CONTROL METHOD, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, PROGRAM, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD

Abstract

To further achieve improvement.SOLUTION: An information providing method includes: acquiring, from a first communication terminal of a first user via a network, i) a request for an advertisement corresponding to a store and ii) a first notification indicating that a beacon signal including a device ID specifying a beacon signal transmitter disposed in the store has been received from the beacon signal transmitter; generating privileged advertisement information based on limited product information, a request for a purchasing menu, and the first notification; and outputting the privileged advertisement information to the first communication terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a store management system connected to a store terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, a service has been proposed that notifies a user of advertisements from a store to the mobile terminal of the user who is in the store. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an advertisement providing system that realizes push notification of advertisements at a frequency appropriate for the user and that maintains the effectiveness of the advertisements. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-37574 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 required further improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information providing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information providing method in a store management system connected to a store terminal, which obtains limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal from the store terminal via a network, and obtains from a first communication terminal of a first user via the network i) an advertising request corresponding to the store and ii) a first notification that a beacon signal including a device ID identifying the beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter installed in the store has been received, the beacon signal being received by the first communication terminal within a reception range of the beacon signal, the first communication terminal that received the beacon signal identifying the store based on the device ID, and based on the limited product information, the advertising request, and the first notification, generating advertising information with a benefit for the store including the limited product, and outputting the advertising information with a benefit to the first communication terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0006] Further improvements can be achieved according to the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of an information providing system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding a beacon signal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a store dictionary. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a store dictionary. [Figure 6] 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an initial screen of an operator X application. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a screen diagram showing an example of a standard advertisement. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a screen diagram showing an example of an advertisement with a bonus. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement screen displayed on a display device. [Figure 13] 5 is a flowchart showing details of processing by the information providing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of the information providing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of the information providing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing of an information providing system according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] (Background to this disclosure) In stores, there are cases where limited products are available for a limited remaining time or for a limited time period (hereinafter referred to as "available time"). For example, a supermarket may sell unsold products at a special price just before closing time, or food products that have arrived today may be sold at a special price for a limited time period.

[0009] Some supermarkets also offer a service where they accept orders from users outside the store via mobile terminals and deliver freshly prepared prepared foods or lunch boxes to the users when they come to the store. Even if the user cancels the food after ordering, it is expected that food waste can be prevented by selling such food at a special price as a limited-edition product rather than discarding it.

[0010] Patent Document 1 discloses a method of displaying a push notification of an advertisement on the display of an information terminal that receives a beacon signal from a store. However, in Patent Document 1, the advertisement displayed on the display of the information terminal is merely an electronic version of a paper advertisement, and there is room for further improvement in notifying limited products.

[0011] Patent Document 1 also discloses that a push notification of an advertisement is displayed on the display of an information terminal on the condition that a notification waiting time has elapsed since a user who owns the information terminal entered a shopping mall. However, in Patent Document 1, the advertisement is not notified to the user unless the notification waiting time has elapsed since the user entered the shopping mall, so the user cannot be notified of limited products in a timely manner, and there is room for further improvement.

[0012] Based on the above findings, the present inventors have come up with the following aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] An information providing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information providing method in a store management system connected to a store terminal, which obtains limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal from the store terminal via a network, and obtains from a first communication terminal of a first user via the network i) an advertising request corresponding to the store and ii) a first notification that a beacon signal including a device ID identifying the beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter installed in the store has been received, the beacon signal being received by the first communication terminal within a reception range of the beacon signal, the first communication terminal that received the beacon signal identifying the store based on the device ID, and based on the limited product information, the advertising request, and the first notification, generating advertising information with a benefit for the store including the limited product, and outputting the advertising information with a benefit to the first communication terminal.

[0014] According to this configuration, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time is acquired via the network, and advertising information with benefits including the limited products is displayed to people within the receiving area of ​​the beacon signal from the store.

[0015] This makes it possible to provide information about limited products, which changes from moment to moment depending on stock or time, to people in or near the store in a timely manner via the first communication terminal.

[0016] When the limited-edition product is a food item whose commercial value decreases significantly over time, such as a bento box lunch close to its expiration date, the present disclosure provides the following effects.

[0017] That is, by displaying an advertisement including the limited-edition product via the first communication terminal to people who are near the store and within the receiving area of ​​the beacon signal from the store and who are highly likely to be able to receive the limited-edition product immediately, food waste of food provided by the store can be reduced. If the limited-edition product is inexpensive, the user can obtain the limited-edition product at a low price.

[0018] According to this configuration, the advertisement information is generated in response to a request from the first user for an advertisement corresponding to the store, and is output to the first communication terminal. Therefore, the advertisement is prevented from being displayed on the first communication terminal against the user's will, and the user can be prevented from being annoyed.

[0019] In this configuration, the request for advertisement corresponding to the store shown in i) and the first notification indicating that a beacon signal including a device ID for identifying a beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter arranged in the store shown in ii) have been received do not necessarily have to be separated into two. For example, i) and ii) may be indicated by specific information indicating that, when a limited-edition product is in stock at the store, advertising information with a special offer including the limited-edition product is requested to be transmitted to the first communication terminal.

[0020] In the above information providing method, sold-out information indicating that the limited item has been sold out at the store is obtained from the store terminal, and a second notification is obtained from a second communication terminal of a second user, indicating that i) the advertising request corresponding to the store and ii) a beacon signal including a device ID identifying the beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter installed in the store has been received, the beacon signal is received by the second communication terminal within a reception range of the beacon signal, the second communication terminal that received the beacon signal identifies the store based on the device ID, and standard advertising information for the store that does not include the limited item is output to the second communication terminal based on the sold-out information, the advertising request, and the second notification.

[0021] According to this configuration, when there is an advertisement request from a user near a store and a user in the store, if the limited-edition product is sold out, an advertisement not including the limited-edition product is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent advertisement information with benefits from being displayed even if the limited-edition product is sold out.

[0022] In the above information providing method, the advertising request corresponding to the store may be obtained from a third communication terminal of a third user, and when the third communication terminal is not within a receiving range of the beacon signal, standard advertising information for the store that does not include the limited product may be output to the third communication terminal based on the limited product information and the advertising request.

[0023] In recent years, the environment has become such that various products can be purchased via the Internet, and so users have fewer opportunities to visit physical stores.

[0024] In this configuration, when providing information through a communication terminal, it is possible to distinguish between people who have actually visited the store and people who have not, and provide special information to those who have actually visited the store and not to those who have not. This makes it possible to motivate users to visit a physical store by intentionally setting up a border in the borderless world of the web.

[0025] In addition, although Patent Document 1 describes that an advertisement is displayed on an information terminal that receives a beacon signal from a store, it does not describe how an advertisement for the store is displayed on an information terminal that does not receive a beacon signal from the store. Therefore, Patent Document 1 cannot achieve the above-mentioned effect.

[0026] In the above information provision method, a monitor connected to the store terminal may be placed in the store, and the limited product information may be obtained from the store terminal in synchronization with output of a first instruction from the store terminal to the monitor to display the limited product information.

[0027] According to this configuration, when limited product information is announced through a monitor within the store, the limited product information can be quickly acquired by the store management system, preventing a time lag in acquiring limited product information between the store terminal and the store management system.

[0028] In the above information provision method, a monitor connected to the store terminal may be placed in the store, and the sold-out information may be obtained from the store terminal in synchronization with the store terminal outputting a second instruction to the monitor to erase the display of the limited product information.

[0029] According to this configuration, when limited product information is erased from a monitor within a store, this can be quickly notified to the store management system, preventing a time lag in the deletion of limited product information between the store terminal and the store management system.

[0030] In the above information providing method, the time during which the product can be sold may be shorter than 24 hours.

[0031] According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent products whose freshness has deteriorated from being treated as limited items.

