Store Support System

Abstract

To provide a store support system that allows a store that cooperates with a main body unit to receive sufficient benefits.SOLUTION: A store support system 1 includes: a plurality of store terminals 2, 3 provided in each of stores A and B; a main body unit 10 which is capable of communicating with each of the plurality of store terminals 2, 3 and sell a plurality of commodities; and a purchaser terminal 5 owned by a purchaser M who purchases a commodity of the main body unit 10. The main body unit 10 includes: a membership registration reception unit 11 that receives membership registration of the stores A, B; an order reception unit 12 that receives orders for commodities from the stores A, B after the purchaser M settles payment for the commodities in the stores A, B; and a point providing unit 13 that provides points according to a price of the commodities to the stores A, B after the order reception unit 12 receives the orders.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a store support system that supports a plurality of stores. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of store support systems that support stores have been known in the past. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-163399 describes a store introduction system equipped with a center that maintains the homepage of a member store in a state that allows third parties to view it. In the store introduction system, a local partner that supports a store that is a local affiliated store encourages the store to register as a member, obtains information about the member store, and sends it to the center.

[0003] The center creates a homepage based on the information received from the local partners, and a server device installed inside the center maintains the homepage in a state where it can be viewed by third parties. In the store introduction system, a homepage created based on the information of a member store is made viewable by third parties, so that the store can be introduced and advertised through the homepage.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-310431 describes a store information distribution method and a store information distribution system. The store information distribution system includes a mobile phone device carried by a user, an information management server device that manages advertising information to be distributed to the mobile phone device, a store terminal that is placed in the store and capable of short-distance data communication with the mobile phone device, and a store management server device owned by an advertiser.

[0005] When a user uses a mobile phone device to request the delivery of store event information, the information management server device delivers the store event information to the mobile phone device in response to the request. When a user visits a store and holds a mobile phone terminal with an IC tag over a store terminal, communication occurs between the IC tag and the IC tag reader / writer of the store terminal. The information management server device obtains the store ID of the store from the store terminal and delivers store information including the products and facilities of the store to the mobile phone device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-163399 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-310431 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the above-mentioned store introduction system, a homepage for the store is automatically created based on the store's information, so the store can be advertised and introduced efficiently. However, even if the store's information is made available to third parties through the homepage, the current situation is that the store cannot be expected to attract a large number of customers, especially in recent years, because homepages have become so widespread.

[0008] In the above-mentioned store information distribution system, a user can obtain store event information when he or she requests the distribution of event information. Furthermore, when the user visits a store and holds a mobile phone terminal over a store terminal, the user can view store information including the products and facilities of the store. However, this store information distribution system has a problem in that the store cannot be adequately advertised because the user cannot view the store information unless he or she visits the store.

[0009] In addition, in a business model in which there is a main body that handles products and multiple stores that sell the products handled by the main body, various problems exist in the multiple stores. The multiple stores that are linked to the main body may include small stores with few employees. In particular, in such cases, the stores are unable to spend sufficient costs on attracting customers and marketing, and as a result, they have difficulty attracting customers and are unable to receive sufficient benefits as stores that are responsible for selling products.

[0010] The present disclosure aims to provide a store support system that can provide full benefits to stores that work in conjunction with the main body unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The store support system according to the present disclosure is a store support system including a plurality of store terminals provided in each of a plurality of stores, a main unit capable of communicating with each of the plurality of store terminals and handling a plurality of products, and a purchaser terminal owned by a purchaser who purchases the products in the main unit, the main unit including a member registration reception unit that receives member registration of the purchaser, an order reception unit that receives product orders from the purchaser, and a store information transmission unit that transmits store information of a store associated with the purchaser to the purchaser terminal. The member registration reception unit receives the store identification information acquired by the purchaser at the store and accepts the member registration, and the store information transmission unit transmits to the purchaser terminal store information of the store identified by the store identification information received by the member registration reception unit.

[0012] As described above, this store support system can reduce the need for each store to hold products because the main unit handles multiple products. Therefore, the burden of inventory management at the store can be reduced, and the store can sell products even if it does not hold the products. In addition, in this store support system, the main unit includes a store information transmission unit that transmits store information of the store associated with the purchaser to the purchaser terminal. Therefore, even if the purchaser does not request store information, the main unit automatically transmits store information of the store associated with the purchaser to the purchaser terminal, so the purchaser can automatically obtain the store information of the store associated with the purchaser. Therefore, even if the store does not advertise itself, the main unit transmits store information of the store to the purchaser terminal, so the burden on the store for advertising can be reduced. In this way, the automatic transmission of store information to the purchaser terminal will attract many purchasers to the store, so the store's customer attraction effect can be increased. Therefore, the store linked to the main unit can receive sufficient benefits.

