Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a user with a highly convenient electronic privilege service. [Solution] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating benefits that can be used at affiliated stores from an affiliated store terminal device of an electronic payment service; and a processing unit that, in response to the instructions, displays an interface screen on the display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts the setting of budgets for the benefits for multiple stores belonging to the same brand, and creates benefits for each store based on the budget set for each store.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

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

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

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

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

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires instructions from a member store terminal device of a member store of an electronic payment service to create benefits that can be used at the member store, and a processing unit that, in response to the instructions, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the member store terminal device that accepts the setting of a budget for the benefits for each of multiple stores belonging to the same brand, and creates benefits for each of the stores based on the budget set for each store. [Effects of the Invention]

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

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of payment history information 176D. [Figure 8] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of budget information 176E. [Figure 9] 10 is an interface screen displayed on an interface 72 for affiliated stores in a comparative example. [Figure 10] 10 shows an interface screen IF1 displayed on an interface 72 for member stores in this embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 shows an interface screen IF2 displayed on the member store interface 72 of this embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 shows an interface screen IF3 displayed on the member store interface 72 of this embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 shows an interface screen IF4 displayed on the member store interface 72 of this embodiment. [Figure 14]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a notification regarding a budget. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a coupon list screen IF5. [Figure 16] 10 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF6 displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF7 displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. FIG. [Figure 18] 10 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF8 displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

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

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

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

[0013] [First store terminal device] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

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

[0015] [Payment server] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, this distinction will not be made and it is assumed that payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0028] The affiliated store / store information 176 may further include payment history information 176D. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the payment history information 176D. The payment history information 176D is, for example, information showing the payment history of each affiliated store or user at each store, or information showing the results of statistical processing of that history. The payment history information 176D may include, for example, details such as the payment amount for each transaction at the affiliated store, the time of the transaction, and the user who made the electronic transaction, as well as the average unit price of electronic transactions at the affiliated store, the average number of electronic transactions over a certain period, and the frequency of electronic payments by users over a certain period. In addition to the information described above, the payment history information 176D may also include other indicators.

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

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

[0031] The affiliated store / store information 176 further includes budget information 176E. The budget information 176E is information indicating a budget set for each brand and a budget set for each store as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the budget information 176E. The budget information 176E is information in which, for example, an affiliated store ID (brand identification information), a store ID (store identification information) belonging to the brand, a store name, and a budget for each store are associated with each other. The budget is, for example, a budget to be spent using a special benefit at a store. For example, if the special benefit is points and the budget is 10,000 yen, when the points awarded through the application of the special benefit reach 10,000 points, the budget is consumed and the application of the special benefit at that store is terminated.

[0032] The above coupons are displayed on a coupon list screen. The target user can obtain the coupon by operating payment application 20 to acquire the desired coupon displayed on the coupon list screen. The coupon may be provided to the target user without an acquisition operation. The target user can use the coupon at affiliated stores or shops that support the electronic payment service. The coupon may be applied automatically or may be used depending on the operation to use it.

[0033] [Electronic Payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance," the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows: For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's (or store's) sales proceeds. The item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds is not itself used as electronic money, for example, but rather the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0034] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payments for users whose "setting information" is set to "credit card payment" as follows. Credit card payment is a payment method in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the creditor, allowing electronic payments within the credit card payment limit and independent of the remaining balance. To receive the credit card payment service, a user may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used for credit card payment is settled in full on the following month's payment date, for example, by debit from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 makes a provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the credit card payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available credit card balance. On the closing date, the payment processing unit 130 performs the process described above to debit the current month's payment on the following month's payment date, or requests the credit card company operator to perform this process. If the payment amount exceeds the available credit card balance at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment app 20.

[0035] The information management unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. The information management unit 140 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records to, edits, deletes, etc., the user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176.

[0036] The information processing unit 150 processes information provided by other server devices or terminal devices, and provides information stored in the storage unit 170 to the user terminal device 10 .

[0037] [overview] In this embodiment, the payment server 100 allows the creator of a coupon to set the budget for the coupon not by brand but by store (store) included in the brand on the interface screen when creating the coupon. In response to an instruction from the member store interface 72 of the member store of the electronic payment service to create a benefit that can be used at the store, the payment server 100 displays an interface screen on the display unit of the member store interface 72 that accepts the setting of the budget for the benefit for each of multiple stores belonging to the same brand, and creates a benefit for each store with the budget set for each store.

