Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

Provide a mechanism for collecting information to update sales plans. [Solution] The information processing device 3 has a memory unit 32 that stores area information indicating a sales area where a mobile vehicle loaded with goods patrols to sell the goods, and including information for identifying a specific location in the sales area; an acquisition unit 331 that acquires purchase information regarding a user's purchase of goods loaded on the mobile vehicle and acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile vehicle when the user purchased the goods; a location identification unit 332 that identifies the location of the mobile vehicle when the user purchased the goods in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331; and a recording unit 333 that associates the purchase information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 with the location identified by the location identification unit 332 and records them in the memory unit 32.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, technology in the field of robotics has improved, and autonomously moving robots are being used in a variety of fields. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for an autonomously moving mobile object to sell products while moving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-045811 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to improve the sales performance of products by mobile objects, it is preferable to update the sales plan taking into consideration the sales trends of the products obtained by the mobile objects selling the products in the areas where the mobile objects sell the products. Therefore, it is required to provide a mechanism for collecting information for updating the sales plan.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and has as its object to provide a mechanism for collecting information for updating a sales plan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention has: a memory unit that stores area information indicating a sales area through which a mobile object loaded with goods travels to sell the goods, the area information including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area; a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information regarding a user's purchase of the goods loaded on the mobile object; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the goods; a location identification unit that identifies the location of the mobile object in the sales area when the user purchased the goods based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; and a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit in the memory unit.

[0007] The information processing device may further include a generation unit that generates processed data for each location based on the plurality of purchase information and the plurality of location locations recorded in association with the memory unit, by processing the actual purchase history of the product at the location, and an output unit that outputs the processed data generated by the generation unit.

[0008] The mobile body may travel around the sales area and sell the product in accordance with a sales plan for traveling around the sales area and selling the product, the information processing device may further have a plan update unit that updates the sales plan based on the processed data generated by the generation unit, and the output unit may transmit the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data.

[0009] The generation unit may generate, as the processed data, a heat map that visually represents a record of purchases of the product at the location. The generating unit may further generate the processed data by processing the purchase record of the product of each type of the product.

[0010] The storage unit may store user identification information for identifying the user in association with the user's attributes, the purchase information acquisition unit may acquire the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product, and the generation unit may further generate the processed data by processing the actual purchases of the product by the user with each attribute of the user.

[0011] The user attributes may be personal information of the user. The sales area may include an office area located indoors, and the user attributes may be affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs.

[0012] The memory unit may store a plurality of pieces of area information indicating each of a plurality of sales areas, and the user's affiliation information may include information for identifying the office area in which the user's seat is located, and the generation unit may generate the processed data by processing the actual purchase of the product by the user in another sales area other than the office area in which the user's seat is located, based on the plurality of pieces of area information, the location stored in the memory unit, and the user's affiliation information identified by the user identification information included in the purchase information associated with the location.

[0013] The mobile body may travel around the sales area and sell the product in accordance with a sales plan that causes the mobile body to travel around the sales area and sell the product, the sales plan including information indicating a plurality of stops at which the mobile body will stop to sell the product; the user's affiliation information may include information for identifying the user's seat location within the office area; the information processing device may further have a plan update unit that updates the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between the seat location of the user who purchased the product and a stop among the plurality of stops that is relatively close to the user's seat location; and the output unit may transmit the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data.

[0014] The mobile body may travel around the sales area and sell the products in accordance with a sales plan for traveling around the sales area and selling the products, the user's affiliation information may include information for identifying the user's seat location within the office area, the information processing device may further have a rank setting unit that sets a user rank for each user based on the purchase information corresponding to the user, and a plan update unit that updates the sales plan by setting a stopping period for the mobile body to stay at a stopping location relatively close to the seat location of the user whose user rank is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, out of multiple stopping locations at which the mobile body is to stay in the sales area to sell the products, longer than a predetermined period, and the output unit may transmit the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data.

[0015] An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: acquiring purchase information regarding a user's purchase of the product loaded on the mobile body, the purchase information being area information indicating a sales area through which a mobile body loaded with the product travels to sell the product, the area information including information for identifying a specific location in the sales area, executed by a computer having a memory unit that stores the area information; acquiring location information for identifying the location of the mobile body when the user purchased the product; identifying the location where the mobile body was located in the sales area when the user purchased the product based on the area information and the acquired location information; and recording the acquired purchase information and the identified location in the memory unit in association with each other.