[0013] shop When a purchaser who visits a store obtains store identification information and registers as a member, the member registration acceptance unit of the main unit receives the store identification information. Then, the store information of the store identified by the store identification information received by the member registration acceptance unit is transmitted to the purchaser terminal by the store information transmission unit. Therefore, when a purchaser who visits a store and obtains store identification information registers as a member, the store information of the store is automatically transmitted to the purchaser terminal of the purchaser, so the store can attract customers simply by providing the purchaser with store identification information such as a QR code (registered trademark). In other words, the store can attract customers simply by having the purchaser register as a member with the store identification information without selling the purchaser a product, thereby further reducing the effort required for the store to attract customers.

[0014] The member registration reception unit may specify the commercial area in which the purchaser resides from the purchaser's address when accepting the member registration, the main unit may have a purchaser commercial area registration unit that registers the purchaser's commercial area specified by the member registration reception unit, and the store information transmission unit may transmit to the purchaser terminal store information of stores located in the purchaser's commercial area registered by the purchaser commercial area registration unit. In this case, the purchaser commercial area registration unit of the main unit registers the purchaser's commercial area when the purchaser registers as a member, and store information of stores located in the purchaser's commercial area is transmitted to the purchaser terminal. Thus, by transmitting store information of stores in the purchaser's commercial area to the purchaser terminal, it is possible to introduce to the purchaser stores close to the purchaser's place of residence, making it easier for the purchaser to visit the stores. This can further increase the store's ability to attract customers.

[0015] The main unit may have a my-shop registration reception unit that receives the favorite stores of the purchaser from the purchaser terminal, and the store information transmission unit may transmit the store information of the store received by the my-shop registration reception unit to the purchaser terminal. In this case, the store information of the favorite store of the purchaser is transmitted to the purchaser terminal, so that the purchaser can become a fan of the store. Therefore, the store's ability to attract customers can be further improved. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, stores that are linked to the main body unit can receive substantial benefits. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a store support system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the store support system of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a store support method of the store support system of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a function of the store support system in FIG. 1 that is different from that in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a store support method of the store support system of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram illustrating another function of the store support system of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a store support method of the store support system of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the store support system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the drawings may be partially simplified or exaggerated for ease of understanding, and the dimensional ratios and the like are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0019] In this disclosure, the term "store" refers to a store that presents product information to a purchaser and promotes the sale of the product. The term "store" includes specialty stores that sell a specific type of product, franchise stores that belong to a company, tenant stores in commercial facilities such as department stores or shopping centers, and mass retailers that purchase products and sell them.

[0020] As an example, a "store" is a bedding specialty store that sells bedding. The store support system 1 according to this embodiment supports, for example, a plurality of bedding specialty stores that sell bedding. In this embodiment, a store refers to a store that handles main body products. A "store terminal" refers to a terminal used by a store. A "terminal" includes a portable terminal such as a tablet, a mobile phone, or a smartphone, and a terminal such as a personal computer.

[0021] The "main body" refers to an enterprise (including an organization, company, corporation, or individual) that sells products to purchasers through a store. The "main body" includes a main body organization that manufactures and manages the inventory of the products handled by the store, a franchisor that manages the affiliated stores, and a headquarters organization that manages the mass retailers. In this embodiment, the main body that conducts e-commerce (EC) with each of the multiple stores and purchasers will be described.

[0022] "Handling merchandise" refers to selling merchandise and displaying information about the product to encourage purchasers to purchase the product. "Purchaser" includes a person who purchases a product, a person who orders a product, and a person who has the possibility (prospect) of purchasing a product. A "purchaser" may be a consumer who purchases bedding to make a living. "Purchaser terminal" refers to a terminal used by a purchaser. "Purchase" refers to buying a product, and "order" refers to making a request to purchase a product. "Purchase" also includes requesting the sale of a product.

[0023] In recent years, many stores selling the main body's products have been struggling to attract customers, and as a result of their declining ability to attract customers, they have run into financial difficulties or are forced to close. This problem is particularly prevalent in stores in rural areas or stores run by elderly people. In addition, stores may struggle with advertising, and as a result of being unable to advertise sufficiently, their ability to attract customers does not increase. In addition, they may struggle with inventory management.

[0024] For example, even if advertisements are placed in paper media including flyers, leaflets and newspapers, the number of buyers who do not look at paper media in the Internet society is increasing, and the paper media itself is not viewed enough, which means that it does not attract enough customers. Furthermore, the above situation may become even more pronounced, especially in small stores, where sufficient costs cannot be spent on advertising and marketing. For the above reasons, support for the above-mentioned stores is essential to develop the economy, and the store support system 1 according to this embodiment provides a system and a store support method that enable support for such stores.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a store support system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and functions of the store support system 1. The store support system 1, for example, supports product sales and store advertising and promotion by a store, and reduces product inventory in the store.