[0032] An information providing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is an information providing method in a store management system connected to a store terminal, which obtains limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal from the store terminal via a network, and obtains from a first communication terminal of a first user via the network i) an advertising request corresponding to the store and ii) a first notification that a beacon signal including a device ID identifying the beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter installed in the store has been received, the beacon signal being received by the first communication terminal within a reception range of the beacon signal, the first communication terminal that received the beacon signal identifies the store based on the device ID, and based on the limited product information, generates advertising information with a benefit for the store including the limited product, and outputs the advertising information with a benefit to the first communication terminal based on the advertising request and the first notification.

[0033] According to this configuration, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time is obtained via the network, and an advertisement including the limited product is displayed to people within the receiving area of ​​the beacon signal from the store.

[0034] This makes it possible to provide information about limited-edition products, which change from moment to moment depending on stock or time, to people in or near the store in a timely manner via information terminals.

[0035] According to this configuration, the advertisement information is generated in response to a request from the first user for an advertisement corresponding to the store, and is output to the first communication terminal. Therefore, the advertisement information is prevented from being displayed on the first communication terminal against the user's will, and the user can be prevented from being annoyed.

[0036] Furthermore, according to this configuration, the advertisement information with the special benefit is generated in advance based on the limited product information, and the advertisement information with the special benefit can be output based on the advertisement request and the first notification. Therefore, the advertisement information with the special benefit only needs to be created once, and the effort of creating the advertisement information with the special benefit can be saved.

[0037] In this configuration, the advertisement request shown in i) and the first notification shown in ii) do not necessarily have to be divided into two, as described above.

[0038] In the above information providing method, sold-out information indicating that the limited item has been sold out at the store is obtained from the store terminal, and a second notification is obtained from a second communication terminal of a second user, indicating that i) the advertising request corresponding to the store and ii) a beacon signal including a device ID identifying the beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter installed in the store has been received, the beacon signal is received by the second communication terminal within a reception range of the beacon signal, the second communication terminal that received the beacon signal identifies the store based on the device ID, and standard advertising information for the store that does not include the limited item is output to the second communication terminal based on the sold-out information, the advertising request, and the second notification.

[0039] According to this configuration, when there is an advertisement request from a user near a store and a user in the store, if the limited-edition product is sold out, a standard advertisement that does not include the limited-edition product is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an advertisement with a special benefit from being displayed even if the limited-edition product is sold out.

[0040] In the above information providing method, the advertising request corresponding to the store may be obtained from a third communication terminal of a third user, and when the third communication terminal is not within a receiving range of the beacon signal, standard advertising information for the store that does not include the limited product may be output to the third communication terminal based on the limited product information and the advertising request.

[0041] According to this configuration, when providing information through a communication terminal, it is possible to distinguish between people who have actually visited the store and people who have not, and provide special information to those who have actually visited the store and not to those who have not. This makes it possible to motivate users to visit a physical store by intentionally setting up a border in the borderless world of the web.

[0042] In the above information provision method, a monitor connected to the store terminal may be placed in the store, and the limited product information may be obtained from the store terminal in synchronization with output of a first instruction from the store terminal to the monitor to display the limited product information.

[0043] According to this configuration, when limited product information is announced through a monitor within the store, the limited product information can be quickly acquired by the store management system, preventing a time lag in acquiring limited product information between the store terminal and the store management system.

[0044] In the above information provision method, a monitor connected to the store terminal may be placed in the store, and the sold-out information may be obtained from the store terminal in synchronization with the store terminal outputting a second instruction to the monitor to erase the display of the limited product information.

[0045] According to this configuration, when limited product information is erased from a monitor within a store, this can be quickly notified to the store management system, preventing a time lag in the deletion of limited product information between the store terminal and the store management system.

[0046] In the above information providing method, the time during which the product can be sold may be shorter than 24 hours.

[0047] According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent products whose freshness has deteriorated from being treated as limited items.

[0048] A control method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a control method executed in a communication terminal that communicates with a store management system connected to a store terminal, in which the store management system acquires limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal from the store terminal via a network, outputs an advertising request corresponding to a first store to the store management system via the network, and acquires first advertising information representing a standard advertisement for the first store and second advertising information representing an advertisement with a special benefit for the first store that includes the limited product in the standard advertisement in response to the advertising request, the second advertising information is generated in the store management system using the limited product information, detects a beacon signal transmitted from a first beacon signal transmitter arranged in the first store, and if the beacon signal is not detected, displays the standard advertisement for the store represented by the first advertising information on a display of the communication terminal, and if the beacon signal transmitted from the first beacon signal transmitter is detected, displays the advertisement with a special benefit for the store represented by the second advertising information on the display of the communication terminal.

[0049] According to this configuration, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time is obtained via the network, and an advertisement including the limited product is displayed to people within the receiving area of ​​the beacon signal from the store.

[0050] This makes it possible to provide information about limited-edition products, which change from moment to moment depending on stock or time, to people in or near the store in a timely manner via information terminals.

[0051] Also, standard advertisements are displayed to people outside the area where the store's beacon signal can be received. This makes it possible to distinguish between people who have actually visited the store and people who have not, and provide special information to those who have actually visited the store and not to those who have not. This creates a border in the borderless world of the web, and motivates users to visit physical stores.

[0052] According to this configuration, the advertisement information is generated in response to a request from the first user for an advertisement corresponding to the store, and is output to the first communication terminal. Therefore, the advertisement is prevented from being displayed on the first communication terminal against the user's will, and the user can be prevented from being annoyed.

[0053] In the above control method, the detected beacon signal may include a device ID that identifies a beacon signal transmitter that emitted the detected beacon signal, and a store in which the beacon signal transmitter is installed may be identified based on the device ID, and if the identified store matches the first store, it may be determined that the detected beacon signal was emitted from the first beacon signal transmitter, and an advertisement with a special benefit for the store represented by the second advertising information may be displayed on a display of the terminal device.

[0054] According to this configuration, an advertisement with a special benefit from the first store can be displayed to people within a receiving area of ​​a beacon signal from the first store.

[0055] In the above control method, if the identified store does not match the first store, it may be determined that the detected beacon signal was transmitted from a second beacon signal transmitter installed in a second store other than the first store, and a standard advertisement for the first store represented by the first advertising information may be displayed on the display of the communication terminal.

[0056] According to this configuration, the standard advertisement of the first store can be displayed to people outside the reception area of ​​the beacon signal from the first store.

[0057] Each process of the above control method may be implemented in a communication terminal, a program, and a recording medium.

[0058] According to these configurations, it is possible to provide a communication terminal that executes the above-mentioned control method, a program that executes the above-mentioned control method, and a recording medium that stores the program.

[0059] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information provision system according to the first embodiment. The information provision system includes an information terminal 100, a management server 200 (an example of a store management system), and an operation system 300. The information terminal 100, the management server 200, and the operation system 300 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network NT. The network NT is formed of a wide area communication network including, for example, the Internet and a mobile phone communication network. The information terminal 100 is an example of a first communication terminal, a second communication terminal, and a third communication terminal.

[0060] The information terminal 100 is configured with a portable information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The information terminal 100 is owned by a user to whom a service of the business operator X is provided. This service is a service that causes advertisements for products sold by a store of the business operator X to be displayed on the information terminal 100. Application software of the business operator X (hereinafter referred to as a business operator X application) is installed on the information terminal 100. The business operator X application is application software for providing the business operator X's service to the user.

[0061] The management server 200 is a cloud server configured with one or more computers. The management server 200 manages the types and stock of products sold by the business entity X at each store, generates advertisement information, and displays it on the information terminal 100.

[0062] Store A and store B belong to business operator X. Business operator X is a company that manages store A and store B. In this embodiment, business operator X is a business that operates a chain of retail stores such as supermarkets. Therefore, store A and store B are stores that belong to the supermarket chain operated by business operator X. In the example of FIG. 1, two stores, store A and store B, are shown, but this is just one example, and business operator X may operate three or more stores, or may operate only one store. Note that the business operated by business operator X is not limited to a supermarket, and may be a business that manufactures and sells bento lunches, a ready-meal business that manufactures and sells prepared foods, or a fast food business. In this embodiment, the products sold by the stores may include, for example, fresh foods such as vegetables, fruits, seafood, and meat, as well as beverages such as coffee, fruit juice, and tea, hamburgers, sushi, bento lunches, and prepared foods.

