System, method and program

Abstract

We provide systems that promote long-term or ongoing transactions with customers. [Solution] The system includes a presentation means for presenting a monetary value corresponding to a predetermined amount to a customer on the condition that the customer purchases goods or services up to the predetermined amount, and the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer does not purchase up to the predetermined amount; an acquisition means for acquiring, in response to the customer's application, customer credit equivalent to the current cancellation fee from a credit granting entity as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer; a reduction means for reducing the customer's cancellation fee based on the customer's behavior including the customer's purchases; and an update means for updating the customer's credit acquired from the credit granting entity to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, a method and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Systems that provide products and services in addition to cashback are known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-155078 (Patent Document 1) discloses a cashback management system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-155078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The purpose is to provide systems that promote long-term or continuous transactions with customers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a presentation means for presenting a monetary value corresponding to a predetermined amount to a customer on the condition that the customer purchases goods or services up to the predetermined amount, and the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer does not purchase up to the predetermined amount; an acquisition means for acquiring, in response to an application from the customer, credit for the customer equivalent to the current cancellation fee from a credit granting entity as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer; a reduction means for reducing the cancellation fee for the customer based on the customer's behavior including the customer's purchases; and an update means for updating the customer's credit acquired from the credit granting entity to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee.

[0006] Preferably, the updating means updates the credit at a predetermined timing to a credit equivalent to the cancellation fee at that timing.

[0007] Preferably, customer behavior includes customer behavior other than purchasing. Preferably, the reduction means reduces the cancellation fee to a greater extent the greater the number of purchases, purchase frequency, site visit frequency, or product viewing frequency of the customer.

[0008] Preferably, the customer behavior includes the introduction of other customers by the customer, and the reduction means reduces the cancellation fee for the customer based on the customer behavior of other customers introduced by the customer.

[0009] Preferably, the reduction means determines the degree of reduction of the cancellation fee depending on the type of the monetary value provided in advance.

[0010] Preferably, the renewal means reduces the cancellation fee by a larger amount when the pre-assigned monetary value is used to purchase goods or services provided by a specified operating entity than when the pre-assigned monetary value is used for other purposes.

[0011] Preferably, the customer behavior includes the customer purchasing a specified product or service provided by a specified operator, and at least a portion of the reduction in the customer's cancellation fee based on the customer behavior depends on the monetary value borne by the supplier of the specified product or service.

[0012] Preferably, the system further comprises providing means for providing the current amount of the termination fee to the customer. Preferably, the provision means provides changes in the cancellation fee in response to changes in customer behavior.

[0013] Preferably, the provision means provides a change in the cancellation fee when the predetermined amount relating to the condition is changed.

[0014] Preferably, the system further includes a settlement means for requesting the credit granting entity to settle the customer's cancellation fee at the time of cancellation in response to cancellation by the customer.

[0015] Preferably, when a customer purchases a product having monetary value as a product to be purchased up to a predetermined amount, the settlement means offsets the customer's cancellation fee at the time of cancellation against the product having monetary value.

[0016] Preferably, the system further includes a proposal means for proposing a new contract. Preferably, the system includes a first entity that operates a mall and one or more second entities that participate in the mall, the presentation means is located in each of the second entities, the acquisition means, the reduction means and the update means are located in the first entity, and the first entity acquires information on customer behavior of customers from each of the second entities.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method executed by one or more computers, comprising the steps of: providing a customer with a monetary value corresponding to a predetermined amount on the condition that the customer purchases goods or services up to the predetermined amount; and presenting a cancellation fee amount for the customer not purchasing up to the predetermined amount; obtaining, in response to an application from the customer, credit for the customer equivalent to the current cancellation fee as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer; reducing the cancellation fee based on the customer's behavior including the customer's purchases; and updating the customer's credit obtained from the credit providing entity to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee.

[0018] A program according to yet another aspect of the present invention causes one or more computers to execute the steps of: granting a customer a monetary value corresponding to a predetermined amount, on the condition that the customer purchases goods or services up to the predetermined amount, and presenting the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer does not purchase up to the predetermined amount; obtaining, in response to the customer's application, credit from a credit granting entity for the customer equivalent to the current cancellation fee as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer; reducing the customer's cancellation fee based on the customer's behavior including the customer's purchases; and updating the customer's credit obtained from the credit granting entity to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to promote long-term or continuous transactions with customers.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the point-back service provided by the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an operation server that realizes the operation entity of the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure executed by the operation entity of the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a pre-contract screen provided by the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing another example of a pre-contract screen provided by the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining an example of the exchange of monetary value in the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram for explaining an example of the change in the cancellation fee in the system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a my page provided by the system according to the present embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are not repeated.

[0022] <A. Outline> First, the outline of the point-back service provided by the system according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0023] 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a point-back service provided by a system according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, a system 1 according to this embodiment includes, for example, an operating entity 10, a customer 20, and a credit granting entity 30.

[0024] The operating entity 10 can enter into a contract with the customer 20 in which the operating entity 10 first grants monetary value to the customer 20, and the customer 20 performs a purchase of a product or service equivalent to the monetary value previously granted (hereinafter collectively referred to as "customer behavior"). Entering into this contract can also be considered as a commitment by the customer 20 to perform a customer behavior equivalent to the monetary value previously granted.

[0025] As used herein, "monetary value" encompasses tangible and intangible things that can be used to purchase goods and services. In other words, monetary value can be used as consideration for purchasing goods and services. Monetary value may be, for example, legal tender, virtual currency, crypto assets, or various points. For example, monetary value may be banknotes, coins, checks, media on which information indicating monetary value is stored, or electromagnetic records processed and managed by a computer. For example, points may be redeemable only for goods or services provided by the entity that issued the points, or may be redeemable for goods and services provided by entities other than the entity that issued the points.

[0026] In the following explanation, the monetary value provided by the operating entity 10 is also collectively referred to as "points." In addition, when a contract is concluded between the operating entity 10 and the customer 20, the provision of monetary value to the customer 20 is also referred to as "points back."

[0027] In this specification, "points back" includes not only points but also any monetary value. The monetary value to be returned is not limited to one type, and may be a combination of multiple types.

[0028] In this specification, "customer behavior" encompasses behavior of the customer 20 that may bring some form of monetary benefit to the operating entity 10. In other words, customer behavior may include behavior other than purchases by the customer 20. Customer behavior includes, for example, behavior that involves payment of monetary value by the customer 20, such as the purchase of a product or service, and behavior that does not involve payment of monetary value by the customer 20, such as access to an EC (Electronic Commerce) site or EC mall, or subscription to an email newsletter.

[0029] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the credit granting entity 30 has entered into an advance payment contract with the customer 20. The credit granting entity 30 grants the customer 20's credit to another party. In other words, the credit granting entity 30 may be any organization that pays the money or monetary value that the customer 20 owes to the operating entity 10 on behalf of the customer 20. The credit granting entity 30 may be, for example, a credit company or a credit sales company.