[0016] A program according to a third aspect of the present invention causes a computer having a memory unit that stores area information indicating a sales area through which a mobile object loaded with goods travels to sell the goods, the area information including information for identifying a specific location within the sales area, to function as: a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information regarding a user's purchase of the goods loaded on the mobile object; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the goods; a location identification unit that identifies the location of the mobile object in the sales area when the user purchased the goods based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; and a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit in the memory unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The present invention provides an advantage of being able to provide a mechanism for collecting information for updating a sales plan. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a sales area. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a purchase management database. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process of identifying a location. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of processing data. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a heat map. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a process of moving a bus stop. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a processing flow of the information processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] [Outline of Information Processing System S] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system S. The information processing system S is a system for providing an information processing service. The information processing service is a service for selling products to users. The users are, for example, members of the information processing service. The information processing system S has a mobile object 1, a user terminal 2, and an information processing device 3.

[0020] The mobile object 1 is an autonomously moving robot. The mobile object 1 is loaded with a plurality of products, and travels around a sales area according to a predetermined plan to sell the products. The sales area is a designated area for the mobile object 1 to travel around and sell the products, and includes, for example, an indoor floor (for example, an office area located indoors). The sales area may also include an outdoor area.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a sales area. In the example shown in FIG. 2, area A1 is the sales area. Locations P (locations P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6) are designated stopping locations where mobile object 1 stops to sell products, and are locations having a certain range. Six locations P are designated in area A1. Route R is the route along which mobile object 1 travels.

[0022] In this case, the mobile object 1 moves along a route R, stopping at each location P for a certain period of time to sell merchandise. The mobile object 1 is not limited to selling merchandise only at predetermined stopping locations, and may sell merchandise on the spot in response to being stopped by a user while moving (for example, while moving from location P1 to location P2), or may move to the called user and sell the merchandise. After completing its tour of the sales area, the mobile object 1 moves to a store in an area different from the sales area to replenish merchandise, and then tours the sales area again to sell merchandise.

[0023] Returning to FIG. 1, the user terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. For example, a dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as a "dedicated app") for providing an information processing service is installed on the user terminal 2. The user can purchase products stored on the moving object 1 using the dedicated app.

[0024] The information processing device 3 is a device that manages information processing services, and is, for example, a server. The information processing device 3 manages area information. The area information is information that indicates a sales area and includes information for identifying a specific location (for example, a bus stop) in the sales area, and is, for example, a floor map. The processing executed by the information processing system S will be described below.

[0025] First, when a user approaches a mobile object 1 selling merchandise and performs a procedure to purchase the merchandise from the mobile object 1 using a dedicated app, the user terminal 2 transmits purchase information to the information processing device 3 ((1) in FIG. 1). The purchase information is information related to the user's purchase of the merchandise stored on the mobile object 1.

[0026] When the information processing device 3 acquires the purchase information, it also acquires location information ((2) in FIG. 1). The location information is, for example, information for identifying the location of the mobile object 1 when the user purchased the product. Based on the area information and the location information of the mobile object 1, the information processing device 3 identifies the location where the mobile object 1 was located in the sales area when the user purchased the product ((3) in FIG. 1).

[0027] Then, the information processing device 3 associates the acquired purchase information with the identified location and records them ((4) in FIG. 1). In this way, the information processing system S can provide a mechanism for collecting information for updating the sales plan. The configuration of the information processing device 3 will be described below.

[0028] [Functional configuration of information processing device 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the functional configuration of an information processing device 3. The information processing device 3 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33. In FIG. 3, arrows indicate main data flows, and there may be data flows not shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, each functional block indicates a configuration in functional units, rather than a configuration in hardware (device) units. Therefore, the functional blocks shown in FIG. 3 may be implemented in a single device, or may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data may be exchanged between functional blocks via any means, such as a data bus, a network, or a portable storage medium.

[0029] The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for connecting to a network, and includes a communication controller for receiving data from an external device.

[0030] The memory unit 32 is a large-capacity storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of the computer that realizes the information processing device 3, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as the working area of ​​the information processing device 3, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores the OS (Operating System), application programs, and various information referenced when the application programs are executed.

[0031] The memory unit 32 stores a plurality of area information indicating each of a plurality of sales areas, information about users, information about products, and information about the mobile object 1. The plurality of area information is information indicating each of a plurality of different sales areas. The area information includes, for example, information indicating a plurality of stops (e.g., ID, name, location, etc.), information indicating objects, and information indicating organizations. Objects are objects that exist in a sales area, such as a conference room, reception desk, table, chair, sofa, door, printer, etc. Organizations are organizations that use office areas included in a sales area, such as a company, department, etc.

[0032] The information about a user is, for example, information that associates, for each user, user identification information (e.g., user ID (identification)) for identifying the user, the user's attributes, and a credit card number used for payment, etc. The user's attributes are, for example, the user's personal information (e.g., age, sex, health condition, etc.) or the user's affiliation information in the organization to which the user belongs (e.g., company, department, position, seat location, years of service, working hours, etc.).

