Information distribution server, information distribution system including the same, and information distribution method

Abstract

To allow a business operator that operates a physical store to identify each customer at the physical store and grasp a usage state of such customers at the physical store, without any need for management of information related to face images of the customers.SOLUTION: An information distribution server 2 comprises a processor and an action history storage unit 54 for storing action history information related to actions of each customer based on visits to a physical store. The processor is configured to: acquire a face image of each customer for identifying the visits to the physical store; generate face image identification information for identifying face images that supplement membership information of a business operator server 3; perform a customer segmentation using the action history information based on one or more segmentation criteria related to the usage state of the physical store, to thereby assign each customer to one or more segments; and generate store usage information which is a set of pieces of the face image identification information corresponding to a plurality of customers belonging to at least one of the segments.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information distribution server that provides information regarding customer usage of brick-and-mortar stores, an information distribution system including the information distribution server, and an information distribution method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there are an increasing number of opportunities for consumers to purchase products at virtual stores (online shops) set up on electronic commerce sites on the Internet. Consumers who use such virtual stores visit real stores, but in many cases they only check the actual products at the real store and purchase the products at the virtual store, which creates a problem in that consumers do not purchase products even though they visit the real store. For this reason, it is desirable to implement effective measures on the spot to encourage customers who visit the real store to purchase products, thereby promoting sales of products at the real store.

[0003] In the case of a virtual store on a network, the store manager (e.g., a business operator who operates the store) can relatively easily collect the behavioral history of each customer (e.g., purchase history, browsing history, etc.) based on, for example, historical information about the customer stored in a server or web browser. On the other hand, in a real store, in order to collect information on the behavioral history of each customer, the store manager must, for example, have the customer present an information storage medium (e.g., membership card, mobile information terminal, etc.) for identifying the customer when purchasing a product (or when providing a service) or entering the store, which may reduce convenience for customers compared to a virtual store.

[0004] Therefore, as a technology for identifying customers in a physical store without using such information-retaining media, for example, a technology is known in which facial features that represent the characteristics of the customer's face are extracted from an image of the customer's face taken at the store, and pre-stored member information is obtained based on the extracted facial features (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-48462 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the conventional technology such as the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the manager of each brick-and-mortar store must strictly manage the facial images (or data related to facial features) of each customer, which increases the burden of information management, including security measures, etc. On the other hand, when a customer uses multiple different brick-and-mortar stores (i.e., different businesses), his / her facial image is acquired each time and managed separately, which creates anxiety that the risk of information leakage of his / her facial image increases the more brick-and-mortar stores he / she uses.

[0007] Therefore, the main objective of the present disclosure is to provide an information distribution server, an information distribution system including the same, and an information distribution method that enable businesses operating physical stores to identify each customer at the physical store and understand the usage habits of those customers at the physical store without having to manage information regarding facial images of the customers themselves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The information distribution server disclosed herein is an information distribution server that provides store usage information regarding customer usage at a physical store to one or more business devices that manage membership information regarding multiple customers of the physical store, and is equipped with a processor and a behavior history memory unit that stores behavior history information regarding the customer's behavior based on visits to the physical store, and is configured to acquire a facial image of the customer to identify visits to the physical store, generate facial image identification information to identify the facial image that complements the membership information, assign the customer to one or more segments, and generate the store usage information which is a collection of the facial image identification information corresponding to the customers belonging to at least one of the segments.

[0009] The information distribution system of the present disclosure is configured to include the information distribution server, and one or more business devices that manage the member information relating to each of the customers of the physical store.

[0010] In addition, the information distribution method disclosed herein is an information distribution method by an information distribution server that provides store usage information regarding the customer's usage at the physical store to one or more business devices that manage membership information regarding multiple customers of the physical store, and is configured to store behavior history information regarding the customer's behavior based on visits to the physical store, acquire facial images of the customers to identify their visits to the physical store, generate facial image identification information for identifying the facial images that complement the membership information, assign the customers to one or more segments, and generate the store usage information which is a collection of the facial image identification information corresponding to the customers belonging to at least one of the segments. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, businesses that operate physical stores can identify each customer at their physical stores and understand the usage patterns of those customers at the physical stores without having to manage information regarding customers' facial images themselves. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] An explanatory diagram showing an overview of an information distribution system. [Diagram 3] Functional block diagram showing the operator's server [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of (A) a member registration database, (B) a purchase history database, and (C) a sales promotion information database. [Diagram 5] Functional block diagram showing the information distribution server 2 [Figure 6]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of registered contents of a face image database (A), a face feature database (B), a face matching history database (C), and a behavior history database (D). [Figure 7] (A) A diagram showing an example of the registered contents of a store usage database and (B) an ID linkage database. [Figure 8] A flow diagram showing the flow of member registration processing by a customer terminal, a business server, and an information distribution server. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing a modification of the member registration process shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an opt-in screen used in step ST601 shown in FIG. [Figure 11] A flow diagram showing the flow of a process for generating a face matching history by an information distribution server. [Figure 12] A flow diagram showing the flow of a process for distributing store usage information from an information distribution server to a business operator server. [Figure 13] A flow diagram showing a process of distributing action history information from an information distribution server to a business server. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of customer segmentation processing by an information distribution server; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The first invention made to solve the above problem is an information distribution server that provides store usage information regarding customer usage at a physical store to one or more business devices that manage membership information regarding multiple customers of the physical store, and is equipped with a processor and a behavior history memory unit that stores behavior history information regarding the customer's behavior based on visits to the physical store, wherein the processor acquires a facial image of the customer to identify visits to the physical store, generates facial image identification information to identify the facial image that complements the membership information, assigns each customer to one or more segments, and generates the store usage information which is a collection of the facial image identification information corresponding to the customers belonging to at least one of the segments.

[0014] According to this, a business operator who operates a physical store can identify each customer at the physical store and grasp the usage status of the customer at the physical store without having to manage information on the customer's face image by himself. In this case, if the information distribution server provides store usage information to multiple different business devices (each operated by multiple different business operators), the customer can avoid having his or her face image captured each time (by each business operator), and the risk of face image information leaking can be reduced.

