Sales information management device, method for controlling the sales information management device, and control program for the sales information management device

Abstract

To provide a sales information management device and its control method that can accurately determine whether or not there is a sales loss when a payment failure occurs, and, if necessary, quantitatively analyze the impact thereof. [Solution] A sales information management device 10 has a sales information storage unit 15 that stores purchase target information, corresponding purchase target amount information, payment completion information and sales information, and stores target payment incomplete information 16 from the sales information, and when there is payment completion information with the same content as the target payment incomplete information that is most recently available, it stores the payment completion information with the same content as the most recent payment information, and when there is no most recent payment information, it stores sales opportunity loss information as related information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a sales information management apparatus that manages sales information in stores and the like, a control method for the sales information management apparatus, and a control program for the sales information management apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, in retail stores and the like, point-of-sale information management devices (POS (Point of Sale) devices), which are devices that collect and record information related to products and the like in units of products when products are sold and paid, grasp sales information of products, and manage sales and inventory based on that information, have been widely used (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.).

[0003] In such a POS device, when a customer purchases a product, a staff member of a retail store or the like first inputs the product to be purchased, and then completes the processing by paying for the product. However, for example, when a customer pays by electronic payment (electronic money, credit card, etc.) instead of cash, a communication timeout, a failure at the payment center, or other problems may occur, and the payment processing may not be completed normally. In this case, although the customer may sometimes complete the payment by immediately using an alternative payment method (another electronic payment method, another credit card, QR payment, cash, etc.), there are also cases where the customer leaves the store without completing the payment because they do not have an appropriate alternative payment method on hand, or it takes time to use an alternative payment method, leaving the transaction unpaid.

[0004] When this unpaid processing state occurs, the target transaction is not recorded as sales, which results in a loss of sales opportunity (sales loss) for retail stores and the like. In particular, when many customers leave the store because they cannot use an alternative payment method, the impact of sales loss on retail stores becomes more severe. For this reason, there are cases where retail stores and the like demand that payment providers take responsibility for sales losses caused by failures in electronic payment systems. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-57162 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, retailers and other businesses lacked a reliable means to accurately determine whether a payment failure resulted in actual sales losses or whether customers completed their purchases using alternative payment methods, making it difficult to properly assess the situation.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a sales information management device, a control method for the sales information management device, and a control program for the sales information management device that can accurately determine whether or not there is a sales loss when a payment failure occurs, and quantitatively analyze the impact thereof as necessary.

[0008] The aforementioned objective is achieved by a sales information management device according to the present invention, which has a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase target information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase target amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase target information, settlement completion information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information, and settlement incomplete information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information, and extracts the settlement incomplete information from the sales information and stores it as target settlement incomplete information, and when there is settlement completion information with the same content which has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the same amount as the target settlement incomplete information, the settlement completion information with the same content which is the settlement completion information of the target settlement incomplete information which is the latest settlement information, and when there is no latest settlement information which is the sales information management device, it is characterized by storing sales opportunity loss information as related information.

[0009] According to the above configuration, if there is a completed payment information with the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information as the target payment incomplete information (for example, the next processing in the sales information management device), the completed payment information is stored as the most recent payment information which is the completed payment information of the target payment incomplete information. If no recent payment information exists, it is stored as sales opportunity loss information (for example, sales loss). When recent payment completion information exists, there is a very high probability that the target payment incomplete information has been converted to payment completion information.

[0010] Therefore, knowing whether or not recent settlement information exists allows us to clearly understand whether or not sales opportunity loss information (e.g., "sales loss") has been resolved, objectively prove the occurrence of "sales loss," and quantitatively analyze its impact as needed. In particular, it is possible to track customer purchasing behavior in real time after information about incomplete payments occurs due to payment failures, etc., and to accurately identify information about lost sales opportunities and make appropriate judgments. Furthermore, retailers and payment service providers can use this information to improve their operations and optimize customer service.

[0011] Preferably, the sales information management device determines whether, if the most recent settlement information does not exist, the same settlement completion information exists within a certain period of time after the target incomplete settlement information. If the same settlement completion information exists within a certain period of time after the target incomplete settlement information, the same settlement completion information is stored as settlement information for a certain period of time, which is the settlement completion information for the target incomplete settlement information. If no settlement information exists for a certain period of time, the sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

[0012] According to the above configuration, if no recent payment information exists, it is determined whether payment completion information for the same content exists within a certain period of time after the uncompleted payment information (for example, within 5 minutes). If payment completion information for the same content exists within a certain period of time after the uncompleted payment information, the payment completion information is stored as payment information for a certain period of time, which is the payment completion information for the uncompleted payment information. If no payment information exists for a certain period of time, sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information. Therefore, even if there is no recent, appropriate payment completion information for the same transaction, payment completion information for the same transaction within a certain period afterward can be used as payment completion information to determine whether or not there is any information regarding lost sales opportunities.