[0033] The information about products stored in the storage unit 32 is, for example, information about products managed in a store. The information about products is, for example, information in which product identification information (for example, a product ID) for identifying the product, the name of the product, and product attributes (for example, type, etc.) are associated with each product.

[0034] The information on the mobile units 1 is, for example, information in which, for each mobile unit 1, mobile unit identification information (e.g., a mobile unit ID) for identifying the mobile unit 1 is associated with a sales plan set for the mobile unit 1. The sales plan is a plan established to have the mobile unit 1 travel around a sales area and sell products, and includes, for example, a list of products to be loaded onto the mobile unit 1, the route to travel around the sales area, the locations where the mobile unit 1 will stop to sell products in the sales area, the duration of the stay at the locations, etc.

[0035] The storage unit 32 also stores a purchase management database that manages purchase information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the purchase management database. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the purchase management database stores the purchase date and time when a user purchased a product, a user ID corresponding to the user who purchased the product, the purchase amount, a product ID corresponding to the product purchased by the user, location information, and a mobile object ID, all in association with each other. The purchase date and time is information indicating the date and time when the user purchased the product. The location information is information indicating the location where the mobile object 1 was located when the user purchased the product, such as a location ID corresponding to the location or the name of the location.

[0036] Returning to Figure 3, the control unit 33 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or NPU (Neural network Processing Unit) of the information processing device 3, and by executing programs stored in the memory unit 32, it functions as an acquisition unit 331, a location identification unit 332, a recording unit 333, a generation unit 334, an output unit 335, a plan update unit 336, and a rank setting unit 337.

[0037] The acquisition unit 331 functions as a purchase information acquisition unit and acquires purchase information, which is information related to a user's purchase of a product loaded on the mobile object 1. The purchase information includes, for example, a mobile object ID corresponding to the mobile object 1 purchasing the product and a product ID corresponding to the product purchased by the user.

[0038] The acquisition unit 331 acquires, for example, purchase information from the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 transmits the purchase information to the information processing device 3 by, for example, executing the following three steps.

[0039] As a first step, the user terminal 2 acquires a mobile object ID corresponding to the mobile object 1 that will purchase the product. For example, when a user performs an operation to identify the mobile object 1 that will purchase the product using the user terminal 2, the user terminal 2 acquires a mobile object ID corresponding to the mobile object 1.

[0040] The operation for identifying the moving body 1 is, for example, an operation in which the user terminal 2 connects to the moving body 1 present in front of the user via short-range wireless communication (for example, an operation in which the user holds the user terminal 2 over a communication unit provided in the moving body 1). In this case, when the user terminal 2 connects to the moving body 1 via short-range wireless communication, it acquires a moving body ID corresponding to the moving body 1 from the moving body 1.

[0041] The operation for identifying the mobile object 1 may be an operation for specifying the mobile object 1 for purchasing the product on the display screen of the dedicated app. In this case, the user terminal 2 acquires the mobile object ID corresponding to the mobile object 1 specified by the user as the mobile object ID corresponding to the mobile object 1 for purchasing the product.

[0042] In a second step, the user terminal 2 acquires a product ID corresponding to a product that the user wishes to purchase from among multiple products loaded on the mobile object 1. For example, when the user performs an operation to specify a product to purchase from the mobile object 1 using the user terminal 2, the user terminal 2 acquires a product ID corresponding to the product.

[0043] The operation of identifying a product is, for example, an operation of reading a code image (e.g., a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), etc.) of the product that the user has taken out from the moving object 1. In this case, the user terminal 2 obtains a product ID corresponding to the product by reading the code image of the product.

[0044] The operation of specifying a product may be an operation of specifying a product to be purchased from a list of products stored in the moving object 1 on the display screen of the dedicated app. In this case, the user terminal 2 acquires the product ID corresponding to the product specified by the user as the product ID corresponding to the product to be purchased by the user.

[0045] In a third step, when the user performs an operation to purchase a product on the user terminal 2, the user terminal 2 transmits purchase information including the acquired mobile object ID, the acquired product ID, and the user ID to the information processing device 3. The user terminal 2 may transmit purchase information further including the purchase date and time, the purchase amount, etc. to the information processing device 3. Thereafter, the acquisition unit 331 acquires the purchase information from the user terminal 2.

[0046] The acquisition unit 331 may acquire purchase information from the mobile object 1. For example, the mobile object 1 is equipped with a touch panel and a payment terminal. In this case, when the user performs an operation to connect the mobile object 1 and the user terminal 2 via short-range wireless communication, an operation to select a product to purchase on the touch panel, and an operation to make a payment at the payment terminal (for example, an operation to hold the user terminal 2 or a credit card over the payment terminal), the mobile object 1 transmits purchase information to the information processing device 3, the purchase information including a mobile object ID corresponding to the mobile object 1, a user ID acquired from the user terminal 2, and a product ID corresponding to the product selected by the user.

