Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a user with a highly convenient electronic privilege service. [Solution] An information processing device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for setting users who have not used the affiliated store within a specified period as eligible users for using the benefits on an interface screen for creating benefits that can be used at affiliated stores displayed on the display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of an electronic payment service, and a control unit that sets the specified period for each affiliated store in accordance with the instructions.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a management device that provides a user with a coupon that can be applied in a payment platform is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7074917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the prior art, there are cases where the convenience of electronic benefit services for users is not sufficiently high.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can provide highly convenient services related to electronic benefits to users (e.g., benefit issuers). [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires instructions on an interface screen for creating benefits that can be used at affiliated stores, displayed on the display unit of an affiliated store terminal device of an electronic payment service, to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a specified period as users who can use the benefits, and a control unit that sets the specified period for each affiliated store in accordance with the instructions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can provide electronic benefit services that are highly convenient for users. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of payment history information 176D. [Figure 8] 10 is an interface screen of a comparative example. [Figure 9] 10 shows an interface screen IF2 displayed on the display unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of setting information 178. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF3. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF4. [Figure 13] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the contents of setting information 178A. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF5, and the differences from the interface screen IF4 will be mainly described. [Figure 15] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the contents of setting information 178B. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the process of using the payment history of the affiliated store. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the process of using the payment history of other affiliated stores. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process using a trained model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described. Various devices, such as the "server" mentioned below, that provide services to users or perform internal analysis may be realized by a group of distributed devices, and each device may be operated by a different business. Furthermore, the owner of the device hardware (the cloud server provider) and the business that actually operates the device may also be different. An application program and a payment server work together to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a payment app. An electronic payment service is a service that supports payments for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real-world store) that exists in real space, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may also include a store provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In such a case, when paying for purchases at the virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In an electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and when a purchase is made at a store, processing such as payment is primarily conducted between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be conducted between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic payment system in which an electronic payment service is realized. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. An electronic payment system that realizes the electronic payment service includes, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and the payment server 100. These devices communicate via, for example, a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc.

[0011] Some or all of the functional components included in the electronic payment system may be distributed across multiple devices in any form, or may be integrated into any device. For example, some or all of the functional components of the payment server 100 may be included in another device.

[0012] [User terminal device] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a central processing unit (CPU), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment app 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment app 20 is installed on the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc. Mini apps may also run on the user terminal device 10. The mini app is an application program that runs within the payment app 20. The mini app is, for example, a mini app that provides various services related to rewards. The mini app, for example, sends or receives rewards, or displays a list of sent or received rewards.

[0013] [First store terminal device] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. 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. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0014] [Second store terminal device] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc. An interface for affiliated stores 72 runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface for affiliated stores 72 may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface for affiliated stores 72 accepts coupon settings and the like from the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0015] [Payment server] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on 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 an affiliated store server, in which case payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, this distinction will not be made and it is assumed that payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0016] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns for electronic payment: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0017] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is the domain of the electronic payment service to which store identification information has been added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described below). The payment application 20 sends first payment information including the store URL and account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described below) using the affiliated store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and store name information (S3), and sends this to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen displaying the affiliated store name and store name (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 makes the electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment app 20 (S8), and the payment app 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include information on the payment amount in addition to the store URL. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0018] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, the payment app 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the payment server 100 when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, at the automatic update timing (e.g., every minute), and at other timings (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image, such as a QR code or barcode, generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first in-store terminal device 50, and the first in-store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first in-store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode, manually entering it, etc. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs electronic payment (S17). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0019] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuing a one-time code may be omitted in store scanning, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0020] [Payment server functional configuration] 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, an information processing unit 150, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an SOC (System On Chip), or may be realized by a combination of 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 flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The information management unit 140 is an example of an "acquisition unit," and one or both of the content providing unit 120 and the information processing unit 150 are examples of a "control unit."

