Server device, program, and advertising support method

Abstract

To provide a server device capable of improving convenience relating to execution of a signage advertisement, program and advertisement support method.SOLUTION: A server device includes extraction means for extracting a store having a prescribed geographical relation with an installation location of a signage terminal for displaying an advertisement based on the installation location; aggregation means for aggregating the number of products sold in the store for every product based on sales performance data representing the sales performance of the store extracted by the extraction means, and output means for outputting a result of aggregation performed by the aggregation means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a server device, a program, and an advertisement support method. [Background technology]

[0002] Web advertising is known as an advertising method via the Internet. In web advertising, the use of technologies such as cookies makes it relatively easy to measure advertising effectiveness, such as click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate (CVR). Due to these characteristics, advertising space is actively traded, and technologies for trading advertising space through auction and reservation-based advertising have been proposed.

[0003] On the other hand, advertising methods using printed posters and signage terminals installed indoors or outdoors (hereinafter referred to as signage advertising) are viewed by an unspecified number of users, making it difficult to measure advertising effectiveness. Furthermore, while web advertising allows users to set up a path to purchase the products they are selling by linking the advertisement to an e-commerce (electronic commerce) site, the problem with signage advertising is that it is necessary to advertise without knowing whether the advertised products are being sold in the vicinity of the signage terminal. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of convenience when it comes to implementing signage advertising. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a server device, a program, and an advertising support method that can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertising. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The server device according to the embodiment includes an extracting unit, a counting unit, and an output unit. The extracting unit extracts a location and a number of items based on the location of a signage terminal that displays an advertisement for a product. are located in different locations and are included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal. A store is extracted. An aggregation means aggregates the number of sales of the product for each predetermined period of time during an aggregation period that includes at least the usage period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted by the extraction means. An output means outputs the aggregation results aggregated by the aggregation means. The output means also outputs information related to the aggregation period, the period, or the product along with the aggregation results. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an advertisement support system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the advertisement support server according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a signage management DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of the signage usage history DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of the store management DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a product management DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of the sales performance DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a store terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of the advertisement support server, the store terminal, and the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of advertising plan support processing performed by the advertisement support server according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an advertisement effect measurement process performed by the advertisement support server according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an advertisement support system according to the first modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of a server device, a program, and an advertising support method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment illustrates an advertising support system that supports advertising using digital signage installed indoors or outdoors. Note that the embodiment described below is one embodiment of the server device, the program, and the advertising support method, and does not limit the configuration, specifications, etc. thereof.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an advertisement support system 1 according to this embodiment. The advertisement support system 1 includes an advertisement support server 10, a store terminal 20, a signage terminal 30, and an advertiser terminal 40. Each device of the advertisement support system 1 is configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network N.

[0009] The network N may be the Internet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a public communication network, a mobile communication network, or the like, either alone or in appropriate combination. As an example, the network N may be a combination of the Internet and a mobile communication network. Note that the number of devices included in the advertisement support system 1 is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0010] The advertisement support server 10 is an example of a server device. The advertisement support server 10 collects and manages sales records of products sold at each store by cooperating with the store terminal 20. The store terminal 20 also manages the signage terminal 30, which is a digital signage, and provides the advertiser terminal 40 with services related to the implementation of advertisements using the signage terminal 30.

[0011] In this embodiment, the advertisement support server 10 is realized by a single device, but may be a cloud server (or a cloud system) realized by a plurality of devices connected to a network.

[0012] The store terminal 20 is a terminal device installed in each store. For example, the store terminal 20 may be a POS terminal or a store server installed in the store. The store terminal 20 provides the advertisement support server 10 with sales records of products sold in the store. In this embodiment, the type of store in which the store terminal 20 is installed is a retail store, but this is not limiting.

[0013] The signage terminal 30 is a device or system for implementing digital signage. For example, the signage terminal 30 includes a computer configuration including a communication device, a storage device, a display device, etc., and stores advertising content received via the communication device in the storage device and displays the stored advertising content on the display device.

[0014] The display device of the signage terminal 30 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the signage terminal 30) is installed outdoors, for example, on the wall or rooftop of a facility such as a building, or indoors, such as in a station, shopping mall, or retail store. When installed inside a store, the signage terminal 30 may be realized, for example, in the form of a terminal device (also referred to as a cart terminal) attached to a shopping cart provided in the store, or in the form of a customer-facing display attached to a POS terminal.

[0015] The advertiser terminal 40 is a terminal device operated by a company or user (hereinafter also referred to as an advertiser) who runs an advertisement using the signage terminal 30. The advertiser terminal 40 functions as a user interface terminal of the advertisement support server 10, and provides support to the advertiser for running an advertisement using the signage terminal 30. For example, the advertiser terminal 40 is realized by an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0016] Next, the configurations of the above-mentioned advertisement support server 10, the store terminal 20, and the advertiser terminal 40 will be described.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the advertisement support server 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the advertisement support server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage unit 14, a communication unit 15, and the like.

[0018] The CPU 11 is an example of a processor, and controls the overall operation of the advertisement support server 10. The ROM 12 stores various programs. The RAM 13 is a workspace where programs and various data are expanded.

[0019] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected via a bus or the like to form a computer-configured control unit 100. In the control unit 100, the CPU 11 operates in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage unit 14 and loaded into the RAM 13, thereby executing various processes.

[0020] The storage unit 14 has a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is turned off. The storage unit 14 stores a program 141 that can be executed by the CPU 11 and various setting information. For example, the program 141 includes a program for realizing the functional configuration described below. The program 141 also includes a web server program related to providing a user interface screen described below.

[0021] The storage unit 14 also stores a signage management DB 142, a signage usage history DB 143, a store management DB 144, a product management DB 145, a sales performance DB 146, and the like.

[0022] The signage management DB 142 is a database for managing each signage terminal 30. The signage usage history DB 143 is a database for managing the usage history of the signage terminal 30. The store management DB 144 is a database for managing each store. The product management DB 145 is a database for managing products that are the subject of advertisements and products sold in each store. The sales performance DB 146 is a database for managing the sales performance of products sold in each store.

[0023] The communication unit 15 is a wired or wireless communication interface connectable to the network N. The communication unit 15 communicates with external devices such as the store terminal 20, the signage terminal 30, and the advertiser terminal 40 via the network N.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of signage management DB 142. As shown in Fig. 3, signage management DB 142 stores signage terminal information such as name, installation location, fee, specifications, submission conditions, and reference images in association with a signage ID for managing each signage terminal 30.

[0025] The signage ID is an identifier for identifying each signage terminal 30. The name is the name given to the signage terminal 30. The installation location is registered with information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed.

[0026] For example, in the case of a signage terminal 30 installed on the roof or wall of a facility such as a building, the installation location is registered with the address of the facility as well as information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed in the facility (for example, the roof of the building). Also, in the case of a signage terminal 30 installed in a facility such as a building or a station, the installation location is registered with the address of the facility as well as information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed in the facility (for example, the north side aisle). Also, in the case of a signage terminal 30 installed in a store, the installation location is registered with the address and name of the store as well as information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed in the store (for example, next to the cash register, cart terminal, etc.).

