How to advertise

Abstract

The objective is to realize an advertisement providing method capable of improving the effectiveness of advertisements. [Solution] In system 1, a server terminal displays a two-dimensional code on an advertisement providing terminal together with advertisement content. A user terminal obtains link information for accessing information on benefits of an advertised product or service advertised by the advertisement content by capturing an image of the two-dimensional code with a camera, and transmits an access request for the information on the benefits to the server terminal in response to a selection operation on the link information displayed on the user terminal. In response to receiving the access request from the user terminal, the server terminal transmits information on the benefits to the user terminal. A store terminal providing the advertised product reads the two-dimensional code included in the information on the benefits displayed on the user terminal, transmits a confirmation screen for discount processing of the advertised product to the user terminal, and executes a purchase process for the advertised product by the user, including the discount processing of the advertised product.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an advertisement providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, methods of providing advertisements through advertising media such as digital signage and mass media have been widely used. In addition, methods of enhancing the effectiveness of such advertisements have also been adopted.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-192274 discloses a method for displaying advertisements on digital signage that are associated with characteristics of a user having a communication terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-192274 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, while the technology disclosed in the above-mentioned patent publication is expected to increase the effectiveness of advertising by displaying advertisements relevant to users who are near the digital signage, it remains unclear as to whether the users will actually become interested in or purchase the advertised product.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an advertisement providing method that can further increase the advertising effectiveness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an advertisement provision method provided by an advertisement provision terminal connected to a server terminal via a network, in which the server terminal displays a two-dimensional code together with an advertisement via the advertisement provision terminal, receives a request to read the two-dimensional code from a user terminal, and updates the number of times the two-dimensional code can be read. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the advertisement providing method of the present invention, the advertising effectiveness can be further improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an advertisement providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a functional block diagram showing the server terminal 100 of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a functional block diagram showing the advertisement display terminal 200 of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a functional block diagram showing a user terminal 300 of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of advertisement data stored in a server 100. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of two-dimensional code management data stored in the server 100. [Figure 7] 4 is an example of a flowchart relating to an advertisement providing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a display example of a two-dimensional code according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 13 is an example of a flowchart relating to an advertisement providing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 13 is a display example of a two-dimensional code according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 13 is a display example of a two-dimensional code map displayed on a user terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the components shown in the embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present invention.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) <Configuration> 1 is a block diagram showing an advertisement provision system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 of this embodiment includes a server 100, a plurality of advertisement provision terminals 200A and 200B (digital signage in this example), a plurality of user terminals 300A and 300B, and a plurality of store terminals 400A and 400B, which are connected to the server via a network.

[0012] The server terminal 100, the advertisement provision terminals 200A and 200B, and the user terminals 300A and 300B are connected to each other via a network NW. The network NW is configured by the Internet, an intranet, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0013] The server terminal 100 manages two-dimensional code management data related to a two-dimensional code (in this example, a QR code (registered trademark)) that enables access to advertisement data related to advertisements provided by advertisers and to bonus information related to advertised products / services provided in association with the advertisement data. The server terminal 100 also provides advertisement content and a two-dimensional code related to the advertisement content as advertisement data to the advertisement provision terminal 200. The server terminal 100 may be, for example, a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer, or may be logically realized by cloud computing. In this embodiment, one server terminal is illustrated as an example for convenience of explanation, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be multiple.

[0014] The advertisement provision terminals 200A and 200B display advertisement content as advertisement data provided by the server 100, and also display a two-dimensional code related to the advertisement content. In this embodiment, for example, the advertisement provision terminals 200A and 200B can be digital signage, and are installed in places visible to pedestrians, such as in storefronts or on the street.

[0015] The user terminals 300A and 300B are terminals owned by users such as pedestrians, and examples of such terminals include smartphones and tablet terminals. The users read the two-dimensional code displayed on the advertisement provision terminal 200 via the user terminals 200A and 200B by capturing an image of the code with a camera built into the user terminals 200A and 200B, and access the server terminal 100 (or an advertiser terminal, not shown) by selecting link information (URL) to reward information (and / or an application / registration screen, hereinafter referred to as "reward information") related to the advertised product / service displayed on the user terminals 200A and 200B. The store terminals 400A, 400B are terminals managed by facilities such as shopping malls and stations and by stores that provide goods or services, and can scan a coupon (two-dimensional code) corresponding to the benefit information displayed on the user terminals 300A, 300B, or scan a coupon (two-dimensional code) granted via an application of an advertiser and / or related store that has been installed on the user terminals 300A, 300B as a condition for granting a benefit, thereby executing a transaction process that applies a benefit such as a discount, and sending a message to the server terminal 100 that the benefit has been exercised.

