Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device for improving customer loyalty to electronic settlement services.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a generation part for setting a discount rate of a discount coupon usable in electronic settlement services for processing settlement relating to purchase in a real store and generating a discount coupon with the discount rate set; and a notification part for notifying of generation of the discount coupon to a user terminal device used by a user, where the generation part sets the discount rate based on an index value relating to the electronic settlement services and dynamically changing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for granting benefits such as discounts to users who use an electronic payment service has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for identifying the usage tendency of an electronic payment service for each residential area based on the electronic payment information for each residential area of a user, and determining a discount rate for each residential area according to the identified usage tendency.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technique described in Patent Document 1 applies the discount rate determined according to the identified usage tendency for a predetermined period (for example, one month). In this case, the user will perform electronic payment after checking the discount rate every predetermined period. However, for periods outside the predetermined period, the user has no incentive to check the information regarding the electronic payment service, and the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service may be low.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that can improve customer loyalty to an electronic payment service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus including: a generation unit that sets a discount rate of a discount coupon usable in an electronic payment service for processing payment in a physical store and generates the discount coupon with the set discount rate; and a notification unit that notifies the user terminal device used by a user of the generation of the discount coupon, wherein the generation unit sets the discount rate based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and dynamically changing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, customer loyalty to the electronic payment service can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program control method of the present invention will be described. The application program and the payment server cooperate to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a payment application. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payments related to the purchase of goods and services in a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (actual store) existing in the real space, but may include a virtual store for e-commerce. The virtual store may include those provided by a party different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when making a payment for shopping in the virtual store, it is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, a store is, for example, treated as belonging to a franchisee (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase action is performed in the store is mainly carried out between the user and the franchisee. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic Payment Service] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized centering around a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, each of one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and an information distribution server (inventory management server) 200 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, and the like.

[0011] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input reception function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the configurations for realizing these functions are respectively referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, by executing a payment application 20 by a processor such as a CPU, it operates to provide an electronic payment service to the user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, etc.

[0012] The first store terminal device 50 is installed in a store, for example. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. Note that the store code image 60 may be displayed by a display placed in the store (which may be a display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0013] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the franchise store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. In the second store terminal device 70, the interface 72 for the franchise store operates. The interface 72 for the franchise store may be an application for the franchise store or a browser. The interface 72 for the franchise store accepts settings of coupons and the like by the operator of the franchise store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70 which is a smartphone has functions such as displaying a code image corresponding to the store code image or reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the application for the franchise store. The second store terminal device 70 is prepared for each store of the franchise store and may be used by the store administrator (such as an employee).

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on the payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and a franchise store server. In that case, the payment information is transmitted from the POS device to the payment server 100 via the franchise store server. In the following description, without particularly distinguishing this, it is assumed that the payment information is transmitted from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating a general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns, pattern 1 and pattern 2, for electronic payment.

[0016] In the case of pattern 1 shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as user scan), the user terminal device 10 in the state where the payment application 20 is activated decodes the store code image 60 by means of an optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 contains information on the store URL (Uniform Resource Locator). This store URL is obtained by adding information capable of identifying the store to the domain of the electronic payment service, and is associated with a franchise store ID, a store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 transmits first payment information including the store URL and the account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the franchise store ID and the store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires information on the franchise store name and the store name (S3), and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user inputs the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen where the franchise store name and the store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount, and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs an electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). Then, the payment server 100 transmits a payment completion notification (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S9). When the store code image 60 is displayed by a display placed in the store, the store code image 60 may contain not only the store URL but also payment amount information. In this case, the procedure for the user to input the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and transmitted to the payment server 100. Information on the franchise store name and the store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0017] In the case of Pattern 2 shown in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as store scan), when the payment application 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment application 20, when the automatic update timing (for example, every minute) is reached, and at other timings, the payment application 20 sends a request for issuing a one-time code to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment application 20 (S13). The payment application 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user shields (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 to the first store terminal device 50, and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image by means of an optical reading function and acquires a one-time code or the like (S15). Then, the first store terminal device 50 generates payment information including a one-time code, a payment amount, a franchise store ID, a store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The information on the payment amount has been acquired in advance by barcode reading, manual input, or the like. The payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information and performs an electronic payment (S17). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0018] Note that the electronic payment may be performed in only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (for example, a telephone number) that can be used as identification information of the user. Further, in the store scan, the issuance of the one-time code may be omitted, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID.

[0019] [Payment Server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the settlement server 100 according to the first embodiment. The settlement server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a settlement content providing unit 120, a settlement processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, a coupon generation unit 150, an information notification unit 160, and a storage unit 170. Components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium on a drive device.

[0020] The storage unit 170 is an HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the settlement server 100 via a network. Information such as user information 172, settlement content information 174, franchise / store information 176, and coupon information 178 is stored in the storage unit 170. The coupon information 178 stores information regarding a first coupon and a second coupon described later.

[0021] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0022] The settlement content providing unit 120 has, for example, the function of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The settlement content providing unit 120 appropriately reads necessary content from the settlement content information 174 and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs by the user in a state where the content is reproduced by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0023] The settlement processing unit 130 performs settlement processing based on the settlement information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The settlement processing unit 130 performs settlement processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the user information 172. The user information 172 is an example of the user's registration information. The user information 172 includes, for example, a user URL, an account ID, a phone number, a password, as well as an email address, a user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, remaining recharge amount, post-payment setting, post-payment limit, post-payment usage amount, available post-payment amount, payment method setting, bank account, credit card number, recharge history information, payment history information, followed affiliated stores, first coupon, and points held, etc. The user URL is used for money transfer processing between users. When newly registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that the user can optionally set (not necessarily set). Similarly, the email address, and name, address, and date of birth are also information that the user can optionally set (not necessarily set). The registration date is the date when the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date when the account was created). Hereinafter, an instance of the user (electronic payment account) in which these pieces of information are associated is referred to as an account.