[0047] The acquisition unit 331 further functions as a location information acquisition unit, and acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object 1 when the user purchased the product. Specifically, the acquisition unit 331 acquires location information from the mobile object 1. For example, the mobile object 1 is provided with a measurement unit for measuring the location of the mobile object 1 in the sales area. The measurement unit measures the location of the mobile object 1 via, for example, a measurement device such as a beacon provided in the sales area. Note that the measurement unit may measure the location of the mobile object 1 using a global positioning system (GPS).

[0048] In this case, first, upon acquiring the purchase information, the acquisition unit 331 transmits a transmission request for requesting transmission of location information to the mobile object 1 corresponding to the mobile object ID included in the acquired purchase information. Then, the acquisition unit 331 acquires, from the mobile object 1, information indicating the current location of the mobile object 1 as location information.

[0049] The acquiring unit 331 may acquire location information from the user terminal 2. In this case, the location information may be information indicating the location of the mobile object 1 (for example, location information corresponding to the mobile object 1 acquired when the user terminal 2 connects via short-range wireless communication), or may be information indicating the location of the user terminal 2. In this case, the acquiring unit 331 acquires, for example, purchase information further including location information from the user terminal 2.

[0050] The location identification unit 332 identifies the location where the mobile object 1 was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area, based on the area information stored in the memory unit 32 and the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331. Specifically, the location identification unit 332 refers to the area information and identifies, from among multiple stops included in the sales area, a stop that includes the position indicated by the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331, as the location of the mobile object 1.

[0051] 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a process of identifying a location. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the location indicated by the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 is assumed to be location L1. In this case, the location identification unit 332 identifies, among the six locations P, location P2 including location L1 as the location of the mobile object 1. Note that, if there is no bus stop including the location indicated by the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 among the multiple bus stops, the location identification unit 332 may identify, among the multiple bus stops, the bus stop that is closest in distance to the location indicated by the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 as the location of the mobile object 1.

[0052] The location identification unit 332 may identify the location of the mobile object 1 based on an object that exists in the sales area near the position indicated by the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 331. For example, the location identification unit 332 first refers to the area information and identifies, of multiple objects that exist in the sales area, the object that exists closest to the position indicated by the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 331. The object that exists closest to the position indicated by the position information is, for example, an object that exists closest to the position indicated by the position information on a passageway that the mobile object 1 can move through.

[0053] Then, the location identification unit 332 identifies the location of the moving object 1 based on the identified object and the relationship between the position of the object and the position indicated by the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 331. For example, if the identified object is "conference room A" and the position indicated by the position information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 is "outside conference room A," the location identification unit 332 identifies "in front of conference room A" as the location of the moving object 1.

[0054] The recording unit 333 associates the purchase information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 with the location identified by the location identification unit 332 and records them in the purchase management database. For example, the recording unit 333 associates the purchase date and time, user ID, purchase amount, and product ID included in the purchase information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 with information indicating the location identified by the location identification unit 332 (for example, a location ID corresponding to the location or the name of the location), and records them in the purchase management database. Note that the recording unit 333 may associate the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 with the purchase information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 in place of the location identified by the location identification unit 332 and record it in the purchase management database.

[0055] Information processing device 3 may output data obtained by processing information stored in the purchase management database. Specifically, information processing device 3 outputs data obtained by processing information stored in the purchase management database by executing the following two steps.

[0056] As a first step, the generation unit 334 generates processed data based on the multiple pieces of purchase information and multiple locations recorded in association with each other in the purchase management database. The processed data is data obtained by processing the actual number of product purchases at each location (stop location), and is, for example, data in which, for each location, information indicating the location is associated with an actual number of product purchases at the location. The actual number of product purchases is an aggregated value obtained by aggregating the actual number of product purchases at each location, such as the number of purchases at the location, the quantity of products purchased at the location, or the number of users who purchased products at the location.

[0057] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of processed data. The processed data illustrated in FIG. 6 associates the name of a location with aggregated values ​​(number of purchases, purchase quantity, number of purchasers). The generation unit 334 generates the processed data illustrated in FIG. 6 by, for example, aggregating the actual purchases of products at each location based on multiple pieces of purchase information and multiple locations recorded in association with each other in the purchase management database. Note that the actual value may be a statistical value obtained by performing statistical processing on the actual purchases of products at each location, such as the average, median, or mode of the number of times a product was purchased at a location during a predetermined period (e.g., one day, one week, one month, etc.), the quantity of products purchased at a location during a predetermined period, or the number of users who purchased products at a location during a predetermined period.

