Lucky Day Card

Abstract

While various methods for customers to use their cards have been proposed, none have been developed that are user-friendly or that help diversify customer base. This project aims to provide a discount system using cards that is user-friendly and helps diversify customer base. [Solution] A system for informing customers of discount service days using a card that has a means for writing the last digit of the customer's birthday, characterized in that the lucky day card, which allows customers who visit on a specific discount day to receive a discount service, has a color display section that displays 10 colors—brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, white, and black—corresponding to the colors of 10 numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lucky day card that provides a stable customer attraction effect.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, how to increase product sales is an important matter for enterprises. Various solutions have been proposed today to address this issue. For example, as a solution to increase product sales, running commercials related to products on television can be cited. In general, commercials aired during the broadcast of high-viewership dramas, movies, variety shows and the like are likely to attract the attention of many viewers, so they are optimal as advertising media for products, and an increase in product sales is expected.

[0003] Furthermore, systems are known for stores that provide products and services to issue electronic coupons for sales promotion. Systems for issuing electronic coupons by such stores are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-272463 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-065109 (Patent Document 2). Electronic coupons issued by stores are distributed free of charge to users' information communication devices for sales promotion purposes. Since the sales promotion effect of coupons is realized when users actually use the coupons, such systems are required to improve the coupon usage rate. The above Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 propose improvements for increasing the coupon usage rate.

[0004] This invention relates to the sale and service of goods, and can be applied not only to commercials for the above-mentioned products, but also to all goods and services that are purchased on a daily basis. In conventional sales, it was taken for granted that products, goods, or services purchased by customers on the same day would be sold at the same price. Of course, price negotiations were freely conducted in negotiations with individual customers, and if an agreement was reached between the seller and the customer, a discounted price would be determined. However, there was a division between customers who liked price negotiations and those who did not. Customers who liked price negotiations could get their prices reduced to their desired price depending on the negotiation, while customers who did not like price negotiations ended up buying at the price offered by the seller, which was an unfair reality.

[0005] This invention aims to improve this unfair situation by inventing a membership card system that eliminates the advantage or disadvantage between customers who negotiate discounts and those who do not. Furthermore, it is characterized by enabling stores to continue providing stable customer service. This invention does not issue coupons as a form of customer service. This is because the sales promotion effect of coupons is realized when users actually use the coupons, and such a system requires increasing the coupon utilization rate. However, most coupons generally offer a discount of about 1 yen for a 100 yen purchase. Therefore, the actual discount effect of coupons currently in general circulation is about 1 percent of the product price. Even if some stores increase coupons by double or quintuple on specific days, it is still only 2 to 5 percent. This necessitates taking out coupon cards for each store from one's wallet or card holder. In many cases, this coupon point system requires payment of a system usage fee to the company providing the point-based payment system at the time of settlement. This amount is said to be 1 to 2 percent. However, this cost is not borne by the cardholder; the store bears the cost. Therefore, consumers tend to think that this system is good because they are not financially affected by it. However, this points system also has a major flaw. This is because each store wants to make customers their own by awarding points. If other stores also do this, and the types of cards differ from store to store, the number of cards will increase, making cardholders or wallets bulky. As a result, consumers will be troubled by the proliferation of numerous points companies.

[0006] This invention was created to address the shortcomings of current point-based sales systems, which tend to cause such inconveniences. It is desirable to have a system that provides a discount of at least 10 percent at the time of payment, rather than having customers choose a store based on a small difference in points. Even if a 10 percent discount is difficult to apply, there are industries where a discount of a few percent can be expected to have a very effective customer attraction effect. These include the automobile and jewelry sales industries, which deal with high-priced goods. For such customers, one could tell them that they will receive a 10% discount for today only, or tell them a specific date within the last 10 days. That is, one could ask for the customer's birthday during the sales negotiation and tell them that the discount will be valid on the last day of their birthday. Doing so would dramatically increase the probability of customers visiting the store and also increase the closing rate. The following is a list of prior art documents. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-272463 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-065109 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-272463 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-065109 aim to increase the usage rate of coupons and provide a distribution system that can deliver coupons for commercial facilities in categories suitable for users, and do not provide a card that is easy for customers to use and helps to diversify the customer base.

