Information processing device, coupon balance management program, and coupon balance management method

Abstract

An information processing device, a coupon balance management program, and a coupon balance management method are provided for providing more added value to a user who has performed a predetermined action. [Solution] The information processing device 410 has an acquisition unit 411 that acquires action information regarding actions performed by a user, an assignment unit 412 that assigns distributed coupons to the user according to the action information, a storage unit 413 that accumulates the quantity of assigned distributed coupons as the user's coupon balance, a reception unit 414 that accepts designation of a destination where the user wishes to use the coupon balance, a transmission unit 415 that sends referral information regarding the user to the destination, a confirmation unit 416 that confirms that the user has completed the procedure to purchase the destination's product or service, and a return unit 417 that, when it is confirmed that the user has completed the procedure, returns value to the user according to the coupon balance.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, services have been provided that reward points to users who perform certain actions, such as using electronic payment methods such as credit cards at stores or viewing advertising videos on the Internet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). These points are given monetary value like currency and can be used to purchase various products or exchanged for other points. This encourages users to use payment methods more proactively in order to earn more points. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-56107 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, points earned through the use of the above-mentioned payment methods are provided using the revenue of the payment service provider that provides the payment method, and points are generally awarded within the scope of the payment service provider's revenue, for example, at a rate of about 0.5 to 1% of the transaction amount. For users, this is a good deal, as they can earn added value in the form of points simply by using a payment method for normal shopping. Furthermore, if they can earn more added value through the same action, it is even more good and desirable for the user.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an information processing device, a coupon balance management program, and a coupon balance management method for providing more added value to users who perform specified actions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object can be achieved by the following means.

[0007] The information processing device has an acquisition unit, an assignment unit, a storage unit, a reception unit, a transmission unit, a confirmation unit, and a redemption unit. The acquisition unit acquires action information related to actions performed by a user. The assignment unit assigns distributed coupons to the user in accordance with the action information acquired by the acquisition unit. The storage unit stores the number of distributed coupons assigned to the user by the assignment unit as the user's coupon balance. The reception unit accepts designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations that can use the coupon balance stored in the storage unit. The transmission unit transmits information about the user as referral information to the destination accepted by the reception unit. The confirmation unit confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent by the transmission unit has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination. When the confirmation unit confirms that the user has completed the procedure, the redemption unit executes a process of redeeming value according to the coupon balance to the user. The introduction information includes information for identifying the user who specified the destination at the reception unit. The information processing device also has an acquisition unit, an assignment unit, a storage unit, a reception unit, a transmission unit, a confirmation unit, and a redemption unit. The acquisition unit acquires action information related to actions performed by a user. The assignment unit assigns distributed coupons to the user in accordance with the action information acquired by the acquisition unit. The storage unit stores the number of distributed coupons assigned to the user by the assignment unit as the user's coupon balance. The reception unit accepts designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations that can use the coupon balance stored in the storage unit. The transmission unit transmits information about the user as referral information to the destination accepted by the reception unit. The confirmation unit confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent by the transmission unit has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination. When the confirmation unit confirms that the user has completed the procedure, the redemption unit executes processing to redeem value according to the coupon balance to the user. The granting unit grants inactive distributed coupons that are not activated and cannot be used by the user as the distributed coupons, the storage unit stores the quantity of the inactive distributed coupons granted to the user as the coupon balance, and the information processing device further has a state switching unit that, when the confirmation unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure, switches the coupon balance of the quantity specified by the user to be used from an inactive state to an active distributed coupon that is in an activated state and can be used by the user, within the upper limit of the usable coupon balance set for each destination of use, and the redemption unit executes a process of redeeming value to the user according to the coupon balance of the quantity switched to the activated state by the state switching unit.

[0008] The coupon balance management program is configured to cause the information processing device to function as the above-described information processing device.

[0009] The coupon balance management method consists of the steps of acquisition, granting, accumulation, acceptance, sending, confirmation, and redemption. It is a way to make a computer executeThe acquisition step acquires action information regarding actions performed by the user. The granting step grants distributed coupons to the user according to the action information acquired in the acquisition step. The accumulation step accumulates the quantity of distributed coupons granted to the user in the granting step as the user's coupon balance. The reception step accepts the user's designation of the destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among the destinations that can use the coupon balance accumulated in the accumulation step. The transmission step transmits information about the user as referral information to the destination accepted in the reception step. The confirmation step confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent in the transmission step has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination. The refund step, if it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the user has completed the procedure, executes a process to refund value according to the coupon balance to the user. The introduction information includes information for identifying the user who specified the destination in the reception step. The coupon balance management method is a method for having a computer execute an acquisition step, an assignment step, an accumulation step, a reception step, a transmission step, a confirmation step, and a redemption step. The acquisition step acquires action information regarding an action performed by a user. The assignment step assigns distributed coupons to the user according to the action information acquired in the acquisition step. The accumulation step accumulates the number of distributed coupons assigned to the user in the assignment step as the user's coupon balance. The reception step accepts designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations that can use the coupon balance accumulated in the accumulation step. The transmission step transmits information about the user as referral information to the destination accepted in the reception step. The confirmation step confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent in the transmission step has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination. The redemption step, if it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the user has completed the procedure, executes a process to redeem value according to the coupon balance to the user. Furthermore, the granting step grants inactive distributed coupons that have not been activated and are in an inactive state and cannot be used by the user as the distributed coupons, and the accumulating step accumulates the quantity of inactive distributed coupons granted to the user as a coupon balance.The coupon balance management method further includes a state switching step in which, when it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the user has performed the procedure, the computer switches the coupon balance of the quantity designated for use by the user from an inactive state to an active distributed coupon in an activated state that the user can use, within the range of an upper limit of the usable coupon balance set for each destination of use, and the refund step executes processing to refund to the user a value corresponding to the coupon balance of the quantity switched to the activated state in the state switching step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The information processing device of the present invention acquires action information related to actions performed by a user and grants distributed coupons to the user in accordance with the acquired action information. The information processing device then accumulates the number of distributed coupons granted to the user as the user's coupon balance. The information processing device accepts designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the accumulated coupon balance can be used. The information processing device transmits information about the user as referral information to the destination whose designation has been accepted. The information processing device confirms that the user to whom the referral information has been sent has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination. If it is confirmed that the user has completed the procedure, the information processing device executes processing to return value to the user in accordance with the coupon balance.