[0030] Customers 20 can acquire in advance the benefits that will be granted in the future by purchasing goods or services in the form of points, and can therefore purchase goods or services in advance without using their own funds. Furthermore, since customers 20 are required to perform customer actions equivalent to the points that are returned, the operating entity 10 has the advantage that this obligation allows it to form a stronger bond (engagement) with customers 20. Based on this engagement, the operating entity 10 can stabilize its business through long-term or continuous transactions with customers 20.

[0031] On the other hand, if customer 20 terminates the contract (hereinafter also referred to as "cancellation"), and if, at the time of the termination, customer behavior has not been performed to the extent that the points that were returned are equivalent to the points returned, i.e., if the operator 10 does not obtain monetary value equivalent to the points returned, the difference must be settled. In the following explanation, the monetary value to be settled is also referred to as the "cancellation fee." The cancellation fee may be the simple difference between the points returned by operator 10 and the monetary benefit brought to operator 10 by customer 20's behavior, or may be calculated taking into account interest rates, etc. The operator 10 may calculate the cancellation fee in any manner depending on the customer behavior of customer 20 and the relationship between the operator 10 and customer 20 (for example, the period of use of the point-back service according to this embodiment), etc.

[0032] Here, a clause regarding cancellation fees can be included in the contract between the operating entity 10 and the customer 20, but it is also possible that the customer 20 may not have the intention or sufficient financial resources to pay the cancellation fees at the time of cancellation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operating entity 10 uses an advance payment contract between the customer 20 and the credit granting entity 30 to secure the customer 20's credit (or credit) equivalent to the cancellation fees in addition to the points back. For example, the operating entity 10 requests the credit granting entity 30 to process provisional sales equivalent to the cancellation fees. This provisional sales processing allows the operating entity 10 to secure a type of security for the cancellation fees. The operating entity 10 may update the amount of the secured credit depending on the financial benefit brought to the operating entity 10 by the customer behavior of the customer 20.

[0033] The operating entity 10 may use any means other than provisional sales processing to ensure the credit of the customer 20. The operating entity 10 may use means provided by the credit granting entity 30.

[0034] In response to the cancellation by the customer 20, the operating entity 10 requests the credit granting entity 30 to settle the cancellation fee at the time of the cancellation (or to process the sales). The operating entity 10 receives the cancellation fee from the credit granting entity 30, and the credit granting entity 30 requests the customer 20 to pay money equivalent to the cancellation fee based on the advance payment agreement with the customer 20.

[0035] Such a scheme reduces the possibility that the operating entity 10 will suffer losses due to being unable to collect monetary benefits equivalent to the points back from the customers 20. This allows the operating entity 10 to stably operate its business to gain engagement with various customers 20 without taking on the risk of suffering monetary losses.

[0036] An example of processing by system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Assume that an advance payment contract exists between customer 20 and credit granting entity 30. For example, assume that customer 20 has a contract for a credit card issued by one of credit granting entities 30.

[0037] The customer 20 applies for the point-back service according to this embodiment provided by the operating entity 10 after confirming it ((1) Contract Application). At this time, the operating entity 10 presents the customer 20 with a monetary value (e.g., points) corresponding to a predetermined amount, on the condition that the customer 20 purchases products or services up to a predetermined amount (e.g., a predetermined number of regular purchases or purchases up to a predetermined total amount), and also presents the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer 20 does not purchase up to the predetermined amount.

[0038] The operating entity 10 sets a cancellation fee for the customer 20 in accordance with the contents of the contract ((2-1) Cancellation Fee Setting). The operating entity 10 requests the credit granting entity 30 to process provisional sales equivalent to the set cancellation fee ((2-2) Provisional Sales Processing). In this way, in response to the application of the customer 20, the operating entity 10 obtains the customer 20's credit equivalent to the current cancellation fee from the credit granting entity 30 as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer 20. Note that if the provisional sales processing by the credit granting entity 30 is not executed normally (for example, if the customer 20 does not have enough credit), the operating entity 10 may not approve the contract.

[0039] When the provisional sales process is successfully executed, the operating entity 10 accepts the application from the customer 20 and gives points back to the customer 20 ((2-3) Points Back). The contents of the points back may be freely selected by the customer 20.

[0040] Thereafter, the customer 20 performs a customer action ((3-1) Customer Action). The customer action of the customer 20 may be directed toward the operating entity 10, or may be directed toward an entity other than the operating entity 10. The operating entity 10 updates the cancellation fee in response to the customer action of the customer 20 ((3-2) Cancellation Fee Update). Updating the cancellation fee includes, for example, a process of deducting an amount according to the customer action of the customer 20 from the set cancellation fee. In this way, the operating entity 10 deducts the cancellation fee of the customer 20 based on the customer action of the customer 20, including the purchases made by the customer 20.

[0041] In addition, the operating entity 10 updates the provisional sales processing in accordance with the updated cancellation fee ((3-3) Update of provisional sales processing). That is, the operating entity 10 updates the credit of the customer 20 obtained from the credit granting entity 30 to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee. The update of the provisional sales processing may be to update the credit of the customer 20 that has been secured previously, or may be to cancel the previous provisional sales processing and then request the credit granting entity 30 to again provide provisional sales processing equivalent to the updated cancellation fee.

[0042] In addition, due to reasons such as the circumstances of the credit provider 30, it may not be possible to frequently execute the provisional sales processing. Therefore, the operation entity 10 may update the credit corresponding to the cancellation fee at the predetermined timing (for example, the last day of the month, etc.).

[0043] Finally, if the customer 20 performs customer actions until the cancellation fee becomes zero, the operation entity 10 may cancel the provisional sales processing.

[0044] <B. Hardware Configuration Example> Next, a hardware configuration example of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0045] (b1: Operation Entity 10) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the operation server 100 that realizes the operation entity 10 of the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The operation server 100 is realized using, for example, one or more computers.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 2, the operation server 100 includes, as main components, one or more processors 102, a main memory 104, a communication interface 106, an input unit 108, a display 110, and a storage 120.

[0047] The processor 102 is composed of, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), a GPU (graphics processing unit), etc. A plurality of processors 102 may be arranged, or a processor 102 having a plurality of cores may be adopted.

[0048] The main memory 104 is composed of a volatile storage device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM). The storage 120 is composed of a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a solid state drive (SSD), and holds various programs and data executed by the processor 102. Of the programs stored in the storage 120, designated program code is loaded onto the main memory 104, and the processor 102 realizes various functions, as will be described later, by sequentially executing computer-readable instructions included in the program code loaded onto the main memory 104.

[0049] The storage 120 stores a system program 122, a service provision program 124, a customer database 126, a cancellation fee database 128, and a customer behavior database 130.

