Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To improve usability of chatbot.SOLUTION: An information processing device according to the present application comprises: a selection unit that selects contents to be provided from among contents which relate to the same transaction target and have different details depending on a user access mode; and a providing unit that provides users with the contents selected by the selection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, chatbot technology that provides answers to questions entered by users has become known. One example of such technology is a technology that, when a question about how to use a product is received, a moving image showing the usage method is provided together with the answer to the question. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-139508 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above conventional techniques leave room for improving the usability of chatbots.

[0005] For example, the above-mentioned conventional technology only provides answers or video images based on the content of the question entered by the user, so it is difficult to provide content that is appropriate for the user's situation. For this reason, there is room for improvement in the usability of chatbots in the above-mentioned conventional technology.

[0006] The present application has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to improve the usability of chatbots. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing device of the present application has a selection unit that selects content to be provided from among content related to the same trading subject but with different contents in accordance with the user's access mode, and a provision unit that provides the content selected by the selection unit to the user. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiment, the usability of the chatbot can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example (1) of information processing according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of screen control when a plurality of product contents are provided. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example (2) of the information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection target storage unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of content to be provided. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an information processing procedure according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a question candidate made up of a video and options. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] At least the following will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0011] An information processing device characterized by having a selection unit that selects content to be provided from among content related to the same trading object but with different contents in accordance with the user's access mode, and a provision unit that provides the content selected by the selection unit to the user.

[0012] According to such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected from among the contents related to the same transaction subject but with different contents according to the access mode of the user, and the selected content is provided to the user, so that the content suitable for the mode of the user's access can be provided according to the mode of the user's access. Thus, the information processing device can realize a chatbot with high usability.

[0013] Furthermore, the information processing device selects the content to be provided from among the content related to the same transaction object, in which if the question received from the user is the same regardless of the access mode, the transaction object corresponding to the question is displayed as an answer, and the content has different contents for each access mode.

[0014] According to such an information processing device, if the question received from the user is the same, the transaction object corresponding to the question is displayed as the answer regardless of the access mode, and the content to be provided is selected from the content whose content differs for each access mode, so that the content with the most suitable content according to the access response can be provided as the answer to the question.

[0015] Furthermore, the information processing device selects the content to be provided according to the access mode when a terminal device used by the user accesses the information processing device.

[0016] According to such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected according to the access mode when the terminal device used by the user accesses the information processing device, so that appropriate content can be provided according to the intended use of the terminal device.

[0017] Moreover, the information processing device selects the content to be provided according to location information indicating the location of a destination through which the terminal device passes when accessing the information processing device, as the access mode.

[0018] According to such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected according to location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device, so that the type of terminal device used by the user can be accurately determined, and as a result, appropriate content can be provided according to the intended use of the determined terminal device.

[0019] In addition, the information processing device selects the content to be provided according to the access mode, such as the type of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device at the time of access.

[0020] According to such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected based on the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, or location information at the time of access of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, so that it is possible to accurately determine the type of terminal device used by the user, and as a result, to provide content that is appropriate to the intended use of the determined terminal device.

[0021] In addition, based on the access mode, the information processing device determines whether the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the physical store, a store terminal installed in the physical store for visitors to use in the store, or a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store, and selects content corresponding to the determination result from among content whose content differs depending on the terminal device from which the access originates as the content to be provided.

[0022] According to such an information processing device, it is determined whether the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the physical store, a storefront terminal installed in the physical store for visitors to use in the store, or a clerk terminal used by a user who works as a clerk at the physical store, and content corresponding to the determination result is selected as the content to be provided from among content that differs depending on the terminal device from which the information processing device is accessed, making it possible to provide content with appropriate content depending on whether the terminal device being used by the user is a user terminal, a storefront terminal, or a clerk terminal.

[0023] In addition, when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for the user who may become a visitor to the physical store, while when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the in-store terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for the user who has become a visitor by visiting the physical store.

[0024] According to such an information processing device, when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a user terminal, content corresponding to the estimated context of the user who may become a visitor to the physical store is selected as the content to be provided, while when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a storefront terminal, content corresponding to the estimated context of the user who has become a visitor by visiting the physical store is selected as the content to be provided. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide content appropriate to each situation, such as whether the content is available for viewing in a personal device environment or whether the content is being viewed in a public device environment.

[0025] In addition, when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, it selects content that displays specified information for the customer as the content to be provided, while when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the in-store terminal, it selects content that does not display specified information for the customer as the content to be provided.

[0026] According to such an information processing device, when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a user terminal, content that displays specified information for customers is selected as the content to be provided, whereas when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a storefront terminal, content that does not display specified information for customers is selected as the content to be provided. This makes it possible to provide personal information in a private environment and not to provide personal information in a public environment, thereby increasing the convenience of the chatbot.

[0027] In addition, when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content that has a memo function for adding any transaction object to a memo list from among the transaction objects displayed as answers to the questions received from the user.

[0028] According to such an information processing device, when it is determined that the terminal device that has accessed its own device is a user terminal, it selects as the content to be provided a content having a memo function that allows any of the transaction objects displayed as answers to the question received from the user to be added to a memorandum list, so that when the user finds a product that they would like to purchase during a conversation with the chatbot, they can make a note of the product without forgetting. As a result, the information processing device can further improve the usability of the chatbot.

[0029] In addition, the information processing device further has an output control unit that controls the user terminal to output information regarding the transaction object added to the memo list when it is detected that one of the users who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memo list using the memo function has visited a physical store.

[0030] According to such an information processing device, when a user who has used the memo function to add any transaction object to a memo list is detected as visiting a physical store, the user terminal is controlled to output information regarding the transaction object added to the memo list, thereby effectively preventing the user from forgetting to buy something.

[0031] In addition, when the trading object added to the memo list by the memo function is a product used in combination with a specified item, and the specified item has not been added to the memo list, the information processing device further outputs proposal information proposing the specified item.

[0032] According to such an information processing device, the user can know what other products he or she must purchase in order to properly use the product that he or she is currently trying to purchase.

[0033] In addition, when a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memorandum list using the memo function visits the physical store, the information processing device notifies a store clerk terminal used by the user who works as a store clerk at the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object.

[0034] According to such an information processing device, when a user who has used the memo function to add an arbitrary transaction object to a memorandum list visits a physical store, the store clerk terminal used by the user who acts as a store clerk in the physical store is notified of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase that transaction object, so that the store clerk can understand the customer's purpose and then approach the customer, thereby effectively increasing opportunities for customer service.

[0035] In addition, when the information processing device determines, based on the access mode, that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store, it selects as the content to be provided content that displays identification information that identifies the object of transaction and is displayed as a response to the question received from the user.

[0036] According to such an information processing device, when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a clerk terminal used by a user who is a clerk in a real store, the content to be provided is selected to display the identification information for identifying the transaction object displayed as the answer to the question received from the user, so that the clerk can obtain an appropriate answer to the question from the customer. Thus, the information processing device 100 can effectively support the sales activities of the clerk.

[0037] In addition, the identification information is information that is uniquely linked to the inventory status or purchasing status of the transaction object at the physical store.

[0038] According to such an information processing device, the store clerk can search for products together with the customer while directly listening to the customer's request, and can provide customer service so that the customer can smoothly purchase the found product.

[0039] The information processing device also provides dialogue content in which questions about the object of transaction received from the user and answers to the questions are displayed in a dialogue format.

[0040] Such an information processing device provides interactive content in which questions about the object of transaction received from a user and answers to those questions are displayed in an interactive format, thereby improving the convenience of chatbots in product searches. The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state.

[0041] According to such an information processing device, dialogue content is provided in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state, so that the user can be guided to input the most appropriate question.

[0042] The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which, as the question candidates, question candidates configured by combining a video showing a usage status of the transaction object and a predetermined selection option are displayed.

[0043] Such an information processing device provides dialogue content that displays question candidates composed of a combination of video images showing the usage status of the object of transaction and a predetermined set of options, allowing the user to concretely imagine the appearance and usage status of the product listed in the question candidates, thereby enabling the user to find a product that suits them through dialogue with the chatbot.

[0044] Further, the moving image showing the usage status of the object of transaction is a moving image with text showing the content of the question superimposed thereon, or a moving image in which the content of the question is expressed as movement.

[0045] Such an information processing device allows users to concretely imagine the appearance and usage of products listed as question candidates, enabling them to find a product that suits them through dialogue with the chatbot.

[0046] The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which the entire page constituting the dialogue content and an area included in the page in which a trading object corresponding to a question received from the user is displayed as an answer can be scrolled in different directions.

[0047] According to such an information processing device, dialogue content is provided in which the entire page constituting the dialogue content and an area included in the page in which trading objects corresponding to questions received from a user are displayed as answers can be scrolled in different directions, so that when multiple products are provided as answers, the user can easily compare the products.

[0048] The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which the entire page is controlled so as to be scrollable in the long dimension direction of the screen, and the area is controlled so as to be scrollable in the short dimension direction of the screen.

[0049] According to such an information processing device, interactive content is provided in which the entire page is controlled to be scrollable in the long dimension of the screen, and an area is controlled to be scrollable in the short dimension of the screen, so that when multiple products are provided as answers, the user can easily compare the products.

[0050] [Embodiment] An example of a form for implementing an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program (hereinafter, referred to as an "embodiment") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, the information processing method, and the information processing program are not limited to this embodiment. Also, the same components in the following embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0051] 1. Overview of Information Processing According to the Embodiment First, an overview of information processing according to the embodiment will be described. The information processing according to the embodiment is performed by an information processing device 100 shown in FIG.

[0052] 1, the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment includes a user terminal 10, a point-of-sale terminal 30, and an information processing device 100. The user terminal 10, the point-of-sale terminal 30, and the information processing device 100 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network N (FIG. 4) by wire or wirelessly. Note that the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may include a plurality of user terminals 10, a plurality of point-of-sale terminals 30, and a plurality of information processing devices 100.

[0053] 1, the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment may further include a store clerk terminal 50. For example, the information processing system 1 may include a plurality of store clerk terminals 50.