[0013] Preferably, the sales information management device is characterized in that the purchaser's identification information is associated with the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information.

[0014] According to the above configuration, since the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information are associated with the purchaser's identification information (e.g., member ID information), it is possible to more accurately determine that the completed payment information is the completed payment information of the uncompleted payment information, and to accurately grasp whether or not sales opportunity loss information (sales loss, etc.) has occurred.

[0015] Preferably, the sales information management device identifies the purchaser from the identification information relating to the uncompleted payment information, which is stored as related information for the lost sales opportunity information, and provides the purchaser's terminal or the like with coupon information that allows them to purchase specific products or services at a discounted price, thereby following up with customers who have not completed payment.

[0016] According to the above configuration, the system identifies the purchaser from identification information related to the incomplete payment information, in which the lost sales opportunity information is stored as related information, and provides the purchaser's terminal with coupon information that allows them to purchase specific products or services at a discounted price. This allows for appropriate follow-up with buyers whose payments were not completed, as well as promoting the sale of products and services.

[0017] Preferably, the sales information management device has a payment failure detection means for detecting the target incomplete payment information, and is configured to determine whether the target incomplete payment information detected by the payment failure detection means has recent payment information or payment information for a certain period.

[0018] According to the above configuration, there is a payment failure detection means that detects when target incomplete payment information has been stored, and the configuration is such that the presence or absence of recent payment information or payment information for a certain period of time is determined for the target incomplete payment information detected by the payment failure detection means, so it is possible to quickly determine whether or not the sales opportunity loss information has been resolved.

[0019] Preferably, in the sales information management device, if the uncompleted payment information detected by the payment failure detection means includes sales opportunity loss information as related information, the sales opportunity loss related information, including the sales opportunity loss information, is transmitted to the administrator terminal of the sales information management device.

[0020] According to the above configuration, if the incomplete payment information detected by the payment failure detection means includes sales opportunity loss information as related information, the system transmits the sales opportunity loss related information, including the sales opportunity loss information, to the administrator terminal of the sales information management device. Therefore, managers and other relevant personnel can be quickly notified of any lost sales opportunities.

[0021] Preferably, the sales information management device has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores the target payment incomplete information which has the sales opportunity loss information as related information, and is characterized in that it analyzes and stores the cause of the target payment incomplete information stored in the target payment incomplete information storage unit based on the type of payment failure and customer behavior information.

[0022] According to the above configuration, the present invention comprises a target incomplete payment information storage unit that stores target incomplete payment information having sales opportunity loss information as related information, and analyzes and displays the cause of the target incomplete payment information stored in the target incomplete payment information storage unit based on the type of payment failure (for example, timeout, center failure, etc.) and customer behavior information (for example, non-purchase, alternative payment method, etc.). Therefore, the cause of the target incomplete payment information having sales opportunity loss information as related information can be objectively grasped based on the type of payment failure and customer behavior information.

[0023] Preferably, the sales information management apparatus comprises a target incomplete payment information storage unit that stores the target incomplete payment information having the sales opportunity loss information as related information, and is characterized by analyzing and displaying, for the target incomplete payment information stored in the target incomplete payment information storage unit, occurrence rate information of the sales opportunity loss information for a predetermined period and influence degree information for each payment method.

[0024] According to the above configuration, the present invention comprises a target incomplete payment information storage unit that stores target incomplete payment information having sales opportunity loss information as related information, and analyzes and displays, for the target incomplete payment information stored in the target incomplete payment information storage unit, occurrence rate information of the sales opportunity loss information for a predetermined period (for example, one day, one week, one month, etc.) and influence degree information for each payment method. Therefore, the occurrence rate information of the sales opportunity loss information for a predetermined period and the influence degree information for each payment method in the target incomplete payment information can be objectively grasped.

[0025] Preferably, the sales information management apparatus comprises a target incomplete payment information storage unit that stores the target incomplete payment information having the sales opportunity loss information as related information, and is characterized by analyzing and displaying, for the target incomplete payment information stored in the target incomplete payment information storage unit, occurrence trend information of the sales opportunity loss information for each store.

[0026] According to the above configuration, the system has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores target payment incomplete information which has the sales opportunity loss information as related information, and analyzes and displays the occurrence trend information of sales opportunity loss information for each store for the target payment incomplete information storage unit. Therefore, it is possible to objectively grasp the trend of lost sales opportunities for each store regarding incomplete payment information.