[0058] The generation unit 334 may generate processed data processed under various conditions other than the location. For example, the generation unit 334 may generate processed data for each type of product by processing the purchase history of that type of product. Furthermore, the generation unit 334 may generate processed data for each user attribute by processing the purchase history of products by users with that attribute. Furthermore, the generation unit 334 may generate processed data for each user by processing the purchase history of products by that user. Furthermore, the generation unit 334 may generate processed data for each predetermined period by processing the purchase history of products during that predetermined period. In this way, the information processing device 3 can analyze the purchase history of products in a sales area under various conditions.

[0059] Here, when the products loaded on the mobile object 1 are determined based on sales records, the products loaded on the mobile object 1 may differ for each sales area (for example, each floor of a building). In this case, if a user does not find the desired product loaded on a mobile object 1 selling products in a first sales area (for example, an office area) where the user's seat is located, the user may move to a second sales area that is a different sales area from the first sales area and purchase the product from a mobile object 1 selling products in the second sales area. Therefore, the generation unit 334 may generate processed data by processing the user's product purchase record in the second sales area.

[0060] For example, the user's affiliation information included in the information about the user includes area identification information, which is information for identifying the office area where the user's seat is located or information for identifying the user's seat location within the office area, such as information indicating the organization to which the user belongs or the user's seat location.

[0061] In this case, the generation unit 334 generates processed data by processing the user's purchase history of products in the second sales area based on multiple pieces of area information, the location stored in the purchase management database, and the user's affiliation information identified by the user ID included in the purchase information associated with the location. For example, the generation unit 334 first identifies the user who purchased the product in the second sales area based on multiple pieces of area information, the location stored in the purchase management database, and the user's affiliation information identified by the user ID included in the purchase information associated with the location. Then, the generation unit 334 generates processed data by processing the user's purchase history of products.

[0062] In this way, the information processing device 3 can analyze the purchase record of products in the second sales area. For example, the information processing device 3 can formulate a plan to load products purchased in the second sales area onto the mobile object 1 traveling through the first sales area.

[0063] In a second step, the output unit 335 outputs the processed data generated by the generation unit 334. The output unit 335 outputs the processed data, for example, by transmitting the processed data to a terminal (not shown) used by an administrator of the information processing service.

[0064] The information processing device 3 may output a heat map. Specifically, first, the generation unit 334 generates, as processed data, a heat map that visually represents the purchase history of products at locations. Then, the output unit 335 outputs the heat map generated by the generation unit 334.

[0065] 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a heat map. In the example shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that the larger the aggregate value (e.g., the greater the number of purchases), the darker the location P (e.g., location P2, location P5) is displayed, and the smaller the aggregate value (e.g., the fewer the number of purchases), the lighter the location P (e.g., location P1, location P4) is displayed. By outputting such a heat map, the information processing device 3 can make it easier to visually grasp the sales performance of products at each location.

[0066] The information processing device 3 may update the sales plan for having the mobile object 1 sell products in the sales area based on the generated processed data. Specifically, the information processing device 3 updates the sales plan for the mobile object 1 based on the processed data by executing the following two steps.

[0067] As a first step, the plan update unit 336 updates the sales plan stored in the storage unit 32 based on the processed data generated by the generation unit 334. For example, as an update to the sales plan, the plan update unit 336 extends the period during which the mobile object 1 stays at stops where there is a high degree of product purchase history (for example, stops where the number of purchases is high).

[0068] Specifically, first, for each stop included in the sales plan, the plan update unit 336 determines whether the performance value corresponding to the stop is equal to or greater than a first performance threshold. The first performance threshold is a value determined for determining whether the degree of performance of purchasing products at the stop is high.

[0069] Then, for each stop location included in the sales plan, when the plan update unit 336 determines that the performance value corresponding to the stop location is equal to or greater than the first performance threshold, the plan update unit 336 lengthens the stop period at the stop location. For example, the plan update unit 336 lengthens the stop period per stop at a stop location to be extended, which is a stop location whose performance value is equal to or greater than the first performance threshold.

[0070] The plan update unit 336 may extend the stay period per stop by, for example, adding or multiplying a predetermined coefficient (e.g., a positive number greater than or equal to 1) to the stay period per stop set at the stop to be extended. When the total duration of stay periods at each stop is predetermined, the plan update unit 336 may extend the stay period per stop by increasing the ratio of the stay period corresponding to the stop to be extended to the total duration. Furthermore, when the stay period per stop at a stop is fixed, the plan update unit 336 may extend the total duration of stay periods at the stop to be extended by increasing the number of times the vehicle stops at the stop to be extended. In this way, the information processing device 3 can increase the proportion of products sold at locations where there is a high probability that products will be purchased during the period in which the mobile object 1 sells products.