[0038] "Creating" refers to issuing an electronic coupon in an electronic payment service. "Issuing" refers to displaying a coupon on a screen, such as a coupon list screen, that is viewed by the user, so that the user can acquire and use the coupon. "Issuing" may also refer to automatically linking a coupon to a specific user's identification information, so that the coupon can be automatically acquired and used.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, the multiple stores included in a brand are stores associated with affiliated store IDs (brand identification information) that indicate the same brand in the electronic payment service. Each store is associated with a different store ID (store identification information for the store), and each store is managed in the electronic payment service. The payment server 100 sets a budget for each store ID.

[0040] If a user ID in the electronic payment service is associated with a benefit that can be used at a store and the budget for the benefit has not been consumed (if the store's budget has not been reached), the payment server 100 applies the benefit and executes the electronic payment.

[0041] The above benefit will be described as a coupon in the following explanation, but is not limited to this and may be other benefits (such as vouchers or other discount coupons) provided to users.

[0042] [Comparative Example] 9 shows an interface screen displayed on the affiliated store interface 72 in the comparative example. In the comparative example, the coupon budget is set for each brand (each affiliated store ID). In the comparative example, when the total amount corresponding to the coupons used at multiple stores belonging to the brand reaches the budget, the application of the coupons stops.

[0043] [Present embodiment] The payment server 100 displays on the interface screen a first button for setting a budget by brand and a second button for setting a budget by store included in the brand. When the first button is selected, the payment server 100 sets the budget entered in the area for entering the budget to be consumed by the brand for the brand. When the second button is selected, the payment server 100 sets the budget entered in the area for entering the budget to be consumed at each store of the brand for each store.

[0044] When a budget to be consumed by a brand is set, the payment server 100 stops applying the benefit when the total amount according to the benefit applied at each of the brand's stores reaches the budget. When a budget to be consumed by each of the stores is set, the payment server 100 stops applying the benefit when the total amount according to the benefit applied at each store reaches the budget of the corresponding store.

[0045] FIG. 10 shows an interface screen IF1 displayed on the affiliated store interface 72 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, a coupon budget is set for each store (store unit) in addition to (or instead of) each brand. For example, interface screen IF1 displays a first button for setting a budget for each brand in area AR, and a second button for setting a budget for each store in area AR2. When setting a budget for each store is selected, the payment server 100 displays an input field in area AR3 for inputting a budget for each store of the affiliated store's brand. When a budget is input into the input field and an operation for setting the budget is performed, the payment server 100 sets each input budget as the budget for each store. Interface screen IF1 may also include information on the total input budget.

[0046] As described above, the creator of the coupon can set a budget for each store, so that an appropriate budget can be set according to the characteristics of each store.

[0047] FIG. 11 shows interface screen IF2 displayed on the interface for member stores 72 of this embodiment. The following mainly describes the differences from interface screen IF1. Interface screen IF2 includes an area AR4 for setting the total budget. When a user attempts to input a budget into an input field, and the combined budget of the budgets input into each input field for the store and the budget of the input field being input exceeds the total budget, the payment server 100 may not accept the input of the budget into the input field being input, and may display information on the interface for member stores 72 indicating that the total budget will exceed.

[0048] As described above, the creator of the coupon can set a total budget and set a budget for each store within the set total budget.

[0049] Setting a criteria-based budget The payment server 100 may propose or determine the budget to be allocated to each store based on performance information on the use of each store's electronic payment service. The performance information is one or more of the following: the payment amount of each store's electronic payment, the number of users of each store's electronic payment, and the trend of increase or decrease in the payment amount or number of users of each store's electronic payment.

[0050] FIG. 12 shows interface screen IF3 displayed on the affiliated store interface 72 of this embodiment. The following mainly describes the differences from interface screen IF2. Area AR5 of interface screen IF3 displays buttons for causing the payment server 100 to recommend a budget for each store. For example, recommendations are made based on performance information, such as sales (electronic payment amount), the number of electronic payment users (number of payments), a combination of these, or an increase or decrease in sales or number of users (increase or decrease in electronic payment amount). For example, area AR5 includes buttons for selecting criteria. The payment server 100 applies the criteria according to the selected button to recommend a budget.

[0051] Note that the display of the button may be omitted and recommendations may be made based on preset criteria for performance information. Recommendations may be, for example, a case in which the budget input field for each store is prefilled with the recommended budget, or a case in which the budget is displayed without being prefilled.