[0050] The system program 122 is an operating system (OS) that provides an environment for executing any program on the operation server 100. The service providing program 124 includes one or more application programs for implementing the point-back service according to this embodiment. The service providing program 124 may include a program for implementing a web server that accepts access from the customer 20. Some of the processing of the service providing program 124 may provide functions or libraries provided by the system program 122. When the service providing program 124 is executed in a distributed manner on multiple computers, the service providing program 124 may be a collection of multiple programs.

[0051] The customer database 126 includes information about the customer 20. More specifically, the customer database 126 includes identification information for identifying the customer 20 and identification information for identifying the account of the customer 20. The cancellation fee database 128 is a database for managing cancellation fees for each customer 20. The cancellation fee database 128 may also include the status of provisional sales processing for each customer 20. The customer behavior database 130 manages customer behavior for each customer 20. When a customer 20 accesses an e-commerce site or e-commerce mall (hereinafter collectively referred to as "own e-commerce site") operated by the operator 10 itself to purchase a product or use a service, the customer behavior database 130 records customer behavior in response to the provision of the product or service. When a customer 20 purchases a product or uses a service provided by an entity other than the operator 10 (hereinafter also referred to as an "external entity"), the customer behavior database 130 records customer behavior in response to the provision of the product or service obtained from the entity other than the operator 10.

[0052] The communication interface 106 is responsible for exchanging data with the terminal of the customer 20 and the information processing device of the credit granting entity 30. The communication interface 106 may include, for example, an Ethernet port to enable communication over the Internet.

[0053] The input unit 108 accepts any input instruction. The display 110 displays the processing results of the processor 102 and the like.

[0054] All or part of the operation server 100 may be implemented using a hardwired circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) incorporating circuitry corresponding to computer-readable instructions. Alternatively, the operation server 100 may be implemented using circuitry corresponding to computer-readable instructions on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Alternatively, the operation server 100 may be implemented using an appropriate combination of the processor 102, main memory, ASIC, FPGA, etc.

[0055] The operation server 100 may further include a component for reading a service provision program 124, which is made up of computer-readable instructions, from a non-transitory medium that stores the program. The medium may be, for example, an optical medium such as a digital versatile disc (DVD) or a semiconductor medium such as a USB memory. Furthermore, the service provision program 114 may not only be installed on the operation server 100 via a medium, but may also be provided from a distribution server on a network.

[0056] The operation server 100 may be configured, for example, from a front end (e.g., a web server) that accepts access from the customer 20 and a back end that manages a database. In addition, when the operation entity 10 itself provides a product or service, the operation server 100 may include a server for providing the product or service.

[0057] (b2:Customer 20) The terminal used by the customer 20 may be any hardware. More specifically, the terminal used by the customer 20 may be any information processing device, such as a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet, or a mobile phone.

[0058] The processing related to system 1 according to the present embodiment may be realized by a dedicated application installed on a terminal used by customer 20, or may be realized by using a general-purpose web browser.

[0059] In this way, the hardware and software of the terminal used by the customer 20 may be of any type as long as it allows communication with the operating entity 10.

[0060] (b3: credit granting entity 30) The information processing apparatus used by the credit provider 30 may be any type of hardware. For example, the credit provider 30 uses one or more servers to process the information exchanged with the operator 10 and the customer 20 and manage various types of information.

[0061] (b4: External entity) The information processing apparatus used by an external entity as described below may be any type of hardware.

[0062] <C. Example of processing procedure> Next, an example of the processing procedure executed by the operator 10 of the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure executed by the operator 10 of the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The processing procedure example shown in FIG. 3 may be realized by one or more computers constituting the operation server 100 executing the service providing program 124.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 3, when a request for viewing the point-back service according to the present embodiment is made to the operation server 100 (YES in step S2), the operation server 100 presents the contents of the contract and the cancellation penalty for early cancellation side by side (step S4) (see, for example, FIGS. 4 and 5 described later). When the customer 20 selects any course and selects an application (YES in step S6), the operation server 100 requests the credit provider 30 to perform a provisional sales processing corresponding to the cancellation penalty (step S8).

[0065] If the provisional sales processing by the credit provider 30 is successful (YES in step S10), a contract with the customer 20 is concluded (step S12).

[0066] When a request for viewing the my page is made to the operation server 100 from any customer 20 (YES in step S14), the operation server 100 acquires the current cancellation penalty of the requested customer 20 and presents the my page (step S16).

[0067] If the operation server 100 acquires new customer behavior of any customer 20 (YES in step S18), it updates the cancellation fee of the customer 20 based on the acquired customer behavior (step S20).

[0068] When any customer 20 cancels the contract midway (YES in step S22), the operation server 100 requests the credit provider 30 to settle the current cancellation fee (or the main sales process) of the customer 20 (step S24).

[0069] The operation server 100 may repeatedly execute the following process at a predetermined cycle. <C. Example of processing in contract application> Next, an example of processing in contract application in the system 1 according to the present embodiment (the contract application shown in (1) in FIG. 1) will be described.

[0070] As described above, in the point-back service according to the present embodiment, the operation entity 10 secures the credit of the customer 20 equivalent to the cancellation fee in addition to the point-back. Therefore, the customer 20 makes an application after understanding that they can receive the point-back and that credit equivalent to the cancellation fee is required. The operation entity 10 provides information that is a prerequisite for the contract.

[0071] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen before contract provided by the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The screen example 150 shown in FIG. 4 shows an example of the case where point-back is given for the regular purchase of a digital product voucher that can purchase products on the company's EC site. As an example, in the state shown in the screen example 150, the customer 20 has selected and added to the cart a course of purchasing a digital product voucher 12 times at 20,000 yen per month.

[0072] The screen example 150 includes a message 151 indicating the product to be purchased and a quantity input section 152 for accepting the quantity of the product to be purchased. The customer confirms the selected product and sets the quantity they wish to purchase. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it is shown that a payment of 20,000 yen for the first time occurs in the 12 regular purchases.

[0073] The screen example 150 includes a message 153 indicating that points will be returned in addition to the message 151. In the example shown in Fig. 4, it is indicated that points worth 48,000 yen will be returned.

[0074] Additionally, a message 154 is displayed indicating that a cancellation fee will be incurred if the contract is not fully fulfilled (in this example, if the digital gift certificate subscription is canceled before 12 purchases). Furthermore, a tariff 155 is also displayed, which indicates how the cancellation fee will change depending on the customer's 20 behavior. The tariff 155 shown in FIG. 4 indicates the relationship between the number of digital gift certificate purchases and the cancellation fee. In addition to the tariff 155, a message may be displayed informing the customer 20 that the operating entity 10 will request the credit granting entity 30 to process provisional sales equivalent to the cancellation fee.

[0075] As will be described later, the cancellation fee may be reduced depending on the customer behavior of the customer 20. Therefore, the cancellation fee displayed in the tariff 155 may be the maximum cancellation fee for the number of purchases of the digital gift certificate. Furthermore, a message indicating that the cancellation fee may be reduced depending on the customer behavior of the customer 20 may be displayed in the tariff 155.