[0054] The user terminal 10 is an information processing terminal used by a user (end user) in the position of a consumer. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc. The user terminal 10 is also an example of a terminal device.

[0055] For example, when the user terminal 10 reads destination information such as a predetermined URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in response to an operation by a user, the user terminal 10 accesses the information processing device 100 via a destination corresponding to the destination information. In addition, the user terminal 10 displays a screen provided by the information processing device 100 in response to the access.

[0056] The in-store terminal 30 is an information processing terminal that is installed at a specific store and used by users (end users) who visit the specific store. The in-store terminal 30 may also be used by a staff member of the specific store to serve users who visit the specific store. Like the user terminal 10, the in-store terminal 30 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA, etc. In this embodiment, the in-store terminal 30 is installed at a store SH1 that is a chain that is deployed in various locations. The in-store terminal 30 is also an example of a terminal device.

[0057] The salesclerk terminal 50 is an information processing terminal used by a user in the position of a salesclerk in the store SH1, which is a physical store. The salesclerk terminal 50 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA, etc. Similarly, the salesclerk terminal 50 is also an example of a terminal device.

[0058] The salesperson terminal 50 is used, for example, for sales activities (for example, sales talks) to customers who visit the store SH1. For example, the salesperson may use the salesperson terminal 50 to demonstrate to customers who are not familiar with using the in-store terminal 30, or may use the salesperson terminal 50 as a communication support tool when a visitor calls out to them.

[0059] In addition, since the sales clerk is not necessarily a specialist in the products handled at store SH1, it may be difficult for him or her to respond appropriately to questions from customers (such as questions about the usability and appropriate size of the products handled). In such cases, the sales clerk can use the sales clerk terminal 50 to obtain appropriate answers to questions from customers.

[0060] The information processing device 100 provides a predetermined screen to a user in response to access from the user. The information processing device 100 also receives questions about products from the user in an interactive format on the predetermined screen, and outputs answers to the received questions in an interactive format. For this reason, the information processing device 100 can be considered as a so-called chatbot.

[0061] Moreover, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment is realized by a server device, a cloud system, etc. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 100 is assumed to be a server device.

[0062] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 selects product content to be provided from among product content related to the same product (an example of a trading object) but with different contents, depending on the user's access mode to the device (i.e., a predetermined screen). Then, the information processing device 100 provides the selected product content to the user as an answer to the user's question within the predetermined screen. In the following embodiment, the predetermined screen is referred to as a "Q&A screen SC."

[0063] That is, the information processing device 100 receives a question about a product, and provides a dialogue content (Q&A screen SC) in which the received question and the answer to the question are displayed in a dialogue format. The information processing device 100 also selects a product content to be provided from product contents that can be an answer to a question and whose contents differ depending on the access mode. For example, the information processing device 100 selects a content to be provided according to the access mode when the terminal device used by the user (the user terminal 10, the in-store terminal 30, or the store clerk terminal 50) accesses the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 provides the selected product content to be provided as a response to the question in the dialogue content.

[0064] In this embodiment, the user terminal 10 and the in-store terminal 30 display the Q&A screen SC via a web browser. This allows the user to interact with the information processing device 100 (chatbot) and receive various contents during the interaction without needing a dedicated application. On the other hand, the Q&A screen SC may be a screen that can be displayed by installing a dedicated application in the user terminal 10 and the in-store terminal 30.

[0065] In this embodiment, the clerk terminal 50 displays the Q&A screen SC via a web browser. This allows the user acting as a clerk to enter questions from visitors in a dialogue format with the information processing device 100 (chatbot) and receive answers, thereby enabling smooth communication between the user and the visitor. Of course, the Q&A screen SC may be a screen that can be displayed by installing a dedicated application on the clerk terminal 50.

[0066] Furthermore, the Q&A screen SC accepts questions about products in a predetermined field in an interactive format, and outputs answers to the questions about the products in the predetermined field. In the following embodiment, the products in the predetermined field are "pet products", but the Q&A screen SC can accommodate products in various fields. For example, the products in the predetermined field are not limited to pet products, but may also be health care products, feminine products, and baby products.

[0067] Also, the Q&A screen SC is configured to provide candidates for questions about products in a predetermined field in a selection and dialogue format, and accept questions from the user by having the user select one of them. On the other hand, the Q&A screen SC may be configured to accept questions by direct input rather than by selection format.

[0068] [2. Access Mode] In this embodiment, the access mode is information (information indicating the access mode) indicating what kind of destination information (e.g., URL) was used to access the information processing device 100. That is, in this embodiment, the information indicating the access mode is the URL itself. In addition, in this example, the information indicating the access mode can be rephrased as location information indicating the location of the destination via which the terminal device accessed the information processing device 100.

[0069] Here, it is assumed that there are multiple types of URLs (URLs according to the embodiment) that are information indicating an access mode, as shown below. The URLs according to the embodiment include "URL1", "URL2", and "URL3". URL1, URL2, and URL3 are all different destination information.

[0070] URL1 is, for example, dedicated destination information delivered to the user terminal 10 of a user who is a member of the store SH1, and can be rephrased as a customer URL. On the other hand, URL2 is destination information posted in QR code (registered trademark) format on a storefront pop attached to a display shelf where a specific product is displayed in store SH1, or on a banner or the like installed in store SH1. URL3 is destination information indicating the destination of the Q&A screen SC. In other words, URL3 is location information indicating the location of the information processing device 100.

[0071] On the other hand, the information indicating the access mode does not necessarily have to be a URL. For example, the information indicating the access mode may be information (terminal information) indicating what device (e.g., information processing terminal) was used to access, information (OS information) indicating what operating system (OS) was used to access, information (browser information) indicating what browser was used to access, information (browser history or operation history) indicating what content was passed through, information (location information) indicating what location was used to access, information (chat history) indicating what content was discussed on the Q&A screen SC, etc.

[0072] As will be explained in detail below, the information processing device 100 provides different product content as answers to the user's questions on the Q&A screen SC depending on whether the user accesses the information processing device 100 via URL1 or via URL2.

[0073] More specifically, the information processing device 100 provides different product contents on the Q&A screen SC when it determines, based on the information indicating the access mode, that a user who may be a visitor to the store SH1 has accessed the store using his / her own user terminal 10 (for example, from home) and when it determines that the user has actually visited the store SH1 and accessed the store using the in-store terminal 30. An example of information processing in this regard will be described with reference to FIG.

[0074] Furthermore, when the information processing device 100 determines based on the information indicating the access mode that a store clerk of the store SH1 has accessed using the store clerk terminal 50, it provides product content on the Q&A screen SC that is different from the content when the information processing device 100 is accessed from the user terminal 10 or the in-store terminal 30. An example of information processing in this regard will be described with reference to FIG.

[0075] 3. Example of Information Processing According to the Embodiment (1) Next, an example of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example (1) of information processing according to the embodiment. Fig. 1 shows examples of information processing in each situation, such as a case where a user U1 uses his / her user terminal 10 to access the information processing device 100 via URL1 (information processing pattern a), and a case where a user U1 uses a storefront terminal 30 to access the information processing device 100 via URL2 (information processing pattern b).

[0076] First, information processing pattern a will be described. In the case of information processing pattern a, a user U1 is located at home H1. In addition, in the information processing pattern a, it is assumed that the user U1 is a member of store SH1 and has received URL1 in advance by push notification.

[0077] In this state, it is assumed that user U1 operates user terminal 10 to select URL1. In this case, user terminal 10 reads URL1 and accesses information processing device 100 via URL1 (step S11a). Specifically, user terminal 10 reads URL1 to access the destination indicated by URL1, and finally accesses information processing device 100 in response to redirection by this destination.

[0078] In response to an access from the user terminal 10, the information processing device 100 acquires information indicating the access mode that led to this access (step S12). In this example, the information processing device 100 acquires information identifying the redirect source from which the user terminal 10 has been redirected, that is, URL1, as information indicating the access mode.

[0079] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 determines the type of the terminal device that has accessed based on the information (URL1) indicating the access mode. For example, the information processing device 100 determines based on the information (URL1) indicating the access mode whether the terminal device that has accessed is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., a user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor who visits the store SH1 (i.e., a storefront terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk of the store SH1 (i.e., a clerk terminal 50).

[0080] The information processing device 100 may further acquire OS information, browser information, location information, and history information, and may determine the type of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 by combining the acquired information. In addition, the information processing device 100 may be able to determine the type of the terminal device from a terminal ID (identifier) ​​associated with the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100.

[0081] In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 100 will ultimately determine that the terminal device that has accessed is the user terminal 10, based on the information indicating the access mode.

[0082] Then, the information processing device 100 transmits the Q&A screen SC to the user terminal 10, thereby providing the Q&A screen SC to the user U1 (step S13a).

[0083] On the Q&A screen SC, candidate questions about products (pet products) are displayed in a selective and dialogue format. For example, the Q&A screen SC displays four candidate questions, such as "Toilet pet sheets" (question Q1), "Dog diapers" (question Q2), "Manners care when going out" (question Q3), and "Goods for when you're away" (question Q4), following the phrase "What kind of product are you looking for in dog excretion care products?"

[0084] In addition, in order to allow the user to get closer to the question that he or she wants to ask, the candidate questions may be arranged in a hierarchical relationship, so that the user can narrow down the candidates in stages.

[0085] In addition, in this state, the information processing device 100 judges whether or not a question about a product (pet supplies) has been accepted on the Q&A screen SC (step S14). For example, assume that user U1 selects question Q1 (do you have any recommendations for toilet pet sheets?) from the four possible questions. In this case, the user terminal 10 transmits information indicating question Q1 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 judges that question Q1 has been accepted from user U1.

[0086] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process to determine a product corresponding to the selected question Q1 from among the candidate products to be offered (step S15). For example, the information processing device 100 can determine a product by referring to the product information storage unit 121 in which question information indicating a question is associated with product information indicating a product to be offered as an answer to the question. In this example, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 has determined one product, "product PD11," as the product corresponding to the question Q1. The product PD11 is the product to be traded.