[0025] The remaining charge amount is information indicating the remaining amount of electronic money set by the user by remitting money to the account in advance. As means of remittance, there are remittances from the ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated operator (bank), remittances from a registered bank account, etc. The post-payment setting is information indicating whether the setting for enabling electronic settlement by post-payment has been completed or not, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed". The post-payment limit is the limit amount of post-payment available per month, the post-payment used amount is the amount of post-payment already used in the current month, and the post-payment available amount is the amount of post-payment available in the current month obtained by subtracting the post-payment used amount from the post-payment limit. Although only one post-payment limit is shown in the figure, in reality, there are further upper limits per day, etc., and the lower of them may be set as the post-payment limit. Further details of post-payment will be described later. The settlement method setting is setting information indicating whether the user conducts an electronic settlement using the remaining charge amount or a settlement by post-payment at that time. Each of the bank account and credit card number is information (account number, card number) of a bank account or credit card number that can receive deposits for the electronic settlement service. The charge history information is the history of the user increasing the remaining charge amount by remitting money to the electronic settlement service in advance. The settlement history information is information showing the breakdown of the settlements made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase action was performed, settlement amount, settlement method, etc.) for each settlement. Details of the followed affiliated stores, the first coupon, and the held points will be described later.

[0026] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above) are associated with the affiliated store ID, and a third table 176C in which a store name is associated with the store ID. In addition to these information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the location of the store, and the settlement pattern.

[0027] The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176 based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds, edits, deletes, etc. new records for the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176.

[0028] [Electronic payment] When the settlement information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the settlement processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "settlement method setting" of the user. For users whose "settlement method setting" is set to "charge balance", the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the sales amount of the affiliated store. The item value of the sales amount of the affiliated store is not used as electronic money itself, and the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales amount is remitted to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0029] For users whose "setting information" is set to "postpaid", the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. Postpaid is set separately from "credit payment" through cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the creditor and allows electronic payment that does not depend on the charge balance within the range of the postpaid limit. In order to receive the postpaid service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used for postpaid is settled in one lump sum on the payment date of the following month, for example, by direct debit from the bank account. In this case, the settlement processing unit 130 performs a provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the postpaid usage amount and subtracting the same amount from the available postpaid amount, and performs processing to debit the settlement for the current month on the closing date as described above on the payment date of the following month, or requests the operator of the credit card company to perform such processing. If the settlement amount exceeds the available postpaid amount at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is returned to the settlement application 20.

[0030] [Top Screen] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen IM of the payment application 20. A code image CD is displayed on the top screen IM. The code image CD includes, for example, a barcode and a QR code. Further, together with the code image CD, text indicating whether to perform electronic payment based on the remaining charge amount or to perform electronic payment on a deferred payment basis (in the figure, "Pay with balance") is displayed. This text is drawn by the payment application 20 based on information updated by the payment application 20 each time the switching switch SW is operated. The top screen IM also includes an operation area CA including the switching switch SW and a transition button TB. This will be described later. Note that the "switch" and "button" are GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) realized in cooperation with the touch panel. The switching switch SW accepts an operation for switching between performing electronic payment based on the remaining charge amount and performing electronic payment on a deferred payment basis. The switching switch SW is set to perform electronic payment based on the remaining charge amount by default, and the setting switches between the setting for performing electronic payment based on the remaining charge amount and the setting for performing electronic payment on a deferred payment basis each time it is operated by the user. In the figure, the explanatory display is "Balance payment", which means that the setting is to perform electronic payment based on the remaining charge amount. The operation area CA is provided with buttons for instructing main operations in electronic payment, such as a button for instructing scanning (starting user scanning) and a button for instructing charging. When the transition button TB is operated, it transitions to a payment screen that displays the code image used for electronic payment and the available amount.

[0031] Furthermore, when making a payment for the electronic payment service, the top screen IM includes areas CP1 and CP2 for providing information regarding a first coupon and a second coupon for applying a discount (in this embodiment, it means awarding points that can be used in the next electronic payment) to the payment amount. As shown in FIG. 7, area CP1 represents an area for providing information regarding the first coupon to the user, and area CP2 represents an area for providing information regarding the second coupon to the user. When the user presses area CP1 on the payment app 20, the payment app 20 transitions to a screen regarding the first coupon, while when the user presses area CP2 on the payment app 20, the payment app 20 transitions to a screen regarding the second coupon. As will be described below, for the first coupon, the manager of the affiliated store or store registered with the electronic payment service sets the coupon conditions such as the discount rate and the expiration date based on their own judgment in advance. In contrast, for the second coupon, the coupon conditions are automatically set (or by simple designation by the manager) based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that dynamically changes. The second coupon is an example of the "discount coupon" in the claims. Hereinafter, the details of the first coupon and the second coupon will be described.

[0032] [First Coupon] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of how to use the first coupon by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of FIG. 8 represents, for example, a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when the user accesses the dedicated page of an affiliated store of the electronic payment service via the payment app 20 of the user terminal device 10. This screen is, for example, displayed when the user clicks on the area representing the first coupon CP1 on the top screen IM in FIG. 7 and searches for the store that offers the first coupon.

