Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To improve convenience for participating merchants when creating coupons. [Solution] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires instructions from a merchant's merchant terminal device to create a coupon that can be used for electronic payments of the merchant to provide to users; and a processing unit that, based on the instructions, displays a list of purposes for creating the coupon on the display unit of the merchant terminal device and proposes coupon content according to the purpose selected by the merchant.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, an information processing apparatus that provides coupons to users has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This information processing apparatus accepts delivery timing such as date / time and day of the week, and delivers coupons at the accepted delivery timing. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-052520 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Conventional techniques have not sufficiently considered the convenience of member stores that create coupons.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that can improve the convenience of member stores when creating coupons. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus including: an acquisition unit that acquires, from a member store terminal device of a member store, an instruction to create a coupon provided by the member store to a user and usable for electronic payment of the member store in an electronic payment service; and a processing unit that causes a display unit of the member store terminal device to display a list of purposes for creating the coupon based on the instruction, and proposes coupon content in accordance with the purpose selected by the member store. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can improve the convenience of participating stores that create coupons. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for implementing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of payment server 100. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the contents of merchant / store information 176. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the interface screen IF1. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the interface screen IF2. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the interface screen IF3. [Figure 10] This diagram shows the interface screen IF4. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the interface screen IF5. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the contents of template information 178. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the contents of merchant history information 180. [Figure 14] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by the payment server 100. [Figure 15] This diagram illustrates the estimated cost per customer and the maximum number of users. [Figure 16] This is a diagram to explain the advice. [Figure 17] This is a diagram showing the proposed interface screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes embodiments of the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Various devices such as "servers" that appear below, which provide services to users or perform internal analysis, may be implemented by a distributed group of devices, and the operators of each device may be different. Furthermore, the owner of the hardware of the devices (the provider of the cloud server) and the operator that actually operates them may also be different. The application program and the payment server work together to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program will be referred to as a payment app. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payment for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may include one provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when settling a purchase at a virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, a merchant (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at a store is mainly carried out between the user and the merchant. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example configuration of an electronic payment system in which an electronic payment service is implemented. The electronic payment service is implemented centering on a payment server 100. An electronic payment system that implements an electronic payment service includes, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and a payment server 100. These devices communicate via, for example, a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), wireless base stations, and provider devices.

[0011] Part or all of the functional configuration included in the electronic payment system may be distributed among a plurality of devices in any form, or may be integrated into any device. For example, part or all of the functional configuration of the payment server 100 may be included in another device.

[0012] [User Terminal Device] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input reception function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the configurations for implementing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc., respectively. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as a CPU, thereby operating to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed to the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, the communication device, the touch panel, and the like.

[0013] [First Store Terminal Device] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 may include a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image (code information) such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may also be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0014] [Second store terminal device] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, etc. The affiliated store interface 72 operates on the second store terminal device 70. The affiliated store interface 72 may be an affiliated store application or a browser. The affiliated store interface 72 accepts coupon settings etc. from the affiliated store operator and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image by running the affiliated store application, or reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 10.

[0015] [Payment Server] The payment server 100 implements electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and a merchant server, in which case payment information is transmitted from the POS device to the payment server 100 via the merchant server. In the following description, this distinction will not be made, and it will be assumed that payment information is transmitted from the first store terminal device 50.