[0026] 1 and 2, the store support system 1 includes, for example, store terminals 2 and 3 owned by each of a plurality of stores, store A and store B, a main unit 10 that manages products at store A and store B, and a purchaser terminal 5 of a purchaser M who purchases products at the main unit 10. Note that in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the plurality of stores are store A and store B, but the number of stores may be three or more. For example, the number of stores may be 200 or more and 500 or less, for example, about 300.

[0027] As an example, the main body 10 is a company that manufactures and manages bedding, and the stores A and B are specialty stores that sell the bedding of the company. However, the main body 10 may manufacture and manage products other than bedding, and the stores A and B may sell products other than bedding of the company.

[0028] Each of the store terminals 2 and 3 includes a mobile terminal such as a tablet or smartphone, and a computer such as a personal computer or a notebook computer. The main body unit 10 includes, for example, a computer (which may be a server). Each of the store terminals 2 and 3 includes, for example, a communication unit constituting a network module, and may include a wireless communication interface such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The store terminals 2 and 3 are capable of communicating with the main body unit 10 via the communication unit described above.

[0029] The computer of the main body 10 includes, for example, a processor (e.g., a CPU) that executes an operating system and application programs, a main memory unit consisting of a ROM or RAM, an auxiliary memory unit consisting of a hard disk or flash memory, and a communication control unit consisting of a network card or a wireless communication module.

[0030] Each component of the computer in which the main body 10 is provided is realized by loading software into the processor or main memory and executing the software. The processor operates the communication control unit according to the software, and reads or writes data in the main memory or auxiliary memory. Data necessary for computer processing is stored in the main memory or auxiliary memory.

[0031] The main unit 10 accepts membership registration from each of the store terminal 2 and the store terminal 3, and, for example, accepts an order for product a from the store terminal 3 in response to the purchase of product a by purchaser M who visits store B. The main unit 10 then grants points equivalent to p (%) of the price x of product a to the store terminal 3, and delivers product a to purchaser M (as an example, the home of purchaser M). p (%) indicates the point grant rate relative to the price (cost) of the product. The value of p is 10 or more and 80 or less, and is 60 as an example.

[0032] As an example, the main body unit 10 includes, as functional components, a member registration reception unit 11, an order reception unit 12, a point allocation unit 13, a product management unit 14, a delivery instruction unit 15, a store member setting unit 16, a store discrimination unit 17, an information transmission unit 18, a my-shop registration reception unit 19, an information collection unit 20, and a memory unit 21. The memory unit 21 is a database that stores information received by the main body unit 10 and information obtained inside the main body unit 10 in the main memory unit or auxiliary memory unit described above.

[0033] The member registration reception unit 11 accepts member registrations from each of the store terminal 2, the store terminal 3, and the purchaser terminal 5. When accepting member registrations from the store terminal 2, the store terminal 3, and the purchaser terminal 5, the member registration reception unit 11 acquires store identification information that identifies store A and store B. The store identification information is information that can identify store A and store B, and may be, for example, a store ID (or store identification code) that identifies store A and store B.

[0034] For example, the member registration reception unit 11 receives member registration requests from each of the store terminal 2, the store terminal 3, and the purchaser terminal 5, and the member registration request includes information on store A, B, or purchaser M, a postal code, and an address. For example, the member registration reception unit 11, together with accepting the member registration, identifies the commercial area in which purchaser M resides from the address of purchaser M. Note that, together with accepting the member registration, the name, address (postal code), gender, age, occupation, work / school address, email address, and product purchase history of purchaser M may also be registered.

[0035] In this disclosure, a "trade area" refers to an area that can attract customers to a store, and for example refers to an area that is defined within a specified trade area distance range from the store, with the store at its center. The "trade area" may be defined with the store at its center, or with the purchaser's address at its center. As an example, a region may be divided into units of 100,000 people, and each divided area may be defined as a trade area. As an example, the "Geospatial Information Authority of Japan Postal Code Population Statistics Master" may be used to calculate a trade area of ​​100,000 people.

[0036] The order receiving unit 12 receives orders for products of the main unit 10 from at least one of store A, store B, and purchaser M. For example, the order receiving unit 12 receives an order for product a from store B after purchaser M makes payment for product a at store B. The order receiving unit 12 may receive an order for product a from purchaser M. The order receiving unit 12 may also receive purchaser information of purchaser M along with receiving the order for product a. The "purchaser information" may include, for example, at least one of the purchaser's name, place of residence information (zip code), gender, age, occupation, work / school address, email address, and product purchase history.