[0027] Preferably, the sales information management device has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores the target payment incomplete information which has the sales opportunity loss information as related information, and the device compares the frequency of failures of each payment method and the occurrence rate of the sales opportunity loss information with respect to the target payment incomplete information stored in the target payment incomplete information storage unit, identifies the payment method that is most susceptible to the effects, and displays it.

[0028] According to the above configuration, the system has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores target payment incomplete information which has the sales opportunity loss information as related information. The system compares the frequency of failures for each payment method (e.g., credit card, electronic money, two-dimensional code (QR: registered trademark) payment, etc.) and the occurrence rate of the sales opportunity loss information with respect to the target payment incomplete information stored in the target payment incomplete information storage unit, identifies the payment method that is most susceptible to the impact, and displays it. Therefore, by comparing the frequency of failures for each payment method and the rate of the aforementioned loss of sales opportunities, it is possible to objectively identify the payment method that is most susceptible to these issues.

[0029] The aforementioned objective is achieved by a sales information management system according to the present invention, comprising: a sales information management device for managing sales information; and a sales information management server communicated with the sales information management device, wherein the sales information management device has a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase target information purchased by a customer; corresponding purchase target amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase target information; settlement completion information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information; and incomplete settlement information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information, wherein the incomplete settlement information is extracted from the sales information and stored as target incomplete settlement information, and when there is a settlement completion information with the same content that has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the same amount as the target incomplete settlement information, the settlement completion information with the same content is stored as the most recent settlement information which is the settlement completion information of the target incomplete settlement information, and when there is no such recent settlement information, sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

[0030] The aforementioned objective is achieved by a control method for a sales information management device, which, according to the present invention, includes sales information that includes purchase target information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase target amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase target information, settlement completion information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information, and settlement incomplete information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information. The method extracts the settlement incomplete information from the sales information and stores it as target settlement incomplete information. When there is settlement completion information with the same content that has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information as the target settlement incomplete information, the settlement completion information with the same content is stored as the most recent settlement information which is the settlement completion information for the target settlement incomplete information. When there is no such recent settlement information, sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

[0031] The above objective is achieved by a control program for a sales information management device that, according to the present invention, has a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase target information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase target amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase target information, settlement completion information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information, and settlement incomplete information relating to the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information, and the function of extracting the settlement incomplete information from the sales information and storing it as target settlement incomplete information, and when there is a settlement completion information with the same content that has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the same amount as the target settlement incomplete information, the settlement completion information with the same content that has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the same amount that exists immediately before the target settlement incomplete information, the function of storing the settlement completion information that is the settlement completion information of the target settlement incomplete information, and when there is no such settlement information, the function of storing sales opportunity loss information as related information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0032] As described above, the present invention has the advantage of providing a sales information management device, a control method for the sales information management device, and a control program for the sales information management device that can accurately determine whether or not there is a sales loss when a payment failure occurs, and quantitatively analyze the impact as necessary. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the main components of POS management system 1. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the POS device 10. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the POS management server 100. [Figure 4] This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the main operation examples of System 1. [Figure 5] This is another schematic flowchart illustrating the main operation examples of System 1. [Figure 6]This is another schematic flowchart illustrating the main operation examples of System 1. [Figure 7] This is another schematic flowchart illustrating the main operation examples of System 1. [Figure 8] This is a schematic block diagram showing the data in the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15". [Figure 9] This is a schematic block diagram showing the data of the "Server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105". [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of this invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and other materials. The embodiments described below are preferred examples of the present invention and are subject to various technically preferred limitations. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise stated in the following description.

[0035] (Main components of POS management system 1) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the main components of POS management system 1 (an example of a sales information management system). As shown in Figure 1, System 1 includes a "POS (Point of Sale) device 10 (an example of a sales information management device)" located in store B, etc., which manages sales information of goods, etc., a "POS management server 100 (an example of a sales information management server)" which manages the POS device 10, an "electronic money management server 200" which manages information of a specific electronic money provider among cashless payments, etc., and a "cashless payment server 300" which is managed by a company that provides such a cashless payment solution system.

[0036] Furthermore, System 1 has an internet network 2 that allows these POS devices 10, POS management server 100, electronic money management server 200, and cashless payment server 300 to communicate with each other, and also has a customer terminal 400 held by customer A who uses store B, etc., and an administrator terminal 500 held by administrator C who manages store B, etc. These customer terminals 400 are configured to communicate with the POS device 10, and the administrator terminal 500 is configured to communicate with the POS system 10, POS management device 100, etc., via the base station 3 shown in Figure 1.