[0063] There is one or more operating systems 300 corresponding to each store. In the example of Fig. 1, two operating systems 300 are shown corresponding to stores A and B, respectively. The operating system 300 is installed in the store corresponding to itself, and manages products and employees in the corresponding store.

[0064] The operating system 300 includes a store terminal 310, a display device 320 (an example of a monitor), and a beacon signal transmitter 330. The store terminal 310 is composed of, for example, a desktop computer or a portable information processing device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, and manages products and employees in the store that corresponds to it. The store terminal 310 is connected to the management server 200 via the network NT, and transmits information such as the number of products in stock sold by the store to the management server 200 as needed. The store terminal 310 generates or accepts information to be displayed on the display device 320, and displays the information by outputting it to the display device 320.

[0065] The display device 320 is configured with, for example, a large-screen display device installed at a storefront, and presents various information to users who visit the store. For example, the display device 320 displays a screen showing an advertisement for limited-edition products as shown in FIG. 12 under the control of the store terminal 310. Furthermore, when the limited-edition product is sold out, the display device 320 may display information indicating that fact. In this embodiment, the saleable time for the limited-edition product is shorter than 24 hours. The saleable time may be, for example, shorter than 12 hours, shorter than 6 hours, shorter than 3 hours, shorter than 1 hour, shorter than 30 minutes, shorter than 15 minutes, shorter than 10 minutes, or shorter than 5 minutes.

[0066] The beacon signal transmitter 330 is installed in the store and transmits a beacon signal. For example, a plurality of beacon signal transmitters 330 are arranged in the store or around the store so that the communication range covers the main area or all areas in the store and / or an area within a certain range around the store. A signal conforming to Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be adopted as the beacon signal. However, this is only one example, and an infrared beacon signal may be adopted as the beacon signal, or a wireless communication method called LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) that covers a relatively wide area with low power consumption may be adopted, or a cellular network for mobile phones may be adopted.

[0067] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the information providing system according to Embodiment 1. The information terminal 100 includes a communication unit 101, a memory 102, a short-range communication unit 103, a calculation unit 104, a display 105, and an operation unit 106.

[0068] The communication unit 101 is composed of, for example, a communication circuit for connecting the information terminal 100 to the network NT. The communication unit 101 transmits, to the management server 200, for example, a store ID of a store where the user desires to display an advertisement, a beacon OK indicating that the beacon signal has been received at the store or a beacon NG indicating that the beacon signal has not been received at the store, and an advertisement request for which the user desires to obtain advertisement information.

[0069] The memory 102 is configured by a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory. The memory 102 stores a store dictionary for identifying the store in which the beacon signal transmitter 330 is installed from the device ID of the beacon signal transmitter 330 contained in the beacon signal, for example.

[0070] The short-distance communication unit 103 is configured with a communication circuit for performing short-distance communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. The short-distance communication unit 103 receives a beacon signal transmitted from a beacon signal transmitter 330.

[0071] The calculation unit 104 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, and is responsible for the overall control of the information terminal 100. When the detection result of the beacon signal by the short-range communication unit 103 is, for example, Unknown as shown in Fig. 3, the calculation unit 104 determines that the beacon signal has not been received, and when the detection result is other than Unknown, the calculation unit 104 determines that the beacon signal has been received. For example, the calculation unit 104 performs a process of identifying a store corresponding to a device ID included in a beacon signal received by the short-range communication unit 103 by referring to a store dictionary stored in the memory 102.

[0072] The display 105 is configured with a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, etc. The display 105 displays advertisements for the store. The operation unit 106 is configured with a touch panel, for example, and receives instructions from the user.

[0073] The management server 200 includes a communication unit 201, a calculation unit 202, and a memory 203. The communication unit 201 is configured with a communication circuit that connects the management server 200 to the network NT. The communication unit 201 receives, for example, a store ID, beacon reception NG or beacon reception OK, and an advertisement request transmitted from the information terminal 100. Furthermore, the communication unit 201 transmits advertisement information for displaying an advertisement for the store on the information terminal 100. The advertisement information may include, for example, layout information specifying the display position of GUI components constituting the advertisement, and various image data of the GUI components. There are two types of advertisement information: advertisement information with benefits and standard advertisement information, as described below. Furthermore, the communication unit 201 receives, from the store terminal 310, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal 310. Furthermore, the communication unit 201 receives sold-out information indicating that the limited product has been sold out at the store.

[0074] The calculation unit 202 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, and is responsible for overall control of the management server 200. The calculation unit 202 receives limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal 310 via the communication unit 201. When the calculation unit 202 has acquired limited product information and receives a store ID, a beacon reception OK, and an advertisement request from the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201, the calculation unit 202 generates advertisement information with a benefit in which the limited product indicated in the limited product information is added to a standard advertisement of the store indicated by the store ID, and transmits the advertisement information to the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201.

[0075] When the calculation unit 202 receives sold-out information indicating that a limited-edition item has been sold out via the communication unit 201, and acquires the store ID, beacon reception OK or beacon reception NG, and an advertising request from the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201, the calculation unit 202 transmits standard advertising information, which is advertising information that does not include the limited-edition item, to the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201.

[0076] When the calculation unit 202 receives limited product information via the communication unit 201, if the calculation unit 202 receives a store ID, a beacon reception NG, and an advertising request from the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201, the calculation unit 202 transmits standard advertising information to the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201.

[0077] The memory 203 stores, for example, a product database that manages the products sold and the number of products in stock at each store. The memory 203 stores, for example, a purchase history database that manages the purchase history of products sold at each store.

[0078] The store terminal 310 includes a communication unit 311, a memory 312, a calculation unit 313, a display 314, and an operation unit 315. The communication unit 311 is composed of a communication circuit that connects the store terminal 310 to the network NT. The communication unit 311 transmits limited product information and sold-out information to the management server 200. The store terminal 310 and the display device 320 are connected, for example, by a local area network. Therefore, the communication unit 311 may have a communication function for communicating with the display device 320 via the local area network.

[0079] The memory 312 stores, for example, a store product database for each store that manages the types of products sold by the store and the inventory quantity of each product, etc. Furthermore, the memory 312 stores, for example, a work database that manages the work status, work schedule, actual work hours, etc. of the store employees.

[0080] The calculation unit 313 is composed of a processor such as a CPU. When the calculation unit 313 receives an input instruction (an example of a first instruction) from a store employee to display limited product information on the display device 320, or when the calculation unit 313 detects that a product to be treated as a limited product has been generated due to the remaining sales time of the product, the calculation unit 313 outputs a command and / or display data for displaying the limited product information to the display device 320. The calculation unit 313 transmits the limited product information to the management server 200 in synchronization with the output of the command and / or display data for displaying the limited product information. This makes it possible for the management server 200 to obtain the limited product information in synchronization with the input instruction to display the limited product information, or at the same time as the calculation unit 313 detects that a limited product has been generated.

[0081] When the calculation unit 313 receives an input instruction (an example of a second instruction) to erase the display of the limited product information, or detects that the limited product has sold out, it outputs a command and / or display data for erasing the limited product information to the display device 320. In synchronization with the output of the command and / or display data for erasing the limited product information, the calculation unit 313 transmits sold-out information indicating that the product indicated by the limited product information has sold out to the management server 200. This makes it possible for the management server 200 to obtain the sold-out information in synchronization with the input instruction to erase the limited product information, or at the same time as the calculation unit 313 detects that the limited product has sold out.

[0082] Display 314 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. Operation unit 315 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. Operation unit 315 acquires input instructions for displaying limited product information and / or conditions for treating an item as a limited product input by an employee, and input instructions for deleting limited product information. Operation unit 315 may be composed of a touch panel.