[0037] The point allocating unit 13 awards points to stores A and B that have ordered the product of the main unit 10. For example, after the order receiving unit 12 receives an order from store B, the point allocating unit 13 awards points to store B according to the price x of product a. As described above, the point allocating unit 13 awards points equivalent to p (%) of the price x of product a to the store terminal 3. The value of p is 60, for example. In this case, store B can receive a cashback of 6,000 yen when it orders product a for 10,000 yen, which is a very large benefit to store B. Note that points may be awarded after shipment.

[0038] In this disclosure, "points" may be points that can be exchanged for cash, or points that cannot be exchanged for cash but can be used for subsequent orders. "Points that can be used for ordering" indicates, for example, the upper limit of the amount that can be discounted from price x when purchasing product a of price x.

[0039] As an example, 4000 points indicates 4000 yen, which is the maximum discount amount that can be discounted from 10,000 yen when ordering a 10,000 yen towel. In other words, if a store has 4000 points, the store can order a towel for 6000 yen (10,000 yen - 4000 yen). "Points" may be accumulated permanently or may expire after a certain period of time (for example, two years after being awarded).

[0040] The product management unit 14 has a function of managing the products in the main unit 10. For example, the product management unit 14 outputs instructions to perform inventory management of products. As an example, the product management unit 14 may instruct an employee of the main unit 10 to manufacture products when there is a shortage of products in the main unit 10, promote the products in the main unit 10, or notify an employee of the main unit 10 of the inventory status of each product.

[0041] The product management unit 14 may, for example, instruct an employee of the main unit 10 to develop and manufacture a product based on needs information from the purchaser M collected by the information collection unit 20 described below. By having the product management unit 14 manage the products of the main unit 10 in this way, the main unit 10 can deliver products that meet the needs of the purchaser M at any time.

[0042] The delivery instruction unit 15 has a function of instructing the delivery of the product in the main unit 10 to, for example, purchaser M or stores A and B. As an example, the delivery instruction unit 15 outputs an instruction to deliver product a, which purchaser M paid for at store B, to purchaser M. For example, the delivery instruction unit 15 may issue a delivery instruction when the order receiving unit 12 receives an order for a product, and the product may be delivered to stores A and B or purchaser M on the day after the order is received. In this case, it is possible to deliver the product promptly. The day of delivery of the product may be the day after the order is received or later.

[0043] The store member setting unit 16 has a function of setting up member registration for stores A and B when the member registration reception unit 11 receives a member registration request from the store terminals 2 and 3. The store discrimination unit 17 has a function of discriminating whether or not stores A and B are stores for which member registration can be set up. For example, the store discrimination unit 17 may determine that a higher-ranked store among a plurality of stores (for example, a store whose sales performance of products in the main unit 10 is equal to or greater than a certain value) is a store for which member registration can be set up, and may determine that stores other than the higher-ranked store are stores for which member registration cannot be set up.

[0044] When the store discrimination unit 17 determines that the member registration request received by the member registration reception unit 11 is from a store for which member registration can be set up, the store member setting unit 16 sets up the member registration for that store. On the other hand, when the store discrimination unit 17 determines that the member registration request received by the member registration reception unit 11 is from a store for which member registration cannot be set up, the store member setting unit 16 does not set up the member registration for that store. Note that even for a store for which member registration cannot be set up, it may be possible to register as a general member.

[0045] In this way, the store discrimination unit 17 discriminates stores that are available for member registration, making it possible to filter member registrations from stores. Furthermore, by deliberately rejecting member registration requests from stores that are not top-ranked stores, it becomes possible to encourage the non-top-ranked stores to improve their sales performance. However, in the present disclosure, the store member setting unit 16 and the store discrimination unit 17 may be omitted.

[0046] The information transmitting unit 18 includes a store information transmitting unit 18b that transmits store information of stores A and B to the purchaser terminal 5 of purchaser M. In this disclosure, "store information" refers to information specific to a store, and includes, for example, at least one of store sale information, store advertising and promotion information, information that a product advisor is present in the store, and store-specific service information.

[0047] "Store sale information" includes, for example, information that the product of the main body 10 will be discounted by Z% (Z is a natural number) for a certain period of time. "Store advertising information" includes, for example, information about the features of the store, such as whether the store carries unique products. "Information about the presence of advisors" includes, for example, information that a sleep expert (sleep master) visits the store and is available to give advice on sleep, and information that a bedding expert (as an example, a pillow advisor who is an expert on pillows) visits the store and is available to give advice on how to store bedding (how to put it away, etc.).