[0027] The fee item is registered with the amount for using the signage terminal 30. For example, the usage item is registered with the amount per period (for example, per day or per hour) that serves as the basis for setting fees. The specifications item is registered with the specifications of the signage terminal 30. For example, the screen size of the signage terminal 30, etc. are registered in the specifications item. The advertising conditions item is registered with the conditions for the advertising content to be displayed on the signage terminal 30. For example, the advertising conditions item is registered with the length of the advertising content, whether or not audio is included, the deadline for submitting the advertising content, etc. The reference image is registered with an image taken of the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed, etc.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of signage usage history DB 143. As shown in Fig. 4, signage usage history DB 143 stores a signage ID, a usage period, an advertiser ID, a target product ID, etc., in association with a usage ID. The usage ID is a unique ID issued for each application for use of signage terminal 30.

[0029] The signage ID is registered with the signage ID of the signage terminal 30 for which use has been requested. The usage period is registered with information indicating the period for which the signage terminal 30 corresponding to the signage ID will be used, or the period for which it has been used. The advertiser ID is registered with an identifier for identifying the advertiser using the signage terminal 30. The target product ID is registered with a product ID (described later) which is an example of an identifier that can identify the product that is the subject of the advertisement.

[0030] The number of product IDs that can be registered to a target product ID is not limited to one, and may be multiple. For example, if there are multiple products of the same beverage but different sizes, the product IDs of the products in each size may be registered as target product IDs for one signage ID. Similarly, for multiple products sold as one series, the product IDs of those multiple products may be registered as target product IDs for one signage ID.

[0031] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the store management DB 144. As shown in Fig. 5, the store management DB 144 stores the store name, store type, address, etc., in association with an identifiable store ID for each store.

[0032] In the store name, information indicating the name or trade name of the store is registered. In the store type, information indicating the type of store is registered. For example, the store type may be a directly managed store, a franchise, or the name of the operating company in the case of a franchise. In the location, information regarding the address and location of the store is stored.

[0033] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product management DB 145. As shown in Fig. 6, the product management DB 145 stores product names, product information, etc., in association with an identifiable product ID for each product. Here, the product ID may be, for example, a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code.

[0034] Information indicating the name of the product is registered in the product name. Information about the product is registered in the product information. For example, information indicating the content volume and weight of the product is registered in the product information. The name of the company that sells and manufactures the product (hereinafter also referred to as the brand name) is also registered in the product information. Information indicating the product classification is also registered in the product information. Information indicating the price of the product (such as the suggested retail price) is also registered in the product information.

[0035] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of sales record DB 146. As shown in Fig. 7, sales record DB 146 stores a store ID, a sales date and time, a transaction ID, a product ID, a sales quantity, a price, and additional information in association with each other.

[0036] The store ID is the store ID of the store that sold the product. The sales date and time is registered as date and time information indicating the date and time when the product was sold. The transaction ID is registered as a transaction ID for identifying the transaction related to the sale of the product. For example, if multiple different products are sold (purchased) in one transaction, the same transaction ID will be assigned to each of those products.

[0037] The product ID is registered with the product ID of the product sold. The number of units sold is registered with the number of units sold in the transaction. The price is registered with the price (actual selling price) of the product sold in the transaction. The additional information is registered with additional information related to the transaction or the sale of the product. For example, the attributes (age, gender, etc.) of the customer who purchased the product are registered with the additional information. The weather (weather, temperature, etc.) on the date and time the transaction was made is also registered with the additional information. The additional information is also registered with information related to events (festivals, sporting events, etc.) that took place around the store on the date or time the transaction was made. Note that the sales performance DB 146 may include other items, such as the total amount for each transaction.

[0038] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the store terminal 20. As shown in Fig. 8, the store terminal 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a storage unit 24, a display unit 25, an operation unit 26, a communication unit 27, and the like.

[0039] The CPU 21 is an example of a processor, and performs overall control of the operation of the store terminal 20. The ROM 22 stores various programs. The RAM 23 is a workspace where programs and various data are developed.

[0040] The CPU 21, ROM 22, and RAM 23 are connected via a bus or the like to form a computer-configured control unit 200. In the control unit 200, the CPU 21 operates in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 22 or the storage unit 24 and loaded into the RAM 23, thereby executing various processes.

[0041] The storage unit 24 has a storage medium such as a HDD or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is turned off. The storage unit 24 stores a program 241 that can be executed by the CPU 21 and various setting information. For example, the storage unit 24 stores the store ID of its own store as setting information. The storage unit 24 may also store a product master that associates the product ID, product name, price, etc. of each product sold at its own store.

[0042] The display unit 25 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 25 displays various information under the control of the CPU 21. The operation unit 26 is an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 26 outputs operation contents input via the input device to the CPU 21. The operation unit 26 may be a touch panel provided on the display unit 25.

[0043] The communication unit 27 is a wired or wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 27 communicates with external devices such as the advertisement support server 10 via the network N.

[0044] The hardware configuration of the store terminal 20 is not limited to the configuration in Fig. 8. For example, when the store terminal 20 is a POS terminal, the store terminal 20 may include a code reader or the like that reads the product ID of the product from a code symbol such as a barcode or two-dimensional code attached to the product.

[0045] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the advertiser terminal 40. As shown in Fig. 9, the advertiser terminal 40 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a storage unit 44, a display unit 45, an operation unit 46, a communication unit 47, and the like.

[0046] The CPU 41 is an example of a processor, and controls the overall operation of the advertiser terminal 40. The ROM 42 stores various programs. The RAM 43 is a workspace for expanding programs and various data.

[0047] The CPU 41, ROM 42, and RAM 43 are connected via a bus or the like to form a computer-configured control unit 400. In the control unit 400, the CPU 41 operates in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 42 or the storage unit 44 and loaded into the RAM 43, thereby executing various processes.

[0048] The storage unit 44 has a storage medium such as an HDD or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is cut off. The storage unit 44 stores a program 441 that can be executed by the CPU 41 and various setting information. For example, the storage unit 44 stores the advertiser ID of its own advertiser as setting information. The program 441 also includes a web client program for displaying various user interface screens in cooperation with the advertisement support server 10.

[0049] The display unit 45 is a display device such as an LCD. The display unit 45 displays various information under the control of the CPU 41. The operation unit 46 is an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 46 outputs operation contents input via the input device to the CPU 41. The operation unit 46 may be a touch panel provided on the display unit 45.

[0050] The communication unit 47 is a wired or wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 47 communicates with external devices such as the advertisement support server 10 via the network N.

[0051] Next, a description will be given of the functional configurations of the advertisement support server 10, the store terminal 20, and the advertiser terminal 40. FIG.

[0052] 10, the advertisement support server 10 includes, as functional components, a sales performance collection unit 101, a user interface (UI) providing unit 102, an advertisement support unit 103, and the advertisement support unit 103. The store terminal 20 includes, as functional components, a sales performance transmission unit 201. The advertiser terminal 40 includes, as functional components, a display control unit 401 and an operation reception unit 402.