[0087] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection process to select the product content to be provided from among the product contents related to the same product (product to be traded) but with different contents based on the access mode (step S16). In this example where "product PD11" has been determined as the product corresponding to question Q1, the information processing device 100 selects from among the candidates what kind of product content should be included in the product content related to product PD11 as the product content to be provided, in accordance with the information indicating the access mode being "URL1".

[0088] More specifically, the information processing device 100 can select product content having contents corresponding to the context estimated for the user U1 as the product content to be provided, in response to determining that the accessed terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., the user terminal 10) used by a customer user. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that the user U1 is in a situation where the content can be viewed in a personal device environment. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the information processing device 100 can select product content including customer-oriented information, which is personal information of the user U1, as the product content to be provided.

[0089] For example, in a specific storage unit, when the information indicating the access mode is "URL1", it is specified that "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" is to be included in the product content to be provided. On the other hand, when the information indicating the access mode is "URL2", it is specified that "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" is not to be included in the product content to be provided.

[0090] In this case, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the former of the product contents, i.e., the product content including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" and the product content not including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users". Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content related to the product PD11, which includes "sales promotion information specialized for individual users".

[0091] Next, the information processing device 100 generates product content related to the product PD11, including "sales promotion information specialized for an individual user," and provides the product content to the user U1 by displaying the product content as an answer in the Q&A screen SC (step S17a). In this example, the information processing device 100 generates the product content C11 as such product content.

[0092] Here, an example of the Q&A screen SC when the product content C11 is displayed will be described with reference to Fig. 1(a). First, the Q&A screen SC displays a character CH, which is a character corresponding to a chatbot. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1(a), candidate questions and answers to questions are displayed as if the character CH were speaking to the user.

[0093] The Q&A screen SC is displayed so as to be scrollable up and down in accordance with the top and bottom of the display screen of the information processing terminal (user terminal 10, in-store terminal 30), and includes an area AR1 in which product content related to the product to be traded (the product determined in step S14) is displayed. While the Q&A screen SC is scrollable up and down, the area AR1 is displayed so as to be scrollable left and right in accordance with the left and right of the display screen to make it easy to compare multiple products.

[0094] Furthermore, when there are multiple products to be traded, the area AR1 is divided into areas AR11, AR12, AR1x, etc., so that the products to be traded are displayed individually. Details of this configuration will be described in Fig. 2, but in the example of Fig. 1(a), since the product to be traded is the single product PD11, the area AR1 is not divided and only the area AR11 corresponding to the product PD11 is included. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 1(a), product content C11 is displayed in the area AR11.

[0095] Moreover, area AR11 includes area AR11-1 in which a product image of the product to be traded is displayed, area AR11-2 in which detailed information (e.g., specifications, etc.) of the product to be traded is displayed, and area AR11-3 in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode. In the example of FIG. 1(a), area AR11-1 displays a product image of product PD11, and area AR11-2 displays detailed information about product PD11. Also, in the example of FIG. 1(a), out of the product contents with different contents, product content including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" is selected, and as a result, "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" is displayed in area AR11-3.

[0096] In addition, in the example of Figure 1(a), "promotional information tailored to individual users" includes guidance information that guides the user to apply for a service that allows the user to receive a cash back in points if the user purchases product PD11, and guidance information that guides the user to an EC site corresponding to store SH1 where product PD11 can be purchased.

[0097] To summarize the explanation in FIG. 1(a), the areas AR1 and AR1x are areas where product contents are displayed, and are generated in the Q&A screen SC only when a user asks a question about a product. The contents of the product contents, specifically, the contents displayed in the area AR11-3, differ depending on the information indicating the access mode. To clarify this point, the following will also use FIG. 1 to explain the information processing pattern b.

[0098] In the information processing pattern b, the overall information processing is similar to that of the information processing pattern a, except that the contents of the product content are different from those in the information processing pattern a. Therefore, the explanation common to the information processing pattern a will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0099] In the case of information processing pattern b, user U1 visits store SH1 and operates the in-store terminal 30 at store SH1. For example, user U1 causes the in-store terminal 30 to read URL2 that is posted in QR code format on an in-store pop attached to a display shelf where a specific product is displayed in store SH1. In this case, the in-store terminal 30 reads URL2 and accesses the information processing device 100 via URL2 (step S11b). Specifically, the in-store terminal 30 accesses the destination indicated by URL2 by reading URL2, and finally accesses the information processing device 100 in response to a redirection by this destination.

[0100] In response to an access from the in-store terminal 30, the information processing device 100 acquires information indicating the access mode that led to this access (step S12). In this example, the information processing device 100 acquires information identifying the redirect source from which the in-store terminal 30 has been redirected, that is, URL2, as information indicating the access mode.

[0101] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 determines the type of the terminal device that has accessed based on the information (URL2) indicating the access mode. For example, the information processing device 100 determines based on the information (URL2) indicating the access mode whether the terminal device that has accessed is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., the user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor who visits the store SH1 (i.e., the storefront terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk of the store SH1 (i.e., the clerk terminal 50).

[0102] In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 100 ultimately determines that the accessing terminal device is the in-store terminal 30 based on the information indicating the access mode.

[0103] Then, the information processing device 100 transmits the Q&A screen SC to the in-store terminal 30, thereby providing the Q&A screen SC to the user U1 (step S13b).

[0104] In addition, in this state, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not a question about a product (pet supplies) has been accepted on the Q&A screen SC (step S14). For example, assume that user U1 selects question Q1 (Do you have any recommendations for pet sheets for the toilet?) as in the example of information processing pattern a. In this case, the in-store terminal 30 transmits information indicating question Q1 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 determines that question Q1 has been accepted from user U1.

[0105] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process to determine a product corresponding to the selected question Q1 from among the candidate products to be provided (step S15). As in the example of information processing pattern a, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 determines one product, "product PD11", as the product corresponding to the question Q1.

[0106] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection process to select a product content to be provided from among product contents related to the same product (product to be traded) but with different contents based on the access mode (step S16). The information processing device 100 selects from among the candidates what kind of product content is included as the product content related to the product PD11 to be provided, in response to the information indicating the access mode being "URL2".

[0107] More specifically, the information processing device 100 can select product content having contents corresponding to the context estimated for the user U1 as the product content to be provided, in response to determining that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., the user terminal 10) used by a visitor to the store SH1. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that the user U1 is in a situation where he or she is browsing content in a public device environment. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the information processing device 100 can select product content that does not include customer-oriented information, which is personal information of the user U1, as the product content to be provided.

[0108] In this example, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the latter product content, between the product content including "promotional information specialized for individual users" and the product content not including "promotional information specialized for individual users". Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content related to the product PD11, which does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users".

[0109] Next, the information processing device 100 generates product content related to the product PD11, which does not include "sales promotion information specialized for individual users", and provides the product content to the user U1 by displaying the product content as an answer in the Q&A screen SC (step S17b). In this example, the information processing device 100 generates the product content C12 as such product content.

[0110] Here, an example of the Q&A screen SC when the product content C12 is displayed will be described with reference to Fig. 1(b). In the example of Fig. 1(a), the product content C11 includes "sales promotion information specialized for an individual user." Specifically, the "sales promotion information specialized for an individual user" is displayed in area AR11-3 included in area AR11 corresponding to the product content C11, so that the product content C11 includes "sales promotion information specialized for an individual user."

[0111] On the other hand, in Fig. 1(b), since the information indicating the access mode is URL2, the product content C12 does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users." In such a case, as shown in Fig. 1(b), the "promotional information specialized for individual users" is not displayed in area AR11-3 included in area AR11 corresponding to the product content C12, and information other than the "promotional information specialized for individual users" is displayed. For example, as shown in Fig. 1(b), area AR11-3 may be left blank, or may display inventory information for the product content C11 at store SH1 visited by user U1.

[0112] As described above, when the question received from the user is the same, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment selects which product content to provide from among the product contents that display the trading object (product PD11 in the example of FIG. 1) corresponding to the question as an answer regardless of the access mode, and whose content other than the trading object differs depending on the access mode.Then, the information processing device 100 provides the selected product content.

[0113] As described above, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment provides the user with product content with different contents depending on the user's context (user's situation). In a situation where the user is highly likely to have accessed the information processing device using a private information processing terminal such as a personal terminal device (i.e., a situation where the user has accessed the information processing device via URL1), the information processing device 100 provides the user with product content including "sales promotion information specialized for the individual user" as a response to the user's question.

[0114] On the other hand, in a situation where there is a high possibility that the user accessed the site using a public information processing terminal such as a terminal device in a store (i.e., the user accessed the site via URL2), it is unlikely that the user would use the public information processing terminal for private purposes (e.g., to apply for a cashback or purchase a product on an EC site). Therefore, in a situation where there is a high possibility that the user accessed the site using a public information processing terminal, the information processing device 100 provides product content that does not include content such as "sales promotion information tailored to the individual user" as a response to the user's question.

[0115] In this way, since the purpose of use of a personal terminal device and that of a terminal device in a store may differ, the information processing device 100 controls so that optimal information according to the purpose is provided. For example, the information processing device 100 controls so that only information required by the user in each situation is provided. In other words, the information processing device 100 controls so that only information required according to each context of the user is provided.

[0116] As described above, according to the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, it is possible to improve the usability of the chatbot.

[0117] [4. Screen control when providing multiple product contents] In the example of Fig. 1, one product is determined for transaction, and product content related to the product (product PD11) is displayed as an answer on the Q&A screen SC. However, the information processing device 100 may determine a plurality of products for transaction, and in such a case, product content related to each product is displayed on the Q&A screen SC.

[0118] 1, the length of the Q&A screen SC in the long dimension is longer than the length of the display screen of the information processing terminal (user terminal 10, in-store terminal 30), so the screen is displayed so that it can be scrolled up and down (vertical scroll) in accordance with the up and down directions corresponding to the long dimension of the display screen. In such a case, if the product contents relating to each product are arranged in a vertical line along the long dimension of the Q&A screen SC, for example, these product contents are moved in response to vertical scrolling of the Q&A screen SC. In this case, the more product contents there are, the more the user is required to scroll vertically, and the task of re-viewing product contents that have been moved off the display screen becomes cumbersome.

