Product sales system

Abstract

We aim to reduce food waste by promoting the sale of expired foods. [Solution] A food product sales system 11 for selling both food 1A displayed in a store and food 1B not displayed in a store and provided by delivery, comprising a food information recording means 14 for recording candidate food information and a candidate food determination means 16 for determining candidate food information whose expiration date has passed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a product sales system, and more particularly to a product sales system capable of reducing the amount of waste of various products. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, consumers have focused on the safety of products, especially food, and when selecting a product, they have become interested in the product itself and what its ingredients are.

[0003] Therefore, product providers provide their products by recording information about the products they offer, such as the ingredients and origin of the product's raw materials, and the date of manufacture, on labels affixed to the product's packaging or by recording it on an IC tag.

[0004] However, simply providing written or recorded information attached to products makes it easy to tamper with or falsify that information, and in fact, falsification and falsification of information has actually been done, resulting in low trust among consumers and making it difficult for them to select products with confidence.

[0005] Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have proposed a technology in which, rather than simply attaching written or recorded information to food, food is provided by attaching a sample of raw material powder made from the food's ingredients (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-5656 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The technology described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above makes it possible to "visualize" food quality, allowing consumers to select foods with peace of mind. However, it is difficult to directly link this to a reduction in "food waste," which has become a problem in recent years. Moreover, the need to reduce waste is not limited to food.

[0008] The present invention has been devised in view of the above points, and has an object to provide a product sales system that can reduce the amount of waste. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a product sales system for selling both a first product displayed in a store and a second product that is not displayed in the store and is provided by delivery, the system comprising: a product information recording means for defining a specified deadline as one of the expiration date, the shipping deadline, or the deadline when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a specified number, and for recording information of candidate products that may become the second product as candidate product information; and a product information updating means for checking the information recorded in the product information recording means, and posting the candidate product information that has passed the specified deadline on a website that is accessible by reading the identification information displayed on the first product with a consumer's terminal.

[0010] The present invention also provides a product sales system for selling both a first product and a second product, comprising: a product information recording means for defining a specified deadline as one of a best-before date, a shipping date, or a date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a specified number of days; and a product information updating means for checking the information recorded in the product information recording means, and posting the candidate product information that has passed the specified deadline on a website that is accessible by reading the identification information displayed on the first product with a consumer's terminal.

[0011] Here, by selling a first product (e.g., a product displayed in a store) and a second product (e.g., a product that is not displayed in a store and is provided by delivery) together, consumers will be able to obtain both the first product and the second product, which is expected to reduce unsold products. In other words, consumers who wish to obtain (purchase) the first product will also obtain the second product in order to obtain the first product, and even if there are concerns that the second product will not sell on its own due to various reasons, it is expected that by selling it together with the first product, it will be more easily accepted by consumers.

[0012] Furthermore, by reading the identification information displayed on the first product into the consumer's terminal, a website containing "information on candidate products" can be accessed, thereby making the consumer aware of the candidate products.

[0013] In addition, the product information update means checks the information recorded in the product information recording means and posts candidate product information that has passed the specified deadline on a website (a website that can be accessed by reading the identification information displayed on the first product on the consumer's terminal), thereby making it possible to inform consumers of information corresponding to the evaluation reference date.

[0014] In other words, when the second product is a "product whose specified deadline (the 'best before date' or 'shipping date' or 'the deadline when the remaining number of days until the expiration date is a specified number of days') has passed," whether or not it falls under the category of the second product depends on the date on which it is determined (the determination reference date). However, by the product information update means posting the candidate product information on the website, as described above, it is possible to inform consumers of information corresponding to the determination reference date.

[0015] In addition, when the determination means, on the condition that the identification information is read by the seller's terminal, checks the information recorded in the product information recording means and determines whether or not the candidate product is included among the simultaneous purchase products that the consumer is attempting to pay for together with the first product, it is possible to determine whether or not the consumer is attempting to obtain (purchase) both the first product and the second product.