[0053] The functional configuration of each of the advertising support server 10, the store terminal 20, and the advertiser terminal 40 is a software configuration realized by the processor of each device operating in accordance with a program stored in a ROM or memory unit, but is not limited to this. For example, some or all of the functional configuration of each of the advertising support server 10, the store terminal 20, and the advertiser terminal 40 may be realized by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

[0054] The sales record sending unit 201 of the store terminal 20 transmits sales record data indicating the sales record of products sold in its own store to the advertisement support server 10. Here, the sales record data includes information related to each item of the data configuration of the sales record DB 146. The sales record data may also include other information indicating the breakdown of the transaction (total amount, payment amount, etc.).

[0055] For example, if the store terminal 20 is a store server, the store terminal 20 collects sales performance data of each transaction processed at each POS terminal installed in the store, and transmits the sales performance data for multiple transactions to the advertisement support server 10. Also, for example, if the store terminal 20 is a POS terminal, the store terminal 20 transmits sales performance data of each transaction processed at the terminal to the advertisement support server 10.

[0056] When a transaction is made at the POS terminal, customer attributes are input, for example, manually by an operator or through automatic recognition processing based on an image of the customer, and the input attributes are recorded as additional information. When a transaction is made at the POS terminal, weather information at the time is recorded as additional information, for example, based on a weather information service provided by an external organization such as the Japan Meteorological Agency. On the day a predetermined event is held, the POS terminal records information about the event as additional information.

[0057] The sales record collection unit 101 of the advertisement support server 10 collects, from each store, sales record data of products sold at that store. Specifically, the sales record collection unit 101 acquires sales record data from each store terminal 20 placed in each store. Here, the sales record data includes each item that constitutes the data of the sales record DB 146. When the sales record collection unit 101 collects (acquires) the sales record data from each store terminal 20, it registers the acquired sales record data in the sales record DB 146.

[0058] The timing at which the sales record collection unit 101 acquires sales record data from each store is not particularly important, and the data may be acquired at any timing, such as a predetermined time. The method by which the sales record collection unit 101 acquires sales record data from each store is also not particularly important. For example, the sales record collection unit 101 may acquire information in a push-type manner, in which the sales record collection unit 101 passively acquires sales record data transmitted from each store terminal 20. The sales record collection unit 101 may also acquire information in a pull-type manner, in which the sales record collection unit 101 actively acquires sales record data by making a request to each store terminal 20.

[0059] The user interface providing unit 102 of the advertisement support server 10 provides a user interface (hereinafter also referred to as an operation screen) for supporting the implementation of advertisements using the signage terminal 30 to the advertiser terminal 40 that has accessed the advertisement support server 10. In addition, the user interface providing unit 102 cooperates with other functional configurations to provide various operation screens, which will be described later.

[0060] The advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 is an example of an extraction means, a counting means, an output means, and a receiving means. The advertising support unit 103 performs various processes to support advertising activities (signage advertising) using the signage terminal 30 by working in cooperation with the user interface providing unit 102. The operation of the advertising support unit 103 will be described later. Specifically, the advertising support unit 103 receives operations from the advertiser via the advertiser terminal 40, and in response to the operations, selects a signage terminal 30 to be used for the advertising activity and supports the measurement of advertising effectiveness by the signage terminal 30.

[0061] The display control unit 401 of the advertiser terminal 40 displays various information on the display unit 45. Specifically, the display control unit 401 cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 of the advertisement support server 10 to display various operation screens on the display unit 45. The operation accepting unit 402 of the advertiser terminal 40 accepts operations of the advertiser via the operation unit 46. For example, the operation accepting unit 402 accepts operations on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 45.

[0062] Hereinafter, an example of an operation related to support of a signage advertisement performed by the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 will be described with reference to an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40.

[0063] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40. When the advertiser terminal 40 accesses the advertisement support server 10, the display control unit 401 displays the operation screen shown in FIG. 11 (hereinafter also referred to as list screen A) on the display unit 45 based on data provided from the user interface providing unit 102.

[0064] The list screen A is an operation screen for displaying a list of available signage terminals 30. The list screen A has a first display area Aa and a second display area Ab.

[0065] The first display area Aa is provided with controls for setting extraction conditions for the signage terminal 30. The first display area Aa is provided with an input field Aaa, for example, into which the area in which the advertisement will be performed can be input. The first display area Aa is also provided with an input field Aab, for example, into which the price range of the fee can be input. The first display area Aa is also provided with an input field Aac, for example, into which the product to be advertised and the classification of the product can be input. The first display area Aa is also provided with an OK button Aad for confirming the extraction conditions. Note that the initial state of the list screen A is a state in which none of the extraction conditions have been input.

[0066] The second display area Ab is an area for displaying a list of available signage terminals 30. In the second display area Ab, items such as the ID (signage ID), name, installation location, specifications, and fee are displayed for each signage terminal 30.

[0067] Here, when extraction conditions for the signage terminals 30 are instructed from the advertiser terminal 40, the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 extracts, from the signage management DB 142, the signage terminals 30 that meet the extraction conditions.

[0068] Specifically, when the OK button Aad is operated after the extraction conditions are input in the first display area Aa, the advertisement support unit 103 accepts the extraction conditions instructed from the advertiser terminal 40 via the user interface providing unit 102. Then, the advertisement support unit 103 reads out the signage information of the signage terminal 30 that matches the extraction conditions from the signage management DB 142, and works in cooperation with the user interface providing unit 102 to display the read signage information in the second display area Ab.

[0069] For example, when an area in which advertising will be performed is specified as an extraction condition, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 that meet the conditions of the specified area from the signage management DB 142, and reads out signage information about the signage terminals 30. As an example, when a wide area such as a ward, city, town, or village is specified, the advertising support unit 103 reads out signage information about signage terminals 30 whose installation locations belonging to the specified area are registered from the signage management DB 142. Furthermore, when a specific facility, address, or the like is specified as an area, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 whose installation locations are set in the specified area, or signage terminals 30 in stores located in facilities in the area, from the signage management DB 142, and reads out signage information about the signage terminals 30.

[0070] Furthermore, for example, when a price range of fees is specified as an extraction condition, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts the signage terminals 30 that meet the specified price range condition from the signage management DB 142 and reads out the signage information of the signage terminals 30.

[0071] Furthermore, for example, when information that can identify a product or product classification is specified as an extraction condition, the advertising support unit 103 extracts a signage terminal 30 that meets the condition from the signage management DB 142 based on the location of a store that sells the specified product or product classification, and reads out the signage information of the signage terminal 30.

[0072] Specifically, the advertisement support unit 103 refers to the sales record DB 146 and extracts store IDs associated with the products or product categories specified in the extraction conditions. Next, the advertisement support unit 103 reads the location of the extracted store ID from the store management DB 144, extracts signage terminals 30 whose installation locations have a predetermined geographical relationship with the location from the signage management DB 142, and reads the signage information of the signage terminals 30. For example, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 whose installation locations include the address of the location of the extracted store ID. Furthermore, for example, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 whose installation locations include areas within a predetermined distance from the location of the extracted store ID. Here, the predetermined distance can be set arbitrarily, for example, to 500 m, 1 km, or the like.