[0033] The dedicated page for franchise stores includes, for example, area A1 where summary information of the franchise store is displayed, button B1 for following the franchise store, area A2 where detailed information of the franchise store can be switched and displayed by tabs, etc. When the user presses follow button B1, the payment app 20 sends information indicating that follow button B1 has been pressed, together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID), to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the identification information (e.g., franchise store ID) of the franchise store in "Followed Franchise Stores" of the user information 172. Thereby, for example, each time the franchise store updates the content of the dedicated page for franchise stores, the payment server 100 notifies the user, via the payment app 20, of a notice indicating that the content of the dedicated page for franchise stores has been updated.

[0034] In FIG. 8, for example, when the user taps "First Coupon", which is one of the tabs included in area A2, the first coupon that the user can currently use for electronic payment at the store is displayed. When the user, for example, follows the franchise store and presses button B2 for obtaining the first coupon, the payment app 20 sends information indicating that obtain button B2 has been pressed, together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID), to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the information of the first coupon obtained by the user in "First Coupon" of the user information 172.

[0035] After the user obtains the first coupon, when the user terminal device 10 performs an electronic payment, the payment processing unit 130 determines whether the electronic payment meets the usage conditions of the first coupon obtained by the user. If it is determined that the usage conditions of the coupon are met, a privilege corresponding to the content of the first coupon is granted to the user. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the payment processing unit 130 determines whether the payment amount of the electronic payment is 300 yen or more. If the payment amount is 300 yen or more, points equivalent to 5% of the payment amount are granted.

[0036] After that, the payment app 20 displays, as a payment completion screen, an area A3 for displaying the payment store, an area A4 for displaying the payment amount, and an area A5 for displaying the given benefits together. The right part of FIG. 8 shows, as an example, a case where 25 yen of points are given for a 500 yen payment in response to the user obtaining a 5% off first coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 stores 25 yen worth of points in the "held points" of the user information 172, and the payment processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the held points from the payment amount in the user's next electronic payment, and subtracts the remaining amount from the recharge balance or the available amount for deferred payment. Note that, as another aspect, the coupon may be such that the amount is directly subtracted from the payment amount on the day without being added as points available for payment.

[0037] In this way, for the first coupon, the franchisee or the store manager sets the conditions of the first coupon such as the discount rate in advance based on their own judgment, and the user accesses the franchisee's dedicated page of the franchisee to obtain the first coupon with the conditions set in advance. The provision of such a first coupon gives an incentive for the user to use the electronic payment service, but its conditions are fixed and lack surprise, and there may be cases where it is difficult to improve customer loyalty. Also, the first coupon is generally created by the franchisee or the store manager to be available for a predetermined time period (for example, one month), and it is required to manually set a thumbnail image, promotional text, etc., so it may not be suitable for promoting the purchase of products with an expiration date approaching (for example, food) or services with a provision deadline approaching (for example, movies or concerts).

[0038] [Second Coupon] Against the backdrop of the above circumstances, the coupon generation unit 150 sets the discount rate of a coupon based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that dynamically changes, and provides it as the second coupon. Here, the index value that dynamically changes is, for example, the inventory information of the goods or services sold at the store of the affiliated store. The coupon generation unit 150 acquires the store inventory information from the information distribution server 200, which is the inventory management server of the affiliated store, via the network NW, and sets the discount rate for the goods (or services with a near expiration date) with a near expiration date among the acquired inventory information, and generates code information with the product identifier and the set discount rate as the second coupon. At this time, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate the closer the expiration date (or the provision deadline) is from the current time.

[0039] As another aspect, the coupon generation unit 150 may set the discount rate using the inventory quantity of the goods or services, without being limited to the expiration date or the provision deadline of the goods or services as the index value that dynamically changes. In that case, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate the larger the inventory quantity of the goods or services is. For example, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate the closer the expiration date of the food is and the larger the inventory quantity of the food is, or the closer the screening time of the movie is and the larger the number of vacant seats in the movie theater screening the movie is.

[0040] Furthermore, as another aspect, the coupon generation unit 150 may generate a second coupon for a new product newly registered in the inventory information as an index value that dynamically changes. For example, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate as the time from the registration date and time when the product was newly registered in the inventory information to the current time is closer. Also, for example, when a product or service is newly added to the inventory information, the coupon generation unit 150 determines whether the same product or service has been provided in the past in the franchise store or the entire electronic payment service. If it is determined that the newly added product or service has not been provided in the past, a second coupon may be generated for the product or service. At this time, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate as the time from the registration date and time when the product or service was newly registered to the current time is closer, or as the purchase quantity by the user is less. Thereby, an incentive to purchase the product can be given to a user who hesitates to purchase a new product with no sales record.

[0041] The information notification unit 160 stores the generated second coupon in the storage unit 170 as coupon information 178, and transmits it to the second store terminal device 70 of the store as code information. The store manager prints the code information of the second coupon received by the second store terminal device 70 and attaches it to the corresponding product. Furthermore, the information notification unit 160 notifies the user terminal device 10 that a new second coupon has been issued. When the user confirms the notification, the user visits the store that issued the second coupon and uses the second coupon using the user terminal device 10. Hereinafter, the details of the usage method of the second coupon will be described.