[0037] Furthermore, the POS device 10, POS management server 100, electronic money management server 200, cashless payment server 300, etc. in Figure 1 each have a computer, including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and hard disk, and are connected via a bus.

[0038] (Main components of POS device 10) Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the POS device 10 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the POS device 10 has a "POS-side control unit 11," which controls the "POS-side communication device 12," "touch panel 13," and "POS device main unit 14" for the POS device 10 to communicate with the POS management server 100, etc. Here, "the touch panel 13 is an electronic component that combines a display unit, such as a display, with a position input device, and is an input device that allows the user to input various information by touching the display on the display." Furthermore, the POS device unit 14 is a device for managing sales information, etc., for store B, etc.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the control unit 11 also controls the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15," the "sales loss candidate information storage unit 16," the "sales loss determination unit 17," the "POS-side various information storage unit 18," the "payment failure detection unit 19," and the "target payment incomplete information storage unit 20," but the details of these will be described later.

[0040] (Main components of POS management server 100) Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the main components of the POS management server 100 in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, the POS management server 100 has a "server-side control unit 101," which controls the "server-side communication device 102," "display 103," and "various information input units 104" for the POS management server 100 to communicate with the POS device 10, etc.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 101 also controls the "server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105" and the "server-side various information storage unit 107," but the details of these will be described later.

[0042] Figures 4 to 7 are schematic flowcharts illustrating the main operation examples of System 1. In this embodiment, the system 1 will be described below using an example where customer A goes shopping at store B and purchases "product a (300 yen), product b (500 yen), and product c (500 yen)" using electronic money X.

[0043] First, proceed to step 1 of Figure 4 (hereinafter referred to as "ST"). In ST1, customer A goes shopping at store B, selects "product a (300 yen)", "product b (350 yen)", and "product c (500 yen)", and chooses a "total (1150 yen)". Then, goes to POS device 10 and tells store B staff S that they wish to purchase the items.

[0044] Next, proceed to ST2. In ST2, staff member S operates the POS device 10 and first inputs the barcodes of product a, product b, and product c into the POS device 10. At this time, the POS device 10 stores data for product a, product b, and product c (an example of registered planned purchase items and purchase target information), 300 yen, 350 yen, and 500 yen (an example of corresponding registered planned purchase item amounts and corresponding purchase target amount information), and data for "total (1150 yen)" (an example of sales information) in the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15 (an example of sales information storage unit)" in Figure 2.

[0045] Additionally, staff member S also enters customer A's member ID number (an example of identification information) into the POS system.

[0046] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram showing the data of the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15," and Figure 8(a) is a schematic block diagram showing the data of the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15" in this process. As shown in Figure 8(a), the data "Membership Number: 1234", "Product a: 300 yen", "Product b: 350 yen", "Product c: 500 yen", and "Total: 1150 yen" are associated and stored as "Process 1", while the data "Payment Information: None" is also stored.

[0047] Next, the process proceeds to ST3. In ST3, the POS device 10 transmits the registered planned purchase items (item a, item b, item c) stored in the POS device 10, the corresponding registered planned purchase amounts (30 yen, 350 yen, 350 yen, total: 1150 yen), and member number data to the "POS management server 100" in Figure 3. The POS management server 100 stores this data in the "Server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105 (an example of a sales information storage unit)" shown in Figure 3.

[0048] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram showing the data of the "Server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105," and Figure 9(a) is a schematic block diagram showing the data of the "Server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105" in this process. As shown in Figure 9(a), similar to the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15" described above, the data "Member number: 1234", "Item a: 300 yen", "Item b: 350 yen", "Item c: 500 yen", and "Total: 1150 yen" are stored together as "Process 1", and the data "Payment information: None" is also stored.

[0049] Next, proceed to ST4, where staff member S confirms the "payment method" with customer A. If customer A wishes to pay using electronic money X (payment method), staff member S operates the POS device 10 to the "electronic money X payment processing" mode. Subsequently, customer A operates their customer terminal 400 to input the information of electronic money X into the POS device 10.

[0050] Next, the process moves to ST5. In ST5, the POS device 10 attempts to communicate with the "cashless payment server 300" of the "cashless payment solution system" shown in Figure 1 via the internet network 2, etc., in order to process the transaction using "electronic money X". However, due to communication failures or other issues with the "cashless payment solution system" (e.g., timeout, communication error, center failure, etc.), payment processing using "electronic money X" specified by customer A's customer terminal 400 becomes impossible.