[0021] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172 including benefit information 173, content information 174, affiliated store / shop information 176, and setting information 178. Some of this information may be stored in the storage unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0022] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0023] The content providing unit 120 has, for example, a web server function, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10 or the second store terminal device 70. The content providing unit 120 reads out necessary content from the content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100. The above content may be generated by the payment application 20. In this case, the content providing unit 120 provides the payment application 20 with information necessary for generating the content.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0025] [User information] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. User information 172 is an example of user registration information. User information 172 includes, for example, a user URL, account ID, telephone number, and password, as well as associated information such as email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, credit card payment settings, credit card limit, credit card payment amount, available credit card payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, and payment history information. The user URL is used for remittance processing between users. Registration of a telephone number and password is required when registering for an electronic payment service. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID can be set by the user (or does not have to be set). Similarly, the email address, name, address, and date of birth can be set by the user (or do not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0026] The charge balance indicates the balance of electronic money set by the user by transferring funds to the account in advance. Transfer methods include transfers from a designated bank's ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) or from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting indicates whether the settings for electronic credit payment have been completed and is set to either "Completed" or "Not Completed." The credit payment limit is the monthly credit payment limit. The credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment already used in the current month. The available credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment available in the current month, calculated by subtracting the credit payment amount from the credit payment limit. While the figure shows only one credit payment limit, in reality, there may also be daily limits, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details on credit payments will be discussed later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will currently make electronic payments using the charge balance or by credit payment. The bank account and credit card number are information on the bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user's previous transfers to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information that shows the breakdown of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0027] [Affiliated store / store information] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID, store ID, and affiliated store category are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store ID is associated with an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above), and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the affiliated store or store category, store location, and payment pattern.

[0028] The affiliated store / shop information 176 may further include payment history information 176D. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the payment history information 176D. The payment history information 176D is, for example, information indicating the payment history of users at each affiliated store or information indicating the results of statistical processing of that history. The payment history information 176D may include, for example, the average unit price of electronic payments at the affiliated store, the average number of customers over a certain period, and the average frequency of use. In addition to the information described above, the payment history information 176D may also include other indicators.

[0029] The affiliated store / shop information 176 further includes coupon information (not shown). The coupon information is information related to coupons created by affiliated stores. For example, the coupon information is information in which the target user, the number of uses, rebate information, the transaction amount to be applied, various coupon periods, etc. are associated with a coupon ID. Information such as the number of coupons acquired by the user, the degree of acquisition, the number of uses, and the degree of use may also be associated with a coupon ID.

[0030] The target users are, for example, information on users who can use or acquire the coupon. For example, it could be all users of the electronic payment service or users who have never used the affiliated store (details will be provided later). The number of uses is, for example, the number of times the coupon can be used. The rebate information is, for example, the point rebate rate when using the coupon or the points that can be acquired. The applicable transaction amount is, for example, the transaction amount to which the coupon is applied. The various coupon periods are, for example, the posting period, distribution period, and usage period.

[0031] The above coupons are displayed on a coupon list screen. The target user can obtain the coupon by operating payment application 20 to acquire the desired coupon displayed on the coupon list screen. The coupon may be provided to the target user without an acquisition operation. The target user can use the coupon at affiliated stores that support the electronic payment service. The coupon may be applied automatically or may be used depending on the operation to use it.

[0032] [Electronic Payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 references the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance," the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows: For example, the payment 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 affiliated store's sales proceeds. The item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds is not itself used as electronic money, for example, but rather the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0033] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payments for users whose "setting information" is set to "credit card payment" as follows. Credit card payment is a payment method in 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, allowing electronic payments within the credit card payment limit and independent of the remaining balance. To receive the credit card payment service, a user may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used for credit card payment is settled in full on the following month's payment date, for example, by debit from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 makes a provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the credit card payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available credit card balance. On the closing date, the payment processing unit 130 performs the process described above to debit the current month's payment on the following month's payment date, or requests the credit card company operator to perform this process. If the payment amount exceeds the available credit card balance at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment app 20.

[0034] The information management unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. The information management unit 140 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records to, edits, deletes, etc., the user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176.

[0035] The information processing unit 150 processes information provided by other server devices or terminal devices, and provides information stored in the storage unit 170 to the user terminal device 10 .