[0016] Furthermore, when the notification means notifies the seller that the purchase does not include a candidate product on the condition that the determination means determines that the candidate product is not included, the notification means can inform the seller that both the first product and the second product have not been paid for. Furthermore, by informing the seller, it is expected that this will provide an opportunity for the seller to encourage the consumer to purchase the second product together with the first product at the checkout, which will hopefully lead to reliable set sales (sale of the first product and the second product as a set).

[0017] In addition, when the discount means performs a predetermined discount process on the condition that the determination means determines that the "candidate product is included," it is expected that the consumer's incentive to obtain (purchase) the first product together with the second product will be increased.

[0018] Furthermore, the number of products in stock is recorded in the product information recording means, and the product information updating means checks the information recorded in the product information recording means. When out-of-stock candidate product information is deleted from the website, only products that are available (purchasable) to consumers can be posted on the website.

[0019] By the way, "commodity" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products." Moreover, the term "product" herein may be singular or plural. Furthermore, the "product" referred to here may be not only a "new product" but also a "second-hand product" ("second-hand product" here includes, but is not limited to, an "unused product" or an "unopened product"), a "leftover product", or a "returned product".

[0020] Additionally, the term "commodity" here includes "food," and includes both "food (primary products)" and "food (secondary products)." In other words, it is intended to include not only foods and drinks (fresh foods, animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning materials, health foods, supplements, beverages, processed materials, etc.) intended for the intake of nutrients or for enjoyment, but also medicines and quasi-drugs. For example, herbal medicines are included. It is also intended to include feed, aquaculture feed, dog food, and other products intended for fish and animals.

[0021] In this context, "food (primary products)" refers to unprocessed fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves, such as vegetables such as radishes and cabbage, and raw meats such as chicken and beef. Other examples include fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish.

[0022] Additionally, "food (secondary products)" here refers to products made from unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, or unprocessed plant foods, such as mochi (rice cakes), buns, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steaks, hamburgers, ramen, bento boxes, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen foods, canned foods, bottled tea and juice, coffee, and soft drinks.

[0023] Furthermore, "secondary products" here include not only secondary products processed using primary products as raw materials, but also secondary products processed using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled eggs) made by purchasing seasoned eggs as raw materials and baking them. Furthermore, "secondary products" here include secondary products purchased using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes bento boxes filled with purchased tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled eggs).

[0024] In addition, with regard to "sold together" here, the "first product" may be singular or plural, and the "second product" may also be singular or plural. In other words, "sold together" may mean any of the following combinations: (1) a combination of a "single first product" and a "single second product," (2) a combination of a "single first product" and a "multiple second products," (3) a combination of "multiple first products" and a "single second product," or (4) a combination of "multiple first products" and "multiple second products."

[0025] In addition, the combination of the "first product" and the "second product" here may be any of the following: (1) the same product, (2) products of the same type or category, or (3) different products.

[0026] Furthermore, "same kind of product" means that the products have a relationship where they can be "identified as products." For example, cream buns and jam buns have in common that they are both sweet buns, but since they are different types of sweet buns, they are not the same kind of product. In addition, cream buns are not the same kind of product if the cream is different in color. In other words, products with different exterior colors are not the same kind of product. Similarly, red wine and white wine cannot be said to be the same kind of product, since they do not have a relationship where they can be "identified as products," even if they are made using the same farming method and come from the same farm.

[0027] Also, the "best before date" here means "the date by which the product can be eaten deliciously without any change in quality," and does not mean that the product becomes inedible immediately after the best before date.

[0028] Also, the "best before date" here means "the date by which it can be safely eaten," meaning that the food is no longer edible after the best before date.