[0119] For this reason, when a plurality of products to be traded are determined, the information processing device 100 displays the area AR1 in the Q&A screen SC, in which the product contents are displayed, so that the area AR1 can be scrolled left and right (horizontally scrolled) in accordance with the left and right corresponding to the short dimension of the display screen. Also, the information processing device 100 divides the area AR1 into areas AR11, AR12, . . . AR1x, the number of areas corresponding to the number of products to be traded, so that each product to be traded is individually displayed side by side in accordance with the short dimension of the display screen. By such processing, the display of the product contents that can be moved up and down together with the Q&A screen SC in accordance with the vertical scroll of the Q&A screen SC, while also corresponding to the horizontal scroll separately from the Q&A screen SC, is realized in the Q&A screen SC. This point will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0120] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of screen control when providing multiple product contents. In the example of Fig. 1, the information processing device 100 determines the product PD11 as the product to be traded, but in the example of Fig. 2, the information processing device 100 determines two products, namely, the product PD11 and the product PD12, as the products to be traded. Note that there is no limit to the number of products to be traded that the information processing device 100 determines.

[0121] In this example, the information processing device 100 divides the horizontally scrollable area AR1 into two areas, ie, area AR11 and area AR12, in which product contents are displayed, in accordance with the fact that the number of products to be traded is two. Specifically, the information processing device 100 divides the area AR1 into areas AR11 and AR12 by making the width of the area AR1 longer than the length in the short dimension of the display screen so that the product PD11 and the product PD12 are displayed separately side-by-side in accordance with the short dimension of the display screen. In other words, the information processing device 100 generates the horizontally scrollable areas AR11 and AR12 and displays them adjacent to each other on the Q&A screen SC.

[0122] Moreover, the information processing device 100 displays a product image of the product PD11 in an area AR11-1 included in the area AR11, displays detailed information about the product PD11 in an area AR11-2, and displays "sales promotion information specialized for an individual user" in an area AR11-3. Moreover, the information processing device 100 displays a product image of the product PD12 in an area AR12-1 included in the area AR12, displays detailed information about the product PD12 in an area AR12-2, and displays "sales promotion information specialized for an individual user" in an area AR12-3. The area AR12-3 is an area corresponding to the area AR11-3, and is an area in which different contents are displayed depending on the access mode.

[0123] Then, in the initial stage where each product content is displayed as an answer in the Q&A screen SC by such processing, only the product content corresponding to the product PD11 among the product contents is exposed on the display screen as shown in Fig. 2(a). Also, a scroll button SL1 for horizontally scrolling the area AR1 is displayed on the Q&A screen SC so that each product content can be moved left and right at once. Also, a scroll button SL2 for vertically scrolling the Q&A screen SC is displayed on the Q&A screen SC so that the Q&A screen SC itself can be moved up and down while including each product content.

[0124] It should be noted that the scroll buttons SL1 and SL2 do not necessarily need to be displayed, and a configuration may be adopted in which a direct scroll operation by the user is accepted on the product content or the Q&A screen SC.

[0125] Also, assume that user U1 performs a scroll operation to move the product content in area AR1 to the left from the state shown in Fig. 2(a). In this case, with product content corresponding to product PD11 displayed in area AR11 and product content C corresponding to product PD12 displayed in area AR12, area AR1 itself is moved to the left in response to the scroll operation. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the product content corresponding to product PD11 is moved outside the display screen, and instead the product content corresponding to product PD12, which had been outside the display screen until now, is exposed on the display screen.

[0126] As explained in Fig. 2, when there are multiple products to be traded, the information processing device 100 displays the product contents arranged in a horizontal line, each of which corresponds to one of the products to be traded, so that the product contents can be scrolled left and right at once, separately from scrolling the Q&A screen SC. Such an information processing device 100 can eliminate the complication of browsing the product contents and improve the ease of comparing the products to be traded, thereby improving the usability of the chatbot.

[0127] In particular, products such as pet products, health care products, feminine products, and baby products must be selected with appropriate functions for the user, but are purchased based on the user's preferences, desired price, and other user intentions, so it is necessary to present the functions and features of each product to the user to allow the user to make a selection. However, when a product is determined by repeating questions while screen transitions are made in one direction of the screen (vertical direction of the screen in this embodiment) like a chatbot, if product content is displayed in the same direction as the screen transition direction of the chatbot in product comparison (the direction in which the chatbot's messages are displayed, vertical direction of the screen in this embodiment), there is a problem that the display of the message exchange history in the chatbot and the operation method for product comparison are the same, making it difficult for the user to perform the intended operation. Therefore, by adopting the above-mentioned display method, the complexity of browsing product content can be eliminated and the ease of comparing products to be traded can be improved, thereby improving the usability of the chatbot.

[0128] 5. Example of Information Processing According to the Embodiment (2) Next, an example (2) of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example (2) of information processing according to the embodiment. In FIG. 3, a scene is assumed in which a salesperson at store SH1 uses his / her salesperson terminal 50 to sell products to a visiting customer. As will be described below, when the information processing device 100 determines that the salesperson terminal 50 has accessed based on information indicating the access mode, it provides product content on the Q&A screen SC that is different in content from when the information processing device 100 is accessed from the user terminal 10 or the in-store terminal 30. A specific example of such information processing will be described below as information processing pattern c.

[0129] 3 shows an example in which a sales clerk CL1 of a store SH1 is operating a sales clerk terminal 50. Here, it is assumed that the sales clerk CL1 knows that the location of the information processing device 100 (Q&A screen SC) is URL3, and has operated the sales clerk terminal 50 to select URL3. In this case, the sales clerk terminal 50 directly accesses the information processing device 100 (step S11c).

[0130] In response to an access from the store clerk terminal 50, the information processing device 100 acquires information indicating the access mode that led to this access (step S12). In this example, since the store clerk terminal 50 has accessed directly without going through any intermediate route, the information processing device 100 acquires URL3 as information indicating the access mode.

[0131] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 determines the type of the terminal device that has accessed based on the information (URL3) indicating the access mode. For example, the information processing device 100 determines based on the information (URL3) indicating the access mode whether the terminal device that has accessed is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., the user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor who visits the store SH1 (i.e., the storefront terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk of the store SH1 (i.e., the clerk terminal 50).

[0132] The information processing device 100 may further acquire OS information, browser information, location information, and history information, and may determine the type of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 by combining the acquired information. The information processing device 100 may be able to determine the type of the terminal device from a terminal ID (identifier) ​​associated with the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100.

[0133] In the example of FIG. 3, the information processing device 100 will ultimately determine that the accessing terminal device is the store clerk terminal 50 based on the information indicating the access mode.

[0134] Then, the information processing device 100 transmits the Q&A screen SC to the store clerk terminal 50, thereby providing the Q&A screen SC to the store clerk CL1 (step S13c).

[0135] As in the previous examples, the Q&A screen SC displays candidate questions about products (pet products) in a multiple choice and dialogue format. Specifically, the Q&A screen SC displays the phrase "What kind of product are you looking for in doggie excretion care products?" followed by four candidate questions: "Toilet pet sheets" (Question Q1), "Doggie diapers" (Question Q2), "Manners care when going out" (Question Q3), and "Goods for when you're away" (Question Q4).

[0136] In addition, in this state, the information processing device 100 judges whether or not a question about a product (pet supplies) has been accepted on the Q&A screen SC (step S14). For example, assume that the store clerk CL1 selects question Q1 (do you have any recommendations for pet sheets for the toilet?) from among four possible questions in response to an instruction from a customer. In this case, the store clerk terminal 50 transmits information indicating question Q1 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 judges that question Q1 has been accepted from the user U1.

[0137] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process to determine a product corresponding to the selected question Q1 from among the candidate products to be provided (step S15). As in the previous examples, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 determines one product, "product PD11."

[0138] Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection process to select a product content to be provided from among product contents related to the same product (product to be traded) but with different contents based on the access mode (step S16). Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects from among the candidates what kind of product content is included as the product content to be provided as the product content related to the product PD11, in response to the information indicating the access mode being "URL3".

[0139] More specifically, the information processing device 100, upon determining that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device used by a store clerk (i.e., the store clerk terminal 50), can select product content having contents corresponding to the context estimated for the store clerk CL1 as the product content to be provided. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that the store clerk CL1 is in a situation where he or she is serving a customer. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the information processing device 100 can select product content including a product identification code, which is identification information capable of identifying the inventory status or purchasing status of the product PD11, as the product content to be provided. The product identification code may be, for example, code information such as a JAN code.

[0140] For example, in addition to the examples given so far, it is assumed that in a specified memory unit, when the information indicating the access mode is "URL3", a "product identification code" is to be included in the product content to be provided.

[0141] In this case, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content including the "product identification code" from among product content with different contents such as product content including "promotional information specialized for an individual user", product content not including "promotional information specialized for an individual user", and product content including the "product identification code". Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content related to the product PD11 and including the "product identification code" linked to the inventory status or purchasing status of the product PD11.

[0142] Next, the information processing device 100 generates product content related to the product PD11, including a "product identification code" linked to the status of the product PD11. Then, the information processing device 100 provides the product content to the store clerk CL1 by displaying the product content as an answer in the Q&A screen SC (step S17c). For example, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 generates product content C13 as such product content.

[0143] Here, an example of the Q&A screen SC when the product content C13 is displayed will be described with reference to Fig. 3(c). The basic configuration of the Q&A screen SC shown in Fig. 3(c) is the same as that described in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Therefore, the following description will focus on points related to the information processing pattern c.

[0144] As shown in Fig. 3(c), area AR11 includes area AR11-1 in which a product image of the product to be traded is displayed, area AR11-2 in which detailed information (e.g., specifications, etc.) of the product to be traded is displayed, and area AR11-3 in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode. Thus, in the example of Fig. 3(c), area AR11-1 displays a product image of product PD11, and area AR11-2 displays detailed information about product PD11.