[0036] [Comparative Example] FIG. 8 shows an interface screen of a comparative example. In the comparative example, interface screen IF1 is used when a member store creates a coupon. Interface screen IF is, for example, a screen for setting users who are eligible for the coupon. Interface screen IF includes, for example, buttons for selecting target users from among everyone, those who have not used the store recently, first-time users, followers, and those who have used the store in the past, and the member store sets the target users by operating the buttons.

[0037] In the comparative example, the affiliated store was sometimes unable to set an appropriate target user. (1) It was sometimes not possible to set the target user as a user who had not used electronic payment at a member store within any specified period. (2) When a person who has not recently visited a store is set as the target user, the set period is set to the recent period regardless of the affiliated store, and the period may not be appropriate for the affiliated store. For example, as shown in Figure 8, "a person who has not visited within 30 days (Figure 8, IN1)" is set as the target user as a person who has not recently visited a store, which may not be appropriate for the affiliated store.

[0038] [overview] In this embodiment, taking into consideration the above (1) and (2), the following functional configuration is provided: The payment server 100 acquires an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users for using the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, which is displayed on the display unit of the second store terminal device 70 of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service, and sets the predetermined period for each affiliated store in accordance with the instruction.

[0039] A functional configuration that takes the above (1) into consideration will be described. The payment server 100 acquires a first instruction (for example, an instruction in response to the operation of a button for selecting a non-use period, which will be described later) to set the target user to a user who has not used the affiliated store during any predetermined period designated by the affiliated store. The button for selecting the non-use period is an example of the "first button." In response to the first instruction, the payment server 100 sets the target user to a user who has not used the affiliated store during a predetermined period designated by the affiliated store.

[0040] [Interface screen (1)] The affiliated store interface 72 works in cooperation with the payment server 100 to display various contents on the display unit of the second store terminal device 70. The affiliated store interface 72, for example, displays an interface screen on the display unit for the affiliated store to manage matters related to the electronic payment service. The matters related to the electronic payment service are, for example, matters corresponding to the services provided by the electronic payment service, such as transactions and deposits related to electronic payment, profiles, various analyses, eligible invoices, coupons, stamp cards, etc.

[0041] 9 shows interface screen IF2 displayed on the display unit. Interface screen IF2 is a screen for setting target users on the coupon creation screen. Interface screen IF2 includes buttons for selecting, for example, everyone or those who have not used the store recently, as well as a button for selecting the period of non-use.

[0042] When the button for selecting the unused period is operated, the merchant interface 72 displays a screen for selecting the unused period in area AR1 of interface screen IF2. When the merchant sets the start and end periods and operates the button for applying, the payment server 100 sets as target users those users who have not made electronic payments at the merchant during the set period.

[0043] The payment server 100 can solve the above (1) by setting the target user to a user who has not used electronic payment at an affiliated store for any specified period of time, thereby improving the convenience of the affiliated store.

[0044] In the above example, a period of non-use is set, but in addition to (or instead of) this, a period of past use (the period for setting target users) may also be set. This allows, for example, users who have made electronic payments at affiliated stores within the past year but have not made electronic payments within the past month to be set as target users.

[0045] The payment server 100 acquires a first instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in any past period specified by the affiliated store, but has not used the affiliated store in any predetermined period specified by the affiliated store. In response to the first instruction, the payment server 100 sets the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in any past period specified by the affiliated store, but has not used the affiliated store in any predetermined period specified by the affiliated store. For example, when a button for selecting a period of non-use is operated or a predetermined operation is performed on the interface screen IF, a screen for setting an arbitrary past period may be displayed.

[0046] This allows the payment server 100 to limit users who have used the affiliated store, while also setting users who have not used the affiliated store recently as target users, thereby improving convenience for the affiliated store.