[0042] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a method for using the second coupon by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of FIG. 9 represents a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, the user accesses a screen for searching for the second coupon provided in the electronic payment service via the payment application 20 of the user terminal device 10. This screen is, for example, displayed when the user clicks on the area representing the second coupon CP2 on the top screen IM in FIG. 7.

[0043] The information notification unit 160 first receives position information (e.g., GPS information) from the user terminal device 10 and displays the position P of the store S that provides the second coupon in the vicinity of the received position information. For example, in the case of the screen on the left side of FIG. 9, the information notification unit 160 displays the position P1 of store S1 and the position P2 of store S2 on the map. Further, the information notification unit 160 displays detailed information of the store that provides the second coupon at the bottom of the map. Here, the detailed information includes, for example, the store name of the store that provides the second coupon and information regarding the discount rate of the second coupon provided. For example, in the case of the screen on the left side of FIG. 9, the information notification unit 160 displays information indicating that store S1 provides second coupons with discount rates of 20%, 10%, and 5%, and store S2 provides second coupons with discount rates of 20%, 15%, and 10%. Further, a mark M1 for the user to confirm the discount rate of the product when visiting the store is attached to each discount rate.

[0044] When the user checks the store S that provides the second coupon on the map, the user actually visits the store S and searches for the product for which the second coupon is issued. For example, as shown in the central part of FIG. 9, the user visits store S1 and searches for the product with a label L attached indicating that it is the product for which the second coupon is issued. Here, since a mark M2 indicating the discount rate is attached to the label L, for example, the user can recognize the discount rate of the product by comparing it with the mark M1 displayed on the second coupon search screen.

[0045] Next, when the manager of store S1 reads the barcode B of label L using the first store terminal device 50, the first store terminal device 50 acquires code information from the read barcode B. Then, when the manager of store S1 uses the first store terminal device 50 to perform, for example, a store scan, the first store terminal device 50 transmits the acquired code information to the settlement server 100 together with the identification information of the user. The settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic settlement by applying the second coupon associated with the acquired code information to the user associated with the received identification information.

[0046] The right part of FIG. 9 shows, as an example, a case where 40 yen of points are given for a 200 yen settlement in response to the user obtaining a 20% off second coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 stores 40 yen worth of points in the "held points" of the user information 172 in the same manner as in the case of the first coupon. The settlement processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the held points from the settlement amount in the user's next electronic settlement and subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available amount for deferred payment. The points given by the use of the first coupon and the points given by the use of the second coupon may be combined as the "held points" of the user information 172.

[0047] FIG. 8 described above shows an example of the second coupon issued when the dynamically changing index value is the inventory information of the products sold by the franchise store. As described above, the coupon generation unit 150 can similarly issue the second coupon even when the dynamically changing index value is the inventory information of the services sold by the franchise store.

[0048] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a method for using a second coupon by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of FIG. 10 represents a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, the user accesses a screen for searching for a second coupon provided by a movie theater in an electronic payment service via the payment application 20 of the user terminal device 10. In this way, the payment application 20 may provide a function of displaying a screen for searching for a second coupon for each business type of the affiliated store.

[0049] The information notification unit 160 first receives position information (for example, GPS information) from the user terminal device 10, and causes the position P of the movie theater T that provides the second coupon to be displayed around the received position information. For example, in the case of the screen on the left side of FIG. 9, the information notification unit 160 displays the position P1 of the movie theater T1 and the position P2 of the movie theater T2 on the map. Further, the information notification unit 160 displays detailed information of the movie theater that provides the second coupon at the bottom of the map. Here, the detailed information includes, for example, the store name of the movie theater that provides the second coupon and information regarding the discount rate of the provided second coupon. For example, in the case of the screen on the left side of FIG. 9, the information notification unit 160 displays information indicating that the movie theater T1 provides second coupons with discount rates of 20%, 10%, and 5%, and the movie theater T2 provides second coupons with discount rates of 20%, 15%, and 10%. Further, each discount rate is provided with a mark M1 for the user to confirm the discount rate of the movie when the user visits the movie theater.

[0050] When the user confirms the movie theater T that provides the second coupon on the map, the user actually visits the movie theater T and searches for the movie for which the second coupon is issued. For example, as shown in the central part of FIG. 9, the user refers to the movie title displayed on the guide board of the movie theater T1 to search for the movie for which the second coupon is issued. Similar to the case of FIG. 8, since the movie for which the second coupon is issued is provided with a mark M2 indicating the discount rate, the user can recognize the discount rate of the product by comparing it with the mark M1 displayed on the second coupon search screen.

[0051] In the case of intangible services such as movies, unlike tangible goods, it is difficult to attach a barcode-label. Therefore, when the second coupon is generated for intangible services such as movies, the settlement processing unit 130 may perform electronic settlement using the second coupon without using the label L. More specifically, when the manager of the movie theater T1 inputs the identification information of the movie to be accounted for using the first store terminal device 50 and executes store scanning at the time of accounting, the first store terminal device 50 transmits the identification information of the movie together with the identification information of the user to the settlement server 100. The settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic settlement by applying the second coupon associated with the identification information of the movie to the user associated with the received user identification information.

[0052] The right part of FIG. 10 shows, as an example, a case where, in response to the user obtaining a second coupon with a 20% discount, 200 yen in points is given for a settlement of 1000 yen. In this case, similar to the case of the first coupon, the information management unit 140 stores 200 yen worth of points in the "held points" of the user information 172, and the settlement processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the held points from the settlement amount in the user's next electronic settlement, and subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available amount for deferred payment.