[0145] In the example of Fig. 3(c), the product content including the "product identification code" linked to the status of the product PD11 is selected in accordance with the access mode, and the "product identification code" is displayed in the area AR11-3. Fig. 3(c) shows an example in which the product identification code CD1 is displayed in the area AR11-3.

[0146] Here, it is assumed that a system is introduced in store SH1 that associates and manages product identification codes with the stock status and purchasing status of products identified by the product identification codes. In this case, the salesperson CL1 can know the status of product PD11, for example, by reading the product identification code with a reader that he or she carries. This allows the salesperson CL1 to quickly guide the customer to the location where product PD11 is located, and if product PD11 is out of stock, to suggest to the customer another store that has product PD11 in stock.

[0147] As described above, when the accessed terminal device is the store clerk terminal 50, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment displays questions and answers in an interactive format in the dialogue content (Q&A screen SC) in the same way as when the accessed terminal device is a terminal device (user terminal 10 and in-store terminal 30) belonging to the customer user, while displaying information for store clerks (e.g., product identification codes) rather than information for customers as product content provided as answers. With such an information processing device 100, the store clerk can search for products together with the customer while directly listening to the customer's request, and can provide customer service so that the customer can smoothly purchase the found product.

[0148] 6. Configuration of Information Processing Device Next, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the information processing device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0149] (Regarding communication unit 110) The communication unit 110 is realized, for example, by a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like. The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from, for example, the user terminal 10 and the in-store terminal 30. The communication unit 110 also transmits and receives information to and from the store clerk terminal 50.

[0150] (Regarding the storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 120 has a product information storage unit 121. The product information storage unit 121 stores question information indicating a question and product information indicating a product to be provided as an answer to the question in association with each other. The storage unit 120 also has a user information storage unit 122 and a selection target storage unit 123.

[0151] (Regarding the product information storage unit 121) The product information storage unit 121 stores candidate questions in association with product information indicating products to be provided as answers when the candidate question is officially selected as a question. An example of the product information storage unit 121 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 5. In the example of Fig. 5, the product information storage unit 121 has items such as "major question", "product genre 1", "medium question candidate", "product genre 2", "minor question candidate", and "product information".

[0152] The "big question" indicates a question that is first provided to the user by the chatbot so that the user can appropriately arrive at the question that he or she wants to ask the chatbot. As in the examples of Figs. 1 to 3, if the chatbot according to the embodiment mainly carries out dialogues about "pet supplies", when the user accesses the Q&A screen SC, the chatbot first asks a question according to the "big question" on the Q&A screen SC. In the example of Fig. 5, the chatbot asks the user a question such as "What type of pet supplies are you looking for?"

[0153] "Product genre 1" is information indicating the genre classification for "pet supplies." In the example of Figure 5, "pet supplies" includes products that belong to "excretion care," "pet food," and "health equipment."

[0154] The "medium question candidate" is a question candidate provided to the user, and indicates a question candidate that asks whether or not the user wants to ask a question about a product belonging to "product category 1". According to the example of FIG. 5, the chatbot provides the user with three question candidates, such as medium question #11 (e.g., "Are you looking for excretion support products?"), medium question #12 (e.g., "Are you looking for pet food?"), and medium question #13 (e.g., "Are you looking for health equipment?"), following the main question, "What category of pet products are you looking for?". More specifically, in the example of FIG. 5, the chatbot provides these three question candidates in a state in which the user can select them. For example, if the user wants to find recommendations among excretion support products, the user can select medium question #11 to essentially ask the chatbot a question such as "Are there any recommendations among excretion support products?".

[0155] "Product category 2" is a category that further subdivides products that belong to "Product category 1." In the example of Figure 5, "Excretion support products" includes products that belong to "Toilet sheets," "Manners care diapers," and "Toilets."

[0156] The "small question candidate" is a question candidate provided to the user, and indicates a question candidate that asks whether or not the user wants to ask a question about a product belonging to "product category 2". According to the example of FIG. 5, when the medium question #11 (for example, "Are you looking for an excretion care product?") is selected, the chatbot provides the user with three question candidates, such as the small question #111 (for example, "Are you looking for a toilet pet sheet?"), the medium question #112 (for example, "Are you looking for a manners care diaper?"), and the small question #113 (for example, "Are you looking for a toilet body?"). More specifically, in the example of FIG. 5, the chatbot provides these three question candidates in a state in which the user can select them. For example, when the user wants to search for recommendations among excretion care products, the user selects the most suitable question candidate among the three question candidates provided following the selection of the medium question #11. For example, by selecting the small question #111 following the medium question #11, the user can essentially ask the chatbot a question such as "Are there any recommendations among toilet sheets?".

[0157] "Product information" refers to information about a product that is an answer to a question received from a user. "Product information" includes an image of the product that is an answer to a question received from a user, a product identification code, detailed information, price information, and the like.

[0158] (Regarding the user information storage unit 122) The user information storage unit 122 stores information indicating the access mode. For example, the user information storage unit 122 stores information (information indicating the access mode) used to determine the terminal type of the accessing terminal device, whether the terminal device is a user terminal 10, a storefront terminal 30, or a store clerk terminal 50. Here, Fig. 6 shows an example of the user information storage unit 122 according to the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 6, the user information storage unit 122 has items such as "Terminal ID", "Transit URL", "OS Information", "Browser Information", "Location Information", "History Information", and "Terminal Information".

[0159] The “terminal ID” indicates identification information for identifying the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 .

[0160] The "transit URL" indicates what location information (URL) the accessing terminal device passed through to reach the information processing device 100. In other words, the "transit URL" indicates location information indicating the location of the destination passed through when the terminal device accessed the information processing device 100.

[0161] "OS information" indicates information related to the operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 (for example, the type of operating system).

[0162] "Browser information" indicates information related to the browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 (for example, the type of browser).

[0163] The "location information" is information that indicates the location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 at the time of access.

[0164] The "history information" is history information associated with a terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100. Examples of the "history information" include a browsing history, an operation history, and a chat history with a chatbot.

[0165] "Terminal information" is information about the type of terminal device identified by the "Terminal ID." For example, the "Terminal Information" is associated with a terminal type, such as a user terminal 10, a storefront terminal 30, or a store clerk terminal 50. Furthermore, the "Terminal Information" is determined based on at least one of information indicating the access mode, such as "Terminal ID," "Via URL," "OS Information," "Browser Information," "Location Information," and "History Information."

[0166] (Regarding the selection target storage unit 123) The selection target storage unit 123 specifies which of the different product contents provided as answers to questions should be selected as the content to be provided according to the access mode. An example of the selection target storage unit 123 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 7. In the example of Fig. 7, the selection target storage unit 123 has items such as "terminal type" and "content to be provided".

[0167] "Terminal type" indicates the terminal type determined for the accessing terminal device based on information indicating the access mode. "Content to be provided" indicates product content provided as an answer to a question, and indicates the content that specifies the content to be provided according to the determination result (terminal type) based on the access mode among different product contents.

[0168] In the example of Figure 7, when the terminal type is determined to be "user terminal 10," a condition is set to provide product content containing information for the customer (in a specified area) from three different types of product content, namely product content containing information for the customer, product content that is left blank and does not contain any information for the customer, and product content containing information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code).

[0169] In addition, in the example of Figure 7, when the terminal type is determined to be "in-store terminal 30", a condition is set to provide product content that does not include information for customers and leaves specified areas blank, out of three different types of product content: product content including information for customers, product content that does not include information for customers and is left blank, and product content including information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code).

[0170] In addition, the example in Figure 7 shows an example in which, when the terminal type is determined to be "store clerk terminal 50," the condition is set to provide product content including information for store clerks (in a specified area) out of three different types of product content, namely, product content including information for customers, product content that is left blank and does not include information for customers, and product content including information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code).

[0171] (Regarding the control unit 130) The control unit 130 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like, executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the information processing device 100 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 130 is also realized by an integrated circuit, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0172] As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 130 has a reception unit 131, an acquisition unit 132, a determination unit 133, a selection unit 134, a provision unit 135, and an output control unit 136, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of information processing described below. The internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 2, and may be other configurations as long as they perform information processing described below. Furthermore, the connection relationship between the processing units in the control unit 130 is not limited to the connection relationship shown in Fig. 2, and may be other connection relationships.

[0173] (Regarding the reception unit 131) The reception unit 131 receives access from a user (terminal device). In the example of Fig. 1, the reception unit 131 receives access via URL1 and access via URL2. In the example of Fig. 4, the reception unit 131 receives direct access from a terminal device.

[0174] (Regarding the acquisition unit 132) When the receiving unit 131 receives an access, the acquiring unit 132 acquires information indicating the access mode, such as the mode in which the user has accessed. For example, when the user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL1 by clicking on URL1, the acquiring unit 132 acquires URL1 as information indicating the access mode by tracing the redirect source corresponding to the access. Also, for example, when the user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL2 by clicking on URL2, the acquiring unit 132 acquires URL2 as information indicating the access mode by tracing the redirect source corresponding to the access.

[0175] That is, when an access from a terminal device is accepted, the acquiring unit 132 acquires location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device 100.

[0176] In addition, the acquisition unit 132 may acquire information regarding the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, information regarding the operation system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, information regarding the browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, and location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 at the time of access.

[0177] (Regarding the determination unit 133) The determination unit 133 determines whether or not a question about a product (e.g., pet supplies) has been received on the Q&A screen SC. When the determination unit 133 determines that a question about a product has been received, the determination unit 133 determines a product corresponding to the received question from among the candidate products to be provided. For example, the determination unit 133 determines a product corresponding to the received question from among the candidate products to be provided registered in the product information storage unit 121, and extracts the determined product from the product information storage unit 121 as a product to be traded.

[0178] (Regarding the selection unit 134) The selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided from among the contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents according to the access mode of the user. For example, the selection unit 134 selects the content according to the information indicating the access mode from among the contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents based on the information indicating the access mode acquired by the acquisition unit 132.