[0047] A functional configuration that takes the above (2) into consideration will be described. The payment server 100 acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period, and sets the predetermined period for each affiliated store in response to the second instruction. For example, the predetermined period may be set to a different period for each affiliated store. For example, the predetermined period is set according to the characteristics of the affiliated store. The characteristics of the affiliated store are characteristics obtained from one or more items of various information such as the store's location, category, product or service content, unit price, number of customers, sales, business days, business hours, and number of payments. The second instruction is, for example, an instruction in response to the operation of the button (second button) for a user who has not used the store recently.

[0048] In response to the second instruction, the payment server 100 sets a predetermined period for each category of affiliated store. The payment server 100 sets the predetermined period according to the category by referring to the setting information 178. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the setting information 178. The setting information 178 is, for example, information associating affiliated store categories with predetermined periods. The predetermined period is a predetermined period according to a statistically derived category. For example, for hotels and inns, it is considered appropriate for marketing purposes (to promote use by using coupons) to consider users who have not used the facility for one year as having not used the facility recently, based on the user's facility usage trends or the user's electronic payment usage trends at the facility. Appropriate predetermined periods are also associated with each of electronics retailers, beauty salons, drugstores, izakayas, supermarkets, etc. The payment server 100 sets the predetermined period for beauty salons to, for example, three months.

[0049] [Interface screen (2)] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing interface screen IF3. The following mainly describes the differences from interface screen IF2. The affiliated store interface 72 displays interface screen IF3 on the display unit. When a predetermined icon associated with the least recently used item is operated on interface screen IF3, the affiliated store interface 72 displays information IN2 on the display unit, which indicates the relationship between the category and the predetermined period corresponding to the category. This allows the user to easily recognize the predetermined period that applies to the category of their affiliated store. Instead of the information in information IN2, a predetermined period corresponding to the category of the affiliated store may be displayed.

[0050] With reference to the above information IN2, when the button that has not been used recently is operated, the payment server 100 sets the target user to a user who has not used the affiliated store for a predetermined period according to the affiliated store. In this way, the payment server 100 can solve the above (2) by setting an appropriate predetermined period according to the category of the affiliated store, thereby improving the convenience of the affiliated store.

[0051] [Interface screen (3)] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing interface screen IF4. The following mainly describes the differences from interface screen IF3. When a user operates a predetermined icon associated with a least recently used store on interface screen IF4, the affiliated store interface 72 displays information IN3 on the display unit, including a predetermined period for that affiliated store. Information IN3 may also include the reason why the predetermined period was determined (for example, that it was derived from information indicating the frequency of store visits according to the category). This allows the user to easily recognize the predetermined period that applies to the category of their affiliated store.

[0052] With reference to the information IN3, when the button that has not been used recently is operated, the payment server 100 sets the target user to a user who has not used the affiliated store in a predetermined period according to the affiliated store. This allows the payment server 100 to set an appropriate predetermined period according to the category of the affiliated store.

[0053] [Variations of setting information] In response to the second instruction, the payment server 100 may set a predetermined period for each category of affiliated store, and may also set a period (past period) for each category for which a user is to be set as a target user. In addition to the predetermined period, information specifying the period for which a user is to be set as a target user may be associated with the setting information 178A. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the contents of the setting information 178A. During the period for which a user is to be set as a target user, users who have used the affiliated store are set as the target users. The period for which a user is to be set as a target user may be set, for example, based on a predetermined period. For example, when the button for least recent use is operated, the payment server 100 sets as the target users users who have used the affiliated store during the period for which a user is to be set as a target user for the category, and who have not used the affiliated store during the predetermined period for the category.

[0054] [Interface screen (4)] When the payment server 100 receives the second instruction, it may display on the display unit a predetermined period corresponding to the category of the affiliated store. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing interface screen IF5. The following mainly describes the differences from interface screen IF4. When a predetermined icon associated with a less recently used item is operated on interface screen IF5, the affiliated store interface 72 displays information IN3 on the display unit indicating the predetermined period corresponding to the affiliated store and the period for setting a target user. This allows the user to easily recognize the predetermined period applicable to the category of their affiliated store and the period for setting a target user. Note that one or both of the predetermined period and the period for setting a target user may be set by the affiliated store.