[0071] The plan update unit 336 may update the sales plan by shortening the period for which the mobile object 1 stays at stops where the actual rate of product purchases is low (for example, stops where the number of purchases is low, etc.). For example, the plan update unit 336 first determines, for each stop included in the sales plan, whether the performance value corresponding to the stop is less than a second performance threshold. The second performance threshold is a numerical value set for determining whether the actual rate of product purchases at the stop is low. The first performance threshold and the second performance threshold may be the same value or different values.

[0072] Then, for each stop included in the sales plan, if the plan update unit 336 determines that the performance value corresponding to the stop is less than the second performance threshold, the plan update unit 336 shortens the stop period of the stop. If the plan update unit 336 determines that the performance value corresponding to the stop is less than the second performance threshold, the plan update unit 336 may delete the stop from the sales plan. In this way, the information processing device 3 can increase the proportion of products sold at locations where the probability of products being purchased is high during the period in which the mobile object 1 sells the products.

[0073] The information processing device 3 may update the sales plan by changing the bus stops. Specifically, the plan update unit 336 updates the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between the seat position of the user who purchased the product and a bus stop that is relatively close to the seat position of the user among the multiple bus stops (for example, the closest bus stop).

[0074] For example, the sales area includes a permitted area where the mobile object 1 is permitted to stop and a non-permitted area where the mobile object 1 is not permitted to stop. In this case, the plan update unit 336 first identifies, from among multiple stops, a stop that is relatively close to the seat position of the user who purchased the product. Then, the plan update unit 336 updates the sales plan by changing the identified stop to be changed in the permitted area to a location that is the shortest distance from the user's seat position.

[0075] FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating the process of moving a bus stop. In the example shown in FIG. 8, area A2 is an allowed area. Location L2 is the seat location of the user who purchased the product. Location P2 is the bus stop closest to location L2. In this case, the plan update unit 336 changes location P2 to location P2' within area A2, which is the location closest to the user's seat location.

[0076] If the seat locations of multiple users who have purchased products from the mobile object 1 are near the stop to be changed, the plan update unit 336 may update the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between the seat locations of the multiple users and the stop. Alternatively, the plan update unit 336 may select a user with the highest record of purchasing products from the multiple users who have purchased products from the mobile object 1, and update the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between the seat location of the selected user and the stop to be changed. In this way, the information processing device 3 can make it easier for the user who is likely to purchase the product to purchase the product by stopping the mobile object 1 near the user.

[0077] The information processing device 3 may update the sales plan depending on the level of a user's product purchase record. Specifically, first, the rank setting unit 337 sets a user rank for each user based on the purchase information corresponding to the user. For example, the rank setting unit 337 sets a higher user rank for a user with a higher record of purchasing products from the mobile object 1 (for example, the number of purchases, the purchase quantity, and the purchase amount). The rank setting unit 337 may also set a higher user rank for a user with a higher position in the organization to which the user belongs.

[0078] Next, the plan update unit 336 identifies users whose user rank is equal to or higher than the rank threshold from among the multiple users. The rank threshold is a threshold determined for determining whether or not the user rank is high.

[0079] The plan update unit 336 then updates the sales plan by lengthening the duration for which the mobile body 1 is to stay at a stop relatively close to the identified user's seat position among multiple stops at which the mobile body 1 is to stop in order to sell products in the sales area, to a predetermined duration. The predetermined duration is, for example, a common stop duration previously determined for each stop, or a stop duration previously determined for a stop whose stop duration is to be changed. In this way, the information processing device 3 can increase the likelihood that a user who is likely to purchase a product will purchase the product by having the mobile body 1 stay longer at a stop near the user.

[0080] The plan update unit 336 may update the products to be loaded onto the mobile body 1 based on the processed data. For example, the plan update unit 336 increases the number of products as the number of purchased products increases. Furthermore, the plan update unit 336 decreases the number of products as the number of purchased products decreases. If the number of purchased products is less than the number threshold, the plan update unit 336 may newly load onto the mobile body 1 other products that are not loaded onto the mobile body 1. The number threshold is a threshold set for determining whether the number of purchased products is small.

[0081] In a second step, the output unit 335 transmits the sales plan updated by the plan update unit 336 to the mobile object 1 as processed data. Upon receiving the updated sales plan from the information processing device 3, the mobile object 1 sells the product in accordance with the sales plan. In this way, the information processing device 3 can update the plan for the mobile object 1 to sell the product based on the actual purchase history of the product.

[0082] [Processing of Information Processing System S] Next, a description will be given of the flow of processing executed by the information processing system S. Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing by the information processing system S. This processing starts when the acquisition unit 331 acquires purchase information from the user terminal 2 (S1). The acquisition unit 331 acquires location information from the mobile object 1 (S2).

[0083] The location identification unit 332 identifies the location where the mobile object 1 was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area, based on the area information stored in the storage unit 32 and the location information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 (S3). The recording unit 333 associates the purchase information acquired by the acquisition unit 331 with the location identified by the location identification unit 332 and records them in the purchase management database (S4).