[0051] At this point, ST6 activates the payment failure detection unit 19 (an example of a payment failure detection means) of the POS device 10 to determine whether or not it has detected unpaid data (an example of incomplete payment information). Then, when the payment failure detection unit 19 detects unpaid data in ST6, the process proceeds to ST7. In ST7, the "unpaid data" is recorded in association with the registered planned purchase item (item a, etc.) and the corresponding registered planned purchase item amount (300 yen, etc.) in the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15" shown in Figure 2, and this fact is displayed on the touch panel 13 of the POS device 10.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8(b), the following is stored as "Process 1: Member number: 1234), Product a: 300 yen), Product b: 350 yen), Product c: 500 yen), Total: 1150 yen), Payment information (unpaid data)." In contrast to this embodiment, it is also possible to configure the system to store such unsettled data in a separate "unsettled data storage unit" or the like for a certain period of time (for example, 20 days).

[0053] Thus, in this embodiment, since it has a "payment failure detection unit 19", it is possible to quickly detect the occurrence of "unsettled data".

[0054] Next, the process proceeds to ST8. In ST8, the POS device 10 sends a message to the POS management server 100 indicating that "unsettled data" has been recorded for the registered planned purchase item (item a, etc.) and the corresponding registered planned purchase item amount (300 yen, etc.). Then, the process proceeds to ST9. In ST9, the POS management server 100 records "unsettled data" associated with the registered planned purchase item (item a, etc.) and the corresponding registered planned purchase item amount (300 yen, etc.) in the "server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105," as shown in Figure 9(b).

[0055] Next, the process proceeds to ST10. In ST10, when customer A informs staff member S that they wish to pay with cash, staff member S changes the payment method on POS device 10 to cash. Then, staff member S receives 1150 yen in cash from customer A, deposits the cash into POS device 10, and enters the data.

[0056] Furthermore, unlike this embodiment, the "payment failure detection unit 19" may be configured to select a payment method (such as a credit card) different from the payment method (electronic money X) that has become unpaid when it detects the occurrence of "unpaid data," and display it on the touch panel 13 of the POS device 10.

[0057] Next, the process proceeds to ST11. In ST11, the POS device 10 stores "payment completion data (an example of payment completion information)" for registered planned purchase items and the corresponding registered planned purchase item amounts ("product a (300 yen)", "b (350 yen)", "c (500 yen)", "total (1150 yen)") as "process 2" in the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15". In this case, the system is configured in such a way that it cannot store that the "settlement data" is related to the "unsettled data" for "process 1" described above. You may also enter customer A's membership number at this time.

[0058] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8(c), "Process 2" is stored as "Membership Number: 1234", "Product a: 300 yen", "Product b: 350 yen", "Product c: 500 yen", "Total: 1150 yen", and "Payment Information: Payment Completed Data".

[0059] Next, the process proceeds to ST12. In ST12, the POS device 10 sends "payment completion data" for the registered planned purchase items and their corresponding registered purchase amounts ("item a: 300 yen", "item b: 350 yen", "item c: 500 yen", "total: 1150 yen"), along with member number 1234, to the POS management server 100. The information is then stored in the "Server-side Purchase Planned Products Storage Unit 105" of the POS management server 100.

[0060] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9(3), "Process 2" is stored as "Membership Number: 1234)", "Product a: 300 yen", "Product b: 350 yen", "Product c: 500 yen", "Total: 1150 yen", and "Payment Information: Payment Completed Data".

[0061] As described above, when "unsettled data" is stored as "payment information" during sales processing at store B, it is not possible to know whether this unsettled data was subsequently marked as "completed payment" because the system is not configured to store this information in the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15" or the "server-side planned purchase item storage unit 105".

[0062] On the other hand, clearly indicating that registered planned purchase items (such as item a) and their corresponding registered purchase amounts (such as 300 yen) that were previously classified as "unpaid data" would require significant system modifications, which are not practical due to cost and other factors. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to predict the occurrence of sales opportunity loss information, such as "sales loss," without significantly changing the current POS device 10 or POS management server 100 system, the following steps are performed.

[0063] The process proceeds to ST13. In ST13, as described above, the payment failure detection unit 19 has detected unpaid data, so the "sales loss determination unit 17" of the POS device 10 operates, extracts "incomplete payment information," such as "processing 1 data," from the POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15, and stores it as sales loss candidate information (an example of target incomplete payment information) in the "sales loss candidate information storage unit 16" in Figure 2.

[0064] In this embodiment, the "sales loss determination unit 17" and the like are located in the POS device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and they may also be located in the POS management server 100.