[0011] As a result, by performing a predetermined action, a user can acquire distributed coupons and accumulate them as a coupon balance. Then, by selecting a destination to use the coupon balance and completing the procedure to purchase a product or service at the destination, the user can receive a value refund according to the coupon balance. In other words, in addition to the points that are awarded when performing a predetermined action as in the past, a user can also earn distributed coupons that are used to refund value when purchasing a product or service at the destination. Therefore, more added value can be provided to users who perform a predetermined action. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a coupon balance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a store terminal. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a payment system. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a utilization system. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information processing device. [Figure 8] 10 is a sequence chart showing the procedure of a distributed coupon granting process in the information processing system. [Figure 9] 10 is a sequence chart showing a procedure for granting a distributed coupon using process in the information processing system. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a payment method registration instruction acceptance screen displayed on the user terminal in the processing of step S101 in FIG. 8. [Figure 11]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a payment method registration instruction acceptance screen displayed on the user terminal in the processing of step S101 in FIG. 8. [Figure 12] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a coupon information output screen displayed on the user terminal in the process of step S103 in FIG. 8. [Figure 13] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a distributed coupon information output screen displayed on the user terminal in the processing of step S103 in FIG. 8. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a coupon balance usage screen displayed on the user terminal in the processing of steps S104 and S105 of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0014] <Configuration of information processing system> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system includes a user terminal 100, a store terminal 200, a payment system 300, an information processing device 400, and a user system 500. Each component is connected to each other via a network such as the Internet so that they can communicate with each other. The user terminal 100 and the store terminal 200 may be connected via near-field communication such as NFC, or information may be exchanged by reading a code with a camera instead of wireless communication. Note that the connection between each component is not limited to the above example, and each component may be connected to each other by any method.

[0016] Each component will be described in detail below.

[0017] <User terminal 100> The user terminal 100 is an information terminal such as a smartphone or tablet PC carried by a user who purchases an item such as a product.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a user terminal.

[0019] 2, the user terminal 100 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 120, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 130, a storage 140, a communication interface 150, and an operation display unit 160. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 170 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0020] The CPU 110 controls the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 120 and storage 140 .

[0021] The ROM 120 stores various programs and various data.

[0022] The RAM 130 serves as a working area for temporarily storing programs and data.

[0023] The storage 140 stores various programs including an operating system and various data. For example, applications for transmitting and receiving various information to and from the information processing device 400 via a network and for displaying various information provided by the information processing device 400 are installed in the storage 140.

[0024] The communication interface 150 is an interface for communicating with external devices such as the information processing device 400, and uses, for example, standards such as 3G and 4G for mobile phone communication, or standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication interface 150 may use standards for short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and may communicate with nearby store terminals 200, etc.

[0025] The operation display unit 160 is, for example, a touch panel display, which displays various information and accepts various inputs from the user.

[0026] <Store terminal 200> The store terminal 200 is an information terminal such as a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal installed in a store of a retailer or service provider that provides products or services.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the store terminal.

[0028] 3, the store terminal 200 has a CPU 210, a ROM 220, a RAM 230, a storage 240, a communication interface 250, an operation display unit 260, and a reading unit 270. Each component is connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 280. Note that the CPU 210, the ROM 220, the RAM 230, the storage 240, the communication interface 250, and the operation display unit 260 have the same functions as the corresponding components of the user terminal 100, and therefore redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0029] The reading unit 270 reads and acquires payment method identification information for identifying the payment method used by the customer from the customer's card, customer's information terminal, etc. The reading unit 270 includes, for example, a contact or contactless card reader and acquires payment method identification information from the customer's credit card, etc. The payment method identification information includes, for example, the customer's credit card number and expiration date. The reading unit 270 may also include a code reader that reads codes such as one-dimensional codes such as barcodes and two-dimensional codes such as QR Code (registered trademark). For example, in various code payments, the reading unit 270 acquires payment method identification information by reading a barcode displayed on the customer's information terminal. Note that if the store is a non-face-to-face affiliated store, the operation / display unit 260, the reading unit 270, etc. may be configured by a terminal such as a smartphone used by the customer. In this case, the reading unit 270 can acquire payment method identification information by acquiring information entered by the customer on a payment screen displayed on the display by browser software on the smartphone, etc.

[0030] <Payment System 300> Payment system 300 is a system provided by a payment service provider that provides the payment method used by the user. The payment service provider may be, for example, a card company that provides a credit card, or a mobile payment service provider that provides a mobile payment method using the user's mobile terminal.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the payment system.

[0032] 4, payment system 300 has CPU 310, ROM 320, RAM 330, storage 340, communication interface 350, and operation display unit 360. Each component is communicably connected to each other via bus 370. Note that CPU 310, ROM 320, RAM 330, storage 340, communication interface 350, and operation display unit 360 have the same functions as the corresponding components of user terminal 100, and therefore redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0033] Storage 340 stores various data and programs for providing users with payment methods, as well as information showing usage details including the date and time of use when a user uses a payment method, the store used, the amount used, etc.

[0034] <Information processing device 400> The information processing device 400 is, for example, a computer such as a server. The information processing device 400 is a device provided by a business operator that operates a service that issues distributed coupons to users, manages the coupon balance, and returns value corresponding to the used coupon balance. In this embodiment, the distributed coupons are issued to the user for each transaction, similar to payment points on a credit card, depending on the amount of use of the user's payment method. For this reason, in this embodiment, the distributed coupons are expressed as points to make them easy for users to understand, and are also expressed as "plus points" to make them distinguishable from payment points on credit cards, etc. Similarly, the coupon balance is expressed as a plus point balance. In this embodiment, the business operator that operates the information processing device 400 is also referred to as a plus point business operator.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device.

[0036] 5, the information processing device 400 has a CPU 410, a ROM 420, a RAM 430, a storage 440, a communication interface 450, and an operation display unit 460. Each component is connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 470. Note that the CPU 410, the ROM 420, the RAM 430, the storage 440, the communication interface 450, and the operation display unit 460 have the same functions as the corresponding components of the user terminal 100, and therefore redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0037] In this embodiment, the CPU 410 functions as an acquisition unit, an assignment unit, an accumulation unit, a reception unit, a transmission unit, a confirmation unit, a refund unit, and a registration unit. The storage 440 stores various programs and data required for the CPU 410 to function as each of the above units.

[0038] <User system 500> The user system 500 is a system provided at a user, which is a business that can use the coupon balance accumulated by the user. Examples of users include businesses that provide products or services related to life events that require relatively large expenses, such as marriage, travel, home purchase, moving, job change, and various life infrastructures.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the utilization system.