[0016] Figures 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. There may be two patterns for electronic payments: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0017] In the case of Pattern 1 shown in Figure 2 (hereinafter referred to as user scan), the user terminal device 10 decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 contains information about the store URL (Uniform Resource Locator). This store URL is an electronic payment service domain to which information that can identify the store has been added, and is associated with the merchant ID and store ID, etc., at the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 sends first payment information, including the store URL and account ID, to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the merchant ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, obtains the merchant name and store name information (S3), and sends it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen where the merchant name and store name are displayed (S5). The user terminal device 10 then generates second payment information, including at least the payment amount, and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notification (information for displaying the payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). If the store code image 60 is displayed on a display in the store or on the display unit of the first store terminal device 50, the store code image 60 may include payment amount information as well as the store URL. In this case, the procedure for the user to enter the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Merchant name and store name information may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0018] In the case of Pattern 2 shown in Figure 3 (hereinafter referred to as Store Scan), when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, when it is time for an automatic update (for example, every minute), and at other times, the payment app 20 sends a request to the payment server 100 to issue a one-time code (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or barcode that was generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first store terminal device 50 (presents it), and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). Then, the first store terminal device 50 generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is obtained in advance by barcode scanning or manual input. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs the electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notification to the payment app 20 (S18), and the payment app 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0019] Furthermore, electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" explained in Figure 2 may be other information that can be used as user identification information (for example, a phone number). In addition, the issuance of a one-time code may be omitted during store scanning, and the payment app 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 will identify the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0020] [Payment Server Functional Configuration] Figure 4 is a diagram of the configuration of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a content provision unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, a coupon generation unit 150, and a storage unit 170. Components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and SOC (System On Chip), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance on a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored on a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed on the storage device when the storage medium is inserted into the drive device. The information management unit 140 is an example of an "acquisition unit". The coupon generation unit 150 is an example of a "processing unit".

[0021] The storage unit 170 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may also be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via the network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, content information 174, merchant / store information 176, template information 178 (details described later), and merchant history information 180 (details described later). Some of this information may also be stored in the storage unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0022] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to a network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0023] The content provider unit 120, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The content provider unit 120 reads the necessary content from the content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20 and transmits the aforementioned payment information to the payment server 100. The above content may also be generated by the payment application 20. In this case, the content provider unit 120 provides the payment application 20 with the information necessary for generating the content.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0025] [User information] Figure 5 shows an example of the contents of User Information 172. User Information 172 is an example of user registration information. User Information 172 includes, for example, user URL, account ID, telephone number, password, as well as information such as email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, credit payment settings, credit payment limit, credit payment amount, available credit payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, and payment history information. The user URL is used for money transfer processing between users. When registering for a new electronic payment service, registration of a telephone number and password is mandatory. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that the user can set at will (or does not have to set). Similarly, the email address and name, address, and date of birth are also information that the user can set at will (or does not have to set). The registration date is the date the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date the account was created). Hereafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0026] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user by sending money to their account in advance. Methods of sending money include sending from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated provider (bank) and sending from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting indicates whether or not the user has completed the settings to enable electronic payments by credit card, and is set to either "Completed" or "Not Completed". The credit payment limit is the monthly limit for credit payments, the credit payment amount is the amount already used for credit payments in the current month, and the available credit payment amount is the amount available for credit payments in the current month, calculated by subtracting the credit payment amount from the credit payment limit. While the diagram shows only one credit payment limit, in reality there are also daily limits, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details on credit payments will be described later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will use electronic payment with the charge balance or payment by credit card at that time. The bank account and credit card number information, respectively, refers to the bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) to which funds can be deposited into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a record of when the user has previously sent money to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. The payment history information shows the details of each payment made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0027] [Franchise / Store Information] Figure 6 shows an example of the contents of the merchant / store information 176. The merchant / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which the merchant ID and store ID are associated with the store URL, a second table 176B in which the merchant name and sales amount (as described above) are associated with the merchant ID, and a third table 176C in which the store name is associated with the store ID. In addition to this information, the merchant / store information 176 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0028] [Electronic payment] When the payment processing unit 130 obtains payment information from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, it refers to the user information 172 to obtain the user's "payment method setting". For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance", the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows: For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance, which is managed in association with the user ID, and increasing the value of the merchant's sales proceeds item. For example, the value of the merchant's sales proceeds item is not used as electronic money itself, but rather the amount corresponding to the value of the sales proceeds item is transferred to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the merchant and the electronic payment service.

[0029] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows for users whose "settings information" is set to "credit payment". Credit payment is a payment method that is carried out in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the donor and allows electronic payment that does not depend on the charge balance within the credit payment limit. In order to use the credit payment service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used by credit payment is settled in a lump sum for the month on the payment date of the following month, for example, by withdrawal from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs a provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the amount used by credit payment and subtracting the same amount from the available credit payment limit. When the closing date arrives, it processes the payment for the current month to be withdrawn on the payment date of the following month as described above, or requests the credit card company operator to perform the said process. If the settlement amount exceeds the available credit payment limit at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is sent back to the payment application 20.