[0073] In addition, when multiple extraction conditions are specified, the advertisement support unit 103 reads out the signage information of the signage terminal 30 that meets the specified extraction conditions from the signage management DB 142 by combining the multiple extraction conditions with AND or OR.

[0074] Note that the initial state of the list screen A is a state in which none of the extraction conditions have been entered. In this case, the advertisement support unit 103 may display the signage information of all the signage terminals 30 registered in the signage management DB 142 in the second display area Ab, or may hide the signage information.

[0075] In this way, the advertisement support server 10 presents the advertiser with a list of applicable signage terminals 30 according to the extraction conditions specified by the advertiser. This allows the advertiser to easily check the signage terminals 30 that meet the desired extraction conditions by looking at the list screen A. Therefore, the advertisement support server 10 can support the advertiser in advertising using the signage terminals 30.

[0076] FIG. 11 shows an example in which no extraction conditions have been input and signage information relating to four signage terminals 30 is displayed in second display area Ab.

[0077] Furthermore, the list of signage terminals 30 displayed in the second display area Ab is configured to be selectable, allowing the advertiser to specify a desired signage terminal 30 via the advertiser terminal 40. When the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 accepts a selection operation to specify one signage terminal 30 from the list of signage terminals 30 displayed in the second display area Ab, the advertising support unit 103 cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 to provide the advertiser terminal 40 with a details screen relating to the specified signage terminal 30.

[0078] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40, and shows an example of the display of the details screen B.

[0079] 12, the details screen B has a first display area Ba and a second display area Bb. In the first display area Ba, the name, installation location, fee, etc. of the signage terminal 30, as well as specifications, advertising conditions, reference images, etc. are displayed.

[0080] Specifically, when the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 receives the signage ID of the specified signage terminal 30 via the user interface providing unit 102, it reads the signage information of the signage ID from the signage management DB 142 and displays it in the first display area Ba.

[0081] The advertising support unit 103 also extracts stores that are in a predetermined geographical relationship with the location where the specified signage terminal 30 is set, and displays the first purchase data Bba derived from the sales performance data of the stores in the second display area Bb. Here, the first purchase data Bba represents the number of items sold for each product in chronological order, as shown in FIG.

[0082] Specifically, when a signage terminal 30 (signage ID) is specified, the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 reads out the installation location of the signage ID from the signage management DB 142. Next, based on the read-out installation location and the addresses of the stores registered in the store management DB 144, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts from the store management DB 144 the store IDs of stores that have a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the selected signage terminal 30.

[0083] For example, if the installation location indicates that the location is not inside a store, but on the rooftop of a building or inside a facility such as a station, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts the store IDs of stores whose locations belong to an area within a predetermined distance from the location of the installation location from the store management DB 144. Here, the predetermined distance can be set arbitrarily, for example, to 500 m, 1 km, or the like.

[0084] Furthermore, for example, if the installation location indicates that the installation location is within a specific store, such as by including the address or name of the specific store, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts the store ID of the corresponding store from the store management DB 144.

[0085] Next, the advertisement support unit 103 reads out the sales performance data corresponding to the extracted store ID from the sales performance DB 146, and generates first purchase data based on the sales performance data.

[0086] Specifically, for each product ID included in the sales performance data, the advertising support unit 103 counts the number of sales units of the product corresponding to that product ID for each transaction day. Next, the advertising support unit 103 generates data as first purchase data by associating the number of sales units of each product ID counted for each transaction day with the product name of that product ID, etc. Then, the advertising support unit 103 cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 to display the generated sales performance data in the second display area Bb.

[0087] 12 shows the first purchase data Bba, which shows the change in the number of sales of five products from February 12 to February 18. In the second display area Bb, it is possible to display hidden products by operating the scroll bar up and down.

[0088] In this way, when a signage terminal 30 is specified by an advertiser, the advertisement support server 10 presents to the advertiser details of the signage terminal 30 as well as first purchase data of products sold at stores that are in a predetermined geographical relationship with the signage terminal 30. This allows the advertisement support server 10 to present to the advertiser first purchase data of stores that are likely to be used by customers viewing the signage terminal 30.

[0089] Meanwhile, by viewing the first purchase data displayed on the details screen B, the advertiser can check whether the advertised target product is sold in stores near the signage terminal 30 and check the purchasing status of the target product. Therefore, the advertiser can easily predict the advertising effectiveness when advertising the target product using the selected signage terminal 30. Furthermore, the advertiser can also check the presence and purchasing status of products similar to the target product (hereinafter also referred to as similar products) and products correlated with the target product (hereinafter also referred to as correlated products). Therefore, the advertiser can judge the advertising effectiveness when advertising the target product using the signage terminal 30 from various angles. Therefore, the advertisement support server 10 can support the advertiser who advertises using the signage terminal 30.

[0090] The period displayed in the first purchase data Bba is not particularly limited, and any period can be displayed. For example, the advertisement support unit 103 may extract first purchase data limited to the period of the previous month, or may extract first purchase data for a period desired by the advertiser by accepting an input operation for the period to be displayed.

[0091] In the above description, all stores registered in the store management DB 144 are processed, but this is not limiting. Alternatively, conditions for narrowing down the stores (hereinafter also referred to as narrowing-down conditions) may be input. For example, the second display area Bb may be provided with an input field into which the narrowing-down conditions related to the store types registered in the store management DB 144 can be input, and the stores may be narrowed down based on the narrowing-down conditions input in the input field. In this case, when extracting the store ID related to the installation location of the specified signage terminal 30 from the store management DB 144, the advertisement support unit 103 may narrow down the store IDs to those that meet (or do not meet) the narrowing-down conditions for the store type.

[0092] In the above description, all sales performance data registered in the sales performance DB 146 is the processing target, but this is not limiting. Alternatively, the second display area Bb may be configured to accept input of narrowing-down conditions for narrowing down the sales performance data. For example, the second display area Bb may be provided with an input field into which narrowing-down conditions related to additional information registered in the store management DB 144 can be input, and stores may be narrowed down based on the narrowing-down conditions input in the input field. As an example, input fields into which customer attributes, weather, events, etc. can be input as narrowing-down conditions may be provided. In this case, when reading out sales performance data from the sales performance DB 146, the advertisement support unit 103 may perform processing to narrow down the sales performance data to those that meet (or do not meet) the narrowing-down conditions based on the additional information.

[0093] In addition, the second display area Bb is provided with a back button Bbb and a use decision button Bbc. The back button Bbb is an operator for instructing to clear the details screen B and return to the list screen A. In addition, the use decision button Bbc is an operator for instructing to decide to use the signage terminal 30.

[0094] When the use decision button Bbc is operated, the advertisement support unit 103 provides the advertiser terminal 40 with a screen for inputting information necessary for using the signage terminal 30. Then, the operator of the advertiser terminal 40 applies for use of the selected signage terminal 30 by sending the input data (hereinafter, "use data") to the advertisement support server 10.

[0095] Here, the usage data includes the advertiser ID of the advertiser, the signage ID of the selected signage terminal 30, as well as information such as the product ID of the target product advertised using the signage terminal 30 and the usage period. The user may also include the product name, product classification, price (recommended retail price), etc. of the target product in the usage data and transmit it. The user may also include advertising content to be displayed and played on the signage terminal 30 in the usage data and transmit it.