[0048] The "information on store-specific services" includes, for example, information that the store cleans bedding and information that the store accepts inquiries about bedding. The store information transmission unit 18b may transmit store information on the store closest to the address of purchaser M (for example, an address linked to a zip code). The information transmission unit 18 may transmit, for example, information on the products of the main body unit 10. In this way, the type of information transmitted by the information transmission unit 18 can be changed as appropriate.

[0049] The my shop registration reception unit 19, for example, has a function of accepting my shop registration by purchaser M. In this disclosure, "my shop" refers to a favorite store of purchaser M, and as an example, store B is registered as a my shop by purchaser M. For example, the number of my shops that the my shop registration reception unit 19 can accept is one. Note that the number of my shops that the my shop registration reception unit 19 can accept may be multiple.

[0050] When the my shop registration receiving unit 19 receives the my shop registration of store B by purchaser M, for example, the store information sending unit 18b sends store information of store B to the purchaser terminal 5. Note that the my shop registration by purchaser M may be performed by operating the purchaser terminal 5 of purchaser M, or may be performed automatically when purchaser M registers as a member or when purchaser M purchases product a.

[0051] The information collecting unit 20 collects information on store A, store B, and purchaser M. The information collecting unit 20 may acquire, for example, store information on store A and store B, purchaser information on purchaser M, workplace / school information, and sharable information. The information collecting unit 20 has, for example, a purchaser trade area registration unit 20b that registers the trade area of ​​purchaser M identified by the member registration reception unit 11. The store information collected by the information collecting unit 20 may include at least any of information on sales (sales performance, for example) for each product at store A and store B, information on the number of customers at each store A and store B, and information on the number of payments at each store A and store B. Note that the information collecting unit 20 may collect only purchase (payment) information.

[0052] The storage unit 21 stores, for example, information collected by the information collection unit 20. As an example, the storage unit 21 may store whether or not each of store A and store B is a top store, along with the sales performance of stores A and B collected by the information collection unit 20. In addition, the above-mentioned "sharable information" collected by the information collection unit 20 includes, for example, success story information of store A.

[0053] For example, the store information transmitting unit 18b may transmit sharable information of store A to the store terminal 3 of store B. As an example, the store information transmitting unit 18b may transmit success story information of store A to the store terminal 3 of store B. In this case, store B can obtain useful information. Note that when transmitting the success story information of store A to store B, the information collecting unit 20 may transmit the information in a manner that conceals the name of store A.

[0054] Next, an example of the store support method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of interactions between a purchaser M, stores A and B, and the main unit 10. The store support method according to this embodiment is executed within this sequence. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, first, stores A and B register as members with the main unit 10 (step S11).

[0055] When stores A and B register as members in the main unit 10, for example, a member registration request is sent from the store terminals 2 and 3 to the member registration reception unit 11. At this time, the member registration reception unit 11 receives the member registration request from the store terminals 2 and 3, and the store discrimination unit 17 discriminates whether or not stores A and B are stores that can set up member registration. Then, when it is determined that the member registration request is from stores A and B that can set up member registration, the store member setting unit 16 sets up the member registration for stores A and B.

[0056] For example, purchaser M purchases product a for the amount x at store B (step S12). The above-mentioned member registration at stores A and B (step S11) may be performed before or after step S12. After store B performs the above-mentioned member registration and purchaser M purchases product a for the amount x at store B, store B orders product a from the main unit 10 (step S13).

[0057] When store B places an order for product a with the main unit 10, the order receiving unit 12 receives the order for product a from store B. After the order receiving unit 12 receives the order for product a from store B, the point giving unit 13 gives points to store B (step S14). For example, the point giving unit 13 gives points equal to p (%) of the price x of product a to the store terminal 3 of store B.

[0058] Then, the main unit 10 ships the product a to the purchaser M (step S15). The shipping of the product a to the purchaser M may be performed before or after step S14. Alternatively to step S15, the main unit 10 may ship the product a to store B. In this case, the purchaser M will go to store B to pick up the product a, which can increase the intimacy of the purchaser M with store B. The step S14 may be performed after the product has been shipped.

[0059] Next, the effects of the store support system 1 and store support method according to this embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, in the store support system 1 and store support method according to this embodiment, a main unit 10 capable of communicating with store terminals 2 and 3 in stores A and B handles multiple products. Therefore, by having the main unit 10 handle multiple products, it is possible to reduce the need for stores A and B to each hold products, thereby reducing the burden of inventory management in stores A and B.

[0060] The main unit 10 has an order receiving unit 12 that receives an order for product a from store B. A purchaser M who visits store B makes payment for product a before store B orders product a from the main unit 10. Therefore, since payment for product a is completed before store B orders product a, money can be obtained from purchaser M regardless of the timing of product a arriving at purchaser M.