[0040] 6, the user system 500 has a CPU 510, a ROM 520, a RAM 530, a storage 540, a communication interface 550, and an operation display unit 560. Each component is communicably connected to each other via a bus 570. Note that the CPU 510, the ROM 520, the RAM 530, the storage 540, the communication interface 550, and the operation display unit 560 have the same functions as the corresponding components of the user terminal 100, and therefore redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0041] <Functional configuration of information processing device 400> FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device.

[0042] As shown in Figure 7, the information processing device 400 functions as an acquisition unit 411, an assignment unit 412, an accumulation unit 413, a reception unit 414, a transmission unit 415, a confirmation unit 416, a refund unit 417, a state switching unit 418, and a registration unit 419 by the CPU 410 reading a program stored in the storage 440 and executing processing.

[0043] The acquisition unit 411 acquires action information relating to a predetermined action performed by a user.

[0044] The granting unit 412 grants distributed coupons to users in accordance with the action information acquired by the acquiring unit 411.

[0045] The accumulation unit 413 accumulates the number of distributed coupons granted to a user by the granting unit 412 as the coupon balance of the user.

[0046] The accepting unit 414 accepts a destination designation for which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the coupon balance accumulated in the accumulation unit 413 can be used. The accepting unit 414 may present the user with an upper limit on the coupon balance that can be used for each destination.

[0047] The transmitting unit 415 transmits information about the user to the destination of use accepted by the accepting unit 414 as introduction information.

[0048] The confirmation unit 416 confirms that the user to whom the introduction information has been sent by the sending unit 415 has completed the procedure for purchasing the product or service provided by the destination.

[0049] If the confirmation unit 416 confirms that the user has performed the procedure, the return unit 417 executes a process of returning a value according to the coupon balance to the user.

[0050] The receiving unit 414 may also receive a designation of the amount of coupon balance to be used from the user within the upper limit of the available coupon balance set for each destination. In this case, the refund unit 417 refunds a value corresponding to the amount of coupon balance to be used received by the receiving unit 414.

[0051] Furthermore, the receiving unit 414 may present multiple destinations to the user and accept selection of multiple destinations from the user. In this case, when the receiving unit 414 accepts selection of multiple destinations, the sending unit 415 sends information about the user to the multiple destinations as referral information. The confirmation unit 416 confirms that the user, to whom the referral information was sent by the sending unit 415, has completed a procedure at any of the multiple destinations. When the confirmation unit 416 confirms that the user has completed a procedure at any of the destinations, the refund unit 417 refunds value to the user. Note that, when the confirmation unit 416 confirms that the user has completed a procedure at multiple destinations, the refund unit 417 may refund value to the user corresponding to the use of coupon balances at the multiple destinations.

[0052] The granting unit 412 may grant, as the distributed coupon, an inactive distributed coupon that is not activated and cannot be used by the user until the user performs the procedure at the destination of use. In this case, the accumulation unit 413 accumulates the number of inactive distributed coupons granted to the user as the coupon balance.

[0053] When the confirmation unit 416 confirms that the user has performed the procedure, the state switching unit 418 switches the coupon balance of the quantity designated for use by the user from an inactive state to an activated state that the user can use, within the upper limit of the usable coupon balance set for each destination. In this case, the return unit 417 executes a process of returning to the user a value according to the coupon balance of the quantity switched to the activated state by the state switching unit 418.

[0054] The registration unit 419 may accept registration of a payment method used by a user from the user. In this case, the acquisition unit 411 acquires the usage details of the payment method registered by the registration unit 419 as action information, and the granting unit 412 calculates a distributed coupon based on the usage amount included in the usage details and grants the calculated distributed coupon to the user. At this time, the acquisition unit 411 may acquire the usage details by executing scraping on a server provided by the provider of the payment method.

[0055] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 411 may acquire location information of a user at any timing as action information. In this case, the granting unit 412 may calculate a distributed coupon based on the location information and grant the calculated distributed coupon to the user.

[0056] In addition, the confirmation unit 416 may confirm that the user has performed the procedure by receiving information from the user regarding the date on which the user performed the procedure, the transaction amount related to the procedure, and the timing of payment of the fee related to the user's introduction.

[0057] <Processing Overview> FIG. 8 is a sequence chart showing the procedure for distributed coupon (plus point) granting processing in an information processing system. FIG. 9 is a sequence chart showing the procedure for distributed coupon (plus point) usage processing in an information processing system. FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams showing an example of a payment method registration instruction acceptance screen displayed on a user terminal in the processing of step S101 in FIG. 8. FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing an example of a distributed coupon (plus point) information output screen displayed on a user terminal in the processing of step S103 in FIG. 8. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a coupon balance ((plus point balance)) usage screen displayed on a user terminal in the processing of steps S104 and S105 in FIG. 9. The processing of each device shown in the sequence charts of FIGS. 8 and 9 is stored as a program in the storage of each device, and is executed by the CPU of each device controlling each unit.

[0058] In this embodiment, the predetermined action will be described as an example in which the user uses a payment method. In this case, action information can be acquired based on a payment method usage statement that can be acquired from the payment method provider. Note that examples of the predetermined action are not limited to this, and any behavior can be set as the predetermined action, such as the user's movement such as walking, approaching a predetermined location, viewing a predetermined advertising video, purchasing a predetermined product or applying for a service, etc.

[0059] 8, the information processing device 400 registers information about the destination (destination system 500) where the user can use the coupon balance in a database or the like of the storage 440 based on information provided by the destination (destination system 500) where the user can use the coupon balance (step S401). The coupon balance is the accumulated balance of distributed coupons granted to the user.

[0060] The information about the destination includes information about the content and price of the product or service provided by the destination, information about the maximum balance of Plus Points available at the destination, etc. The information about the maximum balance of Plus Points available may be information indicating a maximum value or information indicating a percentage of the payment amount at the destination. Furthermore, the information about the maximum balance of Plus Points available may be set differently depending on the type of product or service provided by the destination. The information about the destination also includes information about the referral fee that the destination pays to the Plus Point business operator when a user introduced by a Plus Point provider to the destination completes the procedure (contract) to purchase the destination's product or service. The information about the referral fee includes information about the amount of the referral fee and the timing of payment. The information about the amount of the referral fee may be information indicating a fixed amount, or may be information such as a percentage or calculation table for calculating an amount that varies depending on the content and amount of the user's contract. For example, if the destination is a wedding hall, a travel agency, a recruitment agency that supports job changes, etc., the information about the maximum balance of Plus Points available may be set to approximately 5% to 10% of the amount the user will pay at the destination. Furthermore, when the destination is a housing sales company with a larger transaction amount, the information regarding the upper limit of the available Plus Points balance may be set to indicate approximately 3% to 5% of the amount the user pays at the destination.