[0096] When the advertisement support unit 103 receives usage data from the advertiser terminal 40, it registers each item included in the usage data in the signage usage history DB 143, thereby accepting the usage application. Specifically, the advertisement support unit 103 issues a unique usage ID for each piece of usage data, and associates with the usage ID and registers information included in the usage data, such as the advertiser ID, signage ID, product ID (target product ID), and usage period, in the signage usage history DB 143. Then, the advertisement support unit 103 notifies the advertiser terminal 40 that sent the usage data of the issued usage ID, thereby notifying the completion of acceptance of the usage application.

[0097] If the target product ID specified by the usage data is not registered in the product management DB 145, the advertisement support unit 103 may register the target product ID in the product management DB 145 together with the product name, product category, price, etc.

[0098] Furthermore, if the usage data includes advertising content, the advertising support unit 103 prepares to display and play the advertising content during the usage period by transmitting the usage period and advertising content specified in the usage data to the signage terminal 30 of the signage ID. Upon receiving the usage period and advertising content from the advertising support unit 103, the signage terminal 30 registers them in a timetable or the like, thereby displaying and playing the advertising content during the specified usage period.

[0099] The timing of receiving advertising content from the advertiser is not limited to the time of application for use, and may be any time before the submission deadline specified in the advertising conditions of the selected signage terminal 30. In this case, when the advertising support unit 103 receives the usage ID and advertising content from the advertiser terminal 40, it searches the signage usage history DB 143 for usage data corresponding to the usage ID. Then, the advertising support unit 103 transmits the usage period and advertising content specified in the usage data to the signage terminal 30 of the signage ID, thereby making preparations to display and play the advertising content during the usage period.

[0100] In this embodiment, the advertising support server 10 is configured to deliver the advertising content to the signage terminal 30, but this is not limited to this, and the advertising content may be delivered to the signage terminal 30 by a third party such as an advertising agency.

[0101] Furthermore, the advertisement support unit 103 provides the advertiser who has applied to use the signage terminal 30 with second purchase data indicating the advertising effectiveness of the signage terminal 30.

[0102] Specifically, when a usage ID is specified from the advertiser terminal 40, the advertisement support unit 103 reads out usage data related to the usage ID from the signage usage history DB 143. Next, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts, from the store management DB 144, the store ID of a store that has a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the signage ID (signage terminal 30) included in the usage data. Here, the method of extracting the store related to the installation location of the signage terminal 30 is the same as when generating the second purchase data described above.

[0103] Next, the advertising support unit 103 reads out sales performance data including the target product ID specified in the usage data from the sales performance data in the sales performance DB 146 corresponding to the extracted store ID. Then, based on the read sales performance data, the advertising support unit 103 tallies the number of sales units of the product corresponding to the target product ID for each transaction date. Here, the aggregation period preferably includes at least the usage period specified in the usage data, and more preferably includes the period before and after the usage period. Next, the advertising support unit 103 generates second purchase data that associates the product name, etc. of the target product ID with the number of sales units of the target product ID tallied for each transaction date.

[0104] Note that the product processed by the advertising support unit 103 is not limited to the advertised product (target product ID). For example, the advertising support unit 103 may also similarly count the number of sales of other products of the same product type as the product of the target product ID, i.e., similar products. Furthermore, for example, the advertising support unit 103 may also similarly count the number of sales of correlated products that are correlated with the product of the target product ID. In this case, if the usage data indicates a product ID such as a correlated product, the advertising support unit 103 may simply count the number of sales of the indicated product ID. Furthermore, the advertising support unit 103 may be configured to identify products that are correlated with the product of the target product ID by analyzing the sales performance data in the sales performance DB 146 corresponding to the extracted store ID using a known correlation analysis technique.

[0105] Next, the advertisement support unit 103 cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 to provide the generated second purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40. For example, the advertisement support unit 103 presents the advertisement effect measurement screen shown in FIG. 13 to the advertiser terminal 40.

[0106] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40, and shows a display example of an advertisement effectiveness measurement screen.

[0107] 13, the advertising effect measurement screen C has a first display area Ca and a second display area Cb. The first display area Ca displays the content of the usage data and various information related to the usage data. For example, the first display area Ca displays the name of the signage terminal 30 for which usage has been requested, its installation location, usage period, fee, and the name of the product being advertised.

[0108] Specifically, the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 reads out information related to each item of the first display area Ca based on the usage data of the usage ID specified by the user, by referring to the signage management DB 142, the store management DB 144, and the product management DB 145. Then, the advertisement support unit 103 displays the read out information in the first display area Ca.

[0109] In addition, the second display area Cb displays the second purchase data Cba generated by the advertising support unit 103. In the example of FIG. 13, the aggregation results of the target product AB and the aggregation results of similar products MN, OP, and QR similar to the target product AB are displayed as the second purchase data Cba. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the period corresponding to the usage period within the aggregation period of the target product may be highlighted. That is, the period before this highlighted period is the period before the advertisement is carried out by the signage terminal 30. Furthermore, the period after this highlighted period is the period after the advertisement is carried out by the signage terminal 30.

[0110] It should be noted that the advertising effect measurement screen is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 13. For example, the advertising support unit 103 may display additional information about each day of the aggregation period on the advertising effect measurement screen based on additional information included in the sales performance data.

[0111] Here, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40, and shows another display example of the advertising effectiveness measurement screen.

[0112] As shown in Fig. 14, the advertising effect measurement screen D has a first display area Ca and a second display area Cb, similar to the advertising effect measurement screen C of Fig. 13. Here, the second display area Cb of the advertising effect measurement screen D displays information Da indicating the weather associated with each day of the aggregation period. Such information Da is based on additional information included in the sales performance data for the corresponding date, and a symbol indicating the weather recorded as the additional information is displayed as the information Da. Note that, if the weather recorded in the additional information differs in the sales performance data for each transaction date read from the sales performance DB 146, the weather may be displayed using a statistical value, such as by displaying the weather that accounts for the highest proportion of the total.

[0113] The additional information displayed on the advertising effect measurement screen D is not limited to weather, and other information may be displayed. For example, if the additional information includes temperature, the minimum and maximum temperatures, or the average temperature for a specific time period, may be displayed in association with the corresponding date. For example, if the additional information includes information about an event, the information may be displayed in association with the corresponding date. For example, if the additional information includes customer attributes, the number of sales points may be displayed for each attribute. The advertisement support unit 103 may display all of this additional information at once, or may switch the content of the additional information to be displayed in response to an operation by the advertiser.

[0114] 14, the display form of the additional information may be changed depending on the characteristics of the information to be displayed. For example, the advertisement support unit 103 may provide a screen based on the additional information of the sales performance data related to the selected product on the condition that one of the target products (similar products, correlated products) displayed in the second display area Cb is selected.

[0115] In this way, when an advertiser specifies a usage ID for which advertising has been carried out, i.e., a signage terminal 30, the advertisement support server 10 presents to the advertiser the change in the number of units sold of the target product sold at the store associated with the signage terminal 30. This allows the advertisement support server 10 to present to the advertiser the sales status of the target product at stores within the range covered by the advertising effect of the signage terminal 30.