[0061] Since store B can obtain the money before ordering product a from the main unit 10, store B does not need working capital. Furthermore, since payment for product a is completed before ordering product a from the main unit 10, it is possible to ensure that purchaser M who visits store B purchases product a. This reduces the possibility that purchaser M will leave store B without buying anything. As described above, store B, which is linked to the main unit 10, can receive substantial benefits.

[0062] The main unit 10 may ship the product A that the purchaser M paid for at the store B to the purchaser M. In this case, the main unit 10 ships the product A to the purchaser M, which eliminates the need for the store B to deliver the product to the purchaser M. This reduces the delivery cost of the store B, so that the store B, which cooperates with the main unit 10, can receive even greater benefits.

[0063] The order receiving unit 12 may receive purchaser information of purchaser M together with receiving the order for product a. In this case, the order receiving unit 12 can acquire the purchaser information, thereby accumulating the purchase history of purchaser M and information on product a to be purchased. Furthermore, since the main unit 10 can acquire the purchaser information of purchaser M, who was surrounded by store B, the main unit 10 can acquire a large amount of purchaser information. Therefore, not only store B but also the main unit 10 can benefit, and a win-win relationship can be built between the main unit 10 and store B.

[0064] Next, a store support method according to a modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the store support method according to the modified example. Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of interactions between a purchaser M, a store B, and a main body unit 10 in the store support method according to the modified example.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, first, purchaser M visits store B (step S21). However, purchaser M does not buy a product at store B, but acquires product information from store B (step S22). In step S22, for example, purchaser M acquires an identification code (e.g., a QR code (registered trademark)) that enables access to product information in main body unit 10 using purchaser terminal 5. The identification code may be one printed on a paper medium such as a coupon, or may be one displayed at store B and photographed by purchaser terminal 5. The identification code also includes store identification information (e.g., a store identification code) that identifies the store that issued the identification code.

[0066] For example, purchaser M goes home without buying anything at store B, and then registers as a member based on the information acquired in step S22 (step S23). Specifically, the identification code received at store B is used to access the Internet site of the main unit 10 on the purchaser terminal 5, and purchaser M is registered as a member on the Internet site. At this time, the member registration acceptance unit 11 accepts the member registration from the purchaser terminal 5 and acquires store identification information that identifies store B.

[0067] The store identification information acquired by the member registration acceptance unit 11 is stored, for example, in the storage unit 21. At this time, the storage unit 21 may calculate the number of pieces of store identification information stored for each store (for example, the number of acquired identification codes or the number of distributed paper media with QR codes), and stores with the number of pieces of store identification information equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold may be added to the top stores.

[0068] Purchaser M also performs my shop registration for store B. At this time, the my shop registration reception unit 19 registers store B as purchaser M's my shop. The timing of my shop registration is not limited to after step S22 and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, my shop registration for store B may be performed automatically together with membership registration using the identification code received by store B.

[0069] After registering as a member as described above, purchaser M purchases product a for an amount x, for example, on the Internet site of the main unit 10 displayed on the purchaser terminal 5 (step S24). Product a is then delivered to purchaser M (step S25). Product a is delivered to purchaser M, for example, within one day of the purchase (order) of product a. In addition, after purchaser M registers as a member using the identification code received at store B and purchases product a for an amount x, the point allocating unit 13 awards points equivalent to q (%) of the amount x to the store terminal 3 of store B (step S26). Note that delivery does not have to be performed within one day of purchase.

[0070] Like the above-mentioned p(%), q(%) indicates the point allocation rate relative to the price of the product. The value of q is, for example, 5 or more and 60 or less, for example, 40. In this case, store B can receive a cashback of 4,000 yen when product a that costs 10,000 yen is purchased, so store B can enjoy a great benefit by simply providing the identification code to purchaser M.

[0071] Also, the value of q is smaller than the value of p, for example. In the case of FIG. 1 described above, since purchaser M will definitely purchase product a at store B, there is no problem in setting the point award rate p high, but in the cases of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, since there is a possibility that purchaser M will not purchase product a, the point award rate q is intentionally set smaller than the point award rate p. However, the values ​​of the point award rates p and q can be changed as appropriate. Product a may be delivered to purchaser M after points are awarded to store B, and the timing of delivery of product a can be changed as appropriate. Points may be awarded after the product is delivered.