[0052] For example, when sales are used as the criterion, the payment server 100 recommends a budget based on the sales ratio of each store to the total sales of each store. For example, the higher the sales ratio, the larger the budget recommendation will be. For example, when the number of users is used as the criterion, the payment server 100 recommends a budget based on the ratio of the number of users of each store to the total number of users of each store. For example, the higher the ratio of the number of users, the larger the budget recommendation will be.

[0053] For example, when sales and the number of users are used as criteria, the payment server 100 recommends a budget by scoring the sum of a ratio according to the sales of each store and a ratio according to the number of users of each store. For example, half of the sum of the ratio according to the sales and the ratio according to the number of users may be used as the ratio in the total budget, or the ratio may be adjusted by placing more importance on the weight of sales or the number of users.

[0054] As described above, the creator of the coupon can set a total budget, evaluate the stores relatively within the range of the set total budget, and set a budget for each store.

[0055] [Display performance information] When a budget is set, the payment server 100 may display historical information about the use of each store's electronic payment service on the member store interface 72. Figure 13 shows interface screen IF4 displayed on the member store interface 72 of this embodiment. The following describes the differences from interface screen IF2. Interface screen IF4 displays information about the electronic payment history of each store. The historical information is useful for setting a budget, such as each store's sales, number of users, and increases or decreases in sales or number of users.

[0056] As described above, when setting a budget, the creator of the coupon can refer to information about the history of electronic payments to appropriately allocate the budget to each store.

[0057] In the above example, in addition to (or instead of) information about the history of electronic payments, the payment server 100 may also display information about coupons previously issued by affiliated stores (brands) or shops (stores) in association with each shop. For example, the payment server 100 may display information indicating that a coupon for a budget of 50,000 yen was issued at a specific shop, but 40,000 yen was used, meaning the entire budget was not used.

[0058] [Budget Notice] The payment server 100 refers to the budget set for each store and the budget consumed at each store, and when the consumed budget reaches or approaches the set budget, provides information indicating that the budget has been reached or approached to the member store interface 72.

[0059] When the amount of the benefit applied and consumed at a store approaches or reaches the set budget, the payment server 100 may notify the affiliated store interface 72 of this fact. Figure 14 is a diagram for explaining budget-related notifications. The vertical axis represents the budget consumption rate. For example, when the budget consumption rate at a certain store exceeds a threshold, the payment server 100 notifies the affiliated store interface 72 that the budget consumption rate has exceeded the threshold. This allows the affiliated store or store to easily recognize the coupon usage status. In this case, the affiliated store or store operator can post a notice at the store that the coupon application will no longer be applied or remove the notice indicating that the benefit will be applied.

[0060] 14 above is provided to the member store interface 72 at any time or in response to a request from the member store or shop. This allows the member store or shop to recognize the degree to which the budget has been consumed and to make preparations for the suspension of the application of the benefit (such as preparing to post or remove the above-mentioned notice).

[0061] For example, the payment server 100 may display an interface screen for resetting the budget on the affiliated store interface 72. This interface screen may include, for example, an acceptance button that accepts the redistribution of part or all of the budget of a store with a low budget consumption rate to the budget of a store with a high budget consumption rate. When this acceptance button is operated, the payment server 100 redistributes the budget in accordance with the operation. For example, when an affiliated store or shop receives a notification that the budget consumption rate has exceeded a threshold, the budget can be reset as described above. This allows the affiliated store or shop to use the budget efficiently and provide benefits to users.

[0062] [Coupon list screen for affiliated stores] The payment server 100 displays the created coupon list screen IF5 on the affiliated store interface 72. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the coupon list screen IF5. The coupon list screen IF5 displays a list of coupons previously created for affiliated stores or shops. This coupon list screen IF5 makes it possible to identify the type of coupon. For example, coupons may be identified by their display mode (color, shape, etc.) or marks, or information indicating their type may be attached to the coupon as shown in FIG. 15.

[0063] Coupon types include, for example, brand coupons, brand store coupons, and store coupons. Brand coupons are coupons created with a budget set for the brand. Brand store coupons are coupons created with a budget set for each of the brand's stores. Store coupons are coupons for stores (coupons for XX convenience store △△) with a budget set for the store, regardless of the brand.

[0064] As described above, the payment server 100 displays each coupon so that the type of coupon can be identified, so that the member store or shop can easily recognize the types of coupons that have been created in the past.

[0065] [List screen presented to the user] In response to an operation by the user to acquire a coupon on the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20), the payment server 100 displays a coupon list screen on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. The coupon list screen includes multiple types of benefits