[0076] After checking the amount of points to be returned and the change in cancellation fee in accordance with the customer's behavior, the customer 20 presses a button 156 to continue the procedure.

[0077] As shown in Figure 4, the customer 20 applies for a contract after checking the amount of points to be returned and the change in the cancellation fee in response to the customer's behavior, so in response to the application, the operating entity 10 can execute in parallel the process of providing points to the customer 20 and the process of requesting the credit granting entity 30 to process provisional sales equivalent to the cancellation fee. This reduces the amount of hassle that the customer 20 feels in the operation, and the operating entity 10 can return points after gaining the customer 20's trust equivalent to the cancellation fee.

[0078] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a pre - contract screen provided by the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The screen example 150A shown in FIG. 5 shows an example where point - back is given for purchasing goods of a predetermined amount on the company's own EC site or an EC site or EC mall operated by an external entity. As an example, in the state shown in the screen example 150, the customer 20 has selected a course of purchasing goods worth a total of 240,000 yen and put them in the cart.

[0079] Similarly, in this screen example, a message 153 indicating that point - back can be obtained and a message 154 indicating that a cancellation fee will be incurred if the contract is not fully fulfilled (in this example, when cancellation occurs without purchasing goods worth a total of 240,000 yen) are displayed.

[0080] Furthermore, a tariff 155 showing how the cancellation fee changes depending on the content of the customer 20's customer behavior is also shown. In the tariff 155 shown in FIG. 5, the relationship between the total purchase amount of goods and the cancellation fee is shown.

[0081] <D. Digital product vouchers> Next, the case where the customer 20 purchases a digital product voucher (for example, refer to FIG. 4) will be described.

[0082] (d1: Exchange of monetary value) FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the exchange of monetary value in the system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, it is assumed that the operation entity 10 operates its own EC site 12. The operation entity 10 purchases goods according to the needs of the customer 20 from the goods supplier 40 and sells them on its own EC site 12.

[0083] For example, suppose that customer 20 has concluded a contract with operating entity 10 to purchase 12 installments of digital gift certificates worth 20,000 yen. The payment method for purchasing the 20,000 yen digital gift certificates may be one that uses the same credit granting entity as credit granting entity 30 that has secured credit equivalent to the cancellation fee, or it may be another payment method (for example, a method that uses a different credit granting entity or a method of paying directly to operating entity 10).

[0084] In addition to the points previously awarded (48,000 yen in this example), customer 20 can purchase goods using a digital gift certificate worth 20,000 yen that is purchased on a regular basis. In this example, customer 20 can purchase goods and services worth 288,000 yen for a payment of 240,000 yen, thereby obtaining a benefit of 20% of the total payment amount.

[0085] In this example, the digital gift certificate worth 20,000 yen can be used on the company's own EC site 12. The previously awarded points may be used on the company's own EC site 12, or may be used on EC sites or EC malls other than the company's own EC site 12. The customer 20 can purchase goods on the company's own EC site 12 using digital gift certificates worth at least 20,000 yen x 12 times, totaling 240,000 yen.

[0086] The credit provider 30 receives repayment from the customer 20 for the digital gift certificate, and deposits the amount, minus a commission fee if necessary, into the operating entity 10.

[0087] The operating entity 10 purchases goods from the product supplier 40 and provides the goods that the customer 20 purchased using the digital gift certificate to the customer 20. The operating entity 10 determines the product price by adding a profit to the cost price of the goods purchased from the product supplier 40. The customer 20 pays an amount equivalent to the product price of the goods to be purchased using the digital gift certificate that they hold. At this time, from the operating entity 10's perspective, the actual payment amount is the amount that is effectively discounted by the points that were previously awarded. Therefore, the operating entity 10 obtains the difference between the actual payment amount and the cost price of the goods as gross profit. The operating entity 10 sets the amount of points back, the price of the goods, etc. so that the obtained gross profit is appropriate.

[0088] (d2: Usage period) The customer 20 can use the digital gift certificate at any time. Meanwhile, the operating entity 10 receives payment for the digital gift certificate in sequence. If the digital gift certificate is not used, the customer 20 does not need to purchase goods from the product supplier 40. Therefore, if the period between the customer 20's purchase of the digital gift certificate and its use is long, the operating entity 10 can obtain a monetary benefit equivalent to the interest on the price of the digital gift certificate.

[0089] Therefore, the operating entity 10 may use the financial profit equivalent to the interest on the purchase price as a source of funds to make an offer to the customer 20 that will allow them to receive additional benefits by using the digital gift certificate as late as possible. For example, if the customer holds the digital gift certificate for six months after purchase, they may receive a bonus of 5% of the amount held.

[0090] (d3: Expiration date) When customer 20 purchases digital gift certificates on a regular basis, customer 20 may be provided with a separate digital gift certificate each time, or the amount of the digital gift certificate may be charged to the same account each time.

[0091] In the latter case, the expiration date of the account balance may be determined each time the balance is recharged, or the expiration date of the entire balance may be determined based on the last recharge, for example, one year from the date of recharge.

[0092] When the expiration date of the total balance is determined based on the last charge, the expiration date is successively extended as long as the regular purchase of digital gift vouchers continues. Therefore, customer 20 can wait for the balance of the digital gift vouchers to increase until they can purchase the desired high-value product without worrying about the expiration date. In addition, in order to further increase the balance of the digital gift vouchers saved in the first contract, a new contract can be applied for. With this new contract, the expiration date of the balance of the digital gift vouchers saved in the previous contract is also extended, so that higher-value products can also be purchased.

[0093] (d4: Issuance of Gift Vouchers) The operating entity 10 may provide at least a part of the digital gift vouchers held by customer 20 as gift vouchers (or physical gift vouchers or gift cards) in response to the request from customer 20. The operating entity 10 may print and issue gift vouchers on demand and deliver them to the designated address. In this case, the expiration date of the issued gift vouchers may be the same as the expiration date of the original digital gift vouchers, or may be newly determined based on the issuance date of the gift vouchers.

[0094] When used as a gift for others, online gifts may be issued instead of gift vouchers. For example, the operating entity 10 may issue an online gift in response to the request from customer 20 and provide customer 20 with a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or the like for receiving the online gift. Customer 20 may send or contact others with the provided URL as a gift.

[0095] By providing at least a part of the digital gift vouchers as gift vouchers or online gifts, customer 20 does not need to use all of the balance of the digital gift vouchers for purchasing their own products and can also use them as gifts for others. Therefore, it can motivate customer 20 to sign a contract for regular purchase of a larger amount.

[0096] <E. Calculation Examples of Cancellation Fees> Next, some calculation examples of cancellation fees will be described.