[0072] Furthermore, store information of store B is sent from the store information sending unit 18b of the main unit 10 to the purchaser terminal 5 of purchaser M who has registered as a member using the identification code received at store B (step S27). In this store information sending, the store information of store B linked to purchaser M is sent. "Store linked to purchaser" refers to a store associated with the purchaser, and includes, for example, a store that the purchaser has visited as described above, a store that has given the purchaser a handout (as an example, the paper medium with the QR code described above), and a store close to the purchaser's home or workplace.

[0073] The store information transmission unit 18b transmits the store information at regular intervals (for example, once a week or once a month). However, the timing of the store information transmission by the store information transmission unit 18b can be changed as appropriate. The store information may be transmitted as a mail magazine or as new information on an application site, and the manner of transmitting the store information can be changed as appropriate.

[0074] As described above, in the modified example, the main body 10 of the store support system 1 handles multiple products, as described above, and therefore it is possible to reduce the need for stores A and B to stock products. This reduces the burden of inventory management on stores A and B, and stores A and B can sell products even if they do not stock the products.

[0075] Furthermore, in the store support system 1, the main unit 10 includes a store information transmission unit 18b that transmits store information of store B linked to purchaser M to the purchaser terminal 5. Therefore, even if purchaser M does not request store information, the main unit 10 automatically transmits the store information of store B linked to purchaser M to the purchaser terminal 5, so that purchaser M can automatically obtain the store information of store B linked to purchaser M.

[0076] Therefore, even if store B does not advertise itself, the main unit 10 transmits store information of store B to the purchaser terminal 5, so the burden on store B for advertising can be reduced. In this way, by automatically transmitting store information to the purchaser terminal 5, many purchasers M will visit store B, so store B's customer attraction effect can be improved. Therefore, store B, which cooperates with the main unit 10, can receive sufficient benefits.

[0077] The member registration acceptance unit 11 may receive store identification information (a QR code, for example) that purchaser M acquires at store B and accept the member registration, and the store information transmission unit 18b may transmit store information of store B identified by the store identification information received by the member registration acceptance unit 11 to the purchaser terminal 5. In this case, the purchaser M who visits store B acquires the store identification information, and the member registration acceptance unit 11 of the main body unit 10 receives the store identification information when the purchaser M registers as a member.

[0078] Then, the store information of store B identified by the store identification information received by the member registration acceptance unit 11 is transmitted to the purchaser terminal 5 by the store information transmission unit 18b. Therefore, when purchaser M who visits store B and obtains the store identification information performs a member registration, the store information of store B is automatically transmitted to purchaser terminal 5 of purchaser M, so store B can attract customers just by providing store identification information such as a QR code to purchaser M. In other words, store B can attract customers just by having purchaser M register as a member with the store identification information without selling product A to purchaser M, thereby further reducing the effort required for store B to attract customers.

[0079] The main unit 10 has a my shop registration reception unit 19 that receives store B, which is a favorite of purchaser M, from the purchaser terminal 5, and the store information transmission unit 18b may transmit the store information of store B received by the my shop registration reception unit 19 to the purchaser terminal 5. In this case, since the store information of store B, which is favorite of purchaser M, is transmitted to the purchaser terminal 5, it is possible to make purchaser M a fan of store B. Therefore, it is possible to increase the customer attraction ability of store B.

[0080] Next, a store support method according to a further modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the store support method according to the modified example. Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an exchange between a purchaser M and the main body unit 10 in the store support method according to the modified example.

[0081] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, first, purchaser M registers as a member in the main unit 10 (step S31). At this time, the member registration acceptance unit 11 receives a member registration request from the purchaser terminal 5, and this member registration request includes, for example, the postal code or address of purchaser M. In addition to accepting the member registration of purchaser M, the member registration acceptance unit 11 identifies the commercial area in which purchaser M resides from purchaser M's address (or postal code), and the purchaser commercial area registration unit 20b registers purchaser M's commercial area (step S32).

[0082] After registering as a member as described above, the purchaser M purchases a product of the main unit 10, for example, on the Internet site of the main unit 10 displayed on the purchaser terminal 5 (step S33). Then, the main unit 10 delivers the product purchased by the purchaser M to the purchaser M (step S34).

[0083] Furthermore, the store information transmission unit 18b transmits store information of store B in the trade area of ​​purchaser M registered in the purchaser trade area registration unit 20b to the purchaser terminal 5 of purchaser M (step S35). In this manner, the store information transmission unit 18b transmits store information of store B in the trade area of ​​purchaser M to the purchaser terminal 5. This allows purchaser M to automatically obtain store information of store B that is related to purchaser M (for example, close to purchaser M's home), and allows purchaser M to enjoy shopping at store B. Note that purchaser M and my shop registration do not need to be automatically linked. In other words, my shop registration may be performed by purchaser M's registration (decision-making).