[0029] Furthermore, the "shipping deadline" here means the deadline by which a wholesaler or manufacturer can deliver to a retailer, and if the shipping deadline passes, commercial practice means that the product will be returned by the retailer to the wholesaler or manufacturer. In addition, the "shipping date" is often "1 / 3 of the food's best-before date" in commercial practice (for example, if the food has a best-before date six months from the date of manufacture, the shipping date is two months from the date of manufacture), but the "shipping date" here can also be "1 / 4 of the food's best-before date." It can also be "2 months before the food's best-before date" or "1 year before the food's expiration date." Effect of the Invention

[0030] The product sales system of the present invention can reduce the amount of various products that are discarded. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining food product A. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining information posted on a website. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a configuration example of a food product sales system. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a food information recording means. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter, referred to as an "embodiment") will be described. Here, in this embodiment, the explanation will be given based on April 21, 2023, in other words, if the expiration date is before April 20, 2023, the expiration date has passed, and if the expiration date is after April 21, 2023, the expiration date has not arrived. The explanation will be given in the following order. 1. Embodiment 2. Variations

[0033] <1. Preferred embodiment> [Food product description] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a food product A sold in a product sales system to which the present invention is applied, and the food product A shown here is composed of a food product 1A. Specifically, food product A is food 1A wrapped in vinyl 2 with sticker 3 affixed to vinyl 2.

[0034] Here, food 1A is a food that is displayed and sold in a store, but is not traded (sold) as a single food, but is sold together with food 1B. In other words, a consumer who wishes to obtain (purchase) food 1A must also obtain (purchase) food 1B.

[0035] Furthermore, food 1B is a food that is sold together with food 1A, but is not displayed in the store (for example, is stored in a warehouse away from the store) and is provided by delivery. In other words, a consumer who obtains (purchases) food product A can obtain food product 1A at the store (it is handed to them at the store), but will receive food product 1B by mail or courier. It should be noted that food 1B in this embodiment is "food that has passed its expiration date."

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the sticker 3 also displays identification information 4 (for example, a two-dimensional barcode) that allows access to information about the food 1B. Here, a URL is recorded in the identification information 4 (e.g., a two-dimensional barcode), and by reading the identification information 4 with a consumer terminal such as a smartphone, it is possible to access a website containing "Information on Food 1B" via the Internet.

[0037] Specifically, when the identification information 4 displayed on the sticker 3 is read by a consumer terminal, a website showing information about the food product 1B as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the consumer terminal.

[0038] Strictly speaking, "information on food 1B" listed on the website means information on candidate foods that consumers can select and purchase together with "food 1A" as "food 1B." In other words, it means foods that can become "food 1B" if selected by consumers (candidate foods for food 1B).

[0039] Here, the website accessed via identification information 4 lists "information on food bbb" and "information on food fff" as "information on food 1B."

[0040] And, under "Information on Food bbb," information on the expiration date of Food bbb (specifically, "Expiration date: April 20, 2023"), information on the expiration date of Food bbb (specifically, "Expiration date: August 20, 2023"), the price of Food bbb (specifically, "Price: 300 yen"), and the list price of Food bbb (specifically, "List price: 1,500 yen") are listed.

[0041] In addition, under "Food fff information" there is listed the expiration date information for Food fff (specifically, "Expiration date: April 19, 2023"), the expiration date information for Food fff (specifically, "Expiration date: August 19, 2023"), the price of Food fff (specifically, "Price: 80 yen"), and the list price of Food fff (specifically, "List price: 800 yen").

[0042] [System configuration] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a food product sales system, which is an example of a product sales system to which the present invention is applied, and is an example of the configuration of a system for providing (selling) the food product A shown in FIG. 1.

[0043] The food product sales system 11 shown in Figure 3 is configured to be able to exchange various information via the Internet 12 with a consumer terminal 13 used by a person wishing to purchase a food product (consumer) and a seller terminal 18 used by a seller of the food product.

[0044] In addition, the food product sales system 11 has a food information recording means 14, an inventory information confirmation means 15, a candidate food determination means 16, an information output means 17, a simultaneously purchased food information recording means 19, a food information determination means 20, a discount means 21, and an alert means 22.

[0045] Here, the food information recording means 14 is an example of a "product information recording means", and is configured to be able to record "information on food aaa", "information on food bbb", "information on food ccc", "information on food ddd", "information on food eee", and "information on food fff" as information on foods that could become "food 1B" (foods that are candidates for food 1B).