[0116] On the other hand, the advertiser can check how the number of units sold of the target product has changed as a result of advertising via the signage terminal 30 by looking at the second purchase data displayed on the advertising effectiveness measurement screens C and D. Therefore, the advertiser can easily understand the effectiveness of advertising the target product using the signage terminal 30.

[0117] Furthermore, the advertisement support server 10 presents the advertiser with the trend in sales of similar products and correlated products related to the target product in a form that allows comparison with the trend in sales of the target product. This allows the advertiser to check how the sales of similar products and correlated products have changed as a result of advertising the target product by looking at the second purchase data Cba displayed on the advertising effectiveness measurement screens C and D. This allows the advertiser to analyze the advertising effectiveness of the target product using the signage terminal 30 from multiple angles.

[0118] The advertisement support server 10 also presents additional information, such as the weather for each day before and after the period during which the advertisement was run, to the advertiser along with the change in the number of units sold. This allows the advertiser to check factors other than the advertisement that affect the increase or decrease in the number of units sold by looking at the second purchase data Cba and information Da displayed on the advertisement effectiveness measurement screen D. This allows the advertiser to analyze the advertising effectiveness of the target product using the signage terminal 30 from multiple angles.

[0119] An example of the operation of the advertisement support server 10 will be described below. Note that the contents of the various processes described below are merely examples, and it is possible to change the order of some of the processes, omit some of the processes, or add other processes as appropriate. For example, in the following description, in order to clearly explain the characteristic operations of this embodiment, the description of some of the processes will be omitted. For example, when some kind of error occurs, a process to deal with the error may be performed, but a description of such a process will be omitted.

[0120] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the advertising plan support process performed by the advertisement support server 10. Note that this process is performed on the premise that the sales performance data collected from each of the store terminals 20 has already been stored in the sales performance DB 146.

[0121] First, the advertisement support unit 103 waits until it receives access from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S11; No). When it receives access from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S11; Yes), the advertisement support unit 103 provides the list screen A to the advertiser terminal 40 that is the access source, based on the signage management DB 142 (step S12).

[0122] Next, the advertisement support unit 103 determines whether or not an instruction to change the extraction conditions has been received from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S13). If it is determined that an instruction to change the extraction conditions has been received (step S13; Yes), the advertisement support unit 103 extracts signage information from the signage management DB 142 based on the changed extraction conditions (step S14). Next, the advertisement support unit 103 returns the process to step S12, thereby providing the advertiser terminal 40 with a list screen A based on the signage information extracted in step S14.

[0123] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S13 that no extraction condition has been specified (step S13; No), the advertisement support unit 103 determines whether or not one signage terminal 30 has been specified from the list screen A (step S15). If it is determined that a signage terminal 30 has been specified (step S15; Yes), the advertisement support unit 103 extracts the store ID of a store that has a predetermined geographical relationship with the selected signage terminal 30 based on the installation location of the specified signage terminal 30 and the address of each store registered in the store management DB 144 (step S16). Next, the advertisement support unit 103 generates first purchase data indicating the products sold at the store ID and the number of items sold, based on the sales performance data of the extracted store ID (step S17). Next, the advertisement support unit 103 provides a details screen B including the generated first purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40 (step S18), and proceeds to step S19. If the designation of the signage terminal 30 is not accepted in step S15 (step S15; No), the advertisement support unit 103 returns the process to step S12.

[0124] In the next step S19, the advertisement support unit 103 determines whether an instruction to decide on use has been issued from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S19). If an instruction to decide on use has been accepted (step S19; Yes), the advertisement support unit 103 acquires use data from the advertiser terminal 40, associates it with the newly issued use ID, and registers it in the signage use history DB 143 (step S20). Next, the advertisement support unit 103 transmits a notification that acceptance of the use application including the issued use ID has been completed, and the process proceeds to step S21. Note that even if it is determined in step S19 that an instruction to decide on use has not been issued (step S19; No), the advertisement support unit 103 also proceeds to step S21.

[0125] If there is an individual or company (hereinafter referred to as a media owner) that manages the signage terminal 30, the advertisement support unit 103 may perform the process of step S20 after obtaining approval from the media owner.

[0126] In this case, for example, the advertisement support unit 103 applies for use of the signage terminal 30 by transmitting the usage data acquired from the advertiser terminal 40 to the terminal of the media owner that manages the signage terminal 30 having the signage ID included in the usage data. Then, the advertisement support unit 103 may perform the process of step S20 on the condition that a response of approval is received from the terminal of the media owner. Note that if a response of approval is not received, the advertisement support unit 103 sends a response of disapproval of use to the advertiser terminal 40 without performing step S20.

[0127] In the next step S21, the advertisement support unit 103 determines whether or not an instruction to return to the list screen A has been given (step S21). If an instruction to return to the list screen A has been given (step S21; Yes), the advertisement support unit 103 returns the process to step S12, thereby returning to the display of the list screen A.

[0128] Furthermore, if an instruction to return to the list screen A is not given in step S21 (step S21; No), the advertisement support unit 103 returns the process to step S18, thereby continuing to display the details screen.

[0129] It is assumed that the operator of the advertiser terminal 40 can instruct the end of the advertising plan support process at any timing on the list screen A or the details screen B. The advertising support unit 103 ends the advertising plan support process of FIG. 15 when the instruction to end is received from the advertiser terminal 40.

[0130] 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the advertising effectiveness measurement process performed by the advertising support server 10. Note that this process is performed assuming that the signage terminal 30, the use of which has been requested in the above-described advertising plan support process, is in the middle of or has ended its usage period.

[0131] First, the advertisement support unit 103 waits until a usage ID is specified from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S31). When the usage ID is received from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S31; Yes), the advertisement support unit 103 reads out usage data related to the specified usage ID from the signage usage history DB 143 (step S32).

[0132] Next, the advertisement support unit 103 refers to the signage management DB 142 and identifies the installation location of the signage terminal 30 specified by the usage data (step S33). Next, the advertisement support unit 103 extracts, from the store management DB 144, the store ID of a store that has a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the signage terminal 30 (step S34).

[0133] Next, the advertising support unit 103 reads out sales performance data including the target product ID indicated in the usage data from the sales performance data of the sales performance DB 146 corresponding to the extracted store ID, and generates second purchase data based on the sales performance data, which aggregates the number of items sold corresponding to the target product ID for each transaction date (step S35).

[0134] Then, the advertisement support unit 103 provides the advertisement effect measurement screen C including the generated second purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40 (step S36), and ends this process.

[0135] As described above, the advertisement support server 10 according to this embodiment extracts stores that have a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the signage terminal 30 that displays the advertisement, based on the installation location of the signage terminal 30. Then, the advertisement support server 10 generates first purchase data by aggregating the number of items sold by each product at the extracted store from the sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store, and outputs the first purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40.