[0061] The user terminal 100 accepts an instruction to register a payment method such as a credit card from the user (step S101). For example, when the user terminal 100 accepts an instruction from the user to register a payment method, the user terminal 100 transmits a request to register the payment method to the information processing device 400. In response to the request from the user terminal 100, the information processing device 400 transmits information to the user terminal 100 for displaying screens such as those shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The user terminal 100 displays the screen of FIG. 10 on the operation display unit 160 based on the information transmitted from the information processing device 400. When the user selects the "Link" button on the screen of FIG. 10, the user terminal 100 displays the screen shown in FIG. 11. When the user selects the payment method (e.g., "AAA Card") that the user wishes to register on the screen of FIG. 11, the user terminal 100 transmits information regarding the selected payment method to the information processing device 400. The information related to the payment method includes authentication information such as account information and password information for accessing the payment system 300 of the payment method provider and obtaining a statement of the payment method usage. Note that the screens shown in Figures 10 and 11 may be displayed by a dedicated application installed on the user terminal 100, or may be provided as a web page by the information processing device 400 or an external server, etc. If provided as a web page, they may be displayed by a browser application installed on the user terminal 100.

[0062] The information processing device 400 registers the payment method used by the user based on the information about the payment method sent from the user terminal 100 (step S402). Specifically, the information processing device registers account information, password information, etc. for obtaining usage details of the payment method from the payment system 300 of the payment method provider in association with the user information in a database or the like of the storage 440.

[0063] The user uses the payment method, such as a credit card, registered in step S101 at the store to purchase a product or service. The payment method may be registered in the user terminal 100 as a mobile application or the like, or may be provided separately from the user terminal 100, such as an application for a card-type or wearable terminal.

[0064] The store terminal 200 generates payment data such as sales data for a credit card (step S201). The payment data includes information such as the date and time of the transaction, the amount, identification information such as a card number for identifying the user's payment method, and a store number for identifying the store. The store terminal 200 transmits the generated payment data to the payment system 300. If there is a business (acquirer) that has concluded a contract with the store to use the payment method, separate from the payment business (issuer) that provides the user with the payment method, the store terminal 200 transmits the generated payment data to the acquirer, and the payment data is then transmitted via the acquirer to the payment system 300 of the payment business (issuer).

[0065] Upon receiving the payment data, the payment system 300 performs the necessary payment processing and stores the processed payment data in a database in storage 340 as the user's usage details. The payment system 300 also calculates payment points to be returned to the user based on the processed payment data, and returns them to the user at a predetermined cycle. Based on the user's instructions, the user terminal 100 accesses a website or the like for users provided by the payment service provider and outputs the payment points returned by the payment service provider so that the user can check them (step S102).

[0066] The information processing device 400 executes a scraping process to acquire usage statement data showing usage details of the user's payment method from the payment system 300 using the payment method information registered in the process of step S402 (step S403). The information processing device 400 stores the usage statement data acquired from the payment system 300 by the scraping process in the storage 440.

[0067] The information processing device 400 calculates the value of Plus Points, which are distributed coupons to be awarded to the user, based on the usage detail data acquired in the processing of step S403, and accumulates the value as Plus Points balance, taking into consideration the value that has been awarded and used so far (step S404). The information processing device 400 calculates the value of Plus Points to be awarded, for example, by applying a predetermined rate, such as 5% or 10%, to the usage amount included in the usage detail data. The information processing device 400 notifies the user by transmitting information indicating the value of the awarded Plus Points and the accumulated Plus Points balance to the user terminal 100. The information processing device 400 may transmit the usage detail data acquired in the processing of step S403 to the user terminal 100 in addition to the information regarding Plus Points.

[0068] The plus points granted to the user have not yet been activated and are in an inactive state that the user cannot use at this point. The balance of such inactive plus points is accumulated in the storage 440 of the information processing device 400.

[0069] Based on the information transmitted from the information processing device 400, the user terminal 100 outputs the value of the awarded plus points and the accumulated plus point balance by displaying them on the operation and display unit 160 (step S103). For example, based on the information transmitted from the information processing device 400, the user terminal 100 displays screens such as those shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 on the operation and display unit 160. The screens of FIGS. 12 and 13 display a value of "128,240 P" as the accumulated plus point balance. Furthermore, a value of "+1,266 P" is displayed as information indicating the increase or decrease in the plus point balance for this month. Furthermore, the screen of FIG. 12 displays, as a transaction history, the transaction statement data of the payment method and the value of the awarded plus points for each transaction statement, in association with each other. For example, the transaction statement for a transaction at a store called "Wine Bar A" shows that the transaction amount was 3,890 yen and that the awarded plus points were 194 P (points), which is equivalent to 5% of the transaction amount. Similarly, the transaction details for a transaction at a store called "Supermarket B" show that the transaction amount was 1,290 yen and that the awarded Plus Points were 64 P (points), which is equivalent to 5% of the transaction amount. The screen in FIG. 13 also shows the point history, including the monthly trends in the awarded Plus Points and the trends in the Plus Point balance. When Plus Points are used, the value of the Plus Points used, information about the place where they were used, and information indicating a decrease in the Plus Point balance may also be displayed on the screens in FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0070] 12 or 13, when the "Exchange" button is selected, the user terminal 100 receives an instruction to inquire about destinations where the plus points can be used (step S104). The user terminal 100 transmits a request to inquire about destinations where the plus points can be used to the information processing device 400.

[0071] In response to the request for inquiry about destinations for using Plus Points sent from the user terminal 100, the information processing device 400 extracts destinations where the user can use Plus Points (step S405). For example, the information processing device 400 may extract all destinations registered in the storage 440, or may extract destinations taking into consideration the user's pre-registered attributes, areas of interest, the user's Plus Points balance, etc. The information processing device 400 transmits information about the extracted destinations to the user terminal 100.

[0072] Based on the information transmitted from the information processing device 400, the user terminal 100 accepts the designation of the destination at which the user wishes to use the plus point balance from among the destinations at which the plus point balance can be used (step S105). The user terminal 100 transmits to the information processing device 400 an instruction to use the plus point balance at the designated destination.