[0084] As described above, in the modified example shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the main unit 10 includes a store information transmission unit 18b that transmits store information of store B associated with purchaser M to the purchaser terminal 5. As a result, similar to the example shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 described above, the main unit 10 automatically transmits store information of store B associated with purchaser M to the purchaser terminal 5, so that purchaser M can automatically obtain store information of store B associated with purchaser M. As a result, even if store B does not advertise itself, the main unit 10 transmits store information of store B to the purchaser terminal 5, so that it is possible to reduce the burden on store B for advertising and to increase store B's customer attraction effect.

[0085] The member registration reception unit 11 may specify the commercial area in which the purchaser M resides from the address of the purchaser M together with accepting the member registration, and the store information transmission unit 18b may transmit to the purchaser terminal 5 store information of store B located in the commercial area of ​​the purchaser M specified by the member registration reception unit 11. In this case, the purchaser commercial area registration unit 20b of the main body unit 10 registers the commercial area of ​​the purchaser M together with the member registration of the purchaser M, and transmits to the purchaser terminal 5 store information of store B located in the commercial area of ​​the purchaser M.

[0086] Therefore, by transmitting store information of store B in the trade area of ​​purchaser M to the purchaser terminal 5, store B close to the residence of purchaser M can be introduced to purchaser M, making it easier for purchaser M to visit store B. Therefore, store B's ability to attract customers can be further improved.

[0087] The above describes an embodiment of the store support system according to the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without changing the gist of the claims. In other words, the configuration and function of each part of the store support system according to the present disclosure can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the above.

[0088] For example, in the above embodiment, the main body 10 is illustrated as including the member registration reception unit 11, the order reception unit 12, the point allocation unit 13, the product management unit 14, the delivery instruction unit 15, the store member setting unit 16, the store discrimination unit 17, the information transmission unit 18, the my shop registration reception unit 19, the information collection unit 20, and the memory unit 21. However, the configuration of the main body is not limited to this example and can be changed as appropriate. For example, any of the product management unit 14, the delivery instruction unit 15, the store member setting unit 16, the store discrimination unit 17, the information transmission unit 18, the my shop registration reception unit 19, the information collection unit 20, and the memory unit 21 may be omitted.

[0089] Also, in the above embodiment, an example in which the store identification information is included in the QR code has been described. However, the store identification information may be included in something other than the QR code, such as a barcode (for example, an IC tag or an RFID tag). Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the store support system 1 that supports multiple bedding specialty stores that sell bedding has been described. However, the type of store supported by the store support system is not limited to bedding specialty stores. For example, the store support system according to the present disclosure may support multiple cosmetics specialty stores that sell cosmetics, may support multiple mass retailers that sell electrical appliances, or may support multiple affiliated stores that cooperate with credit card companies. In this way, the business type of the company to which the store support system according to the present disclosure is applied can be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1...store support system, 2, 3...store terminal, 5...purchaser terminal, 10...main body, 11...membership registration reception unit, 12...order reception unit, 13...point awarding unit, 14...product management unit, 15...delivery instruction unit, 16...store member setting unit, 17...store discrimination unit, 18...information transmission unit, 18b...store information transmission unit, 19...my shop registration reception unit, 20...information collection unit, 20b...purchaser trade area registration unit, 21...memory unit, A...store, a...product, B...store, M...purchaser, p, q...point award rate.

Claims

1. A plurality of store terminals provided in each of a plurality of stores; A store support system comprising: a main unit capable of communicating with each of the plurality of store terminals and handling a plurality of products; and a purchaser terminal held by a purchaser who purchases the products of the main unit, The main body portion is a membership registration reception unit that receives membership registration of the purchaser; an order receiving unit that receives an order for the product from the purchaser; A store information transmission unit that transmits store information of a store associated with the purchaser to the purchaser terminal, The member registration acceptance unit receives the store identification information acquired by the purchaser at the store, and accepts the member registration, the store information transmission unit transmits to the purchaser terminal store information of the store identified by the store identification information received by the member registration acceptance unit; Store support system.

2. The member registration acceptance unit accepts the member registration and identifies a commercial area in which the purchaser resides from the purchaser's address, The main body unit has a purchaser trade area registration unit that registers the trade area of ​​the purchaser identified by the member registration acceptance unit, The store information transmission unit transmits to the purchaser terminal store information of stores located in the purchaser's commercial area registered by the purchaser commercial area registration unit. The store support system according to claim 1.

3. the main body unit has a my-shop registration reception unit that receives favorite stores of the purchaser from the purchaser terminal, The store information transmission unit transmits store information of the store accepted by the my-shop registration acceptance unit to the purchaser terminal. The store support system according to claim 1 or 2.

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