[0053] In the descriptions of FIGS. 9 and 10 above, the manager of the store S or the movie theater T manually executes store scanning, but the operations of the above manager can be replaced by operations using a self-checkout or a vending machine.

[0054] In this way, unlike the first coupon where the franchisee or store manager sets the conditions in advance, the coupon generation unit 150 dynamically changes the target products or services for which the second coupon is to be issued based on an index value that changes dynamically, for example, the inventory information of the products or services sold at the franchisee's store, or sets the discount rate of the second coupon. That is, the generation of the second coupon is fluid and full of surprises, and users of the electronic payment service can search for and use such surprising second coupons from the top screen IM of the payment app 20. Thereby, the coupon generation unit 150 and the information notification unit 160 according to the present embodiment can motivate users to frequently check information regarding the electronic payment service, and improve customer loyalty to the electronic payment service. Furthermore, since the second coupon can promote the purchase of products with a near expiration date or services with a near provision deadline, the coupon generation unit 150 and the information notification unit 160 according to the present embodiment can improve the revenue and expenditure of the franchisee that issues the second coupon while encouraging users to take environmentally friendly purchasing actions.

[0055] In the description of FIG. 9 above, the store manager prints the second coupon transmitted from the payment server 100 and attaches it to the corresponding product, and the user recognizes the discount rate of the second coupon by finding the mark M2 on the label L attached to the second coupon. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the user terminal device 10 may use the barcode B of the label L attached to the second coupon to let the user recognize the discount rate of the second coupon.

[0056] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method in which the user terminal device 10 displays the discount rate of the second coupon. As shown in FIG. 11, when the user activates the payment app 20 of the user terminal device 10 and captures the barcode B of the label L, the payment app 20 reads the code information included in the barcode B and, for example, queries the payment server 100 to identify the discount rate of the product from the code information. When the payment app 20 identifies the discount rate of the product, it notifies the discount rate in a manner corresponding to the identified discount rate. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the payment app 20 sets different colors for different discount rates and causes the barcode B captured in the color corresponding to the identified discount rate to emit light. Also, for example, the payment app 20 may display the identified discount rate as character information. With such a configuration, the user can enjoy the gamification of searching for products in the store that are offered a second coupon with a higher discount rate, and can further improve customer loyalty to the electronic payment service.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above description, the coupon generation unit 150 obtains the inventory information of the franchise store from the information distribution server 200 and automatically sets the products or services to which the second coupon is to be provided and their discount rates. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the information distribution server 200 may transmit the inventory information of the franchise store to the second store terminal device 70 via the payment server 100, and the store manager may set the products or services to which the second coupon is to be provided and their discount rates on the franchisee interface 72 of the second store terminal device 70.

[0058] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a method in which a store manager sets a second coupon on the franchisee interface 72 of the second store terminal device 70. In FIG. 12, the franchisee interface 72 displays an area A6 representing the franchisee logged in to the franchisee interface 72 and its account (franchisee account or store account), an area A7 representing a menu operable via the franchisee interface 72, and an area A8 for displaying information on an item selected from the menu A7. FIG. 12 represents, as an example, a screen displayed when a store manager logs in to the franchisee interface 72 using a store account and selects a second coupon on the menu.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when a franchise store handles food as a product, the second store terminal device 70 acquires, from the information distribution server 200, information on products with a near expiration date (in other words, products whose period between the expiration date and the current time is within a threshold) among the products sold by the store, and displays the acquired information as a table TB. In this case, the second store terminal device 70 may acquire information directly from the information distribution server 200 or may acquire it via the settlement server 100. At that time, as shown in FIG. 12, the information notification unit 160 may display proposal information for proposing to issue a second coupon for products with a near expiration date on the screen of the franchisee interface 72.

[0060] Next, the store manager selects a product for which the second coupon is to be issued and its discount rate from among the products displayed as the table TB, and presses the button B3. When the store manager presses the button B3, the second store terminal device 70 transmits the setting content of the second coupon input by the store manager to the settlement server 100, and the coupon generation unit 150 generates code information for the second coupon based on the received setting content of the second coupon and stores it as coupon information 178.

[0061] Meanwhile, the information notification unit 160 transmits the generated code information of the second coupon to the second store terminal device 70, and the second store terminal device 70 prints the received code information. Thus, unlike the first coupon for which it is required to manually set a thumbnail image, promotional words, etc., the second coupon can be generated automatically by the coupon generation unit 150 or through a simple selection by the store administrator. In particular, since it is difficult to spend time creating a coupon for a product with an approaching expiration date, such a configuration can reduce the burden of coupon creation on the store administrator.

[0062] Note that FIG. 12 shows, as an example, the interface 72 for franchise stores for generating the second coupon for products, but the interface 72 for franchise stores for generating the second coupon for services can be provided in the same way. For example, the second store terminal device 70 acquires information on the movies screened at the cinema on the same day and the number of available seats thereof from the information distribution server 200, and displays the acquired information as a table TB. At this time, the second store terminal device 70 may acquire only the information on the movies with the number of available seats equal to or greater than the threshold value from the information distribution server 200, display it as a table TB, and propose the generation of the second coupon. The administrator of the cinema selects the movie for which the second coupon is to be issued and the discount rate from the movies displayed as the table TB, and when the button B3 is pressed, the second store terminal device 70 transmits the setting content of the second coupon input by the administrator of the cinema to the settlement server 100, and the coupon generation unit 150 generates the code information of the second coupon based on the received setting content of the second coupon and stores it as coupon information 178.