[0016] For ease of explanation, the following description will be given with the advertisement provision terminals 200A and 200B collectively referred to as "ad provision terminal 200" and the user terminals 300A and 300B collectively referred to as "user provider terminal 300."

[0017] Fig. 2 is a functional block configuration diagram of the server terminal 100 of Fig. 1. The server terminal 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit .

[0018] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for communicating with the user terminal 200 and the external service provider terminal 300 via the network NW, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

[0019] The storage unit 120 stores programs for executing various control processes and various functions in the control unit 130, input data, etc., and is composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The storage unit 120 also has an advertisement data storage unit 121 that stores various data related to advertisements, a two-dimensional code management data storage unit 122 that stores various data related to two-dimensional codes related to advertisement content, etc. Furthermore, the storage unit 120 can also temporarily store data communicated with the advertisement provision terminal 200 and the user terminal. Note that a database (not shown) storing various data may be constructed outside the storage unit 120 or the server terminal 100.

[0020] The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the server terminal 100 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 120, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. Functions of the control unit 130 include an instruction receiving unit 131 that receives input from the advertisement provision terminal 200 or the user terminal 300, an advertisement data management unit 132 that refers to and processes various data related to advertisements, and a two-dimensional code processing unit 133 that performs processing related to two-dimensional codes. The instruction receiving unit 131, the advertisement data management unit 132, and the two-dimensional code processing unit 133 are started by a program stored in the storage unit 120 and executed by the server terminal 100, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0021] When a user performs a predetermined input on the advertisement provision terminal 200 or the user terminal 300 , the instruction receiving unit 131 receives an instruction from the advertisement provision terminal 200 or the user terminal 300 via the communication unit 110 .

[0022] The advertisement data processing unit 132 manages and processes various data related to advertisements (for example, advertiser information, advertisement content information, advertisement display time information, advertisement display location, benefit information, benefit condition information, etc.).

[0023] The two-dimensional code processing unit 133 manages two-dimensional codes related to advertising content and performs predetermined processing.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the advertisement provision terminal 200 of Fig. 1. The user terminal 200 includes a communication unit 210, a display unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a control unit 240.

[0025] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the server terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0026] The display unit 220 is composed of a display panel or the like used to display text, images, and the like in response to input data such as advertising content from the control unit 250 .

[0027] The storage unit 230 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions in the control unit 250, input data such as advertisement contents, etc., and is composed of a RAM, a ROM, etc. The storage unit 230 also temporarily stores the contents of communication with the server terminal 100.

[0028] The control unit 240 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 200 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 230, and is composed of a CPU, a GPU, and the like.

[0029] Note that the server terminal 100 may be configured to have the function of a display unit, in which case the ad provision terminal 200 may not be included.

[0030] The functional block configuration of the external service provider terminal 300 can be substantially the same as that of the user terminal 200, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the user terminal 300 of Fig. 1. The user terminal 300 includes a communication unit 310, a display operation unit 320, a storage unit 330, a control unit 340, and a camera 350.

[0032] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for communicating with the server terminal 100 via the network NW, and communication is performed according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0033] The display operation unit 320 is a user interface used for inputting instructions by the user and displaying text, images, etc. according to input data from the control unit 440, and is composed of a display, a keyboard, and a mouse when the user terminal 300 is configured as a personal computer, and is composed of a touch panel, etc. when the user terminal 300 is configured as a smartphone or tablet terminal. This display operation unit 420 is started up by a control program stored in the storage unit 430 and executed by the user terminal 300, which is a computer (electronic calculator).

[0034] The storage unit 330 stores programs for executing various control processes and functions in the control unit 340, input data, etc., and is composed of a RAM, a ROM, etc. The storage unit 330 also temporarily stores the contents of communication with the server terminal 100.

[0035] The control unit 340 controls the overall operation of the user terminal 300 by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 330, and is composed of a CPU, a GPU, and the like.