[0179] For example, the selection unit 134 selects from among candidates what kind of product content is to be provided as product content related to the product corresponding to the received question, based on the information indicating the access mode. For example, the selection unit 134 selects the product content to be provided by checking a predetermined rule base against the information indicating the access mode.

[0180] 1 to 3, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided from among the content related to the same transaction object, which is a content that displays the transaction object corresponding to the question as an answer regardless of the access mode (for example, the type of terminal device), and has different contents other than the transaction object (for example, information displayed in the area AR11-3) for each access mode, if the question received from the user is the same, as the content related to the same transaction object. For this reason, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided according to the access mode when the terminal device used by the user accesses the information processing device 100.

[0181] Also, for example, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided according to location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device passed when accessing the information processing device, as the access mode.

[0182] In addition, the selection unit 134 may select the content to be provided depending on the access mode, such as the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, the type of operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 at the time of access.

[0183] The method of selecting the content to be provided depending on the access mode will now be described in more detail.

[0184] Based on the access mode, the selection unit 134 determines whether the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is a user terminal 10 used by an individual user (user U1 in the example of FIG. 1) who may be a visitor to the physical store, a storefront terminal 30 installed in the physical store (store SH1 in the example of FIG. 1) for use by visitors at the storefront, or a clerk terminal 50 used by a user who is a clerk at the physical store (clerk CL1 in the example of FIG. 3). In the examples of FIGS. 1 and 3, the selection unit 134 performs this determination process in step S12. Note that this determination process may be performed by a processing unit other than the selection unit 134 (for example, a determination unit not shown).

[0185] Furthermore, the selection unit 134 selects, as the content to be provided, the content according to the determination result from among the contents (product contents defined for each terminal device in the selection target storage unit 123) whose contents differ for each access source terminal device.

[0186] According to the example in Fig. 1 (information processing pattern a), when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device 100 is the user terminal 10, it estimates that the user U1 (an example of a user who may be a visitor to the store SH1) is in a situation (context) where he or she is browsing content in a personal device environment. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the selection unit 134 selects product content including customer information, which is personal information of the user U1, as the product content to be provided.

[0187] 1 (information processing pattern b), when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device 100 is the in-store terminal 30, it estimates that the user U1 (an example of a user who has become a visitor by visiting the store SH1) is in a situation (context) where he or she is browsing content in a public device environment. Furthermore, by making this estimation, the selection unit 134 selects product content that does not include customer-oriented information, which is personal information of the user U1, as the product content to be provided.

[0188] 3 (information processing pattern c), when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device 100 is the store clerk terminal 50, it presumes that the store clerk CL1 (an example of a user who works as a store clerk at store SH1) is in a customer service situation (in a contemplative state). Based on this presumption, the selection unit 134 selects, as the content to be provided, the content that displays the identification information (product identification code) that identifies the product PD11 that is the answer to the question received from the user U1.

[0189] (Variations Related to Selection Unit 134) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the selection unit 134 selects, as the content to be provided, the product content according to the access mode from among three types of product content with different contents, such as product content including information for customers, product content that does not include information for customers and is left blank, and product content including information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code), and causes the product content to be provided. However, the selection unit 134 may select product content with further different contents as the content to be provided according to the access mode.

[0190] For example, when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is the user terminal 10, the selection unit 134 may select, as the content to be provided, a content that displays a memo function for adding any transaction object to a memorandum list among the transaction objects displayed as an answer to a question received from the user. As a result, the provision unit 135, which will be described later, provides a content that displays (in a specified area) a memo function for adding any transaction object to a memorandum list. This point will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0191] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the content to be provided. For example, in the case of the information processing pattern a in Fig. 1, the information processing device 100 can provide the product content C111 as shown in Fig. 8 as an answer on the Q&A screen SC, instead of the product content C11 shown in Fig. 1(a).

[0192] More specifically, it is assumed that the selection unit 134 has received an access from the user U1 and, based on information (URL1) indicating the access mode at that time, has determined that the terminal device of the user U1 who has accessed the server is a terminal device (i.e., the user terminal 10) used by a customer user.

[0193] 1, the selection unit 134 selects the product content including the information for the customer as the content to be provided according to the determination result. As a result, the providing unit 135 generates the product content C11 as the content to be provided, which includes the information for the customer in the area AR11-3, and provides the product content C11 as an answer on the Q&A screen SC.

[0194] However, the selection unit 134 may select, as the content to be provided, a product content in which a memo function for adding a product displayed as an answer to a question to a memo list is displayed (in a specified area). In this case, the provision unit 135 generates a product content C111 in which a memo function for leaving a product PD11 that is an answer to a question Q1 received from a user U1 as a shopping memo (i.e., adding the product to a shopping memo list) is displayed in an area AR11-3, as shown in Fig. 8, and provides the product content C111 on the Q&A screen SC.

[0195] According to the example of Figure 8, in area AR11-3 of product content C111 (an area in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode), instead of displaying promotional information (information for customers) specific to the individual user as in Figure 1(a), an add button BT11 is introduced for adding product PD11 to a specified memo list as a shopping memo.

[0196] In this state, for example, if the user U1 is interested in the product PD11 and wants to keep a note of it so as not to forget, the user U1 presses the add button BT11 to add the product PD11 to the shopping memo list.

[0197] The shopping memo list here may correspond to a memo application installed as standard in the user terminal 10, or may correspond to a memo application installed arbitrarily by the user U1. When the Add button BT11 is pressed, the user terminal 10 adds the product PD11 to a memo database deployed in the user terminal 10 as a shopping memo list. For example, when the Add button BT11 is pressed, the user terminal 10 stores various product information such as the product name and product identification code indicating the product PD11 in the memo database as one shopping memo.

[0198] Furthermore, when multiple products are provided as answers as in the example of FIG. 2, a memo function (add button) will be introduced for each product content corresponding to each product.

[0199] In this way, when the information processing device 100 determines that the accessing terminal device is the user terminal 10, it provides content having a memo function that allows the user to add the transaction object displayed as the answer to a memo list. According to such an information processing device 100, when the user finds a product that the user wants to purchase during a conversation with a chatbot, for example, the user can make a note of the product without forgetting. In this way, the information processing device 100 can further improve the usability of the chatbot.

[0200] (About the provider 135) The providing unit 135 provides information to a user who has accessed the site. For example, when a user operates a user terminal 10 and accesses the site by clicking on a specific URL, the providing unit 135 provides the Q&A screen SC to the user by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the user terminal 10. Also, for example, when a user operates a storefront terminal 30 and accesses the site by clicking on a specific URL, the providing unit 135 provides the Q&A screen SC to the user by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the storefront terminal 30.

[0201] Furthermore, when a question from a user is accepted, the providing unit 135 generates an answer to the accepted question and displays the generated answer in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC.

[0202] In addition, when a question about a product is received from a user, the providing unit 135 generates product content about the product corresponding to the question based on the information selected by the selecting unit 134 in response to the information indicating the access mode acquired by the acquiring unit 132.

[0203] For example, assume that, of two different product contents, namely, product contents including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" and product contents not including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users," the former is selected as the product content to be provided. In this case, the providing unit 135 generates product content related to the product corresponding to the question, which is the product content including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users," and displays this in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC as an answer to the question.

[0204] Also, for example, assume that, of two different product contents, namely, product contents including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users" and product contents not including "sales promotion information specialized for individual users", the latter content is selected as the product content to be provided. In this case, the providing unit 135 generates product content related to the product corresponding to the question, which does not include "sales promotion information specialized for individual users", and displays this in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC as an answer to the question.

[0205] Specifically, the providing unit 135 provides a Q&A screen SC as dialogue content in which a question about the transaction object received from a user and an answer to the question are displayed in a dialogue format. For example, when a question is received from a user via the Q&A screen SC, the providing unit 135 provides an answer corresponding to the received question via the Q&A screen. As a result, the providing unit 135 realizes a dialogue between the question and the answer in the Q&A screen SC.

[0206] Furthermore, the providing unit 135 may provide dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state so that the user can input an appropriate question regarding the transaction target. For example, the providing unit 135 may guide the user to an appropriate question by providing hierarchical question candidates (major question, medium question candidate, and medium question candidate) stored in the product information storage unit 121 in stages on the Q&A screen.

[0207] As described in Fig. 2, the providing unit 135 provides dialogue content in which an entire page constituting the dialogue content and an area included in the page in which a transaction object corresponding to a question received from a user is displayed as an answer are controlled to be scrollable in different directions. According to the example of Fig. 2, the providing unit 135 provides dialogue content in which an entire page constituting the dialogue content is controlled to be scrollable in the long dimension direction of the screen, and an area in which a transaction object is displayed as an answer is controlled to be scrollable in the short dimension direction of the screen.

[0208] (Regarding output control unit 136) It has been explained that the information processing device 100 may provide content having a memo function that allows the user to add the transaction object displayed as the answer to the memo list when it is determined that the accessing terminal device is the user terminal 10. In this case, when it is detected that a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to the memo list using the memo function has visited a physical store, the output control unit 136 can control the user terminal 10 of the user to output information about the transaction object added to the memo list. As an example of this, a case will be described in which a user U1 who added a product PD11 to the shopping memo list by pressing the add button BT11 actually visits a store SH1.

[0209] For example, if store SH1 is equipped with equipment (e.g., a beacon) for short-range wireless communication with user terminal 10, the information processing device 100 can detect the arrival of user U1 based on information obtained from the beacon.

[0210] Also, for example, the store SH1 may be provided with equipment at its front for accepting check-ins from customers. In such a case, the user U1 can check in by, for example, having this equipment read a specific QR code displayed on the user terminal 10, or by operating this equipment itself. Also, the information processing device 100 can detect the visit of the user U1 by managing the check-ins by customers.

[0211] Here, when it is actually detected that the user U1 has visited the store SH1, the output control unit 136 controls the user terminal 10 of the user U1 to output information about the product PD11 that has been added to the shopping memo list. For example, the output control unit 136 controls the user terminal 10 to output a notification encouraging the purchase of the product PD11. For example, the output control unit 136 can control the output via a browser, or, if a dedicated application is installed in the user terminal 10, can control the output via this app.

