to grant the aforementioned benefit, but the aforementioned benefit is selected as the subject of the aforementioned refund.

5. The acquisition means acquires specific information resulting from a user action related to the refund when such action occurs, or acquires decision information related to the refund when the refund is decided. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the promotion information when the conditions are met when the specific information or the decision information is acquired.

6. The aforementioned refund may include multiple eligible items. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the conditions are determined according to the content of the selected refund item.

7. The aforementioned plurality of objects include a first object and a second object that is different from the first object. If the first setting necessary for the refund of the first target has been made and the second setting necessary for the refund of the second target has not been made, and at the first time the second target has not been selected as the target for the refund and the first target has been selected as the target for the refund, then the above condition is not met. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein the first setting has been made and the second setting has not been made, and the second target has been newly selected as the target of the refund at a second time point later than the first time point.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the promotion information includes text information that promotes the setting and a display image for displaying an image that accepts the setting.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays information regarding the scheduled time of the refund, which is specified according to the timing of the display of the promotion information, when the promotion information is displayed.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays, when displaying the promotion information, information regarding the set time as a limit that does not cause a delay in the scheduled time of the refund, or information regarding the set time that causes a delay in the scheduled time of the refund.

11. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the promotion information in a manner that corresponds to the status of the settings applied to the user.

12. The aforementioned settings related to the refund include multiple settings, The aforementioned promotion information includes information indicating a specific setting among the multiple settings that has not been performed. The information processing system according to claim 11, wherein the condition is no longer met when the above-mentioned specific setting is performed.

13. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein the promotion information includes a display image for displaying an image that accepts the specific setting.

14. When the reading means reads an encoded image on which information about the user is encoded, the acquisition means acquires specific information which is information that identifies the user from the encoded image, The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the control means displays the promotion information when the conditions are met when the specific information is acquired.

15. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images