[0073] The information processing device 400 generates introduction information for introducing the user to the specified destination of use (step S406). The introduction information may include, for example, identification information for identifying the user, and various information necessary for identifying the user and understanding the user's current situation, such as the user's name, telephone number, email address, age, address, and occupation. The information processing device 400 transmits the generated introduction information to the destination of use system 500 of the specified destination of use. The transmission and reception of various information between the information processing device 400 and the destination of use system 500 may be transmission and reception of notifications between the systems, or transmission and reception of messages via email or various applications.

[0074] Based on the introduction information transmitted from the information processing device 400, the user system 500 checks whether the introduced user is a target for the user's product or service (step S501). For example, if the user is a wedding hall, the system checks whether the ages of the parties meet the legal requirements for marriage. This check can be performed from various perspectives depending on the nature of the product or service provided, the standards set by the user, etc.

[0075] When a conversation and information exchange takes place between the user and the user regarding the provision of the user's product or service to the user and a contract for purchase is concluded, various processes related to the contract are carried out at the user. The user system 500 registers contract conclusion information indicating the conclusion of a contract with the introduced user in storage 540 (step S502). The user system 500 transmits the contract conclusion information to the information processing device 400. The contract conclusion information may include identification information for identifying the user, the date on which the user carried out procedures related to the contract, the transaction amount related to the procedures for the contract, information regarding the amount and payment timing of the compensation (referral fee) for the introduction of the user, etc.

[0076] Based on the contract establishment information transmitted from the user system 500, the information processing device 400 confirms that the user who transmitted the referral information to the user has completed the procedure to purchase the product or service provided by the user system (step S407). Specifically, the information processing device 400 can confirm that the user who transmitted the referral information has completed the procedure to purchase the product or service provided by the user system by checking the user's identification information included in the contract establishment information.

[0077] If it is confirmed in the processing of step S407 that the user has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service at the destination, the information processing device 400 executes an activation process to switch the balance of inactive plus points held by the user to active plus points that can be used (step S408). For example, the information processing device 400 switches the balance of plus points that the user has designated for use from an inactive state to an active state that the user can use, within the upper limit of the available plus point balance set for each destination.

[0078] The information processing device 400 executes a process of returning value to the user according to the Plus Point balance switched to the activated state in the process of step S408 (step S409). The information processing device 400 transmits information regarding the amount of returned Plus Points, the return method, the return timing, etc., as well as information regarding the remaining Plus Point balance, etc., to the user terminal 100. Specifically, the information processing device 400 performs a process of returning value, such as money, according to the Plus Point balance for which a user instruction to use has been received, by transferring the value, such as monetary value, to the user's bank account. For example, if the information processing device 400 receives an instruction from the user to use 100,000 Plus Points (equivalent to 100,000 yen) at a destination and the user's contract at the destination is confirmed, the information processing device 400 requests a transfer of 100,000 yen to the user's bank account. Note that the method of returning value to the user is not limited to a transfer of money to a bank account and may be realized, for example, by charging prepaid value in another prepaid payment method or by awarding points in another point scheme. In addition, the information processing device 400 may adjust the amount of the user's Plus Point balance used, the value to be refunded, the timing of the refund, etc., based on information regarding the user's transaction amount at the destination included in the contract establishment information, and information regarding the amount and payment timing of the referral fee.

[0079] For example, let's consider the case where a user applies to use 100,000 Plus Points (equivalent to 100,000 yen) at a wedding venue they are using. If the user signs a contract for a 1 million yen wedding plan with the venue, the venue will pay 100,000 yen, or 10% of the contract amount, as a referral fee to the Plus Point provider. In this case, the Plus Point provider can use the referral fee received from the venue to refund the 100,000 yen amount requested from the Plus Point balance to the user. On the other hand, if the user signs a contract for a simple wedding plan for 200,000 yen with the venue, the venue will pay 20,000 yen, or 10% of the contract amount, as a referral fee to the Plus Point provider. In this case, since the referral fee from the venue, which is the source of the funds, is 20,000 yen, the Plus Point provider may adjust the amount of the Plus Point balance to be used to 20,000 yen or 20,000 yen minus the Plus Point provider's necessary expenses. Such adjustments may be made after the fact after being explained to the user in advance, or may be made by setting a limit on the available Plus Points balance for each destination at 5% or 10% of the contracted amount at the destination.

[0080] Based on the information transmitted from the information processing device 400, the user terminal 100 displays and outputs information regarding the amount of refunded plus points, the refund method, the refund timing, etc., as well as information regarding the remaining plus point balance, etc., on the operation display unit 160 (step S106).

[0081] An example of processing corresponding to steps S104 and S105 in the user terminal 100, steps S405 and S406 in the information processing device 400, and step S501 in the user system 500 will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0082] For example, the user terminal 100 displays a chat screen as shown in Fig. 14 to receive an instruction to inquire about destinations where Plus Points can be used. On the screen of Fig. 14, a message from the user saying "I would like to use +POINT (Plus Point balance)" is sent to the information processing device 400 as a request to inquire about destinations where Plus Points can be used. This message from the user may be automatically sent by the user terminal 100 when the "Exchange" button is selected on the screen of Fig. 12 or 13.

[0083] Next, in the screen of FIG. 14 , the PlusPoint provider (information processing device 400) sends a message asking, "Which type of business are you considering?" to ask the user about their preferences. When the user responds, "I'd like to use a wedding hall," the PlusPoint provider extracts wedding halls registered as destinations and transmits information about those wedding halls to the user terminal 100. When asking the user about their preferences, the PlusPoint provider may present the user with options such as "marriage," "travel," "job change," "housing," and "moving" based on the registered destination's business type and accept the user's selection. In the example of FIG. 14 , the destination is specified by the user's message, "I'd like to use a wedding hall." The PlusPoint provider replies to the user with a message saying, "A wedding hall, right? Thank you. I'll connect you to the person in charge at the wedding hall." The PlusPoint provider also sends the user's introduction information to the wedding hall. If there are multiple wedding halls registered as destinations, the PlusPoint provider may present the user with multiple wedding hall options and accept the user's selection, or the PlusPoint provider may select a wedding hall and present it to the user. In addition, when presenting a destination to the user, information regarding the upper limit of the Plus Points balance that can be used at that destination may also be presented.

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims.

[0085] For example, the screen in Figure 14 shows an example of accepting the designation of a destination while having a chat-style conversation with the user, but this is not limited to this, and may be realized, for example, by displaying a list of information about multiple destinations on the screen and accepting the user's selection.