[0065] Next, the process proceeds to ST14. In ST14, the sales loss determination unit 17 of the POS device 10 operates and searches whether there is any "same" information in the "Sales Loss Candidate Information Storage Unit 16" (for example, process 1), the member number, the registered planned purchase item (item a, etc.), and the corresponding registered planned purchase item price (300 yen, etc.) that constitutes "the same" information, and whether there is any "same content payment completion information" in the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15" in Figure 2, and determines whether such information exists.

[0066] In this embodiment, the sales loss candidate information (for example, process 1) and "process 2" of the "POS-side planned purchase item storage unit 15" are the same information, with the member number ("Member number: 1234"), registered planned purchase items and corresponding registered planned purchase item amounts ("Item a: 300 yen"), "Item b: 350 yen"), "Item c: 500 yen"), "Total: 1150 yen"), and the payment has been completed, resulting in payment completion information (same content payment completion information). Therefore, in ST15, the sales loss determination unit 17 determines that process 1 and process 2 are the same process.

[0067] Next, proceed to ST16. In ST16, the sales loss determination unit 17 operates as follows: That is, it determines whether process 2 corresponds to the "next process (most recent example)" of process 1. If the case does not fall under this "next process," proceed to ST17. In ST17, it is determined whether or not it falls under "processing within 5 minutes (an example of a certain time period after the event)."

[0068] Then, if the sales loss determination unit 17 determines that process 2 corresponds to the "next process" of process 1, it proceeds to ST18 and determines it to be recent settlement information. Similarly, if it determines that it corresponds to "processing within 5 minutes," it determines it to be settlement information for a certain period, just like recent settlement information.

[0069] Next, the process proceeds to ST19. In ST19, the sales loss determination unit 17 determines that process 2 is "settlement completed data" in which the "registered planned purchase items and corresponding registered planned purchase item amounts" of the "unsettled data" from process 1 have been settled. Furthermore, it is determined that the "unsettled data" in process 1 is not "sales loss" information, which is information about lost sales opportunities.

[0070] In this embodiment, five minutes was used as an example to describe the period of time after the transaction, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be arbitrarily determined according to the payment trends of each store.

[0071] On the other hand, if ST17 determines that process 2 does not fall under the category of "the next process" or "a process within 5 minutes," the process proceeds to ST20. In ST20, the sales loss determination unit 17 determines that the "unsettled data" in process 1 is sales loss information, treating the two processes as completely unrelated, and stores it in the "target unsettled payment information storage unit 20" of the POS device 10.

[0072] Next, proceed to ST21. In ST21, because "sales loss information" was generated in process 1, the POS device 10 transmits "sales opportunity loss related information," including "sales loss information," to the administrator terminal 500 (see Figure 1) of administrator C of the POS management system 1 of this embodiment. This information includes, for example, the date and time of the failure, the affected payment method, the amount of sales loss, and the location information of the affected store. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to quickly notify administrator C, etc., that a loss of sales opportunity has occurred.

[0073] In this embodiment, the series of processes of the sales loss determination unit 17 were described as operations of the POS device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the POS management server 100 may perform the same operations instead of the POS device 10, or the two may perform the operations with their roles divided.

[0074] Thus, in this embodiment, "unsettled data" is stored in process 1, and even if it is unclear whether this unsettled data has been settled afterward, and therefore it is not possible to determine whether a "sales loss" has occurred, it is possible to accurately estimate the occurrence of a "sales loss".

[0075] Therefore, there is no need to make significant changes to the current POS system, such as the POS device 10 or the POS management server 100, in order to determine whether or not "sales losses" have occurred. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the "membership number" is included in the identity between process 1 and process 2, a more accurate determination becomes possible.

[0076] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since process 2 includes not only cases where it corresponds to the "next process" of process 1, but also cases where it is a "process within 5 minutes," more flexible decision-making is possible.

[0077] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to track customer purchasing behavior in real time after "potential sales loss information" is generated due to payment failures, etc., and to make accurate determinations such as identifying information on lost sales opportunities. Furthermore, retailers and payment service providers can use this information to improve their operations and optimize customer service.

[0078] Next, the process proceeds to ST22. In ST22, the "Sales Loss Candidate Information Storage Unit 16" in Figure 2, where "Sales Loss" information is stored as related information, identifies purchaser A from the member number of the sales loss candidate information, and the POS management server 100 provides coupon information to purchaser A's customer terminal 400, which is the right to purchase specific products or services at a discounted price. Therefore, it is possible to provide sales promotion information for products, etc., to buyer A, etc.

[0079] Furthermore, unlike this embodiment, coupon information may be handled differently depending on conditions such as the purchaser's purchase history and transaction amount.