[0083] The display device 320 includes a communication unit 321, a memory 322, a calculation unit 323, and a display 324. The communication unit 321 is configured with a communication circuit for connecting the display device 320 to a local area network. The communication unit 321 receives, from the store terminal 310, a command and / or display data for displaying limited product information, and a command and / or display data for deleting limited product information.

[0084] Memory 322 stores image data and the like to be displayed on display 324. Arithmetic unit 323 is composed of a processor such as a CPU. When arithmetic unit 323 receives a command and / or display data to display limited product information, it displays the limited product information on display 324, and when arithmetic unit 323 receives a command and / or display data to erase limited product information, it erases the limited product information from display 324. Display 324 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel, and displays limited product information and the like under the control of arithmetic unit 323.

[0085] The beacon signal transmitter 330 is, for example, a transmitter conforming to the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard, and includes a communication unit 331 and a memory 332. The communication unit 331 periodically transmits a beacon signal including a device ID stored in the memory 332. The beacon signal is used to detect and determine whether a certain user who owns an information terminal 100 in which an operator X application is installed is in a certain store or in the vicinity of the store. There are cases where the store is larger than the reach of a beacon signal emitted by one beacon signal transmitter. In this case, by installing multiple beacon signal transmitters 330 in the store, it becomes possible to detect and determine without fail that users are in the store or in the vicinity of the store.

[0086] The memory 332 is configured with a rewritable non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, and stores a device ID for uniquely identifying the beacon signal transmitter 330 .

[0087] Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a beacon signal. A platform called iBeacon (registered trademark, the same applies below) is known as a standard for beacon signals, and iBeacon is shown in the example of Fig. 3. In iBeacon, the distance between the beacon signal transmitter 330 and the information terminal 100 is measured based on the radio wave intensity when the information terminal 100 receives the beacon signal. In iBeacon, the measured distance is sometimes expressed by roughly classifying it into four types: Immediate, Near, Far, and Unknown. For example, if the distance between the beacon signal transmitter 330 and the information terminal 100 is within a few centimeters, it is Immediate, if it is within about 1 m, it is Near, if it is within about 10 m, it is Far, and if it is more than about 10 m, it is Unknown.

[0088] Beacon signals contain a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier). By embedding unique data in the UUID, it is possible to identify services, etc. The UUID value can be set in a format that complies with ISO / IEC 11578, for example.

[0089] In addition, since iBeacon uses UUID to identify services, etc., if a smartphone app that knows the beacon ID, etc. is not installed in the information terminal 100, the information terminal 100 cannot respond to the beacon signal. Therefore, in iBeacon, it is necessary to install a smartphone app that corresponds to the UUID of a specific beacon signal in the information terminal 100.

[0090] Another known platform for beacon signals is Eddystone (registered trademark). Eddystone has a UID type and a URL type. With the UID type, a beacon ID is transmitted in the same way as with iBeacon, so an application corresponding to that beacon ID must be installed on the information terminal 100. With the URL type, a URL that the Chrome browser automatically accesses can be specified. Therefore, with the URL type, it is sufficient for the information terminal 100 to have a Chrome browser, and it is not necessary for it to have an application corresponding to a specific beacon ID.

[0091] In this embodiment, services such as notifying the user of store advertisements are provided based on the reception of a beacon ID (device ID). For this purpose, a business X application, which is a dedicated application having a function of responding to a beacon signal, is installed in the information terminal 100, and the beacon signal contains a beacon ID (device ID), which is unique service identification information. In this embodiment, both iBeacon and Eddystone can be adopted. Note that, if the URL type of Eddystone is adopted, the information terminal 100 does not need to have the business X application, and only needs to have a Chrome browser.

[0092] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of the data configuration of a store dictionary. FIG. 4 is a store dictionary when iBeacon is adopted. FIG. 5 is a store dictionary when Eddystone UID type is adopted. In the case of iBeacon, the store dictionary stores device IDs in association with store information. The device ID includes a UUID, Major, and Minor. The UUID indicates the identifier of operator X. Major indicates the identifier of the store of operator X. Minor indicates the detailed location within the store indicated by Major. The store information includes the operator ID, store ID, and detailed location within the store.

[0093] For example, in the first line, the UUID "0000-0000-0000-000X", Major "A", and Minor "1N" are associated with the business operator X, store A, and 1F North. Therefore, if the device ID in the first line is included in the received beacon signal, it is understood that the beacon signal is a signal transmitted from the beacon signal transmitter 330 installed in the north of the 1F of the store A of the business operator X. Therefore, it is understood that the user of the information terminal 100 that received this beacon signal is located in the north of the 1F of the store A of the business operator X.

[0094] In the case of the Eddystone UID type, the device ID includes the frame type, namespace ID, and instance ID, and the store information is the same as iBeacon. The frame type indicates the type of Eddystone. Here, the "0" written in the frame type indicates that it is a UID type. The namespace ID indicates the business and store. The instance ID indicates the detailed location within the store. For example, in the first line, frame type "0", namespace ID "XA", and instance ID "1F-ENT" are associated with business X, store A, and the 1st floor entrance. Therefore, it is known that the user of the information terminal 100 that received this beacon signal is at the 1st floor entrance of store A of business X.

[0095] Note that these associations between beacon IDs and store information are merely examples, and as long as the association between beacon IDs and store information can be realized, the associations may be set and operated in any manner.

[0096] In addition, the user's location information may be identified by combining a location information detection function provided in the information terminal 100 (for example, location determination using the Global Positioning System or area determination using a connected mobile base station) with the received beacon ID.

[0097] Next, a description will be given of the processing of the information providing system according to embodiment 1. In embodiment 1, every time an advertisement request is transmitted from the information terminal 100, the management server 200 generates advertisement information with a special benefit.

[0098] Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the information providing system according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 6, information terminal 100A represents an information terminal 100 that receives special offer advertising information (advertising information that includes limited product information in addition to standard advertising information). Information terminal 100B represents an information terminal 100 that receives standard advertising information. In Fig. 6, each user of information terminals 100A and 100B makes an advertising request to the same store. This store may be a store that the user stops by on the way home or the like, regardless of the user's current location.

[0099] First, when the store terminal 310 receives an instruction from a store employee to display limited items, or detects that a certain item meets the conditions for being treated as a limited item, it transmits a request to register limited item information indicating the limited item to the management server 200 (step S1). As a result, the store terminal 310 registers the limited item information in the store item database and sets the stock quantity of the limited item information. Furthermore, upon receiving the request to register limited item information, the management server 200 registers the limited item information in the item database of the corresponding store. Next, the store terminal 310 causes the display device 320 to display the limited item information (step S1').

[0100] In step S2, the information terminal 100A starts the provider X application in accordance with a user instruction, and receives an input instruction from the user specifying a store in which the user wishes to display an advertisement.

[0101] Next, the information terminal 100A judges whether or not a beacon signal corresponding to the specified store has been received. Here, since the beacon signal has been received, the information terminal 100A transmits to the management server 200 the store ID of the specified store, a beacon reception OK indicating that the beacon signal has been received, and an advertisement request (step S3).

[0102] In step S3, the information terminal 100A uses the store dictionary stored in the memory 102 to identify the store ID corresponding to the device ID included in the beacon signal, and if the identified store ID matches the store ID of the specified store, it determines that the beacon signal corresponding to the specified store has been received.

[0103] The store ID and beacon reception OK transmitted in step S3 are an example of a first notification that a beacon signal including a device ID identifying the beacon signal transmitter 330 has been received from the beacon signal transmitter 330 arranged in the store. The advertisement request is an example of a request for advertisement.

[0104] Next, since limited product information is registered for the store indicated by the received store ID in the process of step S1, the management server 200 generates advertisement information with bonus corresponding to the store (step S4). Here, the advertisement information with bonus includes the product indicated by the limited product information in addition to the product indicated by the standard advertisement information of the corresponding store. This makes it possible to notify the limited product information only to users who have visited the store specified through the business X app, and motivate users to visit the store.