[0084] The generation unit 334 generates processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at each location based on the multiple pieces of purchase information and multiple locations stored in association with each other in the purchase management database (S5).The output unit 335 then outputs the processed data generated by the generation unit 334 (S6).

[0085] [Effects of this embodiment] As explained above, the information processing device 3 identifies the location where the mobile object 1 was located in the sales area when the user purchased the product, based on area information indicating the sales area through which the mobile object 1 loaded with products travels to sell the products and including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product, and then associates purchase information regarding the user's purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object with the identified location and records it in the purchase management database. In this way, the information processing device 3 can provide a mechanism for collecting information for updating the sales plan.

[0086] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and resilience."

[0087] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1. Mobile 2. User terminal 3. Information processing equipment 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 331 Acquisition Department 332 Location Identification Department 333 Recording Department 334 Generation part 335 Output Section 336 Planning Update Division 337 Rank Setting Department S Information Processing System

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores a plurality of area information indicating a plurality of sales areas, each of which includes an office area located indoors and in which a mobile object loaded with merchandise travels to sell the merchandise, and that stores the plurality of area information including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and that associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for identifying the office area in which the user's seat is located; a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; a location identification unit that identifies a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the associated information in the storage unit; a generation unit that generates processed data obtained by processing a record of purchases of the product by the user having the attribute at the location for each location and attribute of the user based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations recorded in association with the storage unit, the processed data being obtained by processing a record of purchases of the product by the user in another sales area different from the office area where the user's seat is located, based on the plurality of pieces of area information, the location stored in the storage unit, and the user's affiliation information identified by the user identification information included in the purchase information associated with the location; an output unit that outputs the processed data generated by the generation unit; An information processing device having the above.

2. the mobile object sells the merchandise by traveling around the sales area in accordance with a sales plan for traveling around the sales area and selling the merchandise; the information processing device further includes a plan update unit that updates the sales plan based on the processed data generated by the generation unit, The output unit transmits the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile object as the processed data. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the generation unit generates, as the processed data, a heat map visually representing a purchase record of the product at the location; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. the generation unit further generates the processed data by processing the purchase record of the product of each type of the product. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. A storage unit that stores area information indicating the sales area in which a mobile vehicle that travels around and sells products in accordance with a sales plan for selling products, the sales area including an indoor office area, and that includes information indicating a plurality of stops at which the mobile vehicle will stop to sell the products, the area information including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and that associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for identifying the user's seat location within the office area; a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; a location identification unit that identifies a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the associated information in the storage unit; a generating unit that generates processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at each location by the user having the attribute, for each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations that are stored in association with each other in the storage unit; a plan updating unit that updates the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between a seat position of the user who has purchased the product and a bus stop that is relatively close to the seat position of the user among the plurality of bus stops; an output unit that transmits the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data generated by the generation unit; An information processing device having the above.

6. A storage unit that stores area information indicating a sales area where merchandise is sold, the sales area including an office area located indoors, in which a mobile unit that sells merchandise travels around the sales area and sells the merchandise in accordance with a sales plan to sell the merchandise by traveling around the sales area, the area information including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for identifying the seat position of the user included in the office area; a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; a location identification unit that identifies a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the associated information in the storage unit; a generating unit that generates processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at each location by the user having the attribute, for each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations that are stored in association with each other in the storage unit; a rank setting unit that sets a user rank for each user based on the purchase information corresponding to the user; a plan updating unit that updates the sales plan by setting a stopping period for the mobile body to stay at a stopping place relatively close to a seat position of the user whose user rank is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, among a plurality of stopping places at which the mobile body is to stay in order to sell the product in the sales area, longer than a predetermined period; an output unit that transmits the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data generated by the generation unit; An information processing device having the above.

7. The method is executed by a computer having a storage unit that stores a plurality of area information indicating a plurality of sales areas, each of which includes an office area located indoors and in which a mobile vehicle loaded with merchandise travels to sell the merchandise, and the plurality of area information includes information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and stores user identification information for identifying a user and an attribute of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for identifying the office area in which the user's seat is located, in association with each other. acquiring purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; acquiring location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; identifying a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the acquired location information; a step of recording the acquired purchase information and the identified location in the storage unit in association with each other; generating processed data obtained by processing a record of purchases of the product by the user having the attribute at each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations recorded in association with the storage unit, the processed data being obtained by processing a record of purchases of the product by the user in another sales area different from the office area where the user's seat is located, based on the plurality of pieces of area information, the location stored in the storage unit, and the user's affiliation information identified by the user identification information included in the purchase information associated with the location; outputting the generated processed data; An information processing method comprising:

8. a computer having a storage unit that stores a plurality of area information indicating a plurality of sales areas, each of which includes an office area located indoors and in which a mobile vehicle loaded with merchandise travels to sell the merchandise, the plurality of area information including information for specifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and that associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for specifying the office area in which the user's seat is located; a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; a location identification unit that identifies a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the information in the storage unit; a generation unit that generates processed data obtained by processing a record of purchases of the product by the user having the attribute at the location for each location and each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations recorded in association with each other in the storage unit, the processed data being obtained by processing a record of purchases of the product by the user in another sales area different from the office area where the user's seat is located, based on the plurality of pieces of area information, the location stored in the storage unit, and affiliation information of the user identified by the user identification information included in the purchase information associated with each location; and an output unit that outputs the processed data generated by the generation unit; A program to function as a

9. A computer having a storage unit that stores area information indicating the sales area in which a mobile vehicle that travels around and sells products in accordance with a sales plan for selling products, the sales area including an indoor office area, and that includes information indicating a plurality of stops at which the mobile vehicle will stop to sell the products, the area information including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for identifying the seat location of the user included in the office area, acquiring purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; acquiring location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; identifying a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the acquired location information; a step of recording the acquired purchase information and the identified location in the storage unit in association with each other; generating processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at each location by the user having the attribute, for each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations recorded in association with each other in the storage unit; updating the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between the seat position of the user who purchased the product and one of the plurality of stops that is relatively close to the seat position of the user; transmitting the updated sales plan to the mobile unit as the generated processed data; An information processing method comprising:

10. A computer having a storage unit that stores area information indicating a sales area in which a mobile vehicle that travels around and sells products in accordance with a sales plan for selling products, the sales area including an indoor office area, and that includes information indicating a plurality of stops at which the mobile vehicle will stop to sell the products, the area information including information for identifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and that associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for identifying the seat location of the user included in the office area, a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; a location identification unit that identifies a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the information in the storage unit; a generation unit that generates processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at the location by the user having the attribute for each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations stored in association with each other in the storage unit; a plan updating unit that updates the sales plan so as to shorten the distance between a seat position of the user who has purchased the product and one of the plurality of stops that is relatively close to the seat position of the user; and an output unit that transmits the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data generated by the generation unit; A program to function as a

11. A computer having a memory unit that stores area information indicating a sales area where merchandise is sold, the sales area including an office area located indoors, where a mobile unit that sells merchandise travels around the sales area and sells the merchandise in accordance with a sales plan to sell the merchandise, the area information including information for specifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for specifying the seat position of the user included in the office area, acquiring purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; acquiring location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; identifying a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the acquired location information; a step of recording the acquired purchase information and the identified location in the storage unit in association with each other; generating processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at each location by the user having the attribute, for each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations recorded in association with each other in the storage unit; setting a user rank for each of the users based on the purchase information corresponding to the user; updating the sales plan by setting a stopping period for the mobile body to stay at a stopping place relatively close to a seat position of the user whose user rank is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, among a plurality of stopping places at which the mobile body is to stay in order to sell the product in the sales area, to be longer than a predetermined period; transmitting the updated sales plan to the mobile unit as the generated processed data; An information processing method comprising:

12. A computer having a storage unit that stores area information indicating a sales area where merchandise is sold, the sales area including an office area located indoors, where a mobile unit that sells merchandise travels around the sales area and sells the merchandise in accordance with a sales plan to sell the merchandise, the area information including information for specifying a predetermined location in the sales area, and associates and stores user identification information for identifying a user with attributes of the user, which is affiliation information of the user in an organization that uses the office area and to which the user belongs, the affiliation information including information for specifying the seat position of the user included in the office area, a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires purchase information related to the purchase of the product loaded on the mobile object by the user, the purchase information including the user identification information corresponding to the user who purchased the product; a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information for identifying the location of the mobile object when the user purchased the product; a location identification unit that identifies a location where the mobile object was located when the user purchased the product in the sales area based on the area information and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit; a recording unit that associates the purchase information acquired by the purchase information acquisition unit with the location identified by the location identification unit and records the information in the storage unit; a generation unit that generates processed data by processing the actual purchase record of the product at each location by the user having the attribute, for each location and for each attribute of the user, based on the plurality of pieces of purchase information and the plurality of locations recorded in association with each other in the storage unit; a rank setting unit that sets a user rank for each user based on the purchase information corresponding to the user; a plan updating unit that updates the sales plan by setting a stopping period for stopping the mobile body at a stopping place relatively close to a seat position of the user whose user rank is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, among a plurality of stopping places at which the mobile body is made to stop in the sales area in order to sell the product, to be longer than a predetermined period; an output unit that transmits the sales plan updated by the plan update unit to the mobile body as the processed data generated by the generation unit; A program to function as a

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