[0036] In this embodiment, camera 350 captures an image in order to read a two-dimensional code displayed on advertisement provision terminal 200.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of advertisement data stored in server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0038] The advertisement data 1000 shown in FIG. 5 stores various data related to advertisements. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 5 shows an example of one advertisement (an advertisement identified by advertisement ID "10001"), but information on a plurality of advertisements can be stored. Here, "advertisement" refers to content provided by an advertiser for promoting the advertiser's product or service to specific or unspecified users. Examples of advertisers include product providers and store operators, and the advertiser may be the same as or different from the medium that provides the advertised product (such as a store, where users receive benefits). As various data related to advertisements, for example, advertiser information (such as the advertiser's name and other basic information), advertisement content information (such as content data (images, text, etc.) for promoting the advertised product / service), advertisement display time information (such as the date and time when the advertisement is displayed), advertisement display location (such as the location where the advertisement is displayed, identification information of the advertisement providing terminal, etc.), bonus information (such as coupons for the advertised product / service, etc.), and bonus condition information (conditions for granting a bonus or two-dimensional code (such as presenting the two-dimensional code, showing a smile to the store clerk, making a gesture that imitates the advertiser's logo in front of the signage, etc.)) can be stored. Here, "bonus information" includes information for receiving a bonus regarding the advertised product / service, as well as detailed information on the advertised product / service, application information, etc.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of two-dimensional code management data stored in the server 100. As shown in FIG.

[0040] The two-dimensional code management data 2000 shown in Fig. 6 stores data related to two-dimensional codes related to advertising content. For convenience of explanation, Fig. 5 shows an example of information related to one two-dimensional code (data identified by two-dimensional code ID "20001"), but information related to multiple two-dimensional codes can be stored. As various data related to the two-dimensional code, for example, data for generating / displaying a two-dimensional code (in this example, a QR code), an advertising ID related to the two-dimensional code, the upper limit number of times the two-dimensional code can be read, the number of times the two-dimensional code can be read, and other information can be stored.

[0041] FIG. 6 is an example of a flowchart relating to the advertisement providing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] First, in SQ101, control unit 130 of server terminal 100 transmits data related to advertisement content as advertisement data to advertisement provision terminal 200. The advertisement data is pre-stored in storage unit 120 of the server terminal, and includes image data and text data related to the advertised product / service as the advertisement content included in the advertisement data.

[0043] Next, in SQ102, the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 transmits data required to display a QR code as two-dimensional code data to the advertisement provision terminal 200. The two-dimensional code data is generated as data related to the advertisement content (and the advertised product / service linked thereto) and is stored in advance in the storage unit 120 of the server terminal 100.

[0044] The control unit 240 of the advertisement provision terminal 200 displays the advertisement content on the display unit 220 based on the received data related to the advertisement content as SQ103. Furthermore, the control unit 240 displays the QR code on the display unit 220 based on the received data for displaying the QR code as SQ104. Here, the control unit 240 can display the number of times the QR code can be read (initial value or remaining number of times) in a position adjacent to the QR code. FIG. 7 shows a display example in which a QR code is displayed on a digital signage together with advertisement information of a store. As shown in FIG. 7, the digital signage displays the QR code together with an advertisement for a yakitori restaurant and special information for obtaining a coupon. The remaining number of times the QR code can be read to obtain a coupon (remaining number of coupons) is displayed near the QR code. In addition, when the condition for displaying the QR code is set as a condition that the user performs a predetermined action (for example, a gesture imitating an advertiser's logo) in front of the advertisement provision terminal 200 as bonus condition information stored in advance in the memory unit 120 of the server terminal 100, the control unit 240 of the advertisement provision terminal 200 can refer to the bonus condition information received in advance from the server terminal 100 and display the QR code on the display unit 220 based on the camera built into the advertisement provision terminal 200 detecting the user's predetermined action (for example, the user using his / her body to make the shape of the advertiser's logo).