[0015] In a second aspect of the present invention, the processor is configured to transmit the store usage information to the business operator's device in response to a transmission request from the business operator's device.

[0016] This makes it possible to provide store usage information to the business entity device at an appropriate timing in response to a transmission request from the business entity device.

[0017] In addition, a third invention is configured such that the transmission request includes the facial image identification information for at least one of the customers, and the processor extracts at least one of the segments to which the customer corresponding to the facial image identification information included in the transmission request belongs as a target segment, and transmits a set of the facial image identification information corresponding to multiple customers belonging to each target segment to the business device as the store usage information.

[0018] According to this, a collection of facial image identification information relating to a target segment extracted based on facial image identification information transmitted from the business device (i.e., customers selected by the business) is transmitted to the business device as store usage information, thereby further increasing the usefulness of the store usage information on the business side (business device).

[0019] In addition, a fourth invention is configured such that the transmission request includes identification information of a segment criterion, and the processor performs segmentation of the customer with respect to the behavioral history information based on the segment criterion corresponding to the identification information of the segment criterion included in the transmission request.

[0020] According to this, a collection of facial image identification information relating to segment criteria (i.e., segment criteria specified by the business) corresponding to the segment criteria identification information transmitted from the business device is transmitted to the business device as store usage information, thereby further increasing the usefulness of the store usage information on the business side (business device).

[0021] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the face image of the customer is acquired via an application program installed in a terminal of the customer for registering the member information.

[0022] This makes it possible to obtain a customer's face image in the information distribution server with a simple configuration.

[0023] In addition, a sixth invention is configured such that the face image of the customer is captured by a camera installed in the physical store.

[0024] This makes it possible for the information distribution server to acquire a facial image of the customer without requiring any operation from the customer.

[0025] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the processor is configured to transmit the store usage information only to a business entity device authorized by the customer, among the one or more business entity devices.

[0026] This makes it possible to prevent information about a customer (facial image identification information and store usage information) from being provided to business devices against the customer's wishes, even if store usage information is provided to multiple business devices.

[0027] An eighth aspect of the present invention is an information distribution system including the information distribution server and one or more business devices that manage the member information relating to each of the customers of the physical store.

[0028] This allows businesses that operate physical stores to identify each customer at their stores and understand how those customers use the stores, without having to manage information related to customers' facial images themselves.

[0029] In addition, a 9th invention is configured such that the business device distributes sales promotion information that increases the customer's purchasing motivation based on the store usage information to at least one of the target customer's terminal and the terminal of an employee of the physical store.

[0030] This allows the business device (i.e., the business) to deliver appropriate sales promotion information to each customer (or each employee of a physical store) based on store usage information, without the need to manage information regarding customer facial images themselves.

[0031] In addition, the tenth invention is configured to further include a touchpoint terminal that is placed in the physical store and used by the customer, and the behavioral history information includes touchpoint information regarding the behavior of the customer using the touchpoint terminal to view information about a specific product or service.

[0032] This makes it possible to distribute effective sales promotion information using highly accurate real-time store visit information.

[0033] In addition, an eleventh invention is an information distribution method by an information distribution server that provides store usage information regarding the usage status of customers at a physical store to one or more business devices that manage membership information regarding multiple customers of the physical store, and is configured to store behavior history information regarding the customer's behavior based on visits to the physical store, acquire facial images of the customers to identify their visits to the physical store, generate facial image identification information to identify the facial images that complement the membership information, assign the customers to one or more segments, and generate the store usage information which is a collection of the facial image identification information corresponding to the customers belonging to at least one of the segments.

[0034] This allows businesses that operate physical stores to identify each customer at their stores and understand how those customers use the stores, without having to manage information related to customers' facial images themselves.

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information distribution system (store usage information distribution system) 1 according to this embodiment.

[0037] The information distribution system 1 provides information (hereinafter referred to as store usage information) on the usage status of each customer at a physical store to a business operator (here, business operator server 3) that sells products and provides services to customers who use multiple physical stores (actual stores). A business operator such as a retailer can identify customers based on the provided store usage information and promote sales of products and services at the physical stores by issuing coupons to the identified customers that can be used at physical stores such as electronics retailers, for example, or by instructing sales clerks (store employees) on how to serve customers who visit the physical stores.

[0038] Here, the term "customer" includes not only customers (especially regular customers) who purchase products or services at a physical store, but also potential customers who may purchase products or services at a physical store. The term "business operator" refers to a business operator that operates a physical store, but is not limited to this, and may also include a business operator that advises on marketing products or services handled at the physical store, a business operator that manufactures products, or a business operator that creates advertisements for products or services.

[0039] The information distribution system 1 includes an information distribution server (store usage information distribution device) 2, a business server (business device) 3, a customer terminal 4, and a store clerk terminal 5. These servers and terminals are connected to a known network (Internet, LAN, etc.) 6, and can communicate with each other as necessary.

[0040] The information distribution server 2, as described below, manages information relating to facial images of customers who use physical stores, and distributes store usage information to one or more business operators' servers 3.

[0041] The business server 3 is a server operated by a business that operates a physical store (usually multiple stores). The business server 3 manages member information registered by customers who use the physical store. However, the member information managed by the business server 3 does not include at least the facial image and facial feature amount of the customer.

[0042] Furthermore, the business entity server 3 distributes sales promotion information for increasing the customer's willingness to purchase to at least one of the customer terminal 4 and the store clerk terminal 5 based on the store usage information distributed from the information distribution server 2.

[0043] The customer terminal 4 is a portable information terminal carried by a customer, and may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC. A dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as a "store usage app") for using a physical store is installed in the customer terminal 4, subject to the customer's consent. A dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as an "information management app") for using the information distribution server 2 (for example, for managing personal information such as a customer's facial image) may be installed in the customer terminal 4, subject to the customer's consent. The clerk terminal 5 is a portable information terminal carried by a clerk, and may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC, similar to the customer terminal 4.