[0136] In this way, the advertisement support server 10 presents the advertiser with first purchase data of stores that are likely to be visited by customers viewing advertisements on the signage terminals 30. As a result, the advertisement support server 10 can provide the advertiser with information that enables the advertiser to determine whether or not there are products they want to sell in the vicinity of the installation location of the signage terminal 30. This allows the advertiser to easily select a signage terminal 30 that is expected to have a more effective advertising effect, thereby improving the advertising effectiveness. Furthermore, it is possible to efficiently increase the opportunities for customers viewing the signage terminals 30 to view advertisements for target products, thereby improving the number of sales. Therefore, the advertisement support server 10 can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertisements.

[0137] Furthermore, when the installation location of the signage terminal 30 specified by the advertiser indicates a specific facility or an indoor location of a facility, the advertisement support server 10 identifies the facility or a store whose address is set within the indoor location of the facility from the store management DB 144. Furthermore, when the installation location of the signage terminal specified by the advertiser indicates an outdoor location, the advertisement support server 10 identifies the stores whose addresses are within a predetermined distance from the installation location from the store management DB 144. This allows the advertisement support server 10 to efficiently extract stores that are likely to be used by customers who view advertisements on the signage terminal 30.

[0138] Furthermore, when a target product is specified by an advertiser, the advertisement support server 10 generates second purchase data that tally the number of sales of the specified product based on the sales performance data of the store identified from the store management DB 144, and provides the generated data to the advertiser. In this way, the advertisement support server 10 can present the advertising effectiveness of the signage terminal 30 to the advertiser by tallying the sales status of the target product in stores that are likely to be used by customers who view the advertisement on the signage terminal 30 as second purchase data. Therefore, the advertisement support server 10 can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertisements.

[0139] The advertisement support server 10 also tally up the sales numbers of similar or correlated products to the target product, along with the target product, and provides this to the advertiser as second purchase data. This allows the advertisement support server 10 to present to the advertiser how the sales numbers of similar or correlated products have changed as a result of advertising the target product, thereby enabling multifaceted analysis. Therefore, the advertisement support server 10 can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertising.

[0140] The above-described embodiment can be modified as needed by partially changing the configuration or functions of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. The following mainly focuses on differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of commonalities with the content already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

[0141] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the advertisement support server 10 is configured to acquire sales performance data from the store terminal 20 installed in each store, but the source of the sales performance data is not limited to this. For example, if there is an electronic receipt server that collectively manages sales performance data of transactions performed in each store and provides the sales performance data to customers in the form of electronic receipts, the advertisement support server 10 may be configured to acquire the sales performance data from the electronic receipt server.

[0142] 17 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the advertisement support system 1 according to this modification. As shown in FIG. 17, the advertisement support system 1 according to this modification further includes an electronic receipt server 50 in addition to the advertisement support server 10, the store terminal 20, the signage terminal 30, and the advertiser terminal 40 described above.

[0143] The electronic receipt server 50 receives sales performance data for each transaction transmitted from the store terminal 20 of each store via the network N. The electronic receipt server 50 also registers and manages the received electronic receipt information in a database (not shown) (hereinafter also referred to as electronic receipt DB). The sales performance data according to this modification functions as receipt data showing the details of one transaction, including information such as the total price of the products, the amount paid by the customer, and the amount of change, in addition to the items described in FIG. 7. The sales performance data also includes a customer ID that can identify the customer who made the transaction.

[0144] The electronic receipt server 50 also stores a database (not shown) (hereinafter also referred to as a customer DB) that associates the customer ID of each customer with destination information (for example, email address) of the terminal device to which the electronic receipt is to be sent.

[0145] When the electronic receipt server 50 stores the sales performance data in the electronic receipt DB, it refers to the customer DB for destination information associated with the customer ID included in the sales performance data, and identifies the destination terminal device. Then, the electronic receipt server 50 transmits the sales performance data stored in the electronic receipt DB as an electronic receipt to the destination terminal device via the network N. Furthermore, when the electronic receipt server 50 receives an electronic receipt inquiry specifying a customer ID from a customer's terminal device connected via the network N, it reads out the sales performance data including the customer ID from the electronic receipt DB and transmits it to the terminal device.

[0146] The electronic receipt server 50 may generate an electronic receipt by extracting or excluding some data from the sales performance data. For example, the electronic receipt server 50 may generate an electronic receipt by excluding additional information from the sales performance data.

[0147] The advertisement support server 10 according to this modification generates the first purchase data and the second purchase data by working in cooperation with the above-mentioned electronic receipt server 50. For example, the sales record collection unit 101 of the advertisement support server 10 may be configured to acquire sales record data from the electronic receipt DB of the electronic receipt server 50 and register it in the sales record DB 146.

[0148] Furthermore, for example, the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 may generate the first purchase data and the second purchase data based on the sales record data registered in the electronic receipt DB by referring to the electronic receipt DB of the electronic receipt server 50. In this case, the electronic receipt DB of the electronic receipt server 50 serves as a substitute for the sales record DB 146, so the sales record DB 146 may be unnecessary.

[0149] The electronic receipt server 50 may also be configured to be able to generate the first purchase data and the second purchase data based on the electronic receipt DB. In this case, the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 can be configured to notify the electronic receipt server 50 of conditions related to the generation of the first purchase data and the second purchase data, thereby acquiring the first purchase data and the second purchase data generated by the electronic receipt server 50, and providing the data to the advertiser terminal 40.

[0150] Specifically, the advertisement support unit 103 notifies the electronic receipt server 50 of the store ID of a store that is in a predetermined geographical relationship with the signage terminal 30 specified by the advertiser as a generation condition for the first purchase data, thereby causing the electronic receipt server 50 to generate the first purchase data. In addition, the advertisement support unit 103 notifies the electronic receipt server 50 of the store ID of a store that is in a predetermined geographical relationship with the signage terminal 30 specified by the advertiser, the product ID of the target product (similar product, correlated product), and the usage period as a generation condition for the second purchase data, thereby causing the electronic receipt server 50 to generate the second purchase data.

[0151] As described above, according to the advertisement support system 1 of this modified example, it is possible to effectively utilize an existing electronic receipt system to provide advertisement support using the signage terminal 30, and therefore it is possible to efficiently support activities from advertising planning to measuring advertising effectiveness. Note that if the advertisement support server 10 is realized by a cloud system, the advertisement support server 10 may include the functions of the electronic receipt server 50.

[0152] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the signage terminal 30 installed outdoors or indoors is used as the advertising medium, but the target advertising medium is not limited to this. For example, advertising media such as billboards installed outdoors or indoors can also be handled in the same way.

[0153] Furthermore, for Web advertisements posted on the Internet, the advertising space for the Web advertisements can be handled in the same way as the signage terminal 30 by restricting the area in which the Web advertisements can be viewed.

[0154] Specifically, if a distribution system that distributes Web advertisements has a configuration that can acquire location information from a user's user terminal and distribute Web advertisements according to the location information, the area where the Web advertisements are distributed can be set as the installation location, and the advertisement space for the Web advertisements can be treated as the signage terminal 30. In this case, the advertising support unit 103 can extract, from the store management DB 144, the store IDs of stores whose addresses are included in the area where the Web advertisements are distributed, thereby extracting stores that have a locational relationship with the advertisement space for the Web advertisements.