[0009] This invention aims to diversify customer base, enabling store operators to achieve stable sales growth regardless of the day of the week. For customers, it provides an equal opportunity to receive discount services and offers a membership card that helps diversify customer base. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The inventors, after deeply considering the problems of conventional customer service, have invented the following card. The first solution is a lucky day card characterized by having a color display section that displays 10 colors—brown, red, orange, blue, green, blue, purple, gray, white, and black—corresponding to the colors of 10 numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0. The second solution is the lucky day card according to claim 1, characterized in that, in addition to the first solution, the display section is used for punching holes. Furthermore, the third solution is the lucky day card according to claim 2, wherein the punch holes serve as lucky identification sections. Furthermore, the fourth solution is a lucky day card characterized by having a color display section on a specific part of the card that displays 10 colors—brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, white, and black—corresponding to the colors of 10 numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The card size of the above-mentioned Lucky Day Card will be almost the same as those currently in circulation. The effect of the invention based on the first solution is as follows: By providing a color display area with 10 colors corresponding to each digit in the identification part of the card, customers can easily remember the digit and color corresponding to the last digit of their birthday that they chose for their discount day. The effect of the invention based on the second solution is that by punching holes in the color display area corresponding to the digit in the last digit of the customer's birthday, customers can remember their discount day and look forward to it. Furthermore, the effect of the invention based on the third solution is that the punch holes in the card become the lucky day identification display area, preventing misuse by both the cardholder and the store. Furthermore, the effect of the invention based on the fourth solution is that by displaying the color of the last digit in the mark of the Lucky Day Card, the color display area becomes larger and easier to see. This can provide a topic of conversation among Lucky Day Card owners, such as comparing the colors of the marks on their Lucky Day Cards, thus contributing to the promotion of Lucky Day Card membership.

[0012] Store operators can use brown banners to draw the attention of customers with lucky day cards, for example, by displaying brown banners in prominent locations in the store on the 1st, 11th, 21st, and 31st of the month, which are designated as brown days if the last digit of the birthday is 1. The 2nd, 12th, and 22nd are red banner days, the 3rd, 13th, and 23rd are orange banner days, and so on, with yellow banners for days ending in 4, green for days ending in 5, blue for days ending in 6, purple for days ending in 7, gray for days ending in 8, white for days ending in 9, and black for days ending in 0. This will create a noticeable advertising effect for the lucky day cards.

[0013] The banner used in this invention may be a small display board type that is placed next to the cash register. The display board may display the color of the day, or it may use a method of displaying information such as a QR code (trademark).

[0014] You can find out the color corresponding to the last digit of your birthday the moment you receive this lucky day card. The lucky day cards change daily depending on the store's color, and it's difficult to guess your lucky day unless you're informed of the winning mechanism beforehand.

[0015] However, the Lucky Day Card and discount system of this invention ensures that customers choose days when they can effectively utilize the system more often than other days, because they are informed of the lucky days in advance. The more members there are in this discount system, the more it contributes to leveling out the number of customers visiting the store. This is because, as customers become more aware of actions that are advantageous to their purchases, just as water remains level due to the Earth's gravity, the higher the proportion of members using the Lucky Day Card for discounts, the higher the sales amount and the more it contributes to leveling out the number of customers visiting the store. In this way, using the Lucky Day Card can prevent wasteful spending such as impulsive purchases driven by mood, and help develop good habits of spending money wisely. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] An example diagram showing a punched hole in one location on the 10-color display section of the lucky day card of the present invention. [Figure 2] An example diagram showing member information printed on the back of the lucky day card of the present invention. [Figure 3] An example diagram showing the specific section of the lucky day card of the present invention, with the last digit of the member's birthday displayed in a different color. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating an example of a graph showing daily customer fluctuations with and without the use of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 indicates the surface of the lucky day card of the present invention, and is an example of a card with punched holes. The birthday digit display section 11 is represented by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0. The 10-color display frame 12 is colored as follows: brown below 1, red below 2, orange below 3, yellow below 4, green below 5, blue below 6, purple below 7, gray below 8, white below 9, and black below 0. This is based on the relationship between the numbers and color arrangement of the color codes used for resistors. The punched hole 13 is an example where the last digit of the birthday number is 9. The lucky day card mark 14 is intended to enhance the sense of membership among the lucky day card holders and to elicit questions from others when shown. This symbol mark 14 represents the number 0 and infinity. This design encloses the infinite universe within a zero. This expresses both physical and philosophical meanings. The physical meaning of the symbol is that this seemingly infinite universe actually originated from a zero, which can be considered infinitesimally small. Enclosing the infinite universe within an infinitesimal space is a reference to the Big Bang theory, allowing for a discussion of the cosmology of the universe's beginning. The philosophical expression concerns the life of an individual, representing their immense growth from a near-zero size to a finite size. Regarding time, humans are born from a single point in the infinitely elapsed cosmic time, and through an almost infinite number of male-female combinations, they are born as individuals, each living their own life. However, each individual possesses the power to annihilate this entire infinite universe. This is proven by the fact that an individual ceases to exist upon death. Furthermore, this symbol is characterized by its design that allows for discussion of life philosophy and the concept of the afterlife.