[0030] The Information Management Unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. Based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70, the Information Management Unit 140 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176. The Information Management Unit 140 performs operations such as adding, editing, and deleting new records for user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176.

[0031] The coupon generation unit 150 works in conjunction with the merchant interface 72 to perform various processes related to coupon creation. For example, the coupon generation unit 150 displays a list of coupon creation purposes on the merchant interface 72's display unit and proposes coupon content via the merchant interface 72 according to the purpose selected by the merchant. The coupon is an electronic coupon that can be used in electronic payment services.

[0032] [overview] Merchants can create coupons by operating the merchant interface 72. The merchant interface 72 works in conjunction with the payment server 100 to display interface screen IF1 on the merchant interface 72. Figure 7 shows an example of interface screen IF1. Interface screen IF1 is a screen for merchants to set the coupon content when creating a coupon. Coupon content includes, for example, the target users of the coupon, restrictions, benefits, budget limits, and usage period.

[0033] The users eligible for the coupon include, for example, first-time users, followers (users who have added the participating store to their favorites by performing a specified action), users who have used the store before, and users who have not used the store for a specified period of time.

[0034] Constraints include, for example, the conditions under which coupons are applicable. Other constraints may include a minimum transaction amount, a minimum number of transactions at participating merchants, the total benefits a user can receive by using coupons, and a maximum number of coupon uses.

[0035] The benefits refer to the details of the rewards given in response to a payment. For example, this could be a percentage of the payment amount given as points, or 2 points for every 100 yen spent.

[0036] The budget limit is, for example, the maximum budget a participating store can allocate to coupons. The budget limit is also the maximum budget allocated to the benefits that can be given to users as a result of using a coupon.

[0037] The usage period is, for example, the period during which the coupon is valid.

[0038] Merchants create coupons by setting each content on the interface screen IF1. When creating coupons, merchants sometimes struggle with deciding what to set each content to. In this embodiment, the convenience for merchants creating coupons can be improved by assisting them in setting each content according to their purpose.

[0039] The payment server 100, for example, receives instructions from the merchant interface 72 to create coupons that can be used by merchants to provide to users via electronic payment services. Based on these instructions, the payment server 100 displays a list of coupon creation purposes on the display unit of the merchant interface 72. The payment server 100 then proposes coupon content according to the purpose selected by the merchant.

[0040] The content of a coupon includes one or more of the following items: the target users of the coupon, the restrictions on the use of the coupon, the benefits of the coupon, the budget of the coupon, and the validity period of the coupon.

[0041] The objectives include increasing the number of new users, increasing the frequency of use, and raising the average transaction value. Other objectives may also be included.

[0042] Merchants can configure their own content by using the merchant interface 72, or they can display the interface screen IF2, select their purpose, and receive suggestions. They can also modify the suggested content.

[0043] Figure 8 shows an example of interface screen IF2. Interface screen IF2 is, for example, a screen for selecting the purpose described above. When a merchant selects a desired purpose, an interface screen with content appropriate to that purpose is displayed on the display unit of the merchant interface 72.

[0044] The following describes the interface screens that appear when each objective is selected.

[0045] [Increasing the number of new users] Figure 9 shows the interface screen IF3. If the goal is to increase the number of new users, for example, the coupon content may be set up to be easy for new users to use.

[0046] [Increase the frequency of use] Figure 10 shows the interface screen IF4. If the objective is to increase the number of uses, for example, the coupon content will be set to increase the number of uses.

[0047] [Increase the average transaction value] Figure 11 shows the interface screen IF5. If the objective is to increase the average price, for example, the coupon content will be set up to increase the average price.

[0048] The payment server 100 refers to template information 178 (correspondence information), which associates content item setting information for each purpose, and proposes setting information (content) according to the selected purpose. Figure 12 shows an example of the contents of template information 178. Template information 178 is, for example, information that associates a purpose with content corresponding to that purpose.