[0045] Next, in SQ105, the user terminal 300 makes a request to read the QR code by capturing an image of the QR code displayed on the advertisement provision terminal 200 with the camera 350. In this example, for example, a scene is assumed in which a user who is a pedestrian on the street focuses on the advertisement content and the QR code projected on a digital signage installed on the street, and reads the QR code with his / her smartphone to obtain a coupon for the advertised product. It is expected that the user will take action to obtain the coupon as soon as possible by looking at the remaining number of times that can be read that is displayed adjacent to the QR code. Next, in SQ106, the advertisement provision terminal 200 transmits to the user terminal 300 the URL of a web page that provides special information as link information for accessing the special information of the advertised product / service, in response to a QR code reading request in response to the image of the QR code captured by the user terminal 300.

[0046] Next, in SQ107, when the user performs an operation on the user terminal 300 to select link information (URL) displayed on the user terminal 300, the control unit 340 of the user terminal 300 sends to the server terminal 100 a request to access a web page that provides bonus information.

[0047] Next, in SQ108, the control unit 240 of the server terminal 100 transmits a corresponding web page to the user terminal 300 in response to the access request from the user terminal 300. In SQ109, the control unit 240 of the server terminal 100 transmits information to the user terminal 300 for displaying a web page providing benefit information (for example, a description of the benefit and a two-dimensional code (for example, a QR code) to be presented at the store, etc.). Then, at the time of payment for the product or service at the store, the store terminal 400 reads the two-dimensional code (for example, a QR code, etc.) displayed on the user terminal 300 with a scanner built into or attached to the store terminal, performs a discount process on the product or service price based on the benefit information, performs a purchase process for the product or service, and transmits information that the purchase process has been performed to the server terminal 100. Here, for example, when a store clerk at a store executes a purchase process by directly reading a QR code captured by the user terminal 300 from the advertising provision terminal 200 of a customer via the store terminal 400 and applying a discount on the billing price, a process may be performed to send information for displaying a web page or the like of a confirmation screen for the discount process, without performing a process such as displaying the above-mentioned bonus information.

[0048] Here, the two-dimensional code processing unit 240 of the server terminal 100, as SQ110, updates the current number of times the two-dimensional code can be read by subtracting the current number of times it can be read from the number of times it can be read based on the access request from the user terminal 300 or based on receiving information from the store terminal 400 that the purchase has been completed (for example, updates the number of times it can be read by subtracting "1" from the number of times it has read the QR code before reading it this time). Here, instead of the access request, the two-dimensional code processing unit 240 can also subtract the number of times the QR code can be read when the user purchases the advertised product / service, applies for it, or the like.

[0049] Next, as SQ111, control unit 130 of server terminal 100 transmits data required for displaying a QR code as two-dimensional code data to advertisement provision terminal 200. The two-dimensional code data is generated as data related to the advertisement content (and the advertised product / service linked thereto), and is stored in advance in storage unit 120 of server terminal 100. Control unit 240 of advertisement provision terminal 200 displays the QR code on display unit 220 based on the received data for displaying the QR code as SQ111. Here, control unit 240 can display the number of times the QR code can be read (number of times) in a position adjacent to the QR code.

[0050] In this way, the number of times the two-dimensional code displayed together with the advertising data can be read is displayed, and each time the two-dimensional code is read and a web page related to the product / service related to the advertising data is accessed via link information associated with the two-dimensional code, the server terminal updates the number of times the two-dimensional code can be read and displays the information with the number subtracted on the advertising terminal, thereby motivating the user to pay attention to the advertisement and ultimately to quickly purchase or apply for the advertised product or service.

[0051] As another embodiment, the present invention can be applied to a display device such as a television broadcast receiving device, a smartphone, or a tablet as an advertising terminal.

[0052] 9 is an example of a flowchart relating to an advertisement providing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a case will be described in which an advertiser (e.g., a facility operator of a shopping mall, a station, etc.) provides a user with bonus information applicable to products or services provided by one or more stores (e.g., tenant stores of a facility such as a shopping mall, a station, etc.) including a store different from the advertiser.

[0053] First, in SQ201, the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 transmits data related to advertisement content as advertisement data to the advertisement provision terminal 200. The advertisement data is pre-stored in the storage unit 120 of the server terminal, and includes image data and text data related to the advertised product / service as the advertisement content included in the advertisement data.

[0054] Next, in SQ202, the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 transmits data required to display a QR code as two-dimensional code data to the advertisement provision terminal 200. The two-dimensional code data is generated as data related to the advertisement content (and the advertised product / service linked thereto) and is stored in advance in the storage unit 120 of the server terminal 100.