[0097] (e1:Customer behavior) In the system 1 according to the present embodiment, the cancellation fee may be reduced based at least in part on the customer behavior, i.e., the cancellation fee may be determined based at least in part on the customer behavior.

[0098] Customer behavior may include, for example, customer behavior such as product purchase details, number of purchases, purchase frequency, site visit frequency, and number of product views.

[0099] 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of changes in cancellation charges in system 1 according to the present embodiment. The pattern of decrease in cancellation charges shown in FIG. 7 is an example, and may change depending on various customer behaviors of customer 20.

[0100] Figure 7(A) shows an example of how cancellation fees change depending on the subscription. As shown in Figure 7(A), as the subscription purchases increase, the total purchase amount increases, so the cancellation fees may be gradually reduced. The cancellation fees may also be reduced in proportion to the total purchase amount.

[0101] Figure 7(B) shows an example of changes in cancellation fees based on customer behavior other than the purchase amount of the product or service. In the example shown in Figure 7(B), cancellation fees decrease more quickly based on customer behavior other than the purchase amount of the product or service (see the explanation below) compared to the pattern of decrease in cancellation fees shown in Figure 7(A).

[0102] For ease of explanation, Figure 7(B) shows an example in which customer behavior other than the purchase amount of the product or service is uniform, but if customer 20 uses the service more frequently, the cancellation fee may decrease more significantly.

[0103] For example, the greater the number of purchases, purchase frequency, site visit frequency, or product viewing frequency of the customer 20, the greater the reduction in the cancellation fee for the customer 20.

[0104] For example, even if the total purchase amount is the same, the cancellation fee may be reduced more significantly for customers who purchase more frequently, visit the site more frequently, or browse products more frequently, depending on the frequency of purchases. Customers who purchase, visit the site more frequently, or browse products more frequently are likely to be exposed to more advertisements, for example, on e-commerce sites or e-commerce malls, which may increase their potential desire to purchase. Furthermore, by exposing customers to more advertisements, the operating entity 10 may be able to obtain financial benefits from advertisers.

[0105] The operating entity 10 may set criteria for calculating the amount of cancellation fee deduction based on the content of customer behavior in the certification, or may adjust the criteria appropriately depending on the situation. As an example, the operating entity 10 may calculate action points based on the content of customer behavior. The amount of deduction may be calculated based on the action points. The operating entity 10 may calculate action points based on the content of customer behavior.

[0106] For example, as shown in Figure 4, assume that customer 20 purchases digital gift certificates 12 times at a monthly rate of 20,000 yen and receives a point refund worth 48,000 yen. In this case, several examples of calculations of cancellation fees are shown below.

[0107] (Case 1) If a customer purchases six digital gift certificates (totaling 120,000 yen) and cancels the contract after using the entire amount of the digital gift certificates (purchasing a product worth 120,000 yen once), the cancellation fee may be determined to be 24,000 yen, as indicated at the time of the contract.

[0108] (Case 2) If you purchase two digital gift certificates (total amount of 40,000 yen) and cancel the contract after using the entire amount of the digital gift certificate (purchasing a product worth 40,000 yen once), the cancellation fee may be determined to be 40,000 yen, as stated at the time of the contract. In Case 2, the number of digital gift certificate purchases or the total purchase amount is less than in Case 1, so a higher cancellation fee may be determined.

[0109] (Case 3) If a customer purchases six digital gift certificates (totaling ¥120,000) and cancels after using all of the digital gift certificates (purchasing ¥10,000 worth of products 12 times), the cancellation fee may be determined to be ¥23,000, which is lower than the ¥24,000 indicated at the time of the contract. The customer in Case 3 is treated more favorably than the customer in Case 1 because they purchase more frequently, and as an example of preferential treatment, the cancellation fee may be determined to be slightly lower. Case 3 follows, for example, a policy of preferential treatment for customers who use the service more continuously, but the cancellation fee may also be determined according to a different policy. For example, if the policy is to preferential treatment for customers who purchase more expensive products, a lower cancellation fee may be determined for the customer in Case 1 than for the customer in Case 3.

[0110] (Case 4) If a customer purchases six digital gift certificates (totaling 120,000 yen) and cancels after using the entire amount of the digital gift certificates (purchasing 12 items worth 10,000 yen each), the cancellation fee may be determined to be 23,000 yen, which is lower than the 24,000 yen indicated at the time of the contract, as in Case 3. Assume that the average number of site visits by the customer in Case 4 is 10 times per month.

[0111] (Case 5) In the case where a customer purchases six digital gift certificates (totaling 120,000 yen) and cancels after using the entire amount of the digital gift certificates (purchasing 12 items worth 10,000 yen each), unlike Case 4, the cancellation fee may be determined to be 22,800 yen, which is lower than the 24,000 yen indicated at the time of signing the contract. Assume that the average number of site visits for the customer in Case 5 is 100 times per month. Since the average number of site visits for the customer in Case 5 exceeds a preset threshold, the customer is given preferential treatment, and as an example of preferential treatment, the cancellation fee may be determined to be slightly lower. Case 5 follows a policy of preferential treatment for more active customers, for example, but the cancellation fee may also be determined according to a different policy.

[0112] The cancellation fee may be calculated in any manner, and the calculation method can be determined appropriately depending on the management policy of the management entity 10, the amount of financial benefit, and the like.

[0113] The customer behavior may include the referral of other customers by the customer 20. The termination fee for the customer 20 may then be reduced based on the customer behavior of the other customers referred by the customer 20.

[0114] More specifically, customer behavior may include the number of friends introduced by the customer 20, the purchase amounts or purchase application amounts of the introduced friends, and the purchase amounts actually used by the introduced friends using digital gift certificates. For example, when three friends introduced by a customer enter into a contract with the operating entity 10, the cancellation fee previously indicated to the customer may be reduced. By reducing the cancellation fee, the cancellation fee at the time of cancellation may be lower than the amount initially indicated, or the cancellation fee may become zero sooner.

[0115] (e2: Use of awarded points) In system 1 according to this embodiment, the cancellation fee may be determined according to the type of points to be returned. That is, operating entity 10 may determine the degree to which the cancellation fee is reduced according to the type of points to be given in advance.

[0116] For example, if the customer can choose from multiple types of points to be returned, and selects points that can be used on the company's e-commerce site, the cancellation fee may be reduced by a larger amount than if the customer selects other points. By selecting points that can be used on the company's e-commerce site, profits can be expected from the use of points on the company's e-commerce site, and this expected profit becomes the source of funds for reducing the cancellation fee.

[0117] Furthermore, if the points received as a refund are used on the company's own EC site, the cancellation fee may be reduced by a larger amount. That is, the cancellation fee may be reduced by a larger amount for customers who use the points received as a refund to purchase products on the company's own EC site compared to customers who do not. Furthermore, the amount by which the cancellation fee is reduced may be determined according to the amount spent by customer 20 on the company's own EC site.