[0063] Furthermore, in FIG. 12, the information notification unit 160 obtains information on products or services with approaching expiration dates from the information distribution server 200, which is the inventory management server of the affiliated store, and proposes the generation of the second coupon based on rules. In addition to this, the settlement server 100 obtains external distribution information from an external information distribution server via an API (Application Programing Interface), correlates and records the transition between the obtained external distribution information and the purchase volume of products or services in the affiliated store, and may generate in advance a machine learning model for proposing the generation of the second coupon based on the recorded information. For example, the settlement server 100 obtains weather information (such as weather classification, temperature, humidity, etc.) from the information distribution server 200 that distributes weather information via an API, correlates and records the transition between the obtained weather information and the purchase volume of products in the affiliated store, and generates in advance a machine learning model that outputs a predicted value of the purchase volume of products in the affiliated store in response to the input of the weather information based on the recorded information. Then, the information notification unit 160 inputs the daily weather information into the generated machine learning model in time series, and at the timing when the predicted value of the purchase volume becomes less than a predetermined value (for example, the timing when a significant decrease in the purchase volume is predicted due to bad weather), displays proposal information for proposing to generate the second coupon on the interface 72 for the affiliated store. Also, for example, the settlement server 100 obtains new product information on newly launched products by the affiliated store from the information distribution server 200 that distributes new product information via an API, and displays proposal information for proposing to generate the second coupon for the said new product on the interface 72 for the affiliated store. The operator of the store checks the proposal information, generates and prints the second coupon on the interface 72 for the affiliated store, and attaches the second coupon to the products in the store. With such a configuration, even in a complex situation that does not conform to a simple rule-based inventory information, by proposing the generation of the second coupon to the operator of the store, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the profit for the affiliated store.

[0064] [Processing flow] Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the flow of electronic payment using the second coupon will be described. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of electronic payment using the second coupon. First, the information distribution server 200 transmits inventory information regarding the merchandise to the payment server 100 (S21). Next, when the payment server 100 receives the inventory information, it generates a second coupon for merchandise with an approaching expiration date and stores it as coupon information 178 (S22). Next, the payment server 100 notifies the payment app 20 and the second store terminal device 70 of information regarding the generated second coupon (S23). More specifically, the payment server 100 notifies the second store terminal device 70 of the code information for specifying the second coupon, while notifying the payment app 20 of information indicating that the second coupon has been generated by the store of the affiliated store. In this case, the payment server 100 may perform a push notification to the payment app 20, or when the user activates the payment app 20, information indicating that a new second coupon has been generated may be displayed on the top screen IM in FIG. 7. Also, for example, the payment server 100 may display information indicating that the second coupon has been generated as an advertisement on various SNSs and apps.

[0065] Next, the second store terminal device 70 prints the second coupon based on the notified code information, and the store manager attaches the printed second coupon to the merchandise (S24). On the other hand, when the user confirms that a new second coupon has been generated, the user visits the store that sells the merchandise for which the second coupon has been issued and performs an electronic payment for the merchandise using the payment app 20 (S25). In response, the payment server 100 awards the user points corresponding to the discount rate of the second coupon used by the user (S26). Next, the payment app 20 displays a payment completion screen (S27). Thereby, the processing of this sequence diagram ends.

[0066] According to the embodiment described above, the coupon generation unit 150 sets the discount rate of the discount coupon that can be used in the electronic payment service that processes the payment related to the purchase at the physical store, generates the discount coupon with the set discount rate, and the information notification unit 160 notifies the generation of the discount coupon to the user terminal device used by the user. The coupon generation unit 150 sets the discount rate based on the index value that is related to the electronic payment service and dynamically changes. Thereby, the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service can be improved.

[0067] In addition, in the above embodiment, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the case where the first coupon whose conditions are set in advance by the franchise store or the store manager and the second coupon generated automatically by the coupon generation unit 150 or through a simple selection by the manager are used separately has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the settlement processing unit 130 may permit the user to use the first coupon and the second coupon in combination. Thereby, the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service can be further improved.

[0068] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the coupon generation unit 150 determines the discount rate to be applied to the second coupon from among a plurality of candidates according to the index value (for example, the closer the expiration date of the product is, the higher the discount rate is set). However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the coupon generation unit 150 may randomly set the discount rate to be applied to the second coupon from among a plurality of candidates, or may randomly vary it up and down based on the discount rate determined according to the index value. Thereby, the user can enjoy the game of searching for products with the second coupon having a higher discount rate in the store, and the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service can be further improved.

[0069] [Modification Example 1] In the above embodiment, the case where the dynamic index value referred to for generating the second coupon is the inventory information of the products or services sold by the franchise store has been described. On the other hand, as Modification 1, the dynamic index value referred to for generating the second coupon may be the change in the purchase volume of the products or services sold by the physical store according to the passage of time. More specifically, for example, the coupon generation unit 150 may obtain information representing the relationship between each time zone (for example, every hour) and the purchase volume of the products or services sold by the physical store from the information distribution server 200 of the franchise store, and issue a second coupon that can be used for a time zone with a low purchase volume of the product or service. In this case, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate for a time zone with a lower purchase volume. Thereby, the user can enjoy the variability of the coupon by browsing through the settlement application 20 what kind of second coupon is issued in each time zone, and the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service can be further improved.