[0046] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the best-before date, expiry date, list price, and stock quantity are recorded for food aaa under "control number 1." Specifically, the information recorded is "AAA" for the name, "May 31, 2023" for the expiration date, "September 30, 2023" for the expiry date, "1,500 yen" for the price, and "100" for the stock quantity. Note that the stock quantity increases or decreases depending on the sale or purchase of food AAA.

[0047] In addition, the best before date, expiration date, list price, and stock quantity for food bbb are recorded as "control number 2." Specifically, the name is "bbb," the expiration date is "April 20, 2023," the expiration date is "August 20, 2023," the list price is "1,500 yen," and the stock quantity is "20." The stock quantity increases or decreases depending on the sale or purchase of food bbb.

[0048] In addition, for food ccc, the best before date, expiration date, list price, and stock quantity are recorded under "Management Number 3." Specifically, the name is "ccc," the expiration date is "May 31, 2023," the expiration date is "September 30, 2023," the price is "1,000 yen," and the stock quantity is "20." The stock quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales and purchases of food ccc.

[0049] In addition, for food ddd, its best before date, expiration date, list price, and stock quantity are recorded under "control number 4." Specifically, the name is "ddd", the expiration date is "April 20, 2023", the expiration date is "August 20, 2023", the price is "500 yen", and the stock quantity is "0". The stock quantity increases or decreases depending on the sale or purchase of food ddd.

[0050] In addition, the best-before date, expiry date, list price, and stock quantity are recorded for food eee under "control number 5." Specifically, the name is "eee," the expiration date is "May 31, 2023," the expiration date is "September 30, 2023," the price is "500 yen," and the stock quantity is "0." The stock quantity increases or decreases depending on the sale or purchase of the food eee.

[0051] In addition, the best before date, expiration date, list price, and stock quantity for food fff are recorded under "control number 6." Specifically, the name is "fff", the expiration date is "April 19, 2023", the expiration date is "August 19, 2023", the price is "800 yen", and the stock quantity is "50". The stock quantity increases or decreases depending on the sale or purchase of food fff.

[0052] In addition, the inventory information confirmation means 15 is configured to be able to confirm the inventory quantity recorded in the food information recording means 14 when a consumer requests information on food 1B (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read by the consumer terminal 13). Specifically, the identification information 4 is read by the consumer terminal 13, and when information is received from the consumer terminal 13 indicating a desire to output information on food 1B, the information on the stock quantities of foods aaa to fff is accessed to confirm the stock quantities.

[0053] In addition to "information on the number of items in stock of foods aaa through fff," the inventory information confirmation means 15 checks "information on the expiration dates of foods aaa through fff." If the expiration date has passed, it is determined that the food item is out of stock.

[0054] In this embodiment, confirmation by the inventory information confirmation means 15 reveals that "food aaa," "food bbb," "food ccc," and "food fff" are in stock. Furthermore, confirmation by inventory information confirmation means 15 reveals that none of the foods aaa to fff have passed their expiration date.

[0055] In addition, the candidate food determination means 16 is an example of a "product information update means", and when there is stock of food that has passed its expiration date, it determines the "food that has passed its expiration date" as a food (candidate food) that could become food 1B.

[0056] In this embodiment, the candidate food determination means 16 checks the "best before information" for foods in stock (food aaa, food bbb, food ccc, and food fff), and determines "food bbb" and "food fff", which are foods that have passed their best before dates, as candidate foods.

[0057] Furthermore, the candidate food item determination means 16 calculates the price (sale price) of the candidate food item according to the "number of days since the expiration date information" and the "list price information." For example, if the expiration date has passed one day, the discount is 80% of the list price, if the expiration date has passed two days, the discount is 90% of the list price, if the expiration date has passed three days, the discount is 95% of the list price, and if the expiration date has passed four or more days, the discount is 99% of the list price.