[0055] The control unit 240 of the advertisement provision terminal 200 displays the advertisement content on the display unit 220 based on the received data related to the advertisement content as SQ203. Furthermore, the control unit 240 displays the QR code on the display unit 220 based on the received data for displaying the QR code as SQ204. Here, the control unit 240 can display the number of times that the QR code can be read (initial value or remaining number of times) in a position adjacent to the QR code. FIG. 10 shows a display example in which a QR code is displayed on a digital signage together with advertisement information of an advertiser (in this example, a shopping mall). As shown in FIG. 10, the digital signage displays the QR code together with special offer information (such as coupons) that can be applied to products or services provided by one or more stores in the shopping mall. The remaining number of times that the QR code can be read to obtain a coupon (remaining number of coupons) is displayed near the QR code. In addition, when the condition for displaying the QR code is set as a condition that the user performs a predetermined action (for example, a gesture imitating the logo of an advertiser or a tenant store) in front of the advertisement provision terminal 200 as the privilege condition information stored in advance in the memory unit 120 of the server terminal 100, when the camera built into the advertisement provision terminal 200 detects the predetermined action of the user (for example, the user uses his / her body to make the shape of the advertiser's logo), the control unit 240 of the advertisement provision terminal 200 can refer to the privilege condition information received in advance from the server terminal 100 and display the QR code on the display unit 220 based on the detection.

[0056] Next, in SQ205, the user terminal 300 requests the user terminal 300 to read the QR code by capturing an image of the QR code displayed on the advertisement provision terminal 200 using the camera 350. In this example, for example, a scene is assumed in which a user who is a pedestrian on the street focuses on the advertisement content and the QR code projected on the digital signage installed on the street and reads the QR code with his / her smartphone to obtain a coupon from an advertiser. It is expected that the user will take action to obtain the coupon as soon as possible by looking at the remaining number of times that the QR code can be read that is displayed adjacent to the QR code. Next, in SQ206, the advertisement provision terminal 200 transmits to the user terminal 300 the URL of a web page that provides special information as link information for accessing the special information of the advertised product / service, in response to a QR code reading request in response to the image of the QR code captured by the user terminal 300.

[0057] Next, in SQ207, when the user performs an operation on the user terminal 300 to select link information (URL) displayed on the user terminal 300, the control unit 340 of the user terminal 300 sends to the server terminal 100 a request to access a web page that provides bonus information and bonus condition information.

[0058] Next, in SQ208, the control unit 240 of the server terminal 100 transmits to the user terminal 300 a web page that provides the corresponding privilege information and privilege condition information in response to the access request from the user terminal 300. In SQ209, the control unit 240 of the server terminal 100 transmits to the user terminal 300 information for displaying a web page that provides the privilege information (e.g., an explanatory text about the privilege content and a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) to be presented to the tenant store) and the privilege condition information (e.g., downloading the ABC Mall app, showing a smile on the camera in the XYZ Drug store, etc.). The advertiser can set different privilege contents and privilege information for each of a plurality of stores as the privilege information and privilege condition information, and store them in the storage unit 120 of the server terminal 100. For example, the user terminal 300 can display a list of the privilege contents and privilege condition information set for each tenant store (in this example, XYZ Drug, JKL Supermarket, etc.) as the privilege information and privilege condition information provided by the advertiser (in this example, ABC Mall). Then, at the time of payment for a product or service at the store, the store terminal 400 reads a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code, etc.) displayed on the user terminal 300 with a scanner built into or attached to the store terminal 400, performs a discount process on the product or service price based on the benefit information, executes a purchase process for the product or service, and transmits information that the purchase process has been executed to the server terminal 100. Also, here, for example, when a store clerk at the store executes a purchase process by performing a discount process on the payment price by directly reading a QR code captured by the user terminal 300 from a customer at the time of payment at the store, via the store terminal 400, a process for transmitting information for displaying a web page of a confirmation screen for the discount process, etc., may be performed without performing a process such as displaying the benefit information.

[0059] Here, the two-dimensional code processing unit 240 of the server terminal 100, as SQ210, updates the current number of times the two-dimensional code can be read by subtracting the current number of times it can be read from the number of times it can be read based on the access request from the user terminal 300 or based on receiving information from the store terminal 400 that the purchase has been completed (for example, it updates the number of times it can be read by subtracting "1" from the number of times it has read the QR code before reading it this time). Here, instead of the access request, the two-dimensional code processing unit 240 can also subtract the number of times the QR code can be read when the user purchases the advertised product / service, applies for it, or the like.