[0055] This allows the payment server 100 to set a predetermined period according to the category and a period for setting the target user, so that the affiliated store can set the target user appropriate for the affiliated store.

[0056] [Subdivision of categories] The payment server 100 may acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has previously used the affiliated store but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period, and may set the predetermined period for each subdivided category of the affiliated store in accordance with the second instruction. The payment server 100 may, for example, refer to the setting information 178B to set the period according to the subdivided category. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the contents of the setting information 178B. The setting information 178B is information in which a predetermined period is associated with each subdivided category. For example, the subdivided category is classified based on the information or characteristics of the affiliated store. The information or characteristics of the affiliated store may be classified using any information selected from various categories, such as price range, location, products or services, number of customers, and frequency of customer visits. For example, in the case of a restaurant, subdivided categories may be assigned according to price range.

[0057] The payment server 100 can set a predetermined period that is more appropriate for the affiliated store by referring to the setting information 178B. In the above example, in addition to the predetermined period, a period (past period) for setting a target user who has used the service may be associated with the segmented category, and the payment server 100 may set a period for setting a target user who has used the service in addition to (or instead of) the predetermined period.

[0058] [Use of the relevant payment history] The payment server 100 acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a specified period, and in response to the second instruction, sets the specified period based on the payment history of past users of the affiliated store.

[0059] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the process of using the payment history of the affiliated store. The payment server 100 sets the predetermined period by referring to the payment history information 176D. For example, the payment server 100 sets a predetermined period suitable for the affiliated store based on the information in the payment history information 176D. The suitable predetermined period is, for example, a predetermined period during which a coupon is expected to be used if provided to a user. The suitable predetermined period may be derived based on the average store visit frequency, or may be derived based on other information. If the average store visit frequency is one week, the suitable period is, for example, one week. Instead of the average store visit frequency, the suitable predetermined period may be a period exceeding the average store visit frequency. If the average store visit frequency is one week, the period exceeding the average store visit frequency is, for example, a period obtained by adding a certain period, such as 10 days, to the average store visit frequency. In the above example, the average store visit frequency is used, but the above predetermined period may also be derived using other statistical values.

[0060] As described above, the payment server 100 can set a more appropriate predetermined period for the affiliated store by using the payment history of past users of the affiliated store.

[0061] [Using payment history from other affiliated stores] The payment server 100 acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a specified period, and in response to the second instruction, sets the specified period based on the user's past payment history at other affiliated stores different from the affiliated store.

[0062] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the process of using the payment history of other affiliated stores. The payment server 100 may set the predetermined period by referring to the payment history information 176D of the other affiliated stores. For example, the payment server 100 sets a predetermined period suitable for the other affiliated store based on the information in the payment history information 176D of the other affiliated store, as explained in the explanation of FIG. 16. The other affiliated stores are affiliated stores with the same or similar characteristics as the affiliated store. The affiliated stores with the same or similar characteristics are determined, for example, by a known method.

[0063] As described above, the payment server 100 can set a more appropriate predetermined period for a member store by using the payment history of past users at other member stores. Note that, in the above example, the payment history information of one other member store is used. However, instead, the payment history information of multiple other member stores may be integrated and used. For example, the payment server 100 may integrate the payment history information of other member stores with similar characteristics, such as category, and obtain and set a predetermined period that is appropriate for the member store (e.g., a member store with similar characteristics to other member stores) from the integrated payment history information. When integrating, the payment history information of the member store may be included.

[0064] In the above example, users who have used the affiliated store in the past but have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period are considered to be eligible for the coupon. In this process, having used the affiliated store in the past may mean having used it multiple times rather than just once. This number of times may be set by the affiliated store or may be set automatically by the payment server 100. For example, rather than targeting users who happen to use the affiliated store as eligible for the coupon, users who have used the affiliated store several times may be eligible for the coupon. In other words, users who are expected to be more likely to use the affiliated store can be targeted for the coupon.