[0070] [Modification 2] Also, for example, as Modification 2, the dynamic index value referred to for generating the second coupon may be the change in the purchase volume of the products or services sold by the physical store according to the change in weather. More specifically, for example, the coupon generation unit 150 may obtain information representing the relationship between each weather condition (for example, information representing classifications related to weather such as "sunny", "cloudy", "rainy", etc., and may also include information such as temperature and humidity) and the purchase volume of the products or services sold by the physical store from the information distribution server 200 that distributes the weather information, and issue a second coupon that can be used for a time zone with a low purchase volume of the product or service. In this case, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate for a lower purchase volume in a particular weather condition.

[0071] Furthermore, the coupon generation unit 150 may record the relationship between the weather information and the purchase quantity of each product, and issue a second coupon for the product with a high purchase quantity according to the weather. For example, when the coupon generation unit 150 grasps that the purchase quantity of "hot coffee" tends to be high when it is "rainy" and "the temperature is 10 degrees or less", it may issue a second coupon that can be used only during the period of the weather that meets this condition. Thereby, the user can enjoy the variability of the coupon by searching through the settlement app 20 for what kind of second coupon is issued in each weather, and can further improve the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service.

[0072] [Modification Example 3] Also, for example, as a modification example 3, the dynamic index value referred to for generating the second coupon may be an index value representing the popularity of the generated external event. More specifically, for example, the coupon generation unit 150 may obtain trend information from an information distribution server 200 such as an SNS (social networking service) or a news distribution site, and issue a second coupon according to the trend information. For example, when the coupon generation unit 150 obtains a keyword related to "soccer" as the trend information of a certain SNS, it may issue a second coupon for goods related to soccer. At this time, the coupon generation unit 150 may set a higher discount rate as the index value representing the popularity is higher. For example, the coupon generation unit 150 may increase the discount rate of the second coupon for goods related to soccer as the number of users who mention the topic of "soccer" on a certain SNS is higher, or as the number of views of articles related to "soccer" on the news distribution site is higher. Thereby, the user can enjoy the variability of the coupon by searching through the settlement app 20 for what kind of second coupon is issued when a popular event occurs in the world, and can further improve the customer loyalty to the electronic payment service.

[0073] Note that the plurality of dynamically changing index values (inventory information, the transition of the purchase quantity according to the passage of time, the transition of the purchase quantity according to the transition of the weather, the popularity of external events) described in the above embodiments and Modifications 1 to 3 may be combined with each other and used as reference information for generating the second coupon. In that case, the coupon generation unit 150 may learn the relationship between these plurality of index values, the discount rate of the second coupon, and the purchase quantity of each product by machine learning, set the discount rate of the second coupon so as to maximize the purchase quantity of each product, and issue the second coupon.

[0074] [Modification 4] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as an example, the case of performing electronic settlement with the second coupon by utilizing store scanning has been described. On the other hand, as Modification 4, electronic settlement with the second coupon may be performed by utilizing user scanning according to the second pattern (hereinafter referred to as second user scanning). Hereinafter, the details of the second user scanning will be described.

[0075] [Display screen of the settlement application] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the store code reading screen 300 of the settlement application 20 according to Modification 4. By starting the settlement application 20 on the user terminal device 10 and the user selecting (tapping) the icon corresponding to the second user scanning on the home screen of the settlement application 20, the store code reading screen 300 shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 14, the user terminal device 10 reads and decodes the store code image 60 by means of an optical reading function. As a result, the user terminal device 10 can acquire a store URL to which information capable of identifying the store is added with respect to the domain of the electronic settlement service. The user terminal device 10 transmits first settlement information including the store URL and the account ID to the settlement server 100. The settlement server 100 transmits the franchise store ID, the franchise store name, and the store name corresponding to the store URL to the user terminal device 10.

[0077] In this way, the control unit 240 of the user terminal device 10 reads the store code image (first code information) 60 installed in the store using the camera mounted on the user terminal device 10, decodes the read store code image 60, and obtains the franchise store ID from the payment server 100 based on the store URL obtained by the decoding. As a result, the user terminal device 10 can identify the franchise store or the like where the user intends to purchase goods.

[0078] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the product code reading screen 310 of the payment application 20 according to Modification Example 4. When the store code image 60 is read on the store code reading screen 300 of FIG. 14, the product code reading screen 310 shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the user terminal device 10.

[0079] The product code reading screen 310 includes a reading area 311, a shopping cart button 312, and a payment button 313. The reading area 311 is an area to be read by the camera of the user terminal device 10. A barcode in which the product ID is encoded is attached to the product. By arranging the product so that the barcode of the product can be seen within the reading area 311, the barcode of the product is read and decoded by the optical reading function of the user terminal device 10.

[0080] In this way, the control unit 240 of the user terminal device 10 reads the barcode (second code information) attached to the product using the camera mounted on the user terminal device 10, and decodes the read barcode. As a result, the user terminal device 10 can obtain the product ID for identifying the product.

[0081] The user terminal device 10 transmits the franchise store ID and the product ID to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 transmits the product information corresponding to the franchise store ID and the product ID received from the user terminal device 10 to the user terminal device 10. At this time, the payment server 100 refers to the coupon information 178 to identify whether the product indicated by the product ID is applicable to the second coupon. If the product is applicable to the second coupon, the payment server 100 also transmits the discount rate of the second coupon for the product to the user terminal device 10. When the user terminal device 10 receives the discount rate of the second coupon from the payment server 100, for example, it displays the discount rate of the second coupon for the product at the lower part of the reading area 311.