[0212] By using such output control, the information processing device 100 can effectively prevent the user from forgetting to buy something.

[0213] In addition, when the transaction object added to the memo list by the memo function is a product to be used in combination with a specific item, and the specific item has not been added to the memo list, the output control unit 136 further outputs proposal information proposing the specific item. This point will also be explained using the example of a user U1 who adds a product PD11 to the shopping memo list by pressing the add button BT11.

[0214] For example, since an Add button is included for each product content, in this example where the Add button BT11 of the product content C111 corresponding to the product PD11 is pressed, the output control unit 136 can recognize that the user U1 has added the product PD11 to the shopping memo list. For example, the output control unit 136 can manage the history of the adding operation to the shopping memo list for each user, and can thereby recognize that the user U1 has added the product PD11 to the shopping memo list.

[0215] Then, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that the user U1 has visited the store SH1, it judges whether or not the product PD11 is a product that should be used in combination with a predetermined item. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the product PD11 is an adult diaper. Here, there is a combination type of adult diaper that combines an outer pair of pants (called an outer) with an inner urination pad (called an inner) for use, and it is assumed that the product PD11 is the outer pair of pants. In such a case, the output control unit 136 refers to the memory unit and judges whether or not the urination pad that can be combined with the product PD11 has also been added to the shopping memo list.

[0216] For example, if the output control unit 136 determines that a urine pad that can be combined with the product PD11 has not been added to the shopping memo list, it controls the user terminal 10 to further output suggestion information suggesting the purchase of a urine pad.

[0217] Such output control allows the user to know what other products he or she must purchase in order to properly use the product he or she is currently purchasing.

[0218] In particular, when using chatbots on terminal devices to display and compare products, it can be difficult to understand products that are used in combination, such as innerwear and outerwear, because the products to be compared are mixed together. For example, when displaying four types of products, two types of innerwear and two types of outerwear, it may be difficult for users to determine whether the products are to be used in combination or whether four types of products that can be used together are being proposed, and users may think that they only need to purchase the outerwear, which may result in the outerwear not providing sufficient functionality by itself (leading to, for example, leakage of excretion), and it may not be possible to encourage users to purchase and use the correct products.

[0219] Therefore, when presenting products, it is necessary to make it clear that they are used in combination (for example, when presenting product content, always display information about combinations, present product content that combines products (for example, one product content contains information on multiple types of products to be combined) rather than presenting product content for each product), and in the unlikely event that only some of the products to be used in combination are registered on the list, it is possible to encourage users to purchase and use the correct products by suggesting the purchase of products that are not registered on the list to be used in combination.

[0220] Furthermore, when a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memo list using the memo function visits a physical store, the output control unit 136 may notify the store clerk terminal 50 used by the user who works as a store clerk in the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object. An example of this will be described using a case where a user U1 who added a product PD11 to a shopping memo list by pressing the add button BT11 actually visits a store SH1.

[0221] For example, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that user U1 has visited store SH1, it notifies the clerk terminal 50 of the clerk of store SH1 that a customer (i.e., user U1) has visited the store with the intention of purchasing product PD11 that has been added to the shopping memo list. For example, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that user U1 has visited store SH1, it identifies what products user U1 has added to the shopping memo list from the history of addition operations to the shopping memo list. In this example, the output control unit 136 identifies that user U1 has added product PD11 to the shopping memo list.

[0222] Then, the output control unit 136 notifies the store clerk terminal 50 of the store SH1 clerk that a customer has come to the store to purchase the product PD11. This output control allows the store clerk to understand the customer's purpose before speaking to the customer, thereby effectively increasing the opportunities for customer service.

[0223] 7. Processing Procedure Next, the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment.

[0224] First, the reception unit 131 determines whether or not an access from a user has been received. For example, the reception unit 131 determines whether or not an access via URL1 or URL2 has been received (step S101). While the reception unit 131 determines that an access from a user has not been received (step S101; No), the reception unit 131 waits until it can determine that an access from a user has been received.

[0225] On the other hand, when it is determined that the receiving unit 131 has received an access from a user (step S101; Yes), the acquiring unit 132 acquires information indicating the access mode, such as the mode in which the user has accessed (step S102). For example, when user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL1 by clicking on URL1, the acquiring unit 132 acquires URL1 as information indicating the access mode. Also, for example, when user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL2 by clicking on URL2, the acquiring unit 132 acquires URL2 as information indicating the access mode.

[0226] Furthermore, the selection unit 134 determines the type of the terminal device that has accessed based on the information indicating the access mode. For example, the selection unit 134 determines whether the terminal device that has accessed is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., the user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor who visits a physical store (i.e., the in-store terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk at the physical store (i.e., the clerk terminal 50), based on the information indicating the access mode.

[0227] Although not shown, the providing unit 135 also provides the Q&A screen SC to the access source user by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the terminal device of the access source user (step S103).

[0228] In this state, the determination unit 133 determines whether or not a question about a product (e.g., a pet product) has been accepted on the Q&A screen SC (step S104). While the determination unit 133 determines that a question about the product has not been accepted (step S104; No), the determination unit 133 waits until it can determine that a question about the product has been accepted.

[0229] On the other hand, when the determination unit 133 determines that a question about a product has been received (step S104; Yes), the determination unit 133 determines a product corresponding to the received question from among the candidate products to be provided. For example, the determination unit 133 determines a product corresponding to the received question from among the candidate products to be provided registered in the product information storage unit 121 (step S105).

[0230] When the product to be traded is determined by the determination unit 133, the selection unit 134 selects product content to be provided from product content related to the product to be traded and having different contents according to the access mode of the access source user (step S106). For example, based on information indicating the access mode acquired by the acquisition unit 132, the selection unit 134 selects product content according to the information indicating the access mode from product content related to the product to be traded and having different contents.

[0231] For example, when the selection unit 134 determines that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., the user terminal 10) used by a customer user, it can be estimated that the accessing user is in a situation where the content can be viewed in a personal device environment. In this case, the selection unit 134 selects the product content including the customer information as the product content to be provided.

[0232] On the other hand, when the selection unit 134 determines that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., the in-store terminal 30) used by a customer who visits the brick-and-mortar store, it can be estimated that the accessing user is viewing content in a public device environment. In this case, the selection unit 134 selects product content that does not include customer-oriented information as the product content to be provided.

[0233] Furthermore, on the other hand, when the selection unit 134 determines that the accessed terminal device is a terminal device used by a store clerk (i.e., the store clerk terminal 50), it can be estimated that the store clerk is currently serving a customer. In this case, the selection unit 134 selects, as the product content to be provided, a product content including a product identification code that is identification information capable of identifying the inventory status or purchasing status of the product.

[0234] When the selection unit 134 selects from among the candidates what kind of product content is to be provided as the product content to be provided, the providing unit 135 generates the product content to be provided based on the selected information. Then, the providing unit 135 provides the generated product content to the accessing user by displaying it in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC as an answer to a question (step S107).

[0235] 8. Modifications The above-described information processing device 100 may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiment. Therefore, modifications of the embodiment will be described below.

[0236] [8-1. Guidance to related parties] In the above embodiment, the information processing device 100 selects the product content to be provided according to the access mode of the user, and provides the selected product content to the user. Here, the providing unit 135 may generate product content with a link to the introduction content in which a product in the same field as the product indicated by the selected product content (the product to be traded) or a product similar to the product indicated by the selected product content is introduced as a recommended product, and display this as an answer.

[0237] In addition, the providing unit 135 may generate product content with a link to a question board regarding the subject for which the product indicated by the selected product content is to be used (in the case of a pet product, the pet for which the pet product is to be used) and display this as an answer.

[0238] Furthermore, the providing unit 135 may control whether or not to paste such a link depending on the access mode of the user. For example, the providing unit 135 may paste the relevant link when the information indicating the access mode is URL1, and may not paste the relevant link when the information indicating the access mode is URL2. This can improve usability for users who want to carefully consider whether or not to purchase a product, taking into account related products and product reputations.

[0239] [8-2. Product introduction using AR technology] For example, among the products to be traded, those handled by store SH1 can be answered in the form of product content on the Q&A screen SC, thereby enhancing the advertising effect. Here, as a measure to further enhance the advertising effect at the store, among the products to be traded, those handled by store SH1 may be arranged so that various information is superimposed on the captured image of the relevant product by AR technology via the store terminal 30 (which may be the user terminal 10).

[0240] For this reason, when the product shown in the selected product content supports AR technology, the providing unit 135 may display, in the product content, a button for launching a predetermined application that superimposes various information on a captured image of the product. For example, when the information indicating the access mode is URL1, the providing unit 135 generates product content in which the button is not displayed, and when the information indicating the access mode is URL2, the providing unit 135 generates product content in which the button is displayed. This allows, for example, a user who actually visits a store and is interested in the product to virtually experience the product, thereby creating a high advertising effect.

[0241] [8-3. Providing information using location information] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may select the content to be provided, depending on the location of the access source, such as the location from which the user accessed, as the access mode of the user. Specifically, the information processing device 100 may select the content to be provided depending on information indicating the location from which the user accessed, as information indicating the access mode (i.e., the user's location information). For example, when the location information indicates that the user is accessing from a specific store, the information processing device 100 selects the content to be provided, the content of which includes information on products handled at the specific store. This point will be described using the example of FIG. 1.

[0242] For example, when the reception unit 131 receives access from the user U1, the acquisition unit 132 acquires location information indicating the current location of the user as information indicating the access mode of the user U1. For example, when the reception unit 131 receives access from the user U1, the acquisition unit 132 acquires location information detected by a GPS sensor included in the user terminal 10 of the user U1.

[0243] In addition, in this state, the determination unit 133 accepts a question about the product from the user U1 and determines the product PD11 as the product corresponding to the question. Then, the selection unit 134 determines whether the user U1 is accessing from the store SH1 (an example of a predetermined store) based on the location information by the acquisition unit 132. For example, when the selection unit 134 determines that the user U1 is accessing from the store SH1, it selects a product content including location information indicating the location of the product PD11 in the store SH1 as the product content to be provided. Examples of such location information include a store map of the store SH1 indicating the location of the product PD11 and a captured image showing an object (e.g., a signboard or advertisement) that serves as a landmark for the location where the PD11 is placed.