[0105] Next, the management server 200 transmits the advertisement information with the benefit to the information terminal 100A (step S5). Next, the information terminal 100A displays the advertisement with the benefit on the display 105 (step S6). This allows the user to view the advertisement with the benefit.

[0106] Next, the information terminal 100A presents a purchase instruction for the limited product to the store terminal 310 (step S7). In this case, the user who viewed the advertisement with the benefit may present the purchase instruction by having the information terminal 100 display an initial screen G1 (described later) at the cash register of the store where the user purchases the product.

[0107] Next, the store terminal 310 accepts the purchase instruction (step S8). If the products to be purchased include limited items, the number of limited items in stock is subtracted by the number of items sold. Here, it is assumed that the number of items sold of the limited items is 1, and as a result, the number of items in stock has changed from 1 to 0.

[0108] The store terminal 310 that has received the purchase instruction reads the authentication information included in the initial screen G1 described later to determine whether or not to sell the limited-edition product at a special price, and if it determines that the limited-edition product should be sold at the special price, the limited-edition product is purchased at the special price, which is a price discounted from the standard price.

[0109] The authentication information includes information indicating whether or not the user is a user who can purchase limited items at a special price. For example, the information terminal 100 may include information indicating that the user can purchase limited items at a special price only when advertising information with benefits is received, in the authentication information. This allows limited items to be sold at a special price only to users who have viewed the advertisement with benefits. For example, a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark, the same applies below) may be used as the authentication information. The store terminal 310 may read the authentication information using a barcode reader, a QR code reader, or the like. Alternatively, the store terminal 310 may read the authentication information using NFC (Near Field Communication), which is a short-distance wireless communication.

[0110] Next, the store terminal 310 displays on the display device 320 that the limited item has been sold out, or does not display the limited item information (step S9). Furthermore, the store terminal 310 transmits sold-out information indicating that the limited item has been sold out to the management server 200 (step S10). Having received the sold-out information, the management server 200 deletes the limited item information registered in the product database of the corresponding store. If the limited item has not been sold out, the store terminal 310 may transmit purchase information including the number of limited items in stock to the management server 200 instead of the sold-out information. Having received the purchase information, the management server 200 may reduce the number of limited items in stock registered in the product database of the corresponding store by the amount of the item sold.

[0111] The management server 200, which has received the sold-out information, switches the advertisement setting for the corresponding store from the advertisement information with special benefits to the standard advertisement information (step S11).

[0112] In step S12, the information terminal 100B starts the business X application according to the user's instruction, and receives an input instruction from the user to specify a store where the user wishes to display an advertisement. Next, the information terminal 100B determines whether or not a beacon signal corresponding to the specified store has been detected, and if the beacon signal has been detected, transmits to the management server 200 the store ID of the specified store, a beacon reception OK indicating that the beacon signal has been received, and an advertisement request (step S13). Note that in step S13, if the information terminal 100B does not detect the beacon signal, it transmits to the management server 200 the store ID, a beacon reception NG indicating that the beacon signal has not been received, and an advertisement request. Here, the information terminal 100B may determine whether or not a beacon signal corresponding to the specified store has been detected by referring to a store dictionary stored in the memory 102.

[0113] In step S13, a beacon reception NG message is sent, but a beacon reception NG message does not have to be sent. In this case, the management server 200 may determine that a beacon signal has not been detected if a beacon reception OK message is not sent in association with the store ID and the advertisement request.

[0114] Next, since the management server 200 has switched the setting of the advertising information to the standard advertising information in step S11, the management server 200 transmits the standard advertising information to the information terminal 100B (step S14). Standard purchasing advertising information is prepared for each store and generated in advance. Therefore, in step S14, the management server 200 does not generate standard advertising information, but reads out the previously generated standard advertising information of the corresponding store from the memory 203 and transmits it to the information terminal 100B.

[0115] Next, the information terminal 100B displays the standard advertisement on the display 105 (step S15). This allows the user to view the standard advertisement.

[0116] Next, the information terminal 100B receives a purchase instruction for the product from the information terminal 100 of the user who viewed the standard advertisement (step S16), and accepts the purchase instruction for the product (step S17). Next, the store terminal 310 transmits purchase information indicating the number of products in stock to the management server 200 (step S18). The management server 200, which has received the purchase information, updates the number of products in stock registered in the product database of the corresponding store according to the purchase information.

[0117] Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the information providing system according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 7 shows the processing when the information terminal 100 that has not detected a beacon signal transmits an advertisement request or the like.

[0118] Steps S51 and S51' are the same as steps S1 and S1' in FIG.

[0119] In step S52, the information terminal 100 starts the business X application in accordance with the user's instruction, and receives an input instruction from the user specifying a store in which the user wishes to display an advertisement.

[0120] Next, the information terminal 100 judges whether or not a beacon signal corresponding to the specified store has been detected. Here, since the information terminal 100 is outside the communication range of the beacon signal corresponding to the specified store and has not been able to detect the beacon signal, the information terminal 100 transmits to the management server 200 the store ID of the specified store, a beacon reception NG indicating that the beacon signal could not be received, and an advertisement request (step S53).

[0121] Here, a beacon reception NG message is sent, but a beacon reception NG message does not have to be sent. In this case, the management server 200 may determine that a beacon signal has not been detected if a beacon reception OK message is not sent in association with the store ID and the advertisement request.

[0122] Next, since the management server 200 has received the beacon NG signal, it determines to transmit the standard advertising information (step S54). Next, the management server 200 transmits the standard advertising information to the information terminal 100 (step S55).

[0123] Steps S56 and S57 are the same as steps S6 and S7 in Fig. 6. Next, the store terminal 310 accepts an instruction to purchase the product (step S58). In this case, since a limited product has not been ordered, the stock quantity for the limited product is maintained. In this example, the stock quantity is maintained at 1. Next, the store terminal 310 transmits the purchase information to the management server 200 (step S59). Having received the purchase information, the management server 200 updates the product database of the relevant store with the stock quantity of the product included in the purchase instruction.

[0124] 8 is a diagram showing an example of an initial screen G1 of the provider X application. The initial screen G1 is displayed on the display 105 when a user inputs an instruction to start the provider X application into the information terminal 100. The initial screen G1 includes a point display field 11, an authentication information display field 12, and an advertisement display field 17.

[0125] The points display field 11 displays the points accumulated by the user from the business X. The authentication information display field 12 displays authentication information including information on whether the user is eligible to purchase limited items at a special price. Here, a barcode is used as the authentication information. However, this is just one example, and a QR code may also be used.

[0126] For example, a user presents a barcode to a store employee when paying for an item. The employee has a barcode reader read the authentication information. This allows the store terminal 310 to acquire the authentication information. The store terminal 310 analyzes the acquired authentication information and determines whether or not the corresponding user is a user who can purchase limited items at a special price. If the store terminal 310 determines that the user is a user who can purchase the limited items at the special price, it settles the payment for the limited items at the special price. On the other hand, if the store terminal 310 determines that the user is not a user who can purchase the limited items at the special price, it settles the payment for the limited items at the regular price. Note that if the items purchased by the user include items other than the limited items, the store terminal 310 settles the payment for the limited items at the special price and settles the payment for the remaining items at the regular price.

[0127] Here, an example is shown in which the authentication information is read by a scanner such as a barcode reader, but this is just one example. For example, the store terminal 310 may read the authentication information by short-range wireless communication such as NFC. In this case, the user may bring the information terminal 100 close to a short-range wireless communication device connected to the store terminal 310 to cause the store terminal 310 to read the authentication information.

[0128] The advertisement display section 17 displays advertisements for recommended products or services of the business operator X. The number of advertisement display sections may be one, or three or more.

[0129] At the bottom of the initial screen G1, there are provided a recommendation button 13, a map button 14, an account button 15, and a history button 16. The recommendation button 13 is a button selected when displaying information about bargain items recommended by business operator X. Hereinafter, the operation of selection will be described as "touch." The map button 14 is a button touched to check the stores of business operator X on a map of the current location. The account button 15 is a button touched when registering, confirming, and updating a user account. The history button 16 is a button touched when referring to the user's past order history.