[0086] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which a user designates one destination and wishes to use their Plus Point balance, and when a contract is concluded with that destination, value corresponding to the desired Plus Point balance is returned. However, this is not limiting. For example, the information processing device 400 may present multiple destinations to the user and accept the user's selection of multiple destinations. In this case, the information processing device 400 transmits information about the user as referral information to the multiple destinations whose selections are accepted. The information processing device 400 then confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent has signed a contract with one of the multiple destinations. If it is confirmed that the user has signed a contract with one of the destinations, the information processing device 400 returns to the user value corresponding to the Plus Point balance that the user wishes to use. If the user has signed contracts with multiple destinations, the information processing device 400 may return to the user value corresponding to the Plus Point balance that the user wishes to use at the multiple destinations.

[0087] Furthermore, the conditions for awarding plus points, such as the award rate, may vary depending on the type of payment method used by the user.

[0088] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the action information regarding a predetermined action performed by a user is information (detailed usage information) regarding the use of a payment method registered by the user, but examples of action information are not limited to this. For example, a predetermined action performed by a user may be the user's movement or exercise, or the performance of a predetermined task such as viewing a predetermined screen or video, answering a survey, or posting a review. Furthermore, a predetermined action may be the use of a predetermined service or application, logging in to or using a predetermined platform, using transportation, collecting stamps, completing a mission in a game, the arrival of a specific date and time, etc.

[0089] For example, if the predetermined action is the user's movement, the action information acquired may include the user's step count, distance traveled, speed, and number of times the user has approached a predetermined location or range, and plus points are awarded based on the action information. The user's step count, distance traveled, speed traveled, and other information may be calculated and acquired by an application on the user terminal 100 based on output values ​​from various sensors, such as an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, provided in the user terminal 100. Alternatively, output values ​​from the various sensors in the user terminal 100 may be transmitted to the information processing device 400, and the information processing device 400 may calculate the user's step count, distance traveled, speed traveled, and other information. For example, if a setting is made such that one plus point is awarded for every 100 steps, if the user walks 10,000 steps a day, 100 plus points are awarded per day, and if the user continues to walk 10,000 steps for 30 days, 3,000 plus points are awarded. Similarly, for other types of actions, various indicators indicating the number, content, and extent of the action are acquired as action information.

[0090] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which Plus Points were awarded according to certain awarding conditions based on action information. However, this is not limiting. For example, different awarding conditions may be set for each Plus Point use destination. For example, for a user considering a wedding, the award rate for Plus Points that can be used at wedding venues may be increased from the usual 5% to 8%. For example, if 50,000 Plus Points that can be used at destinations other than wedding venues are awarded, 80,000 Plus Points that can be used at wedding venues may be awarded. The increase in the award rate for Plus Points that can be used at specific destinations may be set to be valid for a predetermined period, such as one year, 1.5 years, or two years. Furthermore, when Plus Point balances are redeemed as value, such as money, different redemption rates may be set for each destination. Furthermore, the change in redemption rate for each destination may also be set to be valid for a predetermined period.

[0091] Furthermore, each of the components of the user terminal 100, store terminal 200, payment system 300, information processing device 400, and destination system 500 included in the information processing system may include components other than those described above, or may not include some of the components described above.

[0092] Furthermore, the functions of each component may be realized by other components. For example, some of the functions described as being possessed by the information processing device 400 may be executed by other components, such as the user terminal 100, the store terminal 200, the payment system 300, the user system 500, or an external server. In this case, the CPU of the other components functions as an acquisition unit, an assignment unit, a storage unit, a reception unit, a transmission unit, a confirmation unit, a refund unit, or a registration unit.

[0093] Furthermore, each of the user terminal 100, the store terminal 200, the payment system 300, the information processing device 400, and the utilization system 500 may be configured by a plurality of devices, or may be configured by a single device.

[0094] Furthermore, the processing in the information processing system according to the above-described embodiment may include steps other than those in the sequence chart above, or may not include some of the steps described above. The order of the steps is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, each step may be combined with other steps and executed as a single step, may be included in other steps and executed, or may be divided into multiple steps and executed.

[0095] As described above, the information processing device 400 of this embodiment acquires action information related to a predetermined action performed by a user and grants distributed coupons (plus points) to the user in accordance with the acquired action information. The information processing device 400 accumulates the number of distributed coupons granted to the user as the user's coupon balance (plus point balance). The information processing device 400 accepts a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the accumulated coupon balance can be used, and transmits information about the user to the accepted destination as referral information. The information processing device 400 confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination. If it is confirmed that the user has completed the procedure, the information processing device 400 executes a process to refund value corresponding to the coupon balance to the user. As a result, a user can acquire distributed coupons and accumulate them as a coupon balance by performing a predetermined action. The user can then receive a refund of value corresponding to the coupon balance by selecting a destination at which to use the coupon balance and completing the procedure to purchase a product or service at the destination. That is, when a user performs a predetermined action such as using a payment method, as in the past, the user can acquire added value such as payment points provided by a service provider (such as a payment provider) that provides the service to realize the predetermined action, as well as distributed coupons (plus points) that are given as value when purchasing a product or service at a predetermined destination. Therefore, more added value can be provided to users who perform a predetermined action.

[0096] For example, in the recently popular "poikatsu" (point-earning) activity of actively collecting points, accumulating payment points through the use of payment methods has become important. However, since these points are generally provided with revenue from the payment service provider that provides the payment method, points are awarded at a rate of, for example, 0.5 to 1% of the transaction amount, subject to limitations within the payment service provider's revenue. In contrast, the Plus Points realized by the information processing device 400 of this embodiment are awarded with the fund of referral fees paid by the point provider to the Plus Point provider when the user purchases a product or service at a point-using service provider. Therefore, unlike payment points, the award rate is not limited by the point provider's funding, and the Plus Points award rate can be set based on the referral fees paid when the user enters into a contract with the Plus Point provider. For example, for businesses that offer products or services related to major life events for users, such as marriage, travel, home purchase, moving, and the establishment of infrastructure for daily life (e.g., the Internet), the amount of money a user spends when signing a contract for a product or service is relatively high. Furthermore, the number of such life events is limited, so users do not experience them many times in their lifetime, and the period for users to research and consider these events is relatively short, about 2 to 6 months. Therefore, businesses offering products or services related to such life events must intensively implement marketing measures such as advertising to acquire customers during the short period in which users consider their products or services, resulting in skyrocketing costs. Costs become even more staggering as the marketing measures of each company compete with each other. For these reasons, businesses offering products or services related to such life events can efficiently acquire customers, even if they pay a relatively high referral fee, provided that the referral fee is paid only when the user introduced by the PlusPoint Business actually signs a contract for the product or service.Therefore, by using such relatively high referral fees as a source of funds, and by granting users redeemable Plus Points after confirming that they have gone through the process of purchasing a product or service at the service provider, it is possible to provide users with more added value.