[0018] In Figure 2, reference numeral 20 indicates the back of the Lucky Day Card 10. The operating name 21 is displayed in horizontal letters. The back of the Lucky Day Card 20 has an operating purpose display field 22, and the QR code 23 is linked to the operating company's website. This is an example of how member information is written on the back of the Lucky Day Card of the present invention. Figure 30 is an example of how a specific part of the Lucky Day Card of the present invention is displayed with the last digit of the member's birthday in a different color. The mark 14 in Figure 1 on the front of the Lucky Day Card corresponds to one of 10 different last digits of the birthday for each card. Each Lucky Day Card is represented by a different mark color from 10 different colors. The 10 colors are 1 brown, 2 red, 3 orange, 4 yellow, 5 green, 6 blue, 7 purple, 8 gray, 9 white, and 0 black.

[0019] Reference numeral 30 in Figure 3 is the front surface of a lucky day card. Reference numeral 31 is the front surface of the lucky day card on which the mark 14 is displayed in multiple colors using 10 colors corresponding to the last digit of the birthday. The mark 31 has the same shape as that in Figure 1, but it may be in various shapes such as square, triangle, circle, and star, and the shape is not limited. However, the symbol mark 31 in Figure 3 has the same color as the color corresponding to the last digit of the birthday on the lucky day card. That is, the color of the symbol mark 31 on the lucky day card is one of 10 colors. As it is said that the Japanese national flag has a red sun disc dyed on a white background, the Japanese national flag is stipulated to be red without exception. As for this lucky day card, it has 10 colors ranging from brown to black on a white background. By the way, if the colors are expressed for each last digit of the birthday number, it means that for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 1, the color is brown; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 2, the color is red; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 3, the color is orange; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 4, the color is yellow; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 5, the color is green; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 6, the color is blue; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 7, the color is purple; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 8, the color is gray; for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 9, the color is white; and for a person whose last digit of the birthday is 0, the color is black. Since color schemes are not allowed under the regulations for patent drawings, the fact that the color is changed for each last digit of the birthday is represented by numbers and characters. As a result, although the manufacturing cost of the lucky day card is 10 times higher than that of a card having a 10-color display portion on a single card, the issuing cost becomes substantially the same as the number of issued cards increases. On the store side, there is no need to punch a hole each time when issuing a lucky day card. In addition, since the display color is highly visible, the color of the symbol mark on the lucky day card can be instantly identified, which is convenient.

[0020] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a day-of-week customer fluctuation graph when using the lucky day card 10 of the present invention. When the lucky day card 10 is not used at all, it is a line represented by a horizontal fluctuation curve, and the vertical movement of the line changes drastically. If all members use this lucky day card, this day-of-week customer fluctuation graph becomes horizontal. The graph in Figure 4 is a day-of-week customer fluctuation graph assuming that 50% of the people who visited the store are members of the lucky day card of the present invention and 50% are non-members. The graph of Series 1 in the figure is an assumed average weekly sales assumption graph when the card of the present invention is not used at all. The graph of Series 2 in the figure is an assumption graph when 50 percent of the members use the lucky day card of the present invention. Figure 4 shows that if the present invention has the effect of alleviating peak days of the week even slightly, it will help to decentralize customers. If it helps even 10 percent in customer decentralization, sales will increase by 10 percent, and if 20 percent decentralization is achieved, sales will increase by 20 percent. Since the labor cost is assumed to be constant, a significant profit-increasing effect is produced from the perspective of profit margin, and the card system is sufficiently profitable even if a small discount is given to customers.