[0044] Although not shown here, each of the information distribution server 2, business server 3, customer terminal 4, and clerk terminal 5 is equipped with hardware similar to that of a well-known computer, such as a processor, memory, input devices (keyboard, etc.), and output devices (display, speaker, etc.), and their functions are realized by the processor executing a predetermined control program.

[0045] The information distribution system 1 also includes a camera 11, a POS terminal 12, and a touch point terminal 13. Each of these devices is communicatively connected to the information distribution server 2 via a communication network (not shown) in the actual store or the above-mentioned network 6, as necessary. The information distribution server 2 can also transmit and receive information and data to and from the camera 11 and the touch point terminal 13 via other information processing devices (such as PCs and servers). The business entity's server 3 can also transmit and receive information and data to and from the POS terminal 12.

[0046] The cameras 11 are installed in appropriate locations in the store, specifically, at the entrances and exits of the store, around product display shelves, etc. Images captured by each camera 11 are transmitted to the information distribution server 2.

[0047] The POS terminal 12 is installed at an appropriate location in the store, specifically at a cash register where customers pay for their purchases. Information input to the POS terminal 12 is sent to the business server 3.

[0048] The touch point terminal 13 is installed in an appropriate location within the store, specifically, near the entrance or exit of the store, etc. The touch point terminal 13 is also installed outside the store, specifically, within a train station or the like.

[0049] The touchpoint terminal 13 transmits an ID signal by visible light communication to the customer terminal 4. The customer terminal 4 acquires the URL of the website corresponding to the received ID signal, and can access a website that provides information about various products based on the acquired URL. This allows the user to view information about products on the website. The customer information acquired in relation to the touchpoint terminal 13 is transmitted to the information distribution server 2.

[0050] In addition to being a dedicated device, the touch point terminal 13 may also be constructed by adding visible light communication functionality to digital signage that displays advertising content, or electronic shelf tags that are installed on product shelves and display product prices, etc.

[0051] In addition, the touch point terminal 13 is not limited to visible light communication, but may also transmit required information, such as a website URL, to the customer terminal 4 by reading a two-dimensional code or non-contact communication (near-field communication) such as NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0052] 1 shows only one information distribution server 2, it is also possible for the functions (various processes) of the information distribution server 2 to be shared among a plurality of servers. In addition, in the information distribution system 1, other information processing devices having similar functions may be used instead of the information distribution server 2. Such sharing of server functions and use of other information processing devices can be similarly applied to the business server 3. In addition, in this embodiment, various servers, various terminals, cameras, etc. are connected to each other via a network to transfer required information, but information may be transferred using an appropriate storage medium.

[0053] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the information distribution system 1. As shown in FIG.

[0054] When using a physical store, a customer registers as a member by accessing the business operator's server 3 from the customer terminal 4. In this member registration, the customer can input information about himself / herself by starting a store usage app on the customer terminal 4 and displaying a predetermined information input screen on the display. The input customer information is transmitted to the business operator's server 3 and registered as member information in the member registration database 31 (see FIG. 3).

[0055] Furthermore, when registering as a member in the store usage app, the customer can register his / her own facial image from the information management app. At this time, the customer's facial image data entered from the information management app is transmitted from the customer terminal 4 to the information distribution server 2. The facial image data is then registered in a facial image database 51 (see FIG. 5) of the information distribution server 2. The store usage app and the information management app can be linked together so that the former calls the latter, or the information management app can be called from the menu of the store usage app. Alternatively, the customer himself / herself can start each app.

[0056] Meanwhile, a customer visits a brick-and-mortar store to purchase a product (or service) or to see the actual product that interests them. At this time, a camera 11 installed at the entrance of the store photographs the customer. The customer also performs a touch operation on a touch point terminal 13 installed near the entrance of the store to earn reward points (points that can be used for shopping at the brick-and-mortar store, discounts on products, etc.) that are obtained when entering the store.

[0057] Next, the customer walks around the store, and if a touch point terminal 13 installed in a sales area or the like is related to a product of interest, the customer performs a touch operation on that touch point terminal 13 and browses a website on the customer terminal 4 based on the URL delivered in response.

[0058] In addition, when a customer wanders around the store and comes to a display shelf of a product that interests them, they stay there and engage in near-shelf behavior, i.e., reaching for the product, returning the product to the display shelf, examining the product, etc. At this time, a camera 11 installed near the display shelf captures an image of the customer.

[0059] Next, when the customer decides to purchase the product, the customer goes to the cash register to pay for the product. At this time, the store clerk inputs information about the product to be sold into the POS terminal 12.

[0060] The information distribution server 2 detects the visit of a customer by performing face matching of a person included in an image captured by the camera 11 installed at the entrance of the store, and generates real-time store visit information. Therefore, the camera 11 installed at the entrance of the store functions as a sensor for detecting the visit of a customer. Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 detects the customer's behavior in front of the shelves (the customer's behavior of reaching for a product, returning a product to the display shelf, examining a product, etc.) by performing behavior analysis of a person included in an image captured by the camera 11 installed at the sales floor, and generates in-store behavior information. Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 collects touch point information related to the usage status of the touch point terminal 13 of each user from the touch point terminal 13. In particular, the information distribution server 2 detects the visit of a customer by the customer's touch operation on the touch point terminal 13 installed near the entrance of the store, and generates real-time store visit information. Therefore, the touch point terminal 13 installed near the entrance of the store functions as a sensor for detecting the visit of a customer.

[0061] Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 collects various information from the camera 11 and the touch point terminal 13, integrates the information for each person (customer), and accumulates it as behavior history information.

[0062] Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 performs segmentation of customers based on the behavior history information based on one or more segment criteria related to the usage of the brick-and-mortar store by performing statistical processing on the behavior history information for each customer, as described below. As a result, the information distribution server 2 assigns each customer to one or more segments. Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 transmits a set (group) of face IDs (face identifiers) of customers who belong (are assigned) to a specific segment to the business operator server 3 as store usage information.