[0080] Next, the process proceeds to ST23. In ST23, the data from the "Target Incomplete Payment Information Storage Unit 20" of the POS device 10 is used to analyze the cause of the "Sales Loss Candidate Information," which is "Incomplete Payment Information" stored in the storage unit 20, based on the type of payment failure (e.g., timeout, center failure, etc.) and customer behavior information (e.g., no purchase, other payment method), and the results are stored in the POS management server 100 or the like. Therefore, the POS management server 100, etc., can objectively identify the cause of potential sales loss information, which includes "sales loss" information as related information, based on the type of payment failure and customer behavior information.

[0081] Next, the process proceeds to ST24. In ST24, the POS management server 100 analyzes the "sales loss candidate information," which is "sales loss incomplete information" stored in the "target payment incomplete information storage unit 20" of the POS device 10. This analysis includes the occurrence rate of "sales loss" information over a certain period (e.g., 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, etc.) and the impact information for each payment method (e.g., credit card, electronic money, QR code payment, etc.), and displays this information on the POS device.

[0082] Therefore, it is possible to objectively grasp the occurrence rate of "sales loss" information for a certain period of time related to "incomplete payment information," as well as the impact information for each payment method.

[0083] Furthermore, unlike this embodiment, it is also possible to utilize AI (Artificial Intelligence) and use the data from the "Target Payment Incomplete Information Storage Unit 20" to analyze the "Sales Loss Candidate Information," which is "Payment Incomplete Information" stored in the storage unit 20, to predict the occurrence of "Sales Loss," and to display a warning when customer A uses the payment method, or in advance.

[0084] Next, the process proceeds to ST25. In ST25, the POS management server 100 analyzes the trend information regarding lost sales opportunities for each store, based on the "incomplete payment information" stored in the "incomplete payment information storage unit 20" of the POS device 10, which is the "candidate sales loss information," and displays this information on the POS device 10, etc.

[0085] Therefore, it is possible to objectively grasp the trend information regarding lost sales opportunities for each store due to "incomplete payment information."

[0086] Next, the process proceeds to ST26. In ST26, the POS management server 100 compares the frequency of failures and the rate of sales opportunity loss information for each payment method (e.g., credit card, electronic money, QR code payment, etc.) with the "sales loss candidate information," which is "sales loss candidate information" stored in the "target payment incomplete information storage unit 20" of the POS device 10, to identify the payment method most susceptible to the impact and displays it on the POS device 10.

[0087] Therefore, by comparing the frequency of failures and the rate of lost sales opportunities for each payment method, it is possible to objectively identify the payment method that is most susceptible to these issues.

[0088] In the embodiments described above, the example given was that the invention is implemented as a device. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the invention may be stored and distributed as a program that can be executed by a computer on a storage medium such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk (MO), or a semiconductor memory.

[0089] Furthermore, the storage medium only needs to be capable of storing programs and be readable by a computer. The storage format of the storage medium is not particularly limited.

[0090] Furthermore, an operating system (OS) running on a computer, or middleware (MW) such as database management software or network software, may execute some of the processes necessary to realize this embodiment based on instructions from a program installed on the computer from a storage medium.

[0091] Furthermore, the storage medium in this invention is not limited to a medium independent of the computer, but also includes a storage medium that stores or temporarily stores programs that have been downloaded via a LAN, the Internet, or the like.

[0092] Furthermore, the computer in this invention only needs to execute each process in this embodiment based on a program stored in a storage medium, and may be a device consisting of a single personal computer or the like, or a system in which multiple devices are connected via a network.

[0093] Furthermore, the term "computer" in this invention is not limited to personal computers, but also includes arithmetic processing units, microcontrollers, and the like included in information processing equipment, and refers collectively to any equipment or device capable of realizing the functions of this invention through a program.

[0094] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The configurations of the above embodiments can be partially omitted or combined in any way different from those described above. Furthermore, although the operation of the system 1 was mainly explained using the POS device 10 as an example in this embodiment, as mentioned above, the operation may be handled by the POS management server 100, or the operation may be shared between the two. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1...POS Management System 1, 2...Internet Network, 3...Base Station, 10...POS Device, 11...POS-side Control Unit, 12...POS-side Communication Device, 13...Touch Panel, 14...POS Device Main Unit, 15...POS-side Purchase Planned Products Storage Unit, 16...Sales Loss Candidate Information Storage Unit, 17...Sales Loss Judgment Unit, 18...POS-side Various Information Storage Unit, 19...Payment Failure Detection Unit, 20... 100: Storage unit for incomplete payment information, 101: POS management server, 102: Server-side control unit, 103: Server-side communication device, 104: Display, 105: Various information input unit, 107: Server-side storage unit for planned purchases, 200: Electronic money management server, 300: Cashless payment server, 400: Customer terminal, 500: Administrator terminal