[0058] And food bbb is one day past its expiration date and has a list price of 1,500 yen, so the sales price is calculated as "300 yen (80% off the list price)."Food fff is two days past its expiration date and has a list price of 800 yen, so the sales price is calculated as "80 yen (90% off the list price)."

[0059] Furthermore, the information output means 17 is configured to be able to output information to the consumer terminal 13 based on the determination result of the candidate food determining means 16. Specifically, the information output means 17 in this embodiment outputs information as shown in FIG.

[0060] In this embodiment, the explanation is based on April 21, 2023. That is, the explanation is given by taking as an example a case where the expiration dates of "Food aaa", "Food ccc", and "Food eee" have not yet arrived, and the expiration dates of "Food bbb", "Food ddd", and "Food fff" have passed. However, whether or not the expiration date has arrived (whether or not the expiration date has passed) depends on the judgment reference date, so whether or not the expiration date has passed will be determined for each food product, taking into account the judgment reference date.

[0061] Specifically, if a food with a best-before date of May 31, 2023 is called Food A, and a food with a best-before date of January 20, 2023 is called Food B, then (1) before January 20, 2023, both Food A and Food B will be considered "foods whose best-before date has not yet arrived", (2) from January 21, 2023 to May 31, 2023, Food A will be considered "foods whose best-before date has not yet arrived" and Food B will be considered "foods whose best-before date has passed", and (3) after June 1, 2023, both Food A and Food B will be considered "foods whose best-before date has passed".

[0062] More specifically, the inventory information confirmation means 15 uses the date on which the consumer requested the information as the reference date (in other words, the date on which the inventory information confirmation means 15 confirms the inventory quantity as the reference date) to determine whether each food item recorded in the food information recording means 14 falls into the category of "food whose expiration date has not yet arrived" or "food whose expiration date has passed."

[0063] Therefore, even if the information recorded in the food information recording means does not change (specifically, if the expiration date information for foods aaa to fff does not change), the information output by information output means 17 will change depending on the judgment reference date, such as (1), (2), or (3).

[0064] In addition, the simultaneously purchased food information recording means 19 is configured to be able to record information about the food (hereinafter referred to as "simultaneously purchased food") that is to be paid for (accounted for) together with food product A when the identification information 4 shown in Figure 1 is read by the seller terminal 18. That is, for settlement (accounting), the identification information 4 (two-dimensional barcode, etc.) of the food (information on simultaneously purchased food) is read by the cash register (seller terminal 18) and transmitted from the seller terminal 18, and the transmitted "information on simultaneously purchased food" is recorded in simultaneously purchased food information recording means 19.

[0065] In addition, when the "information on simultaneously purchased foods" is recorded in the simultaneously purchased food information recording means 19, the food information determination means 20 determines whether or not the "information on simultaneously purchased foods" includes "information on candidate foods for food 1B." That is, when paying for food product A, the identification information displayed on sticker 3 is read by the cash register (seller terminal 18) to determine whether food 1B is included among the foods (foods purchased at the same time) being paid for (checked out) along with food product A.

[0066] Specifically, the "information on foods that have passed their expiration date" recorded in the food information recording means 14 is compared with the "information on foods purchased at the same time" recorded in the simultaneously purchased food information recording means 19 to make a judgment (in this embodiment, it is determined whether the "foods purchased at the same time" include "food bbb" or "food fff").

[0067] (1. When "Food 1B" is included in the food purchased at the same time) If "food bbb" is included among the foods purchased at the same time, the cash register (seller terminal 18) will process a discount of 1,200 yen (specifically, a discount of 1,200 yen will be processed to bring the price of food bbb, which has a list price of 1,500 yen, down to 300 yen).

[0068] Similarly, if the food items purchased at the same time include "food fff," the cash register (seller terminal 18) will process a discount of 720 yen (specifically, a discount of 720 yen will be processed to bring the price of food fff, which has a list price of 800 yen, down to 80 yen).