[0063] The business operator server 3 extracts customers who are likely to purchase products, etc. from among all members (registered customers) based on the store usage information received from the information distribution server 2, and distributes promotional information to increase the purchasing motivation of the extracted customers to the customer terminal 4 and the store clerk terminal 5. In this embodiment, as promotional information for customers, coupons and information about specific products (or services) can be distributed to the customer terminal 4. Furthermore, when there is a need for customer service in a physical store, the business operator server 3 can distribute customer service instructions to the store clerk terminal 5 as promotional information for store clerks.

[0064] When the salesperson has completed serving a customer, the salesperson may input information to that effect (service implementation information) into salesperson terminal 5 and transmit it to information distribution server 2. In this case, the service implementation information is registered in the database of information distribution server 2. This allows information distribution server 2 to evaluate the effectiveness of customer service by comparing the presence or absence of a purchase during service and non-service periods.

[0065] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the business entity server 3. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of registered contents of (A) member registration database 31, (B) purchase history database 32, and (C) sales promotion information database 33.

[0066] The business server 3 includes a member registration unit 21, a POS information collection unit 22, a customer information distribution unit 23, a store clerk information distribution unit 24, a member registration database 31, a purchase history database 32, and a sales promotion information database 33.

[0067] The member registration unit 21 acquires customer information from the customer terminal 4, and registers the information in the member registration database 31 as member information.

[0068] Membership registration database 31 manages customer membership information. As shown in FIG. 4(A), information related to a customer's membership ID, name, age, sex, address, telephone number, email address, and face ID (face image identification information) is registered in this member registration database 31 as the customer's membership information. Here, the member ID is an identifier for the customer as a member, and is generated (assigned) at the time of member registration. The face ID is an identifier for the customer's face image, and is obtained from information distribution server 2 separately from information (such as name) obtained from customer terminal 4. This complements the member information from customer terminal 4 registered in member registration database 31.

[0069] The POS information collection unit 22 acquires information about purchases made at a real store (or virtual store) by customers who are registered as members, and registers the information in the purchase history database 32. The purchase history database 32 manages information about the purchase history of customers. As shown in FIG. 4(B), information such as the member ID, the date and time of purchase, the name (product number) of the purchased product, and the price of the product is registered in this purchase history database 32. The POS information collection unit 22 can also collect customer purchase information for each customer from the POS terminal 12, and register the information in the purchase history database 32 as purchase history information. In this case, the purchase history information can include the number of the POS terminal 12, information about whether or not a coupon was used, and the like.

[0070] Furthermore, the POS information collection unit 22 can also use purchase history information for each customer in an EC site (virtual store) operated by a business operator as information on the purchase history of the customer.

[0071] The customer-oriented information distribution unit 23 generates sales promotion information for customers based on the store usage information distributed from the information distribution server 2, and distributes this to the customer terminal 4 carried by the customer. In this case, the customer-oriented information distribution unit 23 can also distribute sales promotion information to customers visiting the store by acquiring information indicating that the target customer is visiting the physical store (for example, the target customer's face ID) from the information distribution server 2. In this embodiment, as the sales promotion information for customers, coupons (discount coupons, complimentary coupons, free service coupons, etc.) related to products that the customer is predicted to purchase (products that the customer is highly motivated to purchase) are distributed to the customer terminal 4.

[0072] The customer-oriented information distribution unit 23 may distribute, as sales promotion information for customers, a message recommending a product to the customer (product recommendation information) to the customer terminal 4 in addition to the coupon or separately from the coupon.

[0073] In addition, coupons can be limited to individuals, with discount rates only available to eligible customers, or can be used for a limited time only on the day the customer is currently visiting the store. This effectively increases the customer's desire to purchase and allows them to make a purchase decision on the spot while they are in the store.

[0074] Also, instead of a coupon, it is possible to present a discount price of a recommended product to the target customer. As a method of presentation, it may be delivered to the customer terminal 4 as a message like a coupon, or based on the location information of the customer (customer terminal 4), the discount price of the recommended product may be delivered and displayed on an electronic POP, signage, etc. (not shown) in front of or near the customer, or the discount price for the recommended product may be displayed on the electronic shelf label of the recommended product, thereby presenting a discount price only to that customer. In this case, the customer-oriented information delivery unit 23 can identify the target customer based on the identification information of the customer terminal 4, for example.

[0075] When applying different prices to different customers for the same product, it is necessary to link the customer with the discount price. For example, it is effective to provide a function for purchasing and settling the product at the time the discount price is presented in the store usage app on the customer terminal 4, or to introduce a system in which the customer inputs their intention to purchase the product at the discount price presented on the customer terminal 4 (agreement with the presented price) and then makes a payment at the register. For example, the payment system at the register can send the customer's member ID to the POS register payment system when the customer inputs their intention to purchase, and then obtain the member ID from the customer terminal 4 or the like when making a payment at the POS register and verify the member ID to make the payment at the discount price agreed upon by the customer.

[0076] In addition, when determining the discount price, the inventory amount, purchase amount, production amount, etc. of the product in question may be taken into consideration, along with the customer's degree of demand for the product inferred from the customer's behavioral history (when the degree of demand is high and the inventory amount is low, the discount rate may be set relatively low, but when the degree of demand is low and the inventory amount is high, the discount rate may be set relatively high).

[0077] The sales clerk information distribution unit 24 generates sales promotion information for the clerk based on the store usage information distributed from the information distribution server 2, and distributes this to the clerk terminal 5. In this embodiment, the sales promotion information for the clerk is information instructing how to serve a target customer, which is distributed to the clerk terminal 5.

[0078] This sales promotion information for store clerks may be provided to the store clerk with information on products for which the customer has a high purchasing desire, for example, information on products that the customer has viewed on an internet site in the past. Also, the store clerk may be notified of the customer's current location based on location information of the customer (customer terminal 4). In this case, it is preferable to display a screen on the store clerk terminal 5 that displays the customer's current location on an area map of the store. In this case, the store clerk information distribution unit 24 can identify the target customer and store clerk, for example, based on the identification information of the customer terminal 4 and the store clerk terminal 5, respectively.

[0079] The salesperson-oriented information distribution unit 24 may determine a customer service method that will increase the customer's purchasing motivation based on the store usage information, and notify the salesperson of the customer service method together with customer service instructions.