[0130] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the map screen G2. The map screen G2 is displayed when the map button 14 is touched on the initial screen G1. The map screen G2 displays a map of the area around the user's current location. The map screen G2 displays a current location icon 22 indicating the user's current location. The map screen G2 displays store icons 21 indicating stores in the area around the current location. Here, four store icons 21 of stores A, B, C, and D are displayed, and the user can confirm that there are four stores belonging to the business operator X in the area around the current location. The user browses the map screen G2 and selects the store he or she wishes to visit. In this example, the user touches the store icon 21 of store A with the indicator 1000 to select store A. The indicator 1000 is, for example, the user's finger. When the store icon 21 of store A is touched, the information terminal 100 determines whether or not the beacon signal corresponding to store A has been received, and transmits the store ID of store A, beacon reception OK or beacon reception NG, and an advertisement request to the management server 200. This process corresponds to steps S3 and S13 in Fig. 6. Here, the information terminal 100 is outside the communication range of the beacon signal corresponding to store A, and cannot receive the beacon signal, so a beacon reception NG is transmitted. Therefore, the standard advertisement information is transmitted from the management server 200 to the information terminal 100.

[0131] FIG. 10 is a screen diagram showing an example of the standard advertisement G3. The standard advertisement G3 displays one or more products that the store A selected by the user recommends the user to purchase. Here, since the store A is a supermarket, fresh food products are displayed in the standard advertisement G3. However, this is only an example, and the standard advertisement G3 may include daily necessities, electrical appliances, etc. "Recommendations from Store A" is displayed at the top of the standard advertisement G3, indicating that this standard advertisement G3 is an advertisement for Store A. The standard advertisement G3 displays tile objects 30 corresponding to each of the products recommended by Store A. The tile objects 30 have a rectangular outer frame and display the product name, the product price, and an image showing the product. Here, tile objects 30 corresponding to fresh food products such as potatoes and tomatoes are displayed.

[0132] Here, the tile objects 30 are arranged in 3 rows and 2 columns, but this is just one example. Furthermore, each tile object 30 has the same size. When a scroll operation is input in the standard advertisement G3, the information terminal 100 scrolls the standard advertisement G3 and displays the hidden tile objects 30 on the display 105. This allows the user to display on the display 105 the tile objects 30 of the products that were hidden on the initial screen of the standard advertisement G3.

[0133] The standard advertisement information includes layout information that specifies the display positions of the tile objects 30 in the standard advertisement G3, the priority order of each product, and image data of the tile objects 30. Therefore, the information terminal 100 can draw the standard advertisement G3 by arranging the tile objects 30 corresponding to each product in order of priority order according to this layout information. Note that the priority order of each product is determined in advance by the store A. For example, the order may be such that the more popular the product, the higher the priority order. Here, the standard advertisement G3 may be different for each store, or may be a common advertisement for all stores of the business operator X.

[0134] 11 is a screen diagram showing an example of the advertisement G4 with a bonus. The advertisement G4 with a bonus is displayed when the user is near the store A specified by the user on the map screen G2 at a time when the limited item is available for purchase at the store A. That is, the information terminal 100 of the user detects a beacon signal corresponding to the store A immediately before the advertisement for the store A is displayed by the user. The information terminal 100 then transmits to the management server 200 the store ID of the store A, a beacon reception OK, and an advertisement request in association with each other. As a result, the information terminal 100 receives the advertisement information with a bonus and displays the advertisement G4 with a bonus on the display 105. This process corresponds to steps S3 to S6 in FIG.

[0135] Unlike the standard advertisement G3 shown in Fig. 10, the advertisement with bonus G4 has a limited item column 70 showing the current limited items of store A arranged at the top. This makes it possible to clearly inform the user of the existence of limited items.

[0136] The width of the limited product field 70 is almost twice the width of the tile object 30. The tile objects 30 representing limited products are arranged in the limited product field 70. Here, two tile objects 30 representing tuna and tuna fillets are arranged in the limited product field 70. In addition to the product name of the limited product and an image representing the limited product, the tile objects 30 display the price of the limited product before and after the discount. For example, for the tuna tile object 30, a double line is drawn through the regular price before the discount, 1900 yen, and the special price after the discount, 1500 yen, is displayed adjacent to the regular price. Similarly, for the tuna fillet tile object 30, a double line is drawn through the price before the discount, 300 yen, and the discounted price, 230 yen, is displayed. This allows the user to understand the discount amount of the limited product.

[0137] Furthermore, since tuna is a limited product with a limited quantity, the tuna tile object 30 displays a message saying "Limited to 30 pieces," indicating that the quantity is limited. This allows the user to understand that the quantity of tuna is limited.

[0138] Furthermore, since the tuna fillet is a limited product with a purchase time limit, the tile object 30 of the tuna fillet displays a message saying "Limited time sale until 5pm" indicating that there is a purchase time limit. This allows the user to understand that there is a purchase time limit for the tuna fillet. Note that the tile object 30 of a limited product with quantity and purchase time limits may display a message indicating that there is a quantity limit and a message indicating that there is a purchase time limit.

[0139] Furthermore, a message stating "Special offer only for customers who visit the store" is displayed in the limited item field 70. This message allows the user to recognize that the item displayed in the limited item field 70 is a limited item that is only available to users who visit Store A.

[0140] In the advertisement with bonus G4, a standard advertisement is displayed below the limited product column 70. In the standard advertisement, the tile objects 30 are arranged according to the priority order of each product, similar to the standard advertisement G3 shown in FIG.

[0141] The advertisement G4 with the special benefit is configured to be scrollable like the standard advertisement G3, so that the user can scroll the advertisement G4 to display the tile object 30 that was not displayed on the initial screen of the advertisement G4 with the special benefit, and view advertisements for products with low priority.

[0142] When there are three or more limited items, the three or more limited items are displayed in the limited item section 70 in the advertisement with bonus G4. In this case, the information terminal 100 may display the tile objects 30 of the three or more limited items in one limited item section 70 in, for example, M rows by N columns in the advertisement with bonus G4. Here, M and N are each an integer of 1 or more. Also, when there is one limited item, the information terminal 100 may display one limited item in the limited item section 70 in the advertisement with bonus G4.

[0143] The advertisement information with bonus transmitted from management server 200 includes layout information indicating the display position of limited item section 70 and the display position of each tile object, information for identifying limited items, the priority of each item, image data of tile objects 30 corresponding to each item, etc. Therefore, information terminal 100 may arrange limited item section 70 and tile objects 30 according to this layout information, and draw advertisement G4 with bonus on display 105.

[0144] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement screen G5 displayed on the display device 320. The advertisement screen G5 is a screen that displays an advertisement for the store A to a user of the business operator X application who has visited the store A. In this example, an advertisement for a limited product is displayed on the advertisement screen G5. Currently, tuna and tuna fillets are limited products, so the advertisement screen G5 displays tile objects 80 corresponding to the tuna and the tuna fillets, respectively. The display contents of the tile objects 80 are the same as those of the tile objects 30. This allows a user who has visited the store A to confirm that there is a limited product. A user who wishes to purchase this limited product, for example, starts the business operator X application, selects the store A from the map screen G2, and displays the advertisement G4 with a benefit on the display 105. Then, the user presents the initial screen G1 at the time of payment for the limited product. This allows the user to purchase the limited product at a special price.

[0145] It is also possible to allow the user to purchase limited products without necessarily performing the above operations. For example, a QR code may be displayed on the advertisement screen G5, and the information terminal 100 may read the QR code, thereby displaying authentication information for purchasing limited products on the display 105 of the information terminal 100, even if the business operator X application is not installed. Alternatively, for a user who has installed the business operator X application and has acquired the device ID of the beacon signal transmitter 330 installed in the store A, limited product information displayed on the display device 320 of the store A when the business operator X application is started, or limited product information prepared for this user (which may be different from the limited product information displayed on the display device 320), may be displayed in the advertisement display section 17 of the initial screen G1 of the business operator X application, so that the limited product can be purchased at a special price.