[0069] Similarly, if the simultaneously purchased foods include both "food bbb" and "food fff," the cash register (seller terminal 18) will perform a discount process of 1,920 yen (specifically, a discount process of 1,920 yen will be performed to reduce the price of food bbb, which has a list price of 1,500 yen, to 300 yen, and food fff, which has a list price of 800 yen, to 80 yen.

[0070] That is, when the food information determination means 20 determines that the "foods purchased at the same time" include "food bbb" or "food fff", the discount means 21 calculates the discount amount and outputs the discount information to the seller terminal 18. For example, if the expiration date has passed one day, the discount is 80% of the list price, if the expiration date has passed two days, the discount is 90% of the list price, if the expiration date has passed three days, the discount is 95% of the list price, and if the expiration date has passed four or more days, the discount is 99% of the list price.

[0071] Since food bbb has passed its expiration date by one day and has a list price of 1,500 yen, if "food bbb" is included in the "foods purchased at the same time", the discount amount is calculated as "1,200 yen (80% of the list price)" and output to the seller terminal 18.

[0072] In addition, since food fff is two days past its expiration date and has a list price of 800 yen, if "Food fff" is included in "Foods purchased at the same time," the discount amount is calculated as "720 yen (90% of the list price)" and output to seller terminal 18.

[0073] (2. When "Food 1B" is not included in the food purchased at the same time) If neither "food bbb" nor "food fff" is included in the simultaneously purchased foods, a message to that effect will be displayed on the cash register (seller terminal 18) (an alert will be displayed).

[0074] That is, when the food item determination means 20 determines that "food item bbb" or "food item fff" is not included in "food items purchased at the same time", the alert means 22 outputs a message to that effect to the seller terminal 18.

[0075] [effect] In the food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied as described above, food 1A is sold only together with food 1B, so when food 1A is sold, not only food 1A but also food 1B is inevitably sold. In this way, food 1B can be sold to consumers along with food 1A, and food waste can be reduced by preventing the waste of food 1B.

[0076] Furthermore, in a food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied, when a consumer requests information on food 1B, information on candidate foods is output, thereby promoting the sales of food 1B and reducing food waste by preventing the disposal of food 1B.

[0077] Furthermore, in a food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied, when there is stock of food bbb or food fff whose expiration date has passed, food bbb or food fff is determined to be a candidate food (in other words, by giving priority to food aaa or food ccc whose expiration date has not yet arrived as a candidate food), thereby promoting the sales of food bbb and food fff and reducing food waste by preventing the disposal of food bbb and food fff.

[0078] Furthermore, in the food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied, the price of food 1B is set low (specifically, the list price of 1,500 yen is set to 300 yen, and the list price of 800 yen is set to 80 yen), thereby stimulating consumer purchasing desire for food 1B.

[0079] Incidentally, even if food 1B is sold separately at a low price (for example, food 1B is sold for 300 yen or 80 yen, independently of food 1A), a certain amount of sales can be expected. However, for those (consumers) who wish to purchase food 1A, the food they want to obtain (purchase) is food 1A, so even if food 1B is sold separately, it is not guaranteed that consumers will be more willing to purchase food 1B. Also, for food providers (sellers of food 1A and food 1B), selling food 1B separately will not contribute to increased sales, and it may become difficult to continue selling it. Therefore, in this embodiment, by selling both food 1A and food 1B, it is possible to meet the consumer needs of wanting to obtain (purchase) food 1A, while also increasing sales for the food provider, and further reducing food waste by providing food 1B to consumers.

[0080] Furthermore, in the food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied, information on the price of food 1B can be output, and consumers can be informed that the price of food 1B is set at a low price, thereby stimulating consumers' desire to purchase. That is, the website accessed via sticker 3 lists both the price of food 1B (300 yen or 80 yen) and the list price (1,500 yen or 800 yen), letting consumers know that the price of food 1B is inexpensive (1 / 5 or 1 / 10 of the list price). Informing consumers that the price of food 1B is set inexpensively can stimulate their desire to purchase, and further reductions in food waste can be expected.