[0118] Furthermore, if the points returned are points that can only be used on the company's own e-commerce site or digital gift certificates, the cancellation fee may be reduced by a larger amount.

[0119] Figure 7(C) above shows an example of the change in cancellation fee when purchasing goods or services on a company's own e-commerce site, etc. In the example shown in Figure 7(C), the cancellation fee decreases more significantly than the pattern of decrease in cancellation fee shown in Figure 7(A), even though the total purchase amount is the same.

[0120] In this way, the operating entity 10 may reduce the cancellation fee more significantly if the points awarded in advance are used to purchase products or services provided by a specified operating entity (e.g., operating entity 10) than if the points are used for any other purpose.

[0121] (e3: Purchase of specific products) The customer behavior may include the purchase of a specific product or service provided by a specific operator by the customer 20. For example, the cancellation fee for the customer 20 may be reduced based on the customer 20's purchase of a specific product on the company's e-commerce site.

[0122] There may be cases where the operating entity 10 wants to promote a particular product for some reason. In such cases, the operating entity 10 may treat customers who have purchased the particular product as a preferential customer and reduce the cancellation fee.

[0123] At least a portion of the reduction in the cancellation fee for the customer 20 based on such customer behavior may depend on the monetary value borne by a supplier of a specified product or service. That is, at least a portion of the funds for reducing the cancellation fee based on the purchase of a specific product may be borne by a third party (e.g., the supplier of the specific product). In other words, the operating entity 10 may request at least a portion of the funds for reducing the cancellation fee based on the purchase of a specific product from a third party.

[0124] The supplier of a particular product may bear all or part of the cost of reducing the cancellation fee (for example, 50%). The percentage of the cost to be borne by the supplier may be set for each product.

[0125] For example, if a supplier wants to increase sales of a specific product, instead of appealing to customers that the selling price has been reduced by discounting the wholesale price to the operating entity 10, the supplier may appeal to customers that if the specific product is purchased, the cancellation fee for the purchaser will be reduced by a larger amount than if the purchaser had purchased other products.

[0126] When trying to increase sales with regular exposure advertising, one has no choice but to increase sales by increasing exposure and the number of views. In contrast, as mentioned above, by emphasizing to customers that cancellation fees will be reduced by a larger amount, sales can be increased more efficiently than with exposure advertising. Also, unlike exposure advertising, if the product is not actually purchased, there is no financial burden on the operating entity 10 or the supplier, making it highly cost-effective.

[0127] For example, even for products (such as so-called branded products) whose sales prices cannot be lowered due to reasons such as brand image strategy, by emphasizing the financial benefits to customers without lowering the sales price, customers' desire to purchase can be stimulated more directly.

[0128] (e4:Other) The above cancellation fee calculation methods may be combined arbitrarily.

[0129] <F.ユーザインターフェイス> Next, an example of a user interface provided by the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0130] (f1: Providing information) The operating entity 10 may provide the current amount of the cancellation fee to the customer 20. For example, the operating entity 10 may prepare a personal page for each customer 20, and present the status of the contract and the current amount of the cancellation fee for each customer 20 on the personal page. The operating entity 10 may also notify the status of the contract and the current amount of the cancellation fee for each customer 20 by email or a dedicated application.

[0131] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of My Page 160 provided by system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 8, My Page 160 may be prepared for each customer 20. My Page 160 may include the current amount of cancellation fee for customer 20.

[0132] My Page 160 may display the number of purchases remaining until the cancellation fee is reduced to zero. My Page 160 may also include a graph showing the historical changes in cancellation fees. My Page 160 may also include a message proposing changes to the contract, as described below.

[0133] Additionally, My Page 160 may include buttons to request changes to the contract (increasing or decreasing the subscription amount) and / or to request cancellation.

[0134] It should be noted that the design of My Page 160 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 8, and may be of any design.

[0135] (f2: suggestion) The operating entity 10 may provide changes in cancellation fees according to changes in customer behavior. For example, the operating entity 10 may encourage further use by the customer 20 by presenting the following information to the customer 20. The information may be presented to the customer 20 through a personal page prepared for each customer 20, or by email, a dedicated application, or the like.

[0136] The presented information may include the current cancellation fee based on the customer behavior of the customer 20, and an example of the relationship between changes in the customer behavior of the customer 20 and a decrease in the cancellation fee. Examples of the information include the following:

[0137] (1) The current amount of the cancellation fee based on the customer behavior of Customer 20 (2) A pattern showing how the cancellation fee decreases when the customer behavior of Customer 20 changes (for example, the following presentation examples) (Presentation Example 1) The current purchase amount is an average of 20,000 yen per month. Even if the average purchase amount per month remains the same in the future, if the average number of purchases per month increases, the cancellation fee will decrease by 〇 yen. [[ID=**9**]]

[0138] [[ID=**10**]] [[ID=**11**]](Presentation Example 2) The current purchase amount is an average of 20,000 yen per month. Even if the average purchase amount per month and the average number of purchases per month remain the same in the future, if the number of site visits per month increases by 〇〇 times, the cancellation fee will decrease by 〇 yen. [[ID=**12**]] [[ID=**13**]]

[0139] [[ID=**14**]] [[ID=**15**]](Presentation Example 3) The current purchase amount is an average of 20,000 yen per month. Even if the average purchase amount per month, the average number of purchases per month, and the number of site visits per month remain the same in the future, if the number of product views per month increases by 〇〇 times, the cancellation fee will decrease by 〇 yen. [[ID=**16**]] [[ID=**17**]]

[0140] [[ID=**18**]] [[ID=**19**]] By presenting such specific examples of changes in customer behavior, Customer 20 can be encouraged to use the point-back service according to this embodiment. [[ID=**20**]] [[ID=**21**]]

[0141] [[ID=**22**]] [[ID=**23**]](f3: Additional contract) [[ID=**24**]] [[ID=**25**]] When adding a contract for purchasing goods or services, etc., when Customer 20 selects the goods or services desired and presses the button to put them in the dedicated cart, the purchase of the selected goods or services and the settlement process of the cancellation fee including the provisional sales processing may be executed simultaneously. [[ID=**26**]] [[ID=**27**]]

[0142] [[ID=**28**]] [[ID=**29**]](G. Processing examples at the time of early cancellation / contract change) [[ID=**30**]] [[ID=**31**]] Next, a processing example when Customer 20 wishes to cancel or change the contract before the cancellation fee becomes zero will be described. For the convenience of explanation, the cancellation before the cancellation fee becomes zero is also referred to as "early cancellation". [[ID=**32**]] [[ID=**33**]]

[0143] [[ID=**34**]] [[ID=**35**]](g1: Normal processing) [[ID=**36**]] It should be noted that the original text seems to have some consecutive line breaks and indentations that might be for formatting purposes in a specific document structure. The translation attempts to maintain the same overall text structure and line breaks as closely as possible while converting the Japanese text to English. Also, the 7 - digit tags - are preserved as they are.When the customer 20 requests mid-term cancellation, the operating entity 10 requests the credit granting entity 30 to settle the cancellation fee at that time (or to process the actual sales). Through this process, the operating entity 10 collects the cancellation fee from the customer 20.