[0080] The sales promotion information database 33 manages the sales promotion information distributed to the customer terminal 4 and the store clerk terminal 5. As shown in Fig. 4(C), this sales promotion information database 33 stores information about products (product category, product name, product number), information about coupons (discount rate, URL of the site where the coupon barcode is obtained), and information about the contents of the sales promotion information notification message. Note that the sales promotion information database 33 may also store information about customers who are determined to require assistance.

[0081] Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the information distribution server 2. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of registered contents of (A) face image database, (B) face feature database, (C) face matching history database, and (D) behavior history database. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of registered contents of (A) store usage database and (B) ID linkage database.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 5, the information distribution server 2 includes a captured image collection unit 41, a face image processing unit 42, a face matching unit 43, a touch point information collection unit 44, a store visit information acquisition unit 46, a behavior analysis unit 47, a store usage information generation unit 48, a face image database 51, a face feature amount database 52, a face matching history database 53, a behavior history database (behavior history storage unit) 54, a segment reference database 55, a store usage database 56, and an ID linkage database 57. The face image database 51 is not essential, and the information distribution server 2 may have only the face feature amount database 52. In that case, the face image is temporarily held in the information distribution server 2, and is deleted after the face feature amount is extracted. Also, as described later, the ID linkage database 57 may be omitted appropriately in the information distribution server 2.

[0083] The photographed image collection unit 41 collects face images extracted from photographed images of customers, and registers the face images in face image database 51. As shown in Fig. 6(A), member IDs, data on face images of customers, and the like are registered in face image database 51. Note that extraction of face images from photographed images may be performed by camera 11.

[0084] The facial image processing unit 42 extracts facial features from the facial images of the customers collected by the captured image collection unit 41, and registers the features in the facial feature database 52. As shown in Fig. 6(B) , the facial feature database 52 registers the member ID, data on the features extracted from the facial images of the customers, and the like.

[0085] Face matching unit 43 performs face matching (person recognition) on the image captured by camera 11 by referring to face image database 51 or face feature amount database 52. Face matching unit 43 can acquire the member ID of a customer who visits the store (i.e., identify the customer) through face matching. Furthermore, face matching unit 43 registers the result of face matching (here, only when the member ID can be acquired) in face matching history database 53. As shown in FIG. 6(C), face matching history database 53 registers information such as the member ID, the date and time when face matching was performed, and the store ID where the captured image was obtained.

[0086] In the information distribution server 2, by identifying a customer through such face matching, it becomes possible to collect the behavior history of the identified customer.

[0087] The touch point information collection unit 44 collects touch point information acquired when a customer performs a touch operation on the touch point terminal 13, and registers the information as a part of the behavior history in the behavior history database 54. The touch point information is linked to a specific customer (member information) based on the member ID (or the identification information of the customer terminal 4) acquired when the customer performs a touch operation.

[0088] Furthermore, if the information distribution server 2 includes the POS information collection unit 22 (see FIG. 3), customer purchase information for each customer may be collected from the POS terminal 12 and registered in the behavior history database 54 as part of the behavior history.

[0089] Furthermore, the store visit information acquisition unit 46 acquires store visit information of customers at a physical store, and registers the information in the behavior history database 54. The store visit information is acquired based on the matching results of the face matching unit 43 (or by analyzing the images captured by the camera 11). In this embodiment, the store visit information acquired includes the date and time, the store ID, and the time of visit. Furthermore, the store visit information acquisition unit 46 can detect customers leaving the store based on the matching results of the face matching unit 43, and acquire the time of leaving the store.

[0090] The behavior analysis unit 47 detects the behavior of people captured in the images captured by the camera 11, obtains in-store behavior information related to the behavior of customers in the store, and registers the information in the behavior history database 54 as a part of the behavior history. Specifically, the behavior analysis unit 47 detects the customer's stay in front of the product display shelves. The behavior analysis unit 47 also detects the customer's behavior of reaching for a product, returning the product to the display shelf, and inspecting the product. The behavior analysis unit 47 also obtains information related to the product that is the target of the customer's behavior, i.e., the product in which the customer shows interest (product information such as product category, product name, and product number) based on the position where the customer (customer terminal 4) is staying and the position of the customer's hand.

[0091] The behavior history database 54 manages the behavior history information for each customer as described above. In this behavior history database 54, as shown in FIG. 6(D), a member ID, store visit information, in-store behavior information, touch point information, and the like are registered. The store visit information includes the date and time, the store ID, the time of visit, and the time of leaving the store. The in-store behavior information includes information on the products (product category, product name, and product number) that are the subject of each of the actions of staying in front of the shelf, the action of reaching for the product on the display shelf, the action of returning the product to the display shelf, and the action of inspecting the product. The touch point information includes information on related products of the touch point terminal 13. If the information distribution server 2 is configured to be able to acquire purchase history information of the customer, the purchase history information may include, for example, the number of the POS terminal 12, information on whether or not a coupon was used, and information on the purchased product (product name (product number), price).

[0092] The store usage information generating unit 48 performs customer segmentation using information on the behavior history of customers registered in the behavior history database 54. One or more segment criteria are registered in the segment criteria database 55, and the store usage information generating unit 48 can assign each customer to one or more segments (a group of customers classified based on the similarity regarding the target segment criteria) by performing customer segmentation based on the segment criteria. For example, the pattern of the date and time when each customer visits multiple physical stores, the frequency of visits to each store (for example, the average number of visits each month), etc. can be used as the segmentation criteria. If the information distribution server 2 estimates attributes such as age and gender from face images and acquires them as behavior history information, attributes such as age and gender can also be used as the segmentation criteria. For example, a segment can be configured of a male, xx years old, who visited a specific store within the past week and further picked up product xx (interested). In addition, information regarding the segment criteria can be shared with the business operator server 3.