[0049] This template information 178 may be prepared for each designated merchant, or it may be common to all designated merchants. For example, common to all designated merchants would be those with the same or similar characteristics, such as industry, category, sales, and number of transactions.

[0050] In Figure 12, as an example, the numbers 1-3 are listed instead of the content itself. The content is associated with the number 1-3 in order of increasing ease of use. Ease of use means that the content is easier to use and apply.

[0051] For example, in the template information 178 for a certain merchant, the conditions for coupon eligibility are stricter when increasing new users than when other purposes are pursued. This is because, when increasing new users, the coupon is limited to new users. For example, the payment server 100 may display a comment on interface screen IF3 indicating that it is recommended to limit the coupon to new users when increasing new users (it may also display the reason for setting the content).

[0052] For example, in the template information 178 for a certain merchant, the constraints for increasing the average transaction value are stricter than those for other objectives. This is because increasing the average transaction value requires setting stricter constraints, such as minimum transaction amount.

[0053] Regarding budget limits and usage periods, the degree of relaxation of content restrictions is set according to the purpose, and content is provided that matches the degree of relaxation. As described above, the degree of relaxation of content is tailored to the purpose.

[0054] For example, if the objective is to increase the number of orders, the coupon may be suggested to be available to users who have previously used the participating store, with looser control conditions (e.g., looser than for other objectives). If the objective is to increase the number of orders, the system may be configured to automatically grant coupons to users who have previously used the participating store. As described above, automatic granting may occur depending on the objective. Normally, users can obtain coupons by operating the payment app 20 and performing an operation to acquire the coupon, but with automatic granting, the coupon will be acquired automatically without the user having to operate the payment app 20. For example, the payment server 100 may display a comment on the interface screen IF4 indicating that it is recommended to limit the coupons to users who have previously used the participating store if the objective is to increase the number of orders.

[0055] In Figure 12, indicators may be associated with each purpose. The payment server 100 refers to template information 178, which associates indicator information for content items with each purpose, applies the indicators for the selected purpose to the merchant's payment history (merchant history information 180), and proposes content that corresponds to the selected purpose.

[0056] Figure 13 shows an example of the contents of the merchant history information 180. The merchant history information 180 contains information about each merchant, such as the average unit price, number of transactions (e.g., per day), sales (e.g., per day), holidays, number of uses per customer, and content of coupons created in the past. The average unit price is an example of the statistically processed unit price of a merchant. The number of transactions is an example of the statistically processed number of transactions of a merchant. Sales are an example of the statistically processed sales of a merchant. The payment server 100 performs statistical processing based on the indicators and the contents of the merchant history information (e.g., average unit price, number of transactions, sales, holidays, number of uses per customer, etc.) to derive content that is appropriate for the purpose.

[0057] The payment server 100 proposes constraints, which are content, by applying the average transaction value to an indicator, for example. For example, the payment server 100 determines the constraints to propose by multiplying the merchant's average transaction value by an indicator (e.g., 1 or 1.2). For example, if the objective is to increase the average transaction value, the payment server 100 determines the constraint, which is the minimum transaction amount for which the coupon will be applied, by multiplying the merchant's average transaction value by an indicator (an amount greater than 1). This determines and proposes the minimum transaction amount so that the objective can be achieved (for example, raising or lowering the minimum transaction amount is proposed). If the objective is to increase the average transaction value, the payment server 100 may display a comment on the interface screen IF5 recommending that the transaction value be higher than the merchant's average transaction value. The payment server 100 may also provide the average transaction value to the merchant interface 72. For example, since the average transaction value differs depending on the industry of the merchant, such as a used car dealership or a drugstore, it is possible to make suggestions tailored to the industry.

[0058] If the minimum payment amount is determined as described above, the reward rate may be higher than the reward rates for other purposes. For example, if the payment server 100 raises the minimum payment amount above a certain threshold, it may increase the reward rate based on the degree of increase. The reward rate is derived based on a pre-set function.