[0097] A more detailed application example of this embodiment will be described using, for example, a married couple or an engaged couple preparing for their wedding. Examples of expensive life events include weddings, honeymoons, family trips, home purchases, and the installation and maintenance of lifestyle infrastructure. Plus Points, which can be used at businesses offering products or services related to these life events, are awarded to users based on their regular credit card usage. Users can earn Plus Points in addition to their regular credit card points simply by registering and using their credit card or other credit card with the Plus Point Service. When a user selects a business, such as a wedding venue or travel agency, as a destination for using their Plus Point balance and completes the process to purchase a product or service, the Plus Point provider can return value to the user based on their Plus Point balance. The Plus Point provider receives a referral fee from the destination, and the Plus Point provider can use the referral fee to return value to the user. In this way, users simply register with the Plus Point Service and earn Plus Points by simply living their daily lives as usual. Then, when a life event, such as a wedding, travel, home purchase, or move, occurs, they can use their accumulated Plus Points to receive value back.

[0098] The information processing device 400 also presents the user with an upper limit on the available coupon balance (PlusPoint balance) set for each destination. This allows the upper limit on the available PlusPoint balance to be appropriately set and presented to the user, taking into consideration the price of the product or service the user subscribes to at each destination and the referral fee paid to the PlusPoint business operator. This makes it possible to provide added value to users who perform a specified action while securing the resources for returning value.

[0099] Furthermore, the information processing device 400 accepts a user's designation of the amount of Plus Points balance to be used within the upper limit of the available Plus Points balance set for each destination, and returns value corresponding to the accepted amount of Plus Points balance to be used. This allows the user to designate the amount of Plus Points balance to be used within the upper limit of the available Plus Points balance, and return the corresponding value to the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide more added value to users who perform specified actions while reliably securing the funds for returning value.

[0100] The information processing device 400 may also grant inactive Plus Points, which are not activated and cannot be used by the user, as Plus Points. In this case, the information processing device 400 accumulates the number of inactive Plus Points granted to the user as the Plus Point balance. When the information processing device 400 confirms that the user has completed the procedure at the destination, it switches the Plus Point balance of the number of Plus Points designated by the user from the inactive state to an activated state that the user can use, within the upper limit of the available Plus Point balance set for each destination. The information processing device 400 then executes a process to return value to the user corresponding to the amount of Plus Point balance switched to the activated state. This allows points to be granted as unusable and worthless until the user completes the procedure to purchase a product or service at the destination. Value is only granted to the points once the user completes the procedure to purchase a product or service at the destination. This increases the user's motivation to purchase products or services at the destination, and also allows the Plus Point provider to secure the funds before returning Plus Points to the user.

[0101] Furthermore, the information processing device 400 can present multiple destinations to the user and accept the user's selection of multiple destinations. If the selection of multiple destinations is accepted, the information processing device 400 transmits information about the user to the multiple destinations as referral information. The information processing device 400 then confirms that the user to whom the referral information was sent has completed a procedure at one of the multiple destinations, and if it is confirmed that the user has completed a procedure at any of the destinations, it returns value to the user. As a result, even if the user selects multiple destinations and compares them, if the user signs a contract with one of the destinations, the value corresponding to the PlusPoints balance they wish to use can be returned.

[0102] Furthermore, if the information processing device 400 confirms that the user has completed the procedures at multiple destinations, it will return to the user value corresponding to the use of the coupon balance at the multiple destinations. As a result, if a user selects multiple destinations and signs contracts with multiple destinations, the user can receive value corresponding to the use of the PlusPoints balance at the multiple destinations. For example, if a user planning a trip selects multiple travel agencies as destinations and signs contracts for an entire tour with one travel agency and an optional tour with another travel agency, the user can receive value corresponding to the use of the coupon balance at each destination.

[0103] The information processing device 400 accepts registration of a payment method used by a user from the user and acquires usage details of the registered payment method as action information. The information processing device 400 then calculates a distributed coupon based on the usage amount included in the usage details and grants the calculated distributed coupon to the user. As a result, a user can earn a Plus Point balance by receiving Plus Points, which are distributed coupons, in addition to the payment points granted by the payment service provider, simply by registering a payment method with the information processing device 400 and using the payment method.

[0104] The information processing device 400 acquires usage details by scraping a server provided by a payment method provider. This allows the information processing device 400 to acquire usage details from the payment method provider using information about the payment method acquired from the user, and to reliably and easily award plus points to the user.

[0105] The information processing device 400 acquires the user's location information at any time as action information, calculates distributed coupons based on the location information, and grants the calculated distributed coupons to the user. This allows, for example, step count information, movement distance, movement speed, and the number of times the user has approached a predetermined location or range to be acquired as action information based on the user's location information, and grants plus points according to the action information. Therefore, since the user can earn plus points simply by walking or moving to a predetermined location, more added value can be provided to users who perform predetermined actions. Furthermore, by granting plus points that can be used at predetermined destinations, the user can be motivated to walk or move to a predetermined location. Therefore, the user's health can be improved. Furthermore, the user can be guided to predetermined locations such as stores and event venues.

[0106] The information processing device 400 confirms that the user has completed the procedure by receiving information from the destination regarding the date the user completed the procedure, the transaction amount related to the procedure, and the timing of payment of the fee related to the user's referral. This allows the PlusPoint business operator to reliably and easily confirm that the user has completed the procedure to purchase a product or service at the destination, the transaction amount related to the procedure, the timing of payment of the referral fee, and other information. Therefore, after confirming payment of the referral fee from the destination, the PlusPoint business operator can appropriately return value to the user using the referral fee as a source of funds.