[0060] Next, as SQ211, control unit 130 of server terminal 100 transmits data required for displaying a QR code as two-dimensional code data to advertisement provision terminal 200. The two-dimensional code data is generated as data related to the advertisement content (and the advertised product / service linked thereto), and is stored in advance in storage unit 120 of server terminal 100. Control unit 240 of advertisement provision terminal 200 displays the QR code on display unit 220 based on the received data for displaying the QR code as SQ111. Here, control unit 240 can display the number of times the QR code can be read (number of times) in a position adjacent to the QR code.

[0061] Here, in this embodiment, the number of times that a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) related to special offer information provided by an advertiser (e.g., a shopping mall operator) can be read is set, and advertisement provision terminals 200A, 200B, etc. (e.g., digital signage) are individually installed in each of a plurality of stores related to the advertiser (e.g., tenant stores in a shopping mall), and a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) for providing special offer information specific to each store can be displayed on the advertisement provision terminal. In this case, as a special offer provided by the advertiser (e.g., a shopping mall), special offer information common to the stores in the shopping mall (e.g., a uniform 10% discount for all stores) can be provided, while each store can provide individual special offer information (e.g., an additional 15% discount at XYZ Drugstore). In addition, on the premise that a user receives a benefit provided by an advertisement providing terminal (e.g., advertisement providing terminal 200A) corresponding to an advertiser (e.g., a shopping mall) via a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) with a limited number of times that it can be read, it is also possible for the user to receive individual benefits provided by each of a plurality of stores associated with the advertiser via a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) with a limited number of times that it can be read, provided by an advertisement providing terminal (e.g., advertisement providing terminal 200B, etc.) corresponding to each of the stores.

[0062] Furthermore, via a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) with a limited number of reads, the user terminal 300 makes a request to the server terminal 100 for access to a website that provides benefit information and benefit condition information in order to receive a benefit provided by an advertiser (e.g., a shopping mall), and in response to the access request, the server terminal 100 can display an installation screen for an application provided by the advertiser (e.g., an application operated by a shopping mall) and recommend that the application be installed on the user terminal 300 in order to receive the benefit. The application is an application that allows a user to receive benefits related to products or services provided by an advertiser and a store or company related to the advertiser, and a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code) displayed on the user terminal 300 via the application is read by a terminal corresponding to the advertiser (e.g., a store terminal 400A of a shopping mall) or a terminal corresponding to a related store (e.g., a store terminal 200B of a store, etc.) with a scanner or the like provided on the terminal, so that the user can receive benefits such as discounts on products or services provided by the advertiser or related stores, etc. Each store terminal 400 transmits information to the server terminal 100 that the benefit has been exercised, and the server terminal 100 can execute a process of deducting the number of times the two-dimensional code can be read, as shown in FIG. 9. Here, in relation to the benefit related to the product or service provided by the advertiser, based on the benefit condition information, the server terminal 100 can execute a process of deducting the number of times the two-dimensional code can be read, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0063] In this way, by combining or linking the special offers of the advertiser and related stores, it is possible to synergistically increase the customer attraction effect of both the facility operated by the advertiser and the individual stores.

[0064] In the case where an advertisement provision terminal is installed at each store in the shopping mall and a two-dimensional code is presented as in this example, the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 can display a map showing each store in the shopping mall that is the advertiser on the user terminal 300 and can display the number of times that the QR code corresponding to each store can be read to grant a benefit, as shown in Fig. 11, and can also send a notification to the user recommending a store visit based on the number of times that the two-dimensional code of each store can be read, such as "Today, stop by XYZ Drugstore on your way home and get this countdown QR coupon with only 9 remaining, then stop by JKL Supermarket and get this countdown QR coupon with 15 remaining, and you will save 1500 yen." In this case, the control unit 130 of the server terminal 100 can also determine which store should be visited preferentially based on the number of times that the code can be read, and send a notification to the user terminal 300.

[0065] Thus, in this embodiment, when an advertiser is associated with multiple stores, the advertiser can provide users with bonus information for the multiple stores along with a two-dimensional code with a set number of times it can be read, thereby encouraging customers to visit the multiple stores and maximizing customer attraction by coordinating with similar individual measures at the multiple stores.