[0144] (g2: Offsetting) When a customer 20 purchases a product having monetary value (e.g., a digital gift certificate) as a product to be purchased up to a specified amount, the operating entity 10 may offset the cancellation fee of the customer 20 at the time of cancellation against the product having monetary value.

[0145] Specifically, if customer 20 has contracted for the regular purchase of digital gift certificates, and customer 20 wishes to cancel the contract midway, the operating entity 10 may present the amount of the remaining balance of the digital gift certificate at that time as the cancellation fee. The presented amount is equivalent to the amount obtained by offsetting the cancellation fee with the remaining balance of the digital gift certificate. If customer 20 agrees to the application of the remaining balance of the digital gift certificate to the cancellation fee, the operating entity 10 requests the credit granting entity 30 to perform a settlement process (or actual sales process) for the amount obtained by subtracting the remaining balance of the digital gift certificate from the cancellation fee. Through this process, customer 20 recovers the cancellation fee from customer 20 through a deposit from the credit granting entity 30 in addition to the balance of the digital gift certificate that has already been paid. Furthermore, when customer 20 stops using the point-back service provided by the operating entity 10 for some reason, it is possible to prevent monetary value from remaining unused.

[0146] (g3: Proposal for a new contract) In response to a cancellation request from customer 20, operating entity 10 may propose a new contract based on the cancellation fee of customer 20 at the time of cancellation. In other words, when customer 20 requests early cancellation, operating entity 10 may propose a new contract under which customer 20 can receive points back equivalent to the cancellation fee at that time. When customer 20 enters into a new contract, the points back from the new contract can be used to offset the cancellation fee of the previous contract. This allows customer 20 to avoid paying the cancellation fee even if he or she cancels the contract early.

[0147] For example, suppose that customer 20 has signed a contract with operating entity 10 to purchase 12 digital gift certificates at 20,000 yen per month, but requests mid-term cancellation after purchasing six digital gift certificates. On the mid-term cancellation screen, operating entity 10 may indicate that the cancellation fee is 24,000 yen, and suggest that customer 20 avoid paying the cancellation fee by signing a new contract to purchase 12 digital gift certificates at 10,000 yen per month.

[0148] (g4: Handling of cancellation fees when changing contracts) When the customer 20 requests a change to the contract, the operating entity 10 may be able to accept the change. For example, when the customer 20 has a contract for the regular purchase of digital gift certificates, the operating entity 10 may be able to increase or decrease the regular purchase amount. Note that when the customer 20 has multiple contracts, the operating entity 10 may be able to cancel only some of the contracts midway, or may be able to increase or decrease the regular purchase amount for some of the contracts.

[0149] The operating entity 10 may provide a change in the cancellation fee when a predetermined amount related to the conditions is changed. More specifically, when the customer 20 changes the contract, the operating entity 10 may present or notify the customer 20 of the new cancellation fee and allow the customer 20 to decide how to handle the new cancellation fee.

[0150] For example, when the amount of a subscription is increased, the amount of points that will be newly refunded as a result of the increase may be presented or notified, and the customer may be given the option of using the newly refunded points to reduce the existing cancellation fee or to receive them as points.

[0151] Furthermore, when the amount of the regular purchase is reduced, the amount of the cancellation fee that remains due to the reduction may be presented or notified, and the customer may be given the option of returning some or all of the points previously awarded to compensate for the remaining amount, or keeping them as they are.

[0152] The operating entity 10 may present or notify the simulation results of the increase or decrease of the cancellation fee or the amount of points to be point-backed according to the increase or decrease of the amount to be purchased regularly. This simulation may be freely performed in all cases.

[0153] <H. Processing When the Cancellation Fee Becomes Zero> When the cancellation fee of the customer 20 becomes zero, the operating entity 10 may immediately present or notify the customer 20. The presentation to the customer 20 may be made on the my page prepared for each customer 20 or the like. The notification to the customer 20 may be made using e-mail, an app, or the like. At this time, the operating entity 10 may propose a new contract.

[0154] <I. EC Site and EC Mall> In the above description, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the processing example in the EC site operated by the operating entity 10 itself has been mainly described. However, it is similarly applicable to the EC mall operated by the operating entity 10 itself, the EC site and EC mall operated by an external entity other than the operating entity 10. Examples of these cases are shown below.

[0155] (i1: EC Mall Operated by the Operating Entity 10 Itself) By participating in the EC mall operated by the operating entity 10, the provider of goods and services can provide the point-back service according to the present embodiment to the customer 20 without constructing a dedicated system.

[0156] The source of the points to be point-backed may be borne by the operating entity 10, or may be borne by each entity participating in the EC mall (hereinafter, also referred to as "store operator").

[0157] In the case where the store owner bears the funds for the points, a contract including point rebates will be concluded between the store owner and the customer 20. Therefore, similar to the operating entity 10 described above, the store owner will provide the customer 20 with a monetary value corresponding to a predetermined amount in advance, on the condition that the customer 20 purchases products or services up to a predetermined amount, and will also present the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer 20 does not purchase up to the predetermined amount.

[0158] When a contract is concluded, provisional sales processing is executed to secure a kind of security for the cancellation fee as described above. The provisional sales processing may be handled by the store owner or the operating entity 10. When the operating entity 10 is in charge of provisional sales processing, the operating entity 10 acquires from the store owner contract information and payment data with the customer 20 in addition to customer behavior data of the customer 20 with whom the store owner has concluded a contract. These data may be managed in association with the identification information of the customer 20.

[0159] In the case of a store owner of an EC mall operated by the operating entity 10 itself, the store owner presents the contract details and the amount of the cancellation fee, and the operating entity 10 may be responsible for other processing by obtaining information on the customer behavior of the customer 20 from the store owner.

[0160] The operating entity 10 may reduce the cancellation fee for the point back based on the customer 20's use of other store owners in the EC mall. In this case, the operating entity 10 may collect data on the customer 20's customer behavior from each store owner, and the operating entity 10 may determine the amount to be reduced based on the customer 20's customer behavior. The operating entity 10 provides monetary value to the store owner according to the determined amount, and the store owner that receives the monetary value reduces the cancellation fee for the customer 20. The monetary value provided by the operating entity 10 may be provided as an offset against the store opening fee or usage fee paid by the store owner to the operating entity 10.

[0161] Customer 20 can also purchase products from multiple store owners in the EC mall. Even if customer 20 places multiple products in the cart at the same time and presses a button, he or she can enter into a contract with each of the multiple store owners corresponding to the target products. Therefore, customer 20 can receive points back from multiple store owners and purchase products and use services with the same ease of use as an EC site operated by operating entity 10 itself.