[0107] The means and methods for performing various processes in the information processing system according to the above-described embodiments can be realized by either dedicated hardware circuits or a programmed computer. The programs may be provided, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk or CD-ROM, or online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the programs recorded on the computer-readable recording medium are typically transferred and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The programs may also be provided as standalone application software or may be incorporated into the software of the information processing system as a function of the system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 100 user terminals, 110 CPUs, 120 ROM, 130 RAM, 140 storage, 150 communication interface, 160 Operation display section, 170 bus, 200 store terminals, 210 CPUs, 220 ROM, 230 RAM, 240 storage, 250 communication interface, 260 Operation display section, 270 reading unit, 280 bus, 300 payment systems, 310 CPUs, 320 ROM, 330 RAM, 340 storage, 350 communication interface, 360 operation display section, 370 bus, 400 information processing device, 410 CPUs, Acquisition part 411 granting unit 412; storage unit 413; Reception department 414, a transmitter 415; Confirmation section 416, Reduction section 417, A state switching unit 418, Registration Department 419 420 ROM, 430 RAM, 440 storage, 450 communication interface, 460 Operation display section, 470 bus, 500 user systems, 510 CPUs, 520 ROM, 530 RAM, 540 storage, 550 communication interface, 560 Operation display section, 570 bus.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires action information regarding a predetermined action performed by a user; an assigning unit that assigns distributed coupons to the user in accordance with the action information acquired by the acquiring unit; a storage unit that stores the number of the distributed coupons granted to the user by the granting unit as a coupon balance for the user; a receiving unit that receives a designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the coupon balance stored in the storage unit can be used; a transmitting unit that transmits information about the user as introduction information to the destination of use accepted by the accepting unit; a confirmation unit that confirms that the user to whom the introduction information has been sent by the sending unit has completed a procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination; a redemption unit that executes a process of redeeming a value corresponding to the coupon balance to the user when the confirmation unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure; and An information processing device, wherein the introduction information includes information for identifying the user who specified the destination at the reception unit.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires action information regarding a predetermined action performed by a user; an assigning unit that assigns distributed coupons to the user in accordance with the action information acquired by the acquiring unit; a storage unit that stores the number of the distributed coupons granted to the user by the granting unit as a coupon balance for the user; a receiving unit that receives a designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the coupon balance stored in the storage unit can be used; a transmitting unit that transmits information about the user as introduction information to the destination of use accepted by the accepting unit; a confirmation unit that confirms that the user to whom the introduction information has been sent by the sending unit has completed a procedure to purchase a product or service provided by the destination; a redemption unit that executes a process of redeeming a value corresponding to the coupon balance to the user when the confirmation unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure; and the granting unit grants, as the distributed coupon, an inactive distributed coupon that is not activated and cannot be used by the user, The accumulation unit accumulates the number of the inactive distributed coupons granted to the user as the coupon balance, a state switching unit that switches the coupon balance of the amount designated for use by the user from the inactive state to an activated state that the user can use, within the upper limit of the coupon balance that can be used and that is set for each destination, when the confirmation unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure; The redemption unit executes a process of redeeming value to the user according to the coupon balance of the quantity switched to the activated state by the state switching unit.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the accepting unit presents to the user an upper limit of the coupon balance that can be used and that is set for each of the destinations of use.

4. the accepting unit accepts a designation of the quantity of the coupon balance to be used from the user within a range of an upper limit of the coupon balance that can be used and that is set for each of the destinations of use; The information processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the return unit returns the value corresponding to the amount of the coupon balance to be used that is accepted by the acceptance unit.

5. the accepting unit is capable of presenting a plurality of the destinations of use to the user and accepting a selection of the plurality of destinations of use from the user; when the reception unit receives a selection of a plurality of destinations of use, the transmission unit transmits information about the user to the plurality of destinations of use as introduction information; The confirmation unit confirms that the user to whom the introduction information was sent by the transmission unit has completed the procedure at any one of the plurality of destinations of use, The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the refund unit refunds the value to the user when the verification unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure at any of the destinations of use.

6. The information processing device described in claim 2, wherein the redemption unit redeems the value corresponding to the use of the coupon balance at multiple destinations to the user when the confirmation unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure at multiple destinations.

7. The system further includes a registration unit that accepts registration of a payment method used by the user from the user, the acquisition unit acquires, as the action information, usage details of the payment method registered by the registration unit; The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the granting unit calculates the distributed coupons based on a usage amount included in the usage details, and grants the calculated distributed coupons to the user.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the usage details by executing scraping on a server provided by a provider of the payment method.

9. the acquisition unit acquires location information of the user at any timing as the action information; The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the granting unit calculates the distributed coupon based on the location information and grants the calculated distributed coupon to the user.

10. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the confirmation unit confirms that the user has performed the procedure by receiving from the user information regarding the date on which the user performed the procedure, the transaction amount related to the procedure, and the timing of payment of the fee related to the user's introduction.

11. 3. A coupon balance management program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to claim 1.

12. an acquiring step of acquiring action information regarding a predetermined action performed by a user; an assigning step of assigning a distributed coupon to the user in accordance with the action information acquired in the acquiring step; an accumulation step of accumulating the number of the distributed coupons granted to the user in the granting step as the coupon balance of the user; a receiving step of receiving a designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the coupon balance accumulated in the accumulating step can be used; a sending step of sending information about the user as introduction information to the destination of use accepted in the accepting step; a confirmation step of confirming that the user to whom the referral information was sent in the sending step has completed a procedure to purchase the product or service provided by the destination; a redemption step of executing a process of redeeming a value corresponding to the coupon balance to the user when it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the user has performed the procedure; A method for causing a computer to execute A coupon balance management method, wherein the referral information includes information for identifying the user who specified the destination of use in the reception step.

13. An acquisition step of acquiring action information regarding a predetermined action performed by a user; an assigning step of assigning a distributed coupon to the user in accordance with the action information acquired in the acquiring step; an accumulation step of accumulating the number of the distributed coupons granted to the user in the granting step as the coupon balance of the user; a receiving step of receiving a designation of a destination at which the user wishes to use the coupon balance from among destinations at which the coupon balance accumulated in the accumulating step can be used; a sending step of sending information about the user as introduction information to the destination of use accepted in the accepting step; a confirmation step of confirming that the user to whom the referral information was sent in the sending step has completed a procedure to purchase the product or service provided by the destination; a redemption step of executing a process of redeeming a value corresponding to the coupon balance to the user when it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the user has performed the procedure; A method for causing a computer to execute the granting step grants, as the distributed coupon, an inactive distributed coupon that is not activated and cannot be used by the user, The accumulation step accumulates the number of the inactive distributed coupons granted to the user as the coupon balance, When it is confirmed in the confirmation step that the user has performed the procedure, the computer further has a state switching step of switching the coupon balance of the amount designated for use by the user from the inactive state to an activated distributed coupon that is in an activated state and usable by the user, within the upper limit of the usable coupon balance set for each of the destinations of use, The coupon balance management method includes a step of performing a process of returning a value to the user according to the coupon balance of the quantity switched to the activated state in the state switching step.

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