[0093] Furthermore, the store usage information generation unit 48 registers the customer segmentation results in the store usage database 56 for each segment criterion. As shown in FIG. 7(A), the store usage database 56 registers the customer's face ID, segment ID, segment attributes, etc. The segment ID is an identifier for identifying each segment related to the target segment criterion. Furthermore, the segment attributes indicate the characteristics and properties of each segment. The customer segmentation results shown in FIG. 7(A) are generated for each segment criterion.

[0094] Furthermore, the store usage information generation unit 48 can distribute the store usage information extracted from the segmentation results registered in the store usage database 56 to the business operator server 3 in response to a transmission request from the business operator server 3 (or at a predetermined timing regardless of a transmission request). In this case, when one or more customers are specified by a transmission request (including face ID) from the business operator server 3, the store usage information generation unit 48 extracts a set (group) of face IDs corresponding to customers having the same segment ID as the specified customers in the store usage database 56, and generates it as store usage information.

[0095] 7(A), when a customer having face ID "111" is specified by a transmission request from the business server 3, face ID "333" has the same segment ID "Aaa" (i.e., belongs to the same segment), and therefore is incorporated into the set of face IDs generated as store usage information. Although a detailed explanation is omitted here, typically, in addition to face ID "333", many more face IDs having the same segment ID as face ID "111" are incorporated into the set of face IDs generated as store usage information.

[0096] The store usage information generating unit 48 can distribute store usage information only to the business server 3 operated by a single business. In this case, the ID linking database 57 can be omitted in the information distribution server 2. Furthermore, the business server 3 can link each face ID acquired as store usage information from the information distribution server 2 with a member ID in the member registration database 31.

[0097] Meanwhile, as described in detail later, the store usage information generation unit 48 can distribute store usage information to the business server 3 operated by a plurality of different businesses. At this time, the store usage information generation unit 48 can determine whether or not to distribute the store usage information to each business server 3 based on ID federation information indicating the federation status between the face ID of each customer and the ID of each business (or the physical store operated by the business). The customer can set the ID federation information in advance by operating the customer terminal 4 (information management application), and the set ID federation information is registered in the ID federation database 57. As shown in FIG. 7(B), the face ID, the business ID, the member ID, and the like are registered in the ID federation database 57 as ID federation information.

[0098] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing the flow of a member registration process carried out by the customer terminal 4, the business server 3, and the information distribution server 2. As shown in FIG.

[0099] When a customer (customer terminal 4) registers as a member to use a physical store, the customer inputs member information using a store usage app (ST101). The input member information is transmitted from the customer terminal 4 to the business server 3 and stored in the member registration database 31 of the business server 3 (ST201).

[0100] Furthermore, when registering as a member, the customer registers his / her own face image using a face image registration function of the store usage app (ST102). Here, the face image to be registered is captured by a camera mounted on the customer terminal 4. Data of the captured face image is transmitted from the customer terminal 4 to the information distribution server 2. However, instead of capturing a face image with a camera, the customer may use (select) a face image previously stored in the customer terminal 4.

[0101] The information distribution server 2 generates (assigns) a face ID (face image identification information) for identifying the face image data received from the customer terminal 4 (ST301). Next, the information distribution server 2 transmits the generated face ID to the customer terminal 4 (ST302), and the customer terminal 4 transfers the received face ID to the business server 3 (ST103).

[0102] The business server 3 adds the face ID received from the customer terminal 4 to the corresponding member information stored in the member registration database 31 in step ST201 (ST202). This enables the business server 3 and the information distribution server 2 to identify each customer by the face ID without directly transmitting and receiving information on the face image of each customer.

[0103] Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 stores the facial image data received from the customer terminal 4 and the facial ID assigned thereto in the facial image database 51 (ST303). In parallel with this, the information distribution server 2 extracts features from the facial image (ST304) and stores the extracted facial features in the facial feature database 52 (ST305). This completes the customer's membership registration process.

[0104] In addition, in the above-mentioned step ST102, instead of transmitting a facial image from the customer terminal 4 to the information distribution server 2, a facial image may be transmitted from the customer terminal 4 to the business entity server 3, and the facial image may be transferred from the business entity server 3 to the information distribution server 2. In this case, the business entity server 3 temporarily stores the facial image data, and when the transfer of the facial image data to the information distribution server 2 is normally completed, the temporarily stored facial image data is erased.

[0105] Fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing a modified example of the member registration process shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an opt-in screen used in step ST601 shown in Fig. 9. Note that, regarding the modified example of Fig. 9, matters not specifically mentioned below can be executed in the same manner as the process shown in Fig. 8.

[0106] In the modified example shown in Fig. 9, a customer simultaneously registers face images for a plurality of businesses (i.e., shares face images). Here, the customer registers member information for each business using a store usage app, as in the case of Fig. 8, but differs from the case of Fig. 8 in that face images are registered collectively using an information management app.

[0107] The customer (customer terminal 4) inputs member information using a store usage app (ST401), similar to step ST101 in Fig. 8. Here, assuming that the store usage app of business A and the store usage app of business B are installed on the customer terminal 4, the member information input from each of the store usage apps of businesses A and B is transmitted from the customer terminal 4 to the business server 3 operated by business A and B, respectively, and stored in the member registration database 31 of each business server 3 (ST501A, ST501B). This completes the customer's membership registration with each business.

[0108] On the other hand, the customer inputs his / her member ID and the information destination using the information management application (ST601). The input member ID and information destination (business ID) are transmitted to the information distribution server 2.

[0109] Next, the information distribution server 2 stores the member ID and the information destination (including the business ID) received from the customer terminal 4 in the ID federation database 57 as ID federation information (ST701).

[0110] Here, the "information destination" refers to a business to which the customer permits the provision of his / her information. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the customer can select a business to which the customer permits the provision of his / her information (such as a face ID in this case) on an opt-in screen displayed on the display 60 of the customer terminal 4. Here, an example is shown in which "Convenience Store A" and "Point D" are entered (Yes is selected) as businesses permitted to provide the customer's information. In addition, in the information distribution system 1, reward points can be given each time the customer selects a specific business on the opt-in screen in order to encourage the customer to permit more businesses to provide information. The reward points may be set by each business and then displayed on the information management app after being notified in advance to the information distribution server side.