[0021] There are two cases where a peak value of store visitors occurs in conventional sales methods. One is that special sale days are notified via flyers or the like, and customers are informed in advance of only specific dates or only specific days of the week. Such a method generates increased sales days on specific dates or specific days of the week. However, for this purpose, it is necessary to incur advertising and other costs in advance to inform customers. Even if sales increase by 10 percent on a specific day, the specific day requires discount sales of 10 percent or more, so in terms of monthly sales, the increased sales and the discount sales cancel each other out, resulting in the same profit outcome. It would be acceptable if they were the same, but there is an additional cost here called advertising expenses. This cost ultimately reduces the overall profit.

[0022] Knowing this, there's a major reason why traditional sales on specific days can't be stopped: the existence of rival stores. If a rival store sets a sale day, customers will move to the rival store on that day, which is expected to result in a decrease of several percent compared to normal days. As both stores become aware of this, the competition for low prices on specific days intensifies.

[0023] The method of this invention is a way to break away from such conventional price-cutting competition and achieve stable business growth. The effects of this method are not limited to the sale of everyday goods. It can also be applied to the purchase of luxury bags and clothing. Many customers who buy branded goods do not think highly of haggling. Department stores usually sell at full price except on sale days. In such a type of business, the habit of haggling does not arise. However, even department stores sometimes sell at discounted prices. This is when the sales season for a product ends. Customers tend to flock to the store, especially on the first day.

[0024] Another sales method involves selling lucky bags, which begin with the year-end sales. These also attract a large number of customers. However, while this method sees a peak in sales, the unit price of each item decreases. It is an effective method for selling off unsold seasonal goods, but it is a low-profit margin sales method.

[0025] This lucky day card can also be applied to the sale of large items such as cars. On specific days, customers can receive discounts on their purchases without having to ask, so they are more likely to choose those days to make a purchase. A lucky day for a customer is when the last digit of their birthday on the lucky day card matches the date on the lucky day card, making it the best day to make a purchase and increasing the probability of a purchase decision. Therefore, it is expected that sales using the lucky day card of this invention will have a very significant impact on the industry.

[0026] The following simulates the effect of the Lucky Day Card of this invention. For example, members who spend 1000 yen or more are scheduled to receive a 10 percent discount. Even if we assume that 10 percent of winning members receive a 10 percent discount in the initial stages of operation, mathematically, 10 percent x 10 percent equals a 1 percent loss. This 1 percent can be absorbed as a cost if considered as advertising expenses for the store. If 50 percent of customers use this card, 50 percent x 10 percent equals a 5 percent loss, but the fluctuations become very small, and leveling occurs. If 100 percent of customers use this card, it will be perfectly leveled. The above is an ideal scenario, but if the usage rate of this Lucky Day Card reaches 30 percent, it can be said that leveling has been a great success. In reality, customers' purchases of goods vary; some purchase items are purchased daily, like fresh food, while others, like hairdressing and beauty services, only require service once a month or every few months. If you choose a day that you know is a lucky day when you visit a store, that day will become a lucky day, and you'll receive a 10 percent discount. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0027] 10 Lucky Day Card Front 11 Lucky Day Card Front: Number display area from 1 to 0 12 Lucky Day Card Front with 10 Color Display Sections 13. The state with one punch hole in the white color, one of the 10 colors on the surface of the lucky day card. 14 Lucky Day Card Symbols 20 Lucky Day Card (Back) 21. Operating Policy for Lucky Day Cards 23. QR code (trademark) for operational information of the Lucky Day Card. 24 Lucky Day Card Punch Hole Spaces 25 Lucky Day Card Operator Information 26 Lucky Day Card Symbols 27. Lucky Day Card: Six-digit birthdate number and gender display section 28. Name display section of the lucky day card 30 Lucky Day Cards 31 Lucky Day Card: Mark 14 is colored using the 10 colors corresponding to the last digit of your birthday. 40-day-of-the-week customer fluctuation graph 41 When Lucky Day card is not included 42 When using the Lucky Day card 43 Day of the week display 44 Number of visitors display JPEG2026167152000002.jpg10576 JPEG2026167152000003.jpg11576 JPEG2026167152000004.jpg11576 JPEG2026167152000005.jpg11576

Claims

1. A lucky day card characterized by having a color display section that shows 10 colors—brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, white, and black—corresponding to the colors of the 10 numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.

2. The lucky day card according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned color display area is used as a place for punching holes.

3. The lucky day card according to claim 2, wherein the punch holes in the color display section serve as the lucky day identification section.

4. A lucky day card characterized by having a color display section on a specific part of the card that displays 10 colors—brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, gray, white, and black—corresponding to the colors of 10 numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.

Images