[0065] Regarding the "predetermined period" during which a user eligible for a coupon does not use a member store, the payment server 100 may automatically calculate the interval between visits by multiple users based on the payment history of the member store and propose the predetermined period to the member store based on the calculation result. For example, if a trend is calculated, such as the number of users who use the store weekly being above a threshold or the user's sales being high, the payment server 100 may propose the period to the member store as the predetermined period. For example, the payment server 100 may calculate the user's payment frequency at the member store based on the payment history and propose the predetermined period based on the results of statistical processing, such as the average or median of the payment frequency. The payment server 100 may obtain the correlation between payment frequency and sales through statistical processing and propose to the member store the payment frequency of users whose electronic payment amount is above a threshold as the predetermined period. The payment server 100 may refer to the payment interval for each multiple-user user and set the predetermined period to the payment interval + α, thereby making users who have not made a payment during the predetermined period eligible for the coupon. "α" is a value that can be set by the affiliated store or the payment server 100. In this way, the payment server 100 can propose an appropriate predetermined period according to the payment frequency of the affiliated store.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above example, it has been described that the users eligible for the coupon are determined by setting a predetermined period of time, but instead (or in addition), the payment server 100 may first accept the budget for the coupon or the number of users to whom the coupon is to be distributed, and propose a predetermined period that matches the accepted budget or the number of users to whom the coupon is to be distributed. For example, the larger the budget, the shorter the predetermined period is set, and vice versa. For example, the smaller the number of users, the longer the predetermined period is set, and vice versa. In this way, the payment server 100 can target users eligible for the coupon in accordance with the requests of the affiliated store.

[0067] In response to the instruction, the payment server 100 inputs feature information indicating the features of the affiliated store into the trained model, and sets the predetermined period based on the information on the predetermined period output by the trained model. The trained model is a model trained with training data, and is trained so that when feature information is input, it outputs a predetermined period corresponding to the feature information. The training data is information in which feature information is associated with an appropriate predetermined period corresponding to the feature information.

[0068] 18 is a diagram for explaining processing using a trained model. The payment server 100 inputs feature information indicating the features of the affiliated store into the trained model. The payment server 100 acquires a predetermined period according to the feature information output by the trained model, and sets the acquired predetermined period as the corresponding period of the affiliated store corresponding to the feature information.

[0069] The appropriate predetermined period according to the characteristic information of the training data is the predetermined period for coupons that are highly likely to be acquired by users when a member store having certain characteristic information issues the coupon. For example, when the characteristic information is input, the payment server 100 trains the learning model to output the predetermined period for coupons that are highly likely to be acquired by users, and generates a trained model.

[0070] The appropriate predetermined period according to the characteristic information of the training data may be a predetermined period for a coupon that is frequently acquired and used by a user when the coupon is issued by a member store having certain characteristic information. For example, when the characteristic information is input, the payment server 100 may train the learning model so as to output a predetermined period for a coupon that is frequently acquired and used by a user, thereby generating a trained model.

[0071] The trained model may be a model that outputs multiple predetermined periods and scores corresponding to each predetermined period. In the training data described above, a predetermined period for coupons that are less likely to be acquired by users may be used instead of (in addition to) the predetermined period for coupons that are more likely to be acquired by users. In this case, when the trained model receives input of characteristic information of affiliated stores for the predetermined period for coupons that are less likely to be acquired by users, it is trained to output the predetermined period for coupons that are less likely to be acquired by users.

[0072] As described above, the payment server 100 can input characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the affiliated store into the trained model and use the specified period output by the trained model to set a specified period that is more appropriate for the affiliated store.

[0073] According to the embodiment described above, the payment server 100 can set a specified period for each affiliated store in response to an instruction to set the users who can use the benefits to users who have not used the affiliated store during a specified period on the interface screen for creating benefits that can be used at the affiliated store, which is displayed on the display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the electronic payment service affiliated store, thereby making it possible to provide a highly convenient service for users regarding electronic benefit services.

[0074] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 100 Payment Server 120 Contents Provider 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 150 Information Processing Department

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each category of the member store in response to the instruction; An information processing device comprising:

2. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; the acquisition unit acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; the control unit sets the predetermined period for each category of the affiliated store in response to the second instruction. Information processing device.

3. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; the acquisition unit acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; the control unit, in response to the second instruction, sets the predetermined period for each category of the affiliated store and sets the past period for each category; Information processing device.

4. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; the acquisition unit acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; When the control unit acquires the second instruction, the control unit causes the display unit to display the predetermined period corresponding to the category of the affiliated store. Information processing device.

5. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; The control unit a first instruction button for setting the target user to a user who has not used the affiliated store during any predetermined period designated by the affiliated store; a second instruction button for setting the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; When the first instruction button is operated, a predetermined period arbitrarily set by the affiliated store is set as the predetermined period; When the second instruction button is operated, the predetermined period is set to a period corresponding to the category of the affiliated store. Information processing device.

6. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; the acquisition unit acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; the control unit, in response to the second instruction, sets the predetermined period for each subdivided category obtained by subdividing the category of the affiliated store. Information processing device.

7. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; the acquisition unit acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; the control unit, in response to the second instruction, sets the predetermined period based on a payment history of past users of the affiliated store; Information processing device.

8. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; the acquisition unit acquires a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; the control unit, in response to the second instruction, sets the predetermined period based on the user's past payment history at a member store different from the member store; Information processing device.

9. The other franchisees are franchisees whose characteristics are the same as or similar to those of the franchisee. The information processing device according to claim 8 .

10. an acquisition unit that acquires, on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at a member store that is displayed on a display unit of a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service, an instruction to set a user who has not used the member store within a predetermined period as a target user who can use the benefit; a control unit that sets the predetermined period for each of the member stores in response to the instruction; The control unit inputs feature information indicating features of the affiliated store into a trained model in response to the instruction, and sets the predetermined period based on information regarding the predetermined period output by the trained model; The trained model is a model trained with training data, and is trained so that when the feature information is input, the model outputs the predetermined period corresponding to the feature information, The learning data is information in which the feature information is associated with an appropriate predetermined period according to the feature information. Information processing device.

11. The computer acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users who can use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each category of the affiliated store. Information processing methods.

12. On the computer, acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users to use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each category of the affiliated store. program.

13. The computer acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users who can use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; setting the predetermined period for each of the member stores in accordance with the instruction; acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; setting the predetermined period for each category of the affiliated store in response to the second instruction; Information processing methods.

14. On the computer, acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users to use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; In response to the second instruction, the predetermined period is set for each category of the affiliated store. program.

15. The computer acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users who can use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; In response to the second instruction, the predetermined period is set based on the payment history of the user of the affiliated store. Information processing methods.

16. On the computer, acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users to use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; In response to the second instruction, the predetermined period is set based on the payment history of past users of the affiliated store. program.

17. The computer acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users who can use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; In response to the second instruction, the predetermined period is set based on the user's past payment history at a member store different from the member store. Information processing methods.

18. On the computer, acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users to use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; acquire a second instruction to set the target user to a user who has used the affiliated store in the past but has not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period of time; In response to the second instruction, the predetermined period is set based on the user's past payment history at a member store different from the member store. program.

19. The computer acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users who can use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; In response to the instruction, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the affiliated store is input into a trained model, and the predetermined period is set based on information regarding the predetermined period output by the trained model; The trained model is a model trained with training data, and is trained so that when the feature information is input, the model outputs the predetermined period corresponding to the feature information, The learning data is information in which the feature information is associated with an appropriate predetermined period according to the feature information. Information processing methods.

20. On the computer, acquiring an instruction to set users who have not used the affiliated store within a predetermined period as eligible users to use the benefit on an interface screen for creating a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, the interface screen being displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, the predetermined period is set for each of the member stores; In response to the instruction, characteristic information indicating characteristics of the affiliated store is input into a trained model, and the predetermined period is set based on information regarding the predetermined period output by the trained model; The trained model is a model trained with training data, and is trained so that when the feature information is input, the model outputs the predetermined period corresponding to the feature information, The learning data is information in which the feature information is associated with an appropriate predetermined period according to the feature information. program.

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