[0155] The method for obtaining the location information of the user terminal is not particularly limited, and any known technology can be used, such as a location determination method based on an IP address or a location determination method using the GPS (Global Positioning System) function installed in the user terminal.

[0156] (Variation 3) In the above-described embodiment, tangible products sold at retail stores are the targets of advertising, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, intangible products such as movies and music may also be the targets of advertising. In this case, by registering a store that trades intangible products in the store management DB and tallying the number of visitors and viewers as sales points from the store terminal 20 of the store, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the above-described embodiment.

[0157] (Variation 4) In the above-described embodiment, the second purchase data is presented to the advertiser as a measurement result of the advertising effectiveness, but this is not limited to this, and the second purchase data may also be provided as the first purchase data provided when selecting a signage terminal 30.

[0158] In this case, the advertisement support unit 103 may be configured to provide an input field on the details screen B in which the advertised target product can be input as a narrowing-down condition, and to provide the second purchase data when the product ID or product name of the target product is input via the input field. For example, the advertisement support unit 103 may read out usage data of advertisements that have been previously conducted for the input target product from the signage usage history DB 143, and provide the second purchase data based on the usage data to the user via the details screen B, etc. Furthermore, the advertisement support unit 103 may read out usage data of advertisements that have been previously conducted for similar products or correlated products to the input target product from the signage usage history DB 143, and provide the second purchase data based on the usage data to the user via the details screen B, etc.

[0159] This allows an advertiser planning to advertise using the signage terminal 30 to check the effectiveness of advertisements previously conducted using the signage terminal 30 and determine whether or not to use the signage terminal 30. Therefore, the advertisement support server 10 of this modified example can further improve the convenience of advertisers who use the signage terminal 30 to conduct advertising activities.

[0160] When this modification is adopted, the advertisement support unit 103 may generate the second purchase data by limiting the usage data to the data including the same advertiser ID as the accessing advertiser. This allows the advertisement support unit 103 to prevent the second purchase data of the accessing advertiser from being used by other advertisers, thereby ensuring the independence of each advertiser.

[0161] Furthermore, the advertisement support unit 103 may generate the second purchase data including usage data of an advertiser ID different from that of the accessing advertiser. In this case, for the second purchase data of advertisers other than the accessing advertiser, the product name may be anonymized by changing it to a product type or an abstract name, etc., rather than displaying the product name as is. This allows the advertisement support unit 103 to prevent the second purchase data of advertisers other than the accessing advertiser from being directly referenced, thereby ensuring the independence of each advertiser.

[0162] (Variation 5) In the above embodiment, no particular mention is made of payment of fees related to the use of the signage terminal 30. However, for example, the advertisement support server 10 may execute a settlement process related to payment of fees.

[0163] For example, when the advertising support unit 103 accepts an application to use the signage terminal 30, it may obtain accounting data for electronic money payment from the advertiser terminal 40 and perform payment processing for the fee for the signage terminal 30 specified in the application based on the accounting data.

[0164] (Variation 6) In the above embodiment, the fee for using the signage terminal 30 is fixed, but this is not limiting, and the fee may be variable depending on, for example, the advertising effectiveness derived from the second purchase data. In this case, the advertising effectiveness may be evaluated automatically by the advertising support server 10, or may be evaluated by the advertiser using the signage terminal 30.

[0165] In the former case, for example, the advertising support unit 103 may derive an evaluation value of the advertising effectiveness of the signage terminal 30 for each product or product category based on the amount of change in the number of sales of the target product during the usage period and the periods before and after. This allows the advertising support unit 103 to derive an evaluation value of the advertising effectiveness for each product or product category for each signage terminal 30, making it possible to vary the fee depending on the target product of the advertisement.

[0166] In the latter case, a mechanism for determining the usage fees for the signage terminals 30 through an auction may be incorporated into the advertising support system 1, allowing advertisers to compete on price. In this case, the advertising support unit 103 can use the above-mentioned combination of the product and the evaluation value of the advertising effectiveness as an index for determining the fee by presenting it in association with each signage terminal 30.

[0167] (Variation 7) In the above-described embodiment, the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 dynamically extracts stores that are geographically related to the signage terminal 30 when the signage terminal 30 is specified from the advertiser terminal 40, but this is not limited to this, and the relationship between the signage terminal 30 and the store may be set in advance.

[0168] In this case, the advertisement support server 10 may store a database (hereinafter also referred to as a geographical relationship DB) in which the signage IDs of the signage terminals 30 that are in a predetermined geographical relationship are previously associated with the store IDs in the storage unit 14. In this case, when the advertisement support unit 103 of the advertisement support server 10 receives a designation of a signage terminal 30 or a store from the advertiser terminal 40, it refers to the geographical relationship DB and extracts stores or signage terminals 30 that are in a predetermined geographical relationship with the designated signage terminal 30 or store.

[0169] As a result, the advertising support server 10 according to this modified example can uniquely identify (extract) signage terminals 30 or stores that are in a specified geographical relationship by referring to the geographical relationship DB, thereby speeding up processing.

[0170] The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments are provided in a state where they are pre-installed in a ROM, a storage unit, etc. The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD).

[0171] Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0172] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments and their modifications can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0173] 1. Advertising support system 10 Advertising support server 20 Store terminals 30 Signage terminals 40 Advertiser Terminal 50 Electronic Receipt Server 101 Sales Performance Collection Department 102 User interface provider 103 Advertising Support Department 201 Sales Performance Transmission Department 401 Display control unit 402 Operation reception section

Prior Technical Literature

Charter Documents

[0174] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7164743

Claims

1. an extraction means for extracting stores located in a different location from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal; a counting means for counting the number of units of the product sold for each predetermined period of time during a counting period that includes at least the period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on the sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted by the extraction means; an output means for outputting the counted result calculated by the counting means; Equipped with The output means outputs information about the aggregation period, the period unit, or the product together with the aggregation result.

2. 2. The server device according to claim 1, wherein said output means outputs said tallying results in a state in which said usage period and periods other than said usage period can be distinguished from each other.

3. The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the output means outputs the aggregation result for each period in association with information about the weather around the store or information about events held around the store for that period.

4. The tallying means tally the number of sales of other products related to the product during the tallying period for each period based on the sales performance data, The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the output means outputs the tabulation result for the product and the tabulation results for the other products in association with each other for each period.

5. The server device according to claim 4 , wherein the counting means counts sales of similar products of a similar type to the product and / or correlated products that are correlated with the sales performance of the product as the other products.

6. The computer of the server device, an extraction means for extracting stores located in a different location from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal; a counting means for counting the number of units of the product sold for each predetermined period of time during a counting period that includes at least the period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on the sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted by the extraction means; an output means for outputting the counted result calculated by the counting means; and make it work, The output means outputs information about the aggregation period, the period unit, or the product together with the aggregation result.

7. An advertising support method executed by a server device, an extraction step of extracting stores located in a location different from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal; a counting step of counting the number of units of the product sold for a counting period that includes at least the usage period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted in the extraction step, for each predetermined period; an output step of outputting the aggregation result obtained in the aggregation step; Including, In the output step, information relating to the aggregation period, the period unit, or the product is output together with the aggregation result.

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