[0146] Next, a description will be given of details of the processing performed by the information providing system according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the processing performed by the information providing system according to the embodiment 1.

[0147] First, the operation unit 106 of the information terminal 100 receives an instruction from the user to specify a store (step S1801). This process corresponds to step S2 in Fig. 6. Here, it is assumed that store A has been selected by the user.

[0148] Next, the calculation unit 104 of the information terminal 100 judges whether or not the short-range communication unit 103 has received a beacon signal (step S1802). If the beacon signal has not been received (NO in step S1802), the process proceeds to step S1804. If the beacon signal has been received (YES in step S1802), the process proceeds to step S1803.

[0149] In step S1803, the calculation unit 104 of the information terminal 100 determines whether or not the received beacon signal is a beacon signal corresponding to store A specified in step S1801. In this case, the calculation unit 104 refers to the store dictionary to identify the store ID corresponding to the device ID included in the received beacon signal, and determines whether or not the identified store ID matches the store ID of store A. If they match, the calculation unit 104 determines YES in step S1803, and if they do not match, the calculation unit 104 determines NO in step S1803.

[0150] Next, the calculation unit 104 of the information terminal 100 transmits an advertisement request or the like to the management server 200 via the communication unit 101 (step S1804). If the result of the determination in step S1803 is YES, the calculation unit 104 transmits the store ID of the store A specified in step S1801, a beacon reception OK, and an advertisement request to the management server 200 via the communication unit 101. This process corresponds to step S3 in Fig. 6. On the other hand, if the result of step S1802 or step S1803 is NO, the calculation unit 104 transmits the store ID of store A specified in step S1801, a beacon reception NG, and an advertisement request to the management server 200 via the communication unit 101. This process corresponds to step S13 in Fig. 6 and step S53 in Fig. 7.

[0151] In step S1811, the communication unit 201 of the management server 200 receives the advertisement request or the like.

[0152] Next, the calculation unit 202 of the management server 200 judges whether or not the advertisement request etc. received in step S1811 includes a beacon reception OK (step S1812). If the beacon reception OK is included (YES in step S1812), the process proceeds to step S1813, and if the beacon reception NG is included (NO in step S1812), the process proceeds to step S1816.

[0153] In step S1813, the calculation unit 202 determines whether or not there are limited items in the store (store A) specified in step S1801. Here, the calculation unit 202 determines that there are limited items in store A if limited item information is registered in the product database of store A stored in memory 203, and determines that there are no limited items in store A if limited item information is not registered in the product database of store A.

[0154] In step S1813, if it is determined that store A has limited items (YES in step S1813), the process proceeds to step S1814, and if it is determined that store A does not have limited items (NO in step S1813), the process proceeds to step S1816.

[0155] In step S1814, the calculation unit 202 generates special benefit advertisement information in which the limited item indicated by the limited item information is added to the standard advertisement information of the store A.

[0156] Next, the calculation unit 202 transmits the special offer-attached advertising information of the store A to the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201 (step S1815). In step S1816, the calculation unit 202 transmits the standard advertising information to the information terminal 100 via the communication unit 201.

[0157] In step S1805, the calculation unit 104 of the information terminal 100 determines whether or not the special-gift advertising information has been received. If the special-gift advertising information has been received (YES in step S1805), the calculation unit 104 displays the special-gift advertisement on the display 105 (step S1806). On the other hand, if the standard advertising information has been received (NO in step S1805), the calculation unit 104 displays the standard advertisement on the display 105 (step S1807).

[0158] When the display design of the advertising information is also determined by the management server 200 and transmitted to the information terminal 100, the information terminal 100 may display the advertising information on the display 105 in accordance with the display design of the advertising information received from the management server 200. This can be easily achieved by using HTML (HyperText Markup Language), for example. In this case, the determination in step S1805 is not necessary, and the information terminal 100 may display the advertising information as instructed by the management server 200.

[0159] In this way, according to this embodiment, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time is acquired, and an advertisement with a special offer including the limited product is displayed to people within the receiving area of ​​the beacon signal from the store. This makes it possible to provide information about limited products that changes from moment to moment depending on stock or time to people in or near the store in a timely manner via the information terminal 100. As a result, food waste can be reduced.

[0160] Moreover, according to this embodiment, advertising information is generated in response to a user's request for advertising for a store, and is output to the information terminal 100. This prevents an advertisement from being displayed on the information terminal 100 against the user's will, and prevents the user from feeling annoyed.

[0161] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the management server 200 generates advertising information with special benefits in advance, and when an advertising request or the like is received, transmits the previously generated advertising information with special benefits to the information terminal 100. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the block diagram and screen diagram are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0162] Fig. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of the information providing system according to embodiment 2. In Fig. 14, the same processes as those in Fig. 6 are denoted by the same step numbers, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0163] In step S701, the management server 200 that has received the request to register the limited product information generates advertisement information with benefits based on the limited product information. This generation is triggered by the request to register the limited product information, and is different from that in FIG. 6 in that it is not triggered by the reception of a request for advertisement or the like.

[0164] Next, the management server 200, which has received the store ID, the beacon reception OK, and the advertisement request, determines to transmit the advertisement information with the benefit (step S702). That is, when the management server 200 receives an advertisement request, etc., it transmits the advertisement information with the benefit that has been generated in advance to the information terminal 100A. Note that the processes in FIG. 14 other than steps S701 and S702 are the same as those in FIG. 6.

[0165] Fig. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the information providing system according to the embodiment 2. Fig. 15 shows the processing in the case where the information terminal 100 that has not detected a beacon signal transmits an advertisement request or the like in the embodiment 2. Note that the same processing in Fig. 15 as that in Fig. 7 is given the same step number, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0166] In step S801, the management server 200 that has received the request to register the limited product information generates advertisement information with benefits based on the limited product information. This generation is triggered by the request to register the limited product information, and is different from the first embodiment in that it is not triggered by the reception of an advertisement request or the like.

[0167] Next, the management server 200, which has received the store ID, the beacon reception NG, and the advertisement request, determines to transmit the standard advertisement information (step S802). That is, since the management server 200 has received the beacon reception NG, it transmits the standard advertisement information to the information terminal 100, instead of the advertisement information with special benefits that has been generated in advance. Note that in FIG. 15, the processes other than steps S801 and S802 are the same as those in FIG. 7.

[0168] In this way, according to the second embodiment, it is not necessary to generate advertising information with benefits every time an advertising request or the like is received, so that the processing load on the management server 200 can be reduced.

[0169] (Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, both the privileged advertisement information and the standard advertisement information are transmitted from the management server 200 to the information terminal 100, and the information terminal 100 determines whether to display the privileged advertisement or the standard advertisement. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the block diagram and screen diagram are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0170] Please refer to Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the management server 200 receives limited product information of store A (first store) corresponding to the store terminal 310 via the communication unit 201 from the store terminal 310 via the network NT.

[0171] The information terminal 100 transmits an advertisement request (request for advertisement) corresponding to the store A to the management server 200 via the network NT. In response to the advertisement request, the information terminal 100 receives standard advertisement information (first advertisement information) of the store A and advertisement information with a special benefit (second advertisement information) of the store A from the management server 200.

[0172] The information terminal 100 uses the short-range communication unit 103 to determine whether or not a beacon signal transmitted from a beacon signal transmitter 330 disposed in the store A has been detected.

[0173] If the information terminal 100 cannot detect the beacon signal, it displays the standard advertisement of store A on the display 105. On the other hand, if the information terminal 100 can detect the beacon signal transmitted from the beacon signal transmitter 330 of store A, it displays the advertisement with a special offer of store A on the display 105.