[0244] Then, the providing unit 135 generates the product content C11 in which the location information is displayed in the area AR11-3, and displays the product content C11 including the location information as an answer on the Q&A screen SC.

[0245] According to such an information processing device 100, in a situation where a user has a question about a product in a specific store, i.e., in a situation where it is highly likely that the user is searching for a product in a specific store, the location of the product can be notified, thereby guiding the user to the product and, as a result, encouraging the user to make a purchase.

[0246] [8-4. Advertising] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may provide advertisements related to products based on the user's degree of interest in each product corresponding to each product content provided as an answer. For example, the selection unit 134 can analyze the user's degree of interest in each product for each product based on the tendency of the user's behavior (e.g., the selection behavior of selecting the product content) for each product provided as an answer. As an example, the selection unit 134 calculates a higher degree of interest in a product content that is selected more frequently by users, and analyzes that a product with a higher degree of interest is a product that is more likely to attract attention (a popular product).

[0247] For example, it is assumed that the selection unit 134 calculates the highest degree of interest in the product PD11 among the products corresponding to each product content provided as an answer. In this case, the selection unit 134 judges the product PD11 to be a popular product compared to other products, and selects advertisement content related to the product PD11 from among the advertisement content candidates to be provided. Furthermore, the provision unit 135 displays the advertisement content selected by the selection unit 134 on the in-store terminal 30, but does not display it on the user terminal 10.

[0248] According to such an information processing device 100, it is possible to advertise products that attract the interest of many users to users who are more likely to make purchases (for example, users who visit the store SH1 and operate the in-store terminal 30), thereby improving the effectiveness of advertising. Also, according to such an information processing device 100, it is possible to control so that advertisements more than necessary are not provided to users who do not need advertisements (for example, users who operate the user terminal 10).

[0249] [8-5. Question selection using video] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the providing unit 135 provides dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state. Specifically, an example has been shown in which the providing unit 135 provides question candidates (e.g., question candidates in a hierarchical relationship) in the dialogue content to guide the user to an appropriate question.

[0250] However, if the question candidates are simply provided in text, it may be difficult for the user to specifically imagine the usage of the transaction object (product) targeted by the question candidate, and the user may be unsure which question candidate to select. For example, assume that two question candidates are provided, such as "Is your pet food wet?" or "Is your pet food dry?" In this case, a user who is not familiar with pet food may not know what wet and dry foods are, and may not be able to specifically imagine the usage of the food, resulting in the user being unsure which of the two question candidates to select.

[0251] For this reason, the providing unit 135 may provide dialogue content in which question candidates configured by combining a moving image that specifically imagines the usage situation of the transaction target with a predetermined option are displayed. Specifically, the providing unit 135 provides question candidates configured by combining a moving image that specifically imagines the usage situation of the product with a predetermined option in the Q&A screen SC. In addition, as such a moving image, a moving image with a text showing the content of the question superimposed thereon, or a moving image in which the content of the question is expressed as a movement (for example, in the form of a quiz) is considered as such a moving image. This point will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a question candidate configured by a moving image and an option.

[0252] FIG. 10(a) shows an example in which the providing unit 135 provides a video VD1 on the Q&A screen SC, on which a question such as "Is the food you are using wet type?" is superimposed and which shows the appearance of the wet type food and the usage situation of the wet type food. The playback time of the video VD1 is not limited, but a playback time of about several seconds that does not cause the user to leave is preferable. Then, as the playback of the video VD1 progresses, two options are displayed in the form of buttons, as shown in FIG. 10(a). Specifically, a selection button CBT11 for selecting "Yes" and a selection button CBT12 for selecting "No" are displayed.

[0253] In this example, if the user wants to ask about what kinds of wet food products are available, he or she presses the selection button CBT11, and if the user is not interested in wet food (if the user wants to ask about what kinds of dry food products are available), he or she presses the selection button CBT12. By providing question candidates using videos in this way, the user can easily imagine the appearance and usage of the product targeted by the question candidate, and therefore can ask the chatbot an appropriate question.

[0254] Meanwhile, Fig. 10(b) shows another example of a question candidate configured by combining a moving image that evokes an image of a product's usage and a selection option. Fig. 10(b) shows an example in which the providing unit 135 provides, on the Q&A screen SC, a moving image VD2 that combines two types of moving images, a moving image VD21 showing the appearance of wet food and the usage of wet food, and a moving image VD22 showing the appearance of dry food and the usage of dry food. Also, according to the example of Fig. 10(b), an example is shown in which a question such as "The food you are using is wet, right?" is superimposed on the moving image VD2.

[0255] In this state, as the playback of the video VD1 progresses, two options are displayed in the form of buttons, as shown in Fig. 10(b). According to the example of Fig. 10(b), a selection button CBT21 for selecting "Yes" is displayed first, and then the display switches to a selection button CBT22 for selecting "No."

[0256] As the playback progresses, both the selection button CBT21 and the selection button CBT22 are displayed. At this point, each of the selection buttons CBT21 and CBT22 is activated so that either the selection button CBT21 or the selection button CBT22 can be pressed.

[0257] In this example, the user can compare the differences between wet food and dry food in terms of appearance and usage, carefully consider which product to ask about, and then press either the selection button CBT21 or the selection button CBT22. As a result, the user can ask the chatbot an appropriate question.

[0258] [9. Others] Among the above-mentioned processes, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically may be performed manually. Also, all or part of the processes described as being performed manually may be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings may be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

[0259] In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure. Furthermore, each component may be configured by distributing and integrating functionally or physically in any unit, in whole or in part, depending on various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, each process described above may be executed in appropriate combination within a range that does not contradict.

[0260] [10. Hardware Configuration] Moreover, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment described above is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 11, for example. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and a calculation device 1030, a cache 1040, a memory 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

[0261] The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in a cache 1040 or memory 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, etc., and executes various processes. The cache 1040 is a cache such as a RAM that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The memory 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is a memory realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, etc.

[0262] The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various types of information, such as a monitor or a printer, and may be realized by a connector conforming to a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), or HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). On the other hand, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020, such as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, etc., and is realized by, for example, a USB.

[0263] For example, the input device 1020 may be realized by a device that reads information from an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, etc. The input device 1020 may also be realized by an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

[0264] The network IF 1080 has a function of receiving data from other devices via the network N and sending it to the arithmetic device 1030, and also has a function of transmitting data generated by the arithmetic device 1030 to other devices via the network N.

[0265] Here, the arithmetic device 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic device 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the memory 1050 onto the cache 1040 and executes the loaded program. For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100, the arithmetic device 1030 of the computer 1000 executes the program loaded onto the cache 1040 to realize the function of the control unit 130. [Explanation of symbols]

[0266] 1. Information Processing Systems 10 User terminal 30 Point of sale terminal 50 Store clerk terminal 100 Information processing device 120 Storage section 121 Product information storage section 130 Control section 131 Reception 132 Acquisition Department 133 Decision Section 134 Selection section 135 Provision Department 136 Output control section

Claims

1. a selection unit that selects, when the accessing terminal device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, a content including predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided from among contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents, and selects, when the accessing terminal device is a storefront terminal installed in the brick-and-mortar store for use by visitors at the storefront, a content not including the predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided; a providing unit that provides the content selected by the selecting unit to the terminal device; 13. An information processing device comprising:

2. The selection unit selects the content to be provided from among contents including information on the transaction object corresponding to the received question.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The selection unit selects the content to be provided according to location information indicating a location of a destination via which the information processing device is accessed.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

4. The selection unit selects the content to be provided according to a type of a terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, a type of an operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, a type of a browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, history information associated with the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device at the time of access.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device is a computer.

5. The selection unit determines whether the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may become a visitor to the physical store, a store terminal installed in the physical store for use by visitors at the store, or a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store, and selects content according to the determination result as the content to be provided.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

6. When the selection unit determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, the selection unit selects, as the content to be provided, content whose content corresponds to a context estimated for a user who may become a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, whereas when the selection unit determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the in-store terminal, the selection unit selects, as the content to be provided, content whose content corresponds to a context estimated for a user who has become a visitor by visiting the brick-and-mortar store.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

7. When the selection unit determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, the selection unit selects, as the content to be provided, a content having a memo function for adding an arbitrary transaction object to a memorandum list from among the transaction objects displayed as an answer to the question received from the user.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

8. The system further includes an output control unit that controls the user terminal to output information about the transaction object added to the memo list when it is detected that the user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to the memo list using the memo function has visited a physical store.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

9. The output control unit further outputs proposal information that proposes a specific item when the transaction object added to the memo list by the memo function is a product used in combination with a specific item and when the specific item has not been added to the memo list.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8,

10. When a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memorandum list using the memo function visits the physical store, the output control unit notifies a store clerk terminal used by the user who is a store clerk at the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

11. When the selection unit determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk in a physical store, the selection unit selects, as the content to be provided, a content including identification information that identifies a transaction object displayed as an answer to a question received from the user.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

12. The identification information is information that is uniquely linked to the inventory status or purchasing status of the transaction object in the physical store.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 .

13. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a selection step of selecting, when the accessing terminal device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, a content including predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided from among the contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents, and selecting, when the accessing terminal device is a storefront terminal installed in the brick-and-mortar store for use by visitors at the storefront, a content not including the predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided; a providing step of providing the content selected by the selection step to the terminal device; 13. An information processing method comprising:

14. a selection step of selecting, as the content to be provided, content including predetermined information for customers among content related to the same transaction object but with different contents, when the accessing terminal device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, and selecting, as the content to be provided, content not including the predetermined information for customers, when the accessing terminal device is a storefront terminal installed in the brick-and-mortar store for use by visitors at the storefront; a providing step of providing the content selected by the selection step to the terminal device; An information processing program for causing a computer to execute the above.

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