[0111] Next, the customer registers his / her own face image using the face image registration function of the information management application (ST602), similar to step ST102 in Fig. 8. As a result, data of the face image is transmitted from the customer terminal 4 to the information distribution server 2.

[0112] Next, the information distribution server 2 generates (assigns) a face ID for identifying the face image data received from the customer terminal 4 (ST702). Next, the information distribution server 2 stores the generated face ID in the ID federation database 57 (ST703). At this time, the face ID is added to the ID federation information stored in step ST701 (i.e., linked to one or more business IDs).

[0113] 8. Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 executes steps ST704-ST705 similar to steps ST303-ST305 in FIG.

[0114] Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 transmits the face ID and the corresponding member ID of the business to the business server 3 operated by the business authorized to provide information to the customer based on the ID federation information in the ID federation database 57 (ST707). The member ID transmitted here is a different member ID set for each business, but is not limited to this, and the same member ID may be shared by multiple different businesses.

[0115] Thereafter, each business server 3 adds the face ID received from the customer terminal 4 to the member information of the customer stored in the member registration database 31 in steps ST501A and ST501B, respectively (ST502A and ST502B).

[0116] In FIG. 9, for ease of explanation, the process for registering customer membership information using the store usage app and the process for registering a customer's facial image using the information management app are shown as a series of processes, but these processes may be executed independently of each other (i.e., at different times).

[0117] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the face matching history generation process performed by the information distribution server 2.

[0118] When the information distribution server 2 receives a captured image from the camera 11 in the brick-and-mortar store (ST801), it extracts features from a face image contained in the captured image (ST802).

[0119] Thereafter, the information distribution server 2 performs face matching by comparing the facial feature amount extracted in step ST802 with the facial feature amount of each customer preregistered in the facial feature amount database 52 (ST803).

[0120] If the matching in step ST803 is successful (ST804: Yes), the matching result information is registered in the face matching history database 53 (ST805). By such face matching, it becomes possible to identify the person appearing in the captured image (i.e., the customer who visited the brick-and-mortar store).

[0121] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram showing the flow of a process for distributing shop use information from the information distribution server 2 to the business entity's server 3. As shown in FIG.

[0122] When store usage information is required, the business entity server 3 transmits a request to transmit store usage information to the information distribution server 2 (ST901). The business entity server 3 can include the face ID of at least one designated customer in the transmission request to the information distribution server 2. The customer designated here is an existing customer selected as a model (i.e., a target of sales promotion or a reference for sales promotion for other customers) in order for the business entity to extract targets for transmitting sales promotion information.

[0123] In addition, in step ST901, the business server 3 can send information regarding at least one segment criterion (e.g., identification information of the segment criterion) as a transmission request to the information distribution server 2 together with the above-mentioned face ID or instead of the above-mentioned face ID.

[0124] When the information distribution server 2 receives a request to transmit store usage information from the business entity server 3 (ST1001: Yes), it extracts corresponding segmentation results (i.e., including the face ID) based on the face ID included in the transmission request from the store usage database 56 (ST1002). Furthermore, the information distribution server 2 extracts a segment (target segment) to which the face ID included in the transmission request belongs from each of the segmentation results, and transmits a set (group) of face IDs belonging to the segment to the business entity server 3 as store usage information (ST1003).

[0125] Here, in step ST1002, if the transmission request from the business server 3 includes a segment criterion along with the face ID, the information distribution server 2 extracts the segment (target segment) to which the face ID included in the transmission request belongs, only from the segmentation results corresponding to the segment criterion, and transmits a set of face IDs belonging to the segment to the business server 3 as store usage information.

[0126] On the other hand, in step ST1002, if the transmission request from the business server 3 does not include a face ID but does include a segment criterion, in the above step ST1003, the information distribution server 2 can extract a set of face IDs for the segment that includes the largest number of face IDs (customers) from each segment (segment ID) in the segmentation result corresponding to the segment criterion, and transmit them to the business server 3 as store usage information.

[0127] If the transmission request from the business entity server 3 does not include the segment criteria in step ST1002, the information distribution server 2 can generate new segment criteria in the above step ST1003. In that case, in order to facilitate the generation of segment criteria by the information distribution server 2, the transmission request from the business entity server 3 can include information on a specific behavioral pattern related to the customer.

[0128] The business entity server 3 extracts relevant customers (that is, customers having the face ID included in the store usage information) from the member registration database 31 based on the store usage information (a set of face IDs) received from the information distribution server 2 (ST902).

[0129] Next, the business server 3 generates sales promotion information (for example, targeted advertisement) for those extracted customers (ST903), and transmits the generated sales promotion information to the customers by e-mail or the like (ST904).

[0130] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing a distribution process of action history information from the information distribution server to the agent server.

[0131] When the business entity server 3 needs information on the behavior history as store usage information related to a specific customer, it transmits a request to the information distribution server 2 to transmit the behavior history information (ST1101). This transmission request includes the face ID related to the specific customer.

[0132] When the information distribution server 2 receives a request to send behavioral history information from the business server 3 (ST1201: Yes), it extracts the behavioral history information of the customer having the corresponding member ID from the behavioral history database 54 based on the face ID included in the request (ST1202).

[0133] Next, the information distribution server 2 transmits the extracted action history information to the business entity's server 3 (ST1203).

[0134] Meanwhile, the business server 3 generates sales promotion information (e.g., targeted advertisement) for that specific customer based on the behavioral history information received from the information distribution server 2 (ST1103), and transmits the generated sales promotion information to that specific customer using e-mail or the like (ST1104).

[0135] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of customer segmentation processing by the information distribution server 2. As shown in FIG.

[0136] The information distribution server 2 performs statistical processing on the behavior history information of each customer registered in the behavior history database 54 as a customer segmentation process.