[0174] The information terminal 100 refers to the store dictionary stored in the memory 102 and identifies the store corresponding to the device ID included in the beacon signal. If the identified store matches store A, the information terminal 100 determines that the beacon signal is a beacon signal corresponding to store A. In this case, the information terminal 100 displays on the display 105 an advertisement for store A that includes a special offer.

[0175] If the identified store does not match store A, the information terminal 100 determines that the detected beacon signal is a beacon signal corresponding to a store other than store A, and displays the standard advertisement for store A on the display 105.

[0176] Fig. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the information providing system according to the third embodiment. Fig. 16 is based on Fig. 14, and the same processes as those in Fig. 14 are given the same reference numerals and will not be described. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the management server 200 generates the advertising information with special benefits in advance when the management server 200 receives the limited product information. It is also assumed that the store specified in step S2 is store A. However, this is just an example, and the management server 200 may generate the advertising information with special benefits when the management server 200 receives an advertising request or the like, as in the first embodiment.

[0177] In step S901, since the user has specified store A, the information terminal 100A transmits an advertisement request to the management server 200. This differs from step S3 in Fig. 14 in that the store ID and beacon reception OK or beacon reception NG are not transmitted, and only the advertisement request is transmitted. The advertisement request transmitted here may include the store ID of store A.

[0178] Next, the management server 200 transmits the special offer-attached advertising information of the store A and the standard advertising information of the store A to the information terminal 100A (step S902). If the store ID of the store A is not included in the advertising request, the special offer-attached advertising information of all stores and the standard advertising information may be transmitted.

[0179] Next, the information terminal 100A displays the advertisement with a special benefit of the store A or the standard advertisement of the store A on the display 105 (step S903). Here, the information terminal 100A determines whether or not it has received a beacon signal corresponding to the store A. Then, if the information terminal 100A has received a beacon signal corresponding to the store A, it may display the advertisement with a special benefit of the store A. On the other hand, if the information terminal 100B cannot receive a beacon signal corresponding to the store A, it only has to display the standard advertising information of the store A on the display 105. The subsequent processing is the same as in FIG.

[0180] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the information terminal 100 determines whether to display an advertisement with a bonus or a standard advertisement, so that the processing load on the management server 200 can be reduced.

[0181] (Modification) In the first to third embodiments, it is assumed that the user specifies a store (step S1801 in FIG. 13), but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the specification of a store and the advertisement request may be substituted with a single operation of launching an app of the operator X.

[0182] For example, when a user instructs the information terminal 100 to launch an app of the business X and the initial screen G1 is displayed, the information terminal 100 simultaneously checks reception of a beacon signal. The information terminal 100 identifies a store ID corresponding to the device ID from the device ID included in the received beacon signal, and transmits the identified store ID, a beacon reception OK, and a menu request to the management server 200. When the management server 200 detects that the store has limited-edition products, it may transmit the limited-edition product information to the information terminal 100 so that the limited-edition product information is displayed as the advertisement display field 17 on the initial screen G1 of the user.

[0183] In the opposite case, when a user instructs the information terminal 100 to launch the application of the business X and the initial screen G1 is displayed, the information terminal 100 confirms reception of a beacon signal and transmits to the management server 200 a store ID corresponding to the device ID included in the received beacon signal. When the management server 200 detects that limited product information is not registered in the store corresponding to the received store ID, it may transmit limited product information to the information terminal 100 so that standard advertising information not including limited products is displayed as the advertising display field 17 on the initial screen G1 of the user.

[0184] In such a case, the advantage is that the user can immediately check whether there are any limited-edition products and what those limited-edition products are, simply by launching Provider X's app. The present disclosure can employ the following aspects. (A) Another aspect of the present disclosure is a control method executed in a communication terminal that communicates with a store management system connected to a store terminal, the control method comprising: In the store management system, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal is acquired from the store terminal via a network; accepting designation of the first store by a user at the communication terminal; receiving a beacon signal including a device ID for identifying a beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter disposed in a second store when the communication terminal is within a reception range of the beacon signal; Identifying the second store based on the device ID; When it is determined that the specified first store and the identified second store match, outputting an advertisement request corresponding to the first store to the store management system via the network; In response to the request for the advertisement, first advertisement information is acquired, the first advertisement information representing a special offer advertisement for the first store that includes the limited product in a standard advertisement for the first store, and the first advertisement information is generated in the store management system using the limited product information; displaying an advertisement with a special benefit for the first store represented by the first advertisement information on a display of the communication terminal; A control method. (B) further, when it is determined that the specified first store does not match the identified second store, acquiring second advertising information representing a standard advertisement of the first store and not including a benefit of the first store; displaying a standard advertisement for the first store represented by the second advertisement information on a display of the communication terminal; (A) A control method as described above. (C) further, when outputting a request for advertising corresponding to the first store, the request is output together with a notification indicating that the communication terminal has received the beacon signal corresponding to the specified first store. (A) is a control method. (D) Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a communication terminal that executes the control method according to any one of (A) to (C). (E) Further, a program for causing a computer of the communication terminal to execute the control method according to any one of (A) to (C). (F) Further, a storage medium storing a program for causing a computer of the communication terminal to execute the control method according to any one of (A) to (C). [Industrial Applicability]

[0185] According to the present disclosure, a method for providing information that is useful in the retail business such as supermarkets can be provided. [Explanation of symbols]

[0186] 100: Information terminal 101: Communications Department 102: Memory 103: Near field communication department 104: Arithmetic section 105: Display 106:Operation unit 200: Management server 201: Communications Department 202: Arithmetic section 203: Memory 300: Operating System 310: Store terminal 311: Communications Department 312: Memory 313: Arithmetic section 314: Display 315:Operation unit 320:Display device 321: Communications Department 322: Memory 323: Arithmetic section 324: Display 330: Beacon signal transmitter 331: Communications Department 332: Memory

Claims

1. A control method executed in a communication terminal that communicates with a store management system connected to a store terminal, comprising: In the store management system, limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal is acquired from the store terminal via a network; Accepting a designation of a first store by a user at the communication terminal; receiving a beacon signal including a device ID for identifying a beacon signal transmitter from a beacon signal transmitter disposed in a second store when the communication terminal is within a reception range of the beacon signal; Identifying the second store based on the device ID; outputting an advertisement request corresponding to the first store to the store management system via the network when it is determined that the specified first store and the identified second store match; In response to the request for the advertisement, first advertisement information is acquired, the first advertisement information representing a special offer advertisement of the first store that includes the limited product in a standard advertisement of the first store, and the first advertisement information is generated in the store management system using the limited product information; displaying an advertisement with a special benefit for the first store represented by the first advertisement information on a display of the communication terminal; Control methods.

2. If it is determined that the specified first store does not match the specified second store, second advertisement information is acquired that represents a standard advertisement of the first store and does not include a benefit of the first store; 2. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a standard advertisement for said first store represented by said second advertisement information on a display of said communication terminal.

3. When outputting a request for advertising corresponding to the first store, the request is output together with a notification indicating that the communication terminal has been able to receive the beacon signal corresponding to the specified first store. The control method according to claim 1.

4. A communication terminal that executes the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A program for causing a computer of the communication terminal to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A recording medium storing a program for causing a computer of the communication terminal to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. An information providing method in a store management system connected to a store terminal, comprising: acquires limited product information indicating limited products that are available for sale for a limited time at a store corresponding to the store terminal via a network from the store terminal; a first notification is received from a first communication terminal of a first user via the network, the first notification indicating i) the selection of the store and ii) the receipt of a beacon signal from a beacon signal transmitter disposed in the store, the beacon signal being received by the first communication terminal within a receiving range of the beacon signal; generating advertising information with benefits for the store including the limited-edition product based on the limited-edition product information; outputting the advertising information with the benefit to the first communication terminal based on the selection of the store and the first notification; A request for an advertisement corresponding to the store is obtained from a second communication terminal of a second user, the second communication terminal being not within a receiving range of the beacon signal; outputting standard advertising information of the store not including the limited item to the second communication terminal based on the limited item information and the advertising request; Information provision method.

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