[0162] The calculation of the cancellation fee and the processing at the time of cancellation (for example, the actual sales processing) may be performed by the store owner who is a party to the contract, as described above. However, the actual sales processing may also be performed by the operating entity 10.

[0163] A shop owner can provide a point-back service according to this embodiment to customers 20 without building a system according to this embodiment.

[0164] (i2: Collaboration with third-party e-commerce sites / e-commerce malls) By cooperating with an EC site or EC mall operated by another party, customers of the EC mart or EC mall operated by the other party can also use the point-back service according to this embodiment.

[0165] In this case, the funds for the points to be returned may be borne by the operator 10, or may be borne by another operator with which the operator is associated (hereinafter also referred to as "another operator").

[0166] If the other operator bears the funds for the points, a contract including point rebates will be concluded between the other operator and customer 20. When the contract is concluded, provisional sales processing is executed to secure a type of security for the cancellation fee as described above. The provisional sales processing may be executed by the operating entity on behalf of the other operator upon request from the other operator. In this way, the other operator does not need to prepare a platform or the like for performing provisional sales processing.

[0167] The operating entity 10 manages the cancellation fees of the customers 20 of other operators based on information from other operators, and may also collect data on the customer behavior of customers 20 from other operators and perform processing to update the amount of the cancellation fees (for example, calculating the amount to reduce the cancellation fees). These data may be managed in association with the identification information of the customers 20. In addition, the operating entity 10 may also act as an agent to execute the settlement process (or the actual sales process) of the cancellation fees when the customers of the customers 20 of other operators apply for early cancellation.

[0168] In this way, the operating entity 10 provides services such as management of cancellation fees, proxy execution of provisional sales processing, and proxy execution of settlement processing of cancellation fees to other operators. That is, when other operators present the contract content and the amount of the cancellation fees, for other processing, the operating entity 10 may obtain information on the customer behavior of customers 20 from other operators and be in charge. As a result, other operators can provide new payment methods to the customers of other operators.

[0169] <J. Advantage> In the point-back service according to this embodiment, from the perspective of the customer, by conducting long-term or continuous transactions or using the service or site more frequently, the previously granted cancellation fees can be made zero earlier. Therefore, the customer can obtain the motivation to conduct long-term or continuous transactions. In addition, the operating entity can stabilize the business by the customer conducting long-term or continuous transactions.

[0170] In the point-back service according to this embodiment, when a contract is concluded, points are first granted, and the basic scheme is to conduct long-term or continuous transactions. For example, in a family that does not have enough money for some reason, by using the point-back service according to this embodiment, it may be possible to handle the situation with the granted points without borrowing from a financial institution. Therefore, it also has the potential to contribute to poverty alleviation.

[0171] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0172] 1 System, 10 Operating entity, 12 Company e-commerce site, 20 Customer, 30 Credit granting entity, 40 Product supplier, 100 Operating server, 102 Processor, 104 Main memory, 106 Communication interface, 108 Input unit, 110 Display, 114 Service provision program, 120 Storage, 122 System program, 124 Service provision program, 126 Customer database, 128 Cancellation fee database, 130 Customer behavior database, 151 Message, 152 Quantity input unit, 153 Message, 154 Message, 155 Tariff, 156 Button, 160 My Page.

Claims

1. a presentation means for presenting to the customer a monetary value corresponding to a predetermined amount of goods or services purchased by the customer, on the condition that the customer purchases the goods or services up to the predetermined amount, and a cancellation fee amount in the event that the customer does not purchase up to the predetermined amount; an acquisition means for acquiring credit from a credit granting entity for the customer, equivalent to the current cancellation fee, in response to an application from the customer as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer; a deduction means for reducing the customer's cancellation fee based on the customer's behavior, including the customer's purchases; and updating means for updating the credit of the customer obtained from the credit granting entity to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the updating means updates the credit at a predetermined timing to a credit equivalent to the cancellation fee at that timing.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the customer behavior includes non-purchase behavior of the customer.

4. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the reduction means reduces the cancellation fee to a greater extent the greater the number of purchases, purchase frequency, site visit frequency, or product viewing frequency of the customer.

5. The customer behavior includes the customer's referral of another customer; The system according to claim 1 , wherein the reduction means reduces the cancellation fee of the customer based on the customer behavior of other customers introduced by the customer.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the reduction means determines the degree to which the cancellation fee is reduced depending on the type of the pre-granted monetary value.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the renewal means reduces the cancellation fee by a larger amount when the pre-assigned monetary value is used to purchase goods or services provided by a specified operating entity than when the pre-assigned monetary value is used for any other purpose.

8. The customer behavior includes the customer purchasing a predetermined product or service provided by the predetermined operator; 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the reduction in the customer's cancellation fee based on the customer behavior depends at least in part on a monetary value borne by a supplier of the given product or service.

9. 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising providing means for providing the current amount of said termination fee to said customer.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the provisioning means provides a change in the termination fee in response to a change in the customer behavior.

11. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the provision means provides a change in the cancellation fee when the predetermined amount related to the condition is changed.

12. 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a settlement means for requesting said credit providing entity to settle a cancellation fee for said customer at the time of said cancellation in response to said customer's cancellation.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein when the customer purchases a product having monetary value as a product to be purchased up to the predetermined amount, the payment method offsets the customer's cancellation fee at the time of cancellation against the product having monetary value.

14. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a proposal means for proposing a new contract based on a cancellation fee for the customer at the time of cancellation in response to a cancellation request by the customer.

15. The system includes a first entity that operates a mall and one or more second entities that participate in the mall; the presentation means is disposed in each of the second entities; the acquiring means, the deducting means, and the updating means are disposed in the first entity; The system of claim 1 , wherein the first entity acquires information about the customer's customer behavior from each of the second entities.

16. 1. A method implemented by one or more computers, comprising: a step of providing a monetary value to a customer in advance according to a predetermined amount of goods or services purchased by the customer, on the condition that the customer purchases the goods or services up to the predetermined amount, and presenting the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer does not purchase up to the predetermined amount; In response to an application from the customer, as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer, obtaining credit for the customer equivalent to the current cancellation fee from a credit providing entity; reducing the customer's termination fee based on customer behavior including the customer's purchases; and updating the customer's credit obtained from the credit providing entity to credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee.

17. A program, which is installed on one or more computers, a step of providing a monetary value to a customer in advance according to a predetermined amount of goods or services purchased by the customer, on the condition that the customer purchases the goods or services up to the predetermined amount, and presenting the amount of a cancellation fee if the customer does not purchase up to the predetermined amount; a step of obtaining credit for the customer from a credit granting entity equivalent to the current cancellation fee in response to an application from the customer as a prerequisite for entering into a contract with the customer; reducing the customer's termination fee based on customer behavior including the customer's purchases; and updating the credit of the customer obtained from the credit granting entity to a credit equivalent to the reduced cancellation fee.

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