[0137] In statistical processing, classification processing (segmentation or clustering) is performed by analyzing the behavior history information of each person based on a predetermined segment criterion. That is, based on each customer's behavior history pattern (frequency of visits to a specific store, order of visits to multiple stores, frequency of contact with a specific product, etc.) and attributes (age, gender, etc.), a group of people having a predetermined behavior history pattern or attribute is extracted to generate a segment (a set of people), or people having similar behavior history patterns or attributes are classified (clustered) as people belonging to the same segment. The predetermined segment criterion may be specified in the form of "a segment having a behavior history pattern or attribute similar to that of a person with a specified face ID" without specifying a behavior history pattern or attribute, or may be specified in the form of "a segment having a behavior history pattern or attribute of XX" without specifying a person.

[0138] The example shown in Fig. 14 is based on segment criteria related to customer behavior history patterns, with the horizontal axis representing the date and time of a customer's visit to a brick-and-mortar store, and the vertical axis representing a store ID (A, B, C, D...) for identifying the brick-and-mortar store. This makes it possible to confirm which brick-and-mortar stores each customer visited in the past, in what order, and at what time intervals, as a chronological behavior history pattern (pattern of visits to multiple stores).

[0139] Here, the multiple store visit patterns of each customer are grouped (clustered) based on the similarity of the shape of the time series pattern (the distance between the broken lines that are the time series pattern), and the customers belonging to each group can be assigned to each segment. Here, the same segment ID is given to customers belonging to the same group, and they are registered in the behavior history database 54.

[0140] In addition, a machine learning model may be used in this segmentation process. In that case, the behavioral history information of a specific customer is used as input information, and a machine learning model for performing optimal segmentation is learned using the effect of the sales promotion measures by the business operator server 3. Specifically, the sales promotion information generated by the customer-oriented information distribution unit 23 of the business operator server 3 using store usage information generated based on a certain segment criterion is measured to determine how much of a sales promotion effect (such as the increase rate of sales and the number of store visitors, the coupon usage rate, and the concurrent sales rate of products covered by the coupon. Hereinafter, this is referred to as the sales promotion effect). When the behavioral history information of a specific customer is specified, a machine learning model can be constructed by learning using a neural network or the like as to what segment criterion should be used for segmentation (what kind of person group should be extracted as a set of people similar to the specific customer) to increase the sales promotion effect.

[0141] As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to these, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. In addition, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments. [Industrial Applicability]

[0142] The information distribution server and the information distribution system and store usage information distribution method disclosed herein have the effect of enabling businesses that operate physical stores to identify each customer at the physical store and understand the usage status of those customers at the physical store without having to manage information regarding customers' facial images themselves, and are useful as an information distribution server and an information distribution system and store usage information distribution method that provide information regarding customer usage status regarding physical stores. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1: Information distribution system (store usage information distribution system) 2: Information distribution server (store usage information distribution device) 3: Business server (business device) 4: Customer terminal 5: Store clerk terminal 6: Network 11: Camera 12: POS terminal 13: Touch point terminal 21: Membership Registration Department 22: Information Gathering Department 23: Information Distribution Department 24: Information Distribution Department 31: Membership registration database 32: Purchase history database 33: Sales promotion information database 41: Image acquisition section 42: Face image processing unit 43: Face matching unit 44: Touchpoint Information Collection Department 45: POS information collection department 46: Visitor Information Acquisition Department 47: Behavior analysis department 48: Store usage information generation unit 51:Facial image database 52:Facial feature database 53: Face matching history database 54: Action history database (action history storage unit) 55: Segment criteria database 56: Store usage database 57: ID linking database 60: Display

Claims

1. An information distribution server that provides store usage information regarding usage status of a plurality of customers at a physical store to one or more business devices that manage member information regarding the plurality of customers at the physical store, A processor; A behavior history storage unit that stores behavior history information regarding the behavior of the customer based on the customer's visit to the physical store; Equipped with The processor, acquiring a face image of the customer for identifying the customer's visit to the brick-and-mortar store, and generating face image identification information for identifying the face image that complements the member information; an information distribution server that assigns the customers to one or more segments and generates the store usage information, which is a collection of the face image identification information corresponding to the customers who belong to at least one of the segments;

2. The processor, 2. The information distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the store usage information is transmitted to the business device in response to a transmission request from the business device.

3. the transmission request includes the facial image identification information for at least one of the customers; The processor, extracting, as a target segment, at least one of the segments to which the customer corresponding to the face image identification information included in the transmission request belongs; 3. The information distribution server according to claim 2, wherein a set of said face image identification information corresponding to a plurality of said customers belonging to each of said target segments is transmitted to said business device as said store usage information.

4. the request to transmit includes an identification of a segment criterion; The information distribution server according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the processor performs segmentation of the customers with respect to the behavior history information based on the segment criteria corresponding to identification information of the segment criteria included in the transmission request.

5. 5. The information distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the face image of the customer is acquired via an application program installed in the customer's terminal for registering the member information.

6. 5. The information distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the face image of the customer is captured by a camera installed in the brick-and-mortar store.

7. 7. The information distribution server according to claim 1, wherein the processor transmits the store usage information only to a business device authorized by the customer, among the one or more business devices.

8. 8. An information distribution system comprising: the information distribution server according to claim 1; and one or more business devices that manage the member information relating to each of the customers of the brick-and-mortar store.

9. The information distribution system described in claim 8, wherein the business device distributes sales promotion information that increases the customer's purchasing motivation based on the store usage information to at least one of the target customer's terminal and the terminal of an employee of the physical store.

10. and a touch point terminal located at the brick-and-mortar store and used by the customer; 10. The information distribution system according to claim 8, wherein the behavior history information includes touch point information regarding the behavior of the customer browsing information on a specific product or service using the touch point terminal.

11. 1. An information distribution method by an information distribution server that provides store usage information regarding usage status of customers at a physical store to one or more business devices that manage membership information regarding a plurality of customers of the physical store, comprising: Store behavior history information regarding the customer's behavior based on visits to the physical store; acquiring a face image of the customer for identifying the customer's visit to the brick-and-mortar store, and generating face image identification information for identifying the face image that complements the member information; An information distribution method, comprising: allocating the customers to one or more segments; and generating the store usage information, which is a collection of the face image identification information corresponding to the customers belonging to at least one of the segments.

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