Claims

1. It has a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase item information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase item amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase item information, payment completion information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information, and payment incomplete information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information. The incomplete payment information is extracted from the sales information and stored as the target incomplete payment information. A sales information management device characterized in that, when there is a payment completion information with the same content as the purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the target payment incomplete information, the payment completion information with the same content is stored as the payment completion information of the target payment incomplete information, and when there is no such payment information, the sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

2. If the most recent payment information does not exist, it is determined whether the payment completion information for the same content exists within a certain period of time after the incomplete payment information. The sales information management device according to claim 1, characterized in that if the aforementioned payment completion information for the same content exists within a certain period of time after the aforementioned uncompleted payment information for the target, the payment completion information for the same content is stored as payment information for a certain period of time, and if no payment information exists for a certain period of time, the sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

3. The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the purchase target information and the corresponding purchase target amount information are associated with purchaser identification information.

4. The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it identifies a purchaser from identification information relating to the uncompleted payment information, which is stored as related information for the lost sales opportunity information, and provides coupon information to the purchaser's terminal that allows them to purchase a specific product or service at a discounted price, thereby following up with customers who have not completed payment.

5. The system includes a payment failure detection means for detecting the aforementioned uncompleted payment information, The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is configured to determine whether or not there is recent payment information or payment information for a certain period of time with respect to the target incomplete payment information detected by the payment failure detection means.

6. The sales information management device according to claim 5, characterized in that, when the target incomplete payment information detected by the payment failure detection means includes sales opportunity loss information as related information, the sales opportunity loss related information, including the sales opportunity loss information, is transmitted to the administrator terminal of the sales information management device.

7. It has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores the target payment incomplete information which has the aforementioned sales opportunity loss information as related information, The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it analyzes and stores the cause of the uncompleted target payment information stored in the target uncompleted payment information storage unit based on the type of payment failure and customer behavior information.

8. It has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores the target payment incomplete information which has the aforementioned sales opportunity loss information as related information, The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it analyzes and displays, with respect to the target incomplete payment information stored in the target incomplete payment information storage unit, the occurrence rate information of the sales opportunity loss information over a certain period and the impact information for each payment method.

9. It has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores the target payment incomplete information which has the aforementioned sales opportunity loss information as related information, The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it analyzes and displays the occurrence trend information of sales opportunity loss information for each store with respect to the target payment incomplete information storage unit.

10. It has a target payment incomplete information storage unit that stores the target payment incomplete information which has the aforementioned sales opportunity loss information as related information, The sales information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, with respect to the target incomplete payment information stored in the target incomplete payment information storage unit, it compares the frequency of failures of each payment method and the occurrence rate of the sales opportunity loss information, identifies the payment method that is most susceptible, and displays it.

11. A sales information management device for managing sales information, The sales information management device has a sales information management server that is communicatively connected to it, The aforementioned sales information management device is It has a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase item information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase item amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase item information, payment completion information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information, and payment incomplete information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information. The incomplete payment information is extracted from the sales information and stored as the target incomplete payment information. A sales information management system characterized in that, when there is a payment completion information with the same content as the purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the target payment incomplete information, the payment completion information with the same content is stored as the payment completion information of the target payment incomplete information, and when there is no such payment information, the sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

12. It has a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase item information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase item amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase item information, payment completion information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information, and payment incomplete information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information. The incomplete payment information is extracted from the sales information and stored as the target incomplete payment information. A control method for a sales information management device, characterized in that when there is a payment completion information with the same content as the payment completion information of the uncompleted target payment information, which has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information as the payment completion information of the uncompleted target payment information, the payment completion information with the same content is stored as the most recent payment information of the uncompleted target payment information, and when there is no such most recent payment information, the sales opportunity loss information is stored as related information.

13. A sales information management device having a sales information storage unit that stores sales information including purchase item information purchased by a customer, corresponding purchase item amount information which is amount information corresponding to the purchase item information, payment completion information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information, and payment incomplete information related to the purchase item information and the corresponding purchase item amount information, A function to extract the incomplete payment information from the sales information and store it as the target incomplete payment information. A control program for a sales information management device that implements the function of storing the same completed payment information as the most recent completed payment information of the target incomplete payment information when there is a similar completed payment information that has the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information as the same purchase target information and corresponding purchase target amount information of the target incomplete payment information, and storing sales opportunity loss information as related information when there is no such recent payment information.

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