[0082] Based on the information received from the payment server 100, the user terminal device 10 adds products to the shopping cart. The shopping cart is a function for temporarily storing products planned to be purchased. The shopping cart button 312 is a button for displaying detailed information about the products added to the shopping cart on the display unit 220. The payment button 313 is a button for displaying a payment screen 330, which will be described below, on the display unit 220.

[0083] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the payment screen 330 of the payment application 20. When the user selects (taps) the payment button 313 shown in FIG. 15, the payment screen 330 shown in FIG. 16 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the user terminal device 10.

[0084] The payment screen 330 includes product information 331 planned to be purchased, point information 332 planned to be obtained, total amount 333, payment completion button 334, and return button 335. The product information 331 planned to be purchased is information indicating information (product name, price) about the product planned to be purchased. The point information 332 planned to be obtained is information about the points planned to be obtained due to the application of the second coupon for this purchase. The total amount 333 is the total amount of the products planned to be purchased, which is the amount that the user should pay.

[0085] The payment completion button 334 is a button for instructing payment of the amount shown in the total amount 333. When the user selects (taps) the payment completion button 334, the user terminal device 10 transmits payment information including the payment amount, etc. to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the payment information received from the user terminal device 10. With the configuration of the modification example 4 described above, electronic payment using the second coupon can be implemented for user scanning.

[0086] As described above, the embodiments for implementing the present invention have been described using embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0087] 10 User terminal device 20 Payment application 100 Payment server 110 Communication unit 120 Payment content providing unit 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information management unit 150 Coupon generation unit 160 Information notification unit 170 Storage unit

Claims

1. In an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at physical stores, a discount rate of a discount coupon that can be used is set for each item or service sold by the physical store based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that changes dynamically, and a generation unit that generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate; a notification unit that notifies a user terminal device used by a user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and a mark indicating the discount rate, wherein the notification unit notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate and the mark without disclosing the item or service for which the discount rate is set, and the notification unit performs the notification so that, by the discount rate and the mark indicating the discount rate being displayed on the user terminal device, the user can grasp the discount rate indicated by the mark affixed to or displayed for each item or service displayed in the physical store or provided by the physical store before purchasing the item or service. An information processing apparatus.

2. In an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at physical stores, a discount rate of a discount coupon that can be used is set for each item or service sold by the physical store based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that changes dynamically, and a generation unit that generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate; a notification unit that notifies a user terminal device used by a user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and a mark indicating the discount rate, wherein the notification unit notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate and the mark without disclosing the item or service for which the discount rate is set, and the notification unit performs the notification so that, by the discount rate and the mark indicating the discount rate being displayed on the user terminal device, the user can grasp the discount rate indicated by the mark affixed to or displayed for each item or service displayed in the physical store or provided by the physical store before purchasing the item or service. An information processing apparatus.

3. A computer sets, for each item or service sold by a physical store, a discount rate of a discount coupon that can be used in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at the physical store based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that changes dynamically, and generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate, Notify the user terminal device used by the user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. The notification notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate and the mark without disclosing the set discount rate for each item or service. The notification is to notify the user so that, by displaying the discount rate and the mark indicating the discount rate on the user terminal device, the user can grasp the discount rate indicated by the mark affixed or displayed for each item or service displayed in the physical store or provided before purchasing the item or service. Information processing method.

4. A computer Sets the discount rate of a discount coupon that can be used in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store for each item or service sold by the physical store based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that dynamically changes, and generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate. Notify the user terminal device used by the user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. The notification notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate and the mark without disclosing the item or service for which the discount rate is set. The notification is to notify the user so that, by displaying the discount rate and the mark indicating the discount rate on the user terminal device, the user can grasp the discount rate indicated by the mark affixed or displayed for each item or service displayed in the physical store or provided before purchasing the item or service. Information processing method.

5. A generation unit that sets the discount rate of a discount coupon that can be used in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store for each item or service sold by the physical store based on an index value related to the electronic payment service and that dynamically changes, and generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate. A notification unit that notifies the user terminal device used by the user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. The notification unit discloses a list of a plurality of discount rates and marks for each physical store without disclosing the set discount rate for each article or service, and notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. An information processing apparatus. **Claim 6** In an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at physical stores, a generation unit that sets a discount rate for a discount coupon that can be used for each article or service sold by the physical store based on an index value that is related to the electronic payment service and dynamically changes, and generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate. A notification unit that notifies a user terminal device used by a user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. The notification unit discloses a list of a plurality of discount rates and marks for each physical store without disclosing the article or service for which the discount rate is set, and notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. An information processing apparatus. **Claim 7** A computer sets a discount rate for a discount coupon that can be used in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at physical stores based on an index value that is related to the electronic payment service and dynamically changes, for each article or service sold by the physical store, and generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate. notifies a user terminal device used by a user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. The notification discloses a list of a plurality of discount rates and marks for each physical store without disclosing the set discount rate for each article or service, and notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. An information processing method. **Claim 8** A computer sets a discount rate for a discount coupon that can be used in an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at physical stores based on an index value that is related to the electronic payment service and dynamically changes, for each article or service sold by the physical store, and generates a discount coupon with the set discount rate. notifies a user terminal device used by a user of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. The notification discloses a list of a plurality of discount rates and marks for each of the physical stores without disclosing the item or service for which the discount rate is set, and notifies the user terminal device of the discount rate set for the discount coupon and the mark indicating the discount rate. Information processing method.

Images