[0081] Furthermore, in the food product sales system 11 to which the present invention is applied, the food information determination means 20 makes a determination simply by reading the identification information 4 at the seller terminal 18, and if the "foods purchased at the same time" include "food bbb" or "food fff," the discount means 21 calculates the discount amount, so that the seller only needs to read the identification information 4, allowing for smooth accounting (settlement).

[0082] In other words, discount processing can be performed simply by reading the identification information 4 at the cash register (seller terminal 18), and when a combination of "Food 1A" and "Food 1B" is made, the seller can avoid having to check whether the combination of "Food 1A" and "Food 1B" is made when selling the product by offering a discount. Furthermore, since no manual confirmation work (confirmation work by the seller) is required, human error will not occur, and it is expected that smooth accounting (settlement) will be realized.

[0083] In addition, by displaying an alert if food item 1B is not included in the simultaneously purchased foods, it is possible to inform the seller that the combination of "Food item 1A" and "Food item 1B" is not valid. In addition, this will provide an opportunity for sellers to communicate to consumers that "Food Product A is a food product that is sold together with Food Product 1B," which is expected to lead to reliable set sales.

[0084] <2. Modifications> [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, an example has been given in which food 1B costs money (300 yen or 80 yen), but it is sufficient if a reduction in food waste can be achieved by selling food 1B together with food 1A, and food 1B does not necessarily have to cost money and may be provided free of charge (0 yen).

[0085] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, the case where "foods past their expiration date" are given priority as candidate foods is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, "foods past their shipping date" or "foods with less than a predetermined number of days remaining until their expiration date" may be given priority as candidate foods.

[0086] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, the case where the handled goods are "food" has been described as an example, however, the handled goods do not necessarily have to be "food" and may be "non-food" goods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1A Food 2. Vinyl 3. Seal 4 Identification information (2D barcode) 11 Food product sales system 12. Internet 13 Consumer Devices 14 Food information recording means 15. Means of recording inventory information 16. Methods for determining candidate foods 17 Information output means 18 Merchant Terminal 19 Recording method for simultaneously purchased food information 20 Food information determination means 21 Discount methods 22 Alert methods

Claims

1. A product sales system for selling a first product displayed in a store and a second product that is not displayed in the store and is provided by delivery, comprising: The specified deadline is defined as the expiration date, the shipping date, or the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a specified number, a product information recording means for recording information on a candidate product which is a product that can become the second product as candidate product information; and a product information update means for checking the information recorded in the product information recording means and posting the candidate product information for which the predetermined period has expired on a website that can be accessed by reading the identification information displayed on the first product with a consumer's terminal. Product sales system.

2. a determination means for checking the information recorded in the product information recording means, on the condition that the identification information is read by a seller's terminal, and determining whether the candidate product is included in the simultaneous purchase products which the consumer is about to purchase together with the first product; and a notification means for notifying the user that the candidate product is not included on the condition that the determination means determines that the candidate product is not included. The product sales system according to claim 1.

3. a determination means for checking the information recorded in the product information recording means, on the condition that the identification information is read by a seller's terminal, and determining whether the candidate product is included in the simultaneous purchase products which the consumer is about to purchase together with the first product; a discounting means for performing a predetermined discount process on the condition that the determining means determines that the candidate product is included. The product sales system according to claim 1.

4. When it is determined that the candidate product is not included, the determination means displays an alert to inform the seller that the combination of the first product and the second product is not established. The product sales system according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The product information recording means records information on the number of products in stock, The product information update means checks the information recorded in the product information recording means, and deletes the candidate product information that is out of stock from the website.

4. A product sales system according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

6. A product sales system for selling both a first product and a second product, The specified deadline is defined as the expiration date, the shipping date, or the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a specified number, a product information recording means for recording information on a candidate product which is a product that can be the second product as candidate product information; and a product information update means for checking the information recorded in the product information recording means and posting the candidate product information for which the predetermined period has expired on a website that can be accessed by reading the identification information displayed on the first product with a consumer's terminal. Product sales system.

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