[0066] Although the disclosed embodiments have been described above, they can be implemented in various other forms and can be implemented with various omissions, substitutions, and modifications. These embodiments and modifications, as well as omissions, substitutions, and modifications, are included in the technical scope of the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 System 100 Server terminal, 110 Communication unit, 120 Storage unit, 130 Control unit, 200 Advertisement provision terminal, 300 User terminal, 400 Store terminal, NW network

Claims

1. An advertisement providing method in which advertisements are provided to a plurality of users by a plurality of advertisement providing terminals connected to a server terminal via a network, the server terminal causing the first advertisement providing terminal located in a facility operated by the advertiser to display a two-dimensional code together with advertisement content, the two-dimensional code including first benefit information related to a first benefit commonly applied to a plurality of stores located in the facility operated by the advertiser; A first user terminal of a first user among the plurality of users, acquiring link information for accessing the first special offer information advertised by the advertising content by capturing an image of the two-dimensional code with a camera; transmitting a request for accessing the first special information to the server terminal in response to a selection operation on the link information displayed on the first user terminal; The server terminal includes: In response to receiving an access request from the first user terminal, transmitting the first benefit information to the first user terminal; a store terminal of a first store among the plurality of stores reads a two-dimensional code included in the first benefit information displayed on the first user terminal, and transmits to the first user terminal a confirmation screen for a discount process based on the first benefit for a product provided by the first store; The store terminal of the first store includes: Executing a purchase process for the first user of the product provided by the first store, including the discount process; The server terminal includes: in response to a store terminal of the first store executing a purchase process for a product provided by the first store, subtracting a number based on the access request from the number of times that the two-dimensional code can be read, which is stored in a memory unit of the server terminal, and storing the subtracted number of times that the two-dimensional code can be read in the memory unit, thereby updating the number of times that the two-dimensional code can be read; Furthermore, the server terminal causes a second advertisement provision terminal provided in the first store to display a second two-dimensional code together with second advertisement content, the second advertisement content including second benefit information related to a second benefit applicable only to the first store; The first user terminal, acquiring second link information for accessing the second special offer information advertised by the second advertising content by capturing an image of the second two-dimensional code with a camera; transmitting a request for accessing the second special information to the server terminal in response to a selection operation on the second link information displayed on the first user terminal; The server terminal includes: In response to receiving a request to access the second special information from the first user terminal, transmitting the second special information to the first user terminal; a store terminal of the first store reads the two-dimensional code included in the second benefit information displayed on the first user terminal, and transmits to the first user terminal a confirmation screen for a discount process based on the second benefit for the product provided by the first store; Executing a purchase process for a product provided by the first store of the first user, including a discount process that is applicable only to the first store; The server terminal includes: updating the number of times that the second two-dimensional code can be read by subtracting a number of times based on access to the second special offer information from the number of times that the second two-dimensional code can be read, which is stored in a storage unit of the server terminal, in response to the store terminal of the first store executing a purchase process for a product provided by the first store, and storing the subtracted number of times that the second two-dimensional code can be read in the storage unit; based on the number of times the second two-dimensional code can be read and the number of times a two-dimensional code included in special offer information relating to a special offer applicable only to each of the plurality of stores that is displayed on an advertisement provision terminal provided in each of the plurality of stores, if the number of times the second two-dimensional code can be read is less than the number of times a two-dimensional code included in special offer information relating to a special offer applicable only to each of the plurality of stores, transmitting to the user terminals of the plurality of users a recommendation to preferentially visit the first store; The advertising provision method includes causing a user terminal to display on a map indicating the locations of each of the stores within a facility operated by the advertiser a route to visit any of the stores, including the first store, in order of the least number of times that a two-dimensional code included in bonus information regarding benefits applicable only to each of the stores can be read, together with the number of times that a two-dimensional code included in bonus information regarding benefits applicable only to each of the stores can be read.

2. The advertisement providing method of claim 1, The server terminal causes the first advertisement providing terminal to display the updated number of possible reads.

3. The advertisement providing method of claim 1, The two-dimensional code is a QR code.

4. The advertisement providing method according to claim 1 , wherein the first advertisement providing terminal is a digital signage.

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