[0059] The payment server 100 may, for example, apply a default reward rate (e.g., 5%) to the indicator and propose the content of the reward. For example, if the objective is to increase the number of new users, the payment server 100 may apply the indicator to the reward rate of coupons previously created by the merchant and propose a reward rate higher than the past reward rate. The reward rate may be a value predetermined for each objective.

[0060] The payment server 100 applies either the number of transactions or sales, or both, as metrics to propose either a budget or usage period, which are the content. For example, the payment server 100 may propose a budget limit based on the number of transactions and metrics, or a budget limit based on sales and metrics. For example, the payment server 100 may propose a usage period based on the number of transactions and metrics, or a usage period based on sales and metrics. The metrics are values ​​optimized for deriving budget limits or usage amounts for each purpose. The above metrics may also be parameters applied to a function. Using metrics includes using functions or calculation methods that include metrics.

[0061] Furthermore, the payment server 100 may derive usage periods and budget limits appropriate to the purpose based on indicators, average unit price, and number of transactions. The indicators are those prepared to derive usage periods appropriate to the purpose.

[0062] When making the above proposal, each piece of content may be requested and proposed based on one or more items included in the merchant history information 180 and an indicator (function).

[0063] As described above, the payment server 100 can derive and propose content suitable for a given purpose by applying metrics set for each purpose to the merchant history information 180.

[0064] [flowchart] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the payment server 100. First, the payment server 100 obtains information for the purpose of coupon creation from the merchant interface 72 (S100). Next, the payment server 100 generates proposed content based on the template information 178 and the merchant history information 180 (S102). Next, the payment server 100 provides the generated content to the merchant interface 72 (S104). This completes one routine of processing in this flowchart.

[0065] As described above, the payment server 100 can propose coupon content to the merchant that matches the purpose selected by the merchant. This improves the convenience for merchants in creating coupons.

[0066] The content and metrics of the template information 178 described above may be updated. For example, the payment server 100 compares the merchant history information 180 before and after issuing a coupon using the template information 178 for a certain purpose. If the merchant has not achieved its objective, the payment server 100 updates the template information 178. For example, if the objective is to increase the number of new users, and the number of new users does not increase, the payment server 100 updates the template information 178 to relax the constraints, increase the budget limit, or extend the usage period. For example, if the objective is to increase the number of transactions, and the number of transactions does not increase, the payment server 100 updates the template information 178 to relax the target users of the coupon, relax the constraints, or extend the usage period. For example, if the objective is to increase the average transaction value, and the average transaction value does not increase, the payment server 100 updates the template information 178 to tighten the target users of the coupon (for example, limiting it to followers or users who have used it a certain number of times) or to relax the constraints (for example, increasing the minimum transaction amount).

[0067] [Providing estimated customer acquisition cost] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating the estimated customer acquisition cost and the maximum number of users. The payment server 100 may derive and provide the estimated customer acquisition cost based on the merchant history information 180 and the content. The content may be content proposed based on the purpose, or content directly entered by the user. For example, the payment server 100 estimates the customer acquisition cost based on the grant rate, which is a coupon benefit, and the statistically processed payment cost included in the merchant history information 180, and provides the estimated customer acquisition cost to the merchant. For example, the payment server 100 derives the estimated customer acquisition cost by multiplying the average cost by the point grant rate (benefit) and provides it to the merchant interface 72. The estimated customer acquisition cost is the cost required to acquire customers.

[0068] [Providing the maximum number of users] The payment server 100 may derive and provide the maximum number of users based on the merchant history information 180 and the content. The payment server 100 estimates the number of users who can use the coupon based on the maximum budget amount of the coupon and the estimated cost per customer acquisition, and provides the estimated number of users to the merchant. For example, the payment server 100 derives the maximum number of users by dividing the maximum budget amount by the estimated cost per customer acquisition and provides it to the merchant interface 72. The maximum number of users is the maximum number of users who can use the coupon.

[0069] As described above, participating merchants can refer to the estimated average customer spending or maximum number of users to check the effectiveness of the coupons they are creating and modify the content of each item, thus improving convenience for merchants.

[0070] [Advice regarding the entered content] The payment server 100 provides the merchant interface 72 with information about the coupon content, specifically the coupon benefits or the coupon budget, if they fall outside the corresponding pre-set ranges, indicating that they are outside the range and the disadvantages of doing so. For example, if a merchant enters and sets content, the payment server 100 determines whether the value of the entered content falls within a set threshold range, and if it falls outside the range, it provides advice to the merchant.

[0071] The threshold range described above may be set regardless of the merchant, or it may be set for each merchant. For example, it may be calculated based on the merchant's merchant history information 180, or it may be set for each merchant category. For example, it may be a value calculated by the payment server 100 based on the content of coupons previously issued by the merchant, the merchant history information 180 including coupon usage history, and predetermined criteria.

[0072] Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating the advice. The defined ranges below are derived from the history of coupon creation and usage across past merchants, merchant categories, or the entire electronic payment service, representing the scope within which coupons can be effectively utilized.

[0073] For example, if the coupon's benefits fall below a predetermined range, the payment server 100 will advise that, as shown on interface screen IF11, a low point accrual rate will result in lower customer acquisition costs but also lower overall customer acquisition power.

[0074] For example, if the coupon's benefits exceed a pre-set range, the payment server 100 advises that while a high point accrual rate, as shown on interface screen IF12, will improve the cost per customer acquisition, the cost per customer acquisition will increase, resulting in a lower return on investment.

[0075] For example, if the number of points awarded for a coupon falls below a predetermined range, the payment server 100 will advise, as shown on interface screen IF13, that a low number of points awarded will result in a lower cost per customer acquisition but also a lower customer acquisition rate. The number of points awarded is, for example, the maximum number of points a user can receive with a coupon.

[0076] For example, if the number of points awarded for a coupon exceeds a predetermined range, the payment server 100 will advise that, as shown on interface screen IF14, a higher number of points awarded will improve the cost per customer acquisition, but the cost per customer acquisition will also increase, resulting in a lower return on investment.

[0077] For example, if the coupon budget falls below a predetermined range, the payment server 100 will advise, as shown on interface screen IF15, that a budget that is too low may result in a low number of users.

[0078] For example, if the coupon budget exceeds a predetermined range, the payment server 100 will advise, as shown on interface screen IF16, that it is recommended to set a longer usage period if the budget is large.

[0079] As described above, the payment server 100 can provide appropriate advice to the merchant depending on whether the coupon content exceeds or falls below the set range. This allows the merchant to properly set the coupon content.

[0080] [Advice on setting a budget according to your objectives] The payment server 100 may propose a coupon budget to the merchant according to its purpose. Figure 17 shows the proposal interface screen. If a merchant wants to increase the number of new customers (users), for example, the merchant inputs the number of customers they want to increase, the timeframe they want to achieve, and some or all of the merchant history information 180 (e.g., sales, average transaction value, number of transactions) into a model according to the purpose, and the model outputs a budget according to the input information. The model is a model that has been trained to output a desired budget (budget according to the purpose) according to the input information when input information is input. The model has been trained to associate input information and budgets for each purpose, for example.

[0081] In this way, the payment server 100 can propose an appropriate budget to the user.

[0082] According to the embodiments described above, the payment server 100, based on instructions from the merchant to create a coupon to provide to the user, displays a list of the purpose of creating the coupon on the display unit of the merchant terminal device, and proposes coupon content according to the purpose selected by the merchant, thereby improving the convenience of the merchant in creating the coupon.

[0083] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0084] 10. User terminal device 20 Payment Apps 50. First store terminal device 100 Payment Servers 120 Content Provision Department 130 Payment Processing Unit 140 Information Management Department 150 Coupon Generation Unit 178 Template Information 180 Merchant History Information

Claims

[Claim 1] An acquisition unit that acquires instructions from the merchant's merchant terminal device to create a coupon that can be used for the merchant's electronic payment service and that the merchant provides to users, Based on the above instructions, the list of purposes for creating the coupon is displayed on the display unit of the merchant terminal device. A processing unit that proposes coupon content according to the purpose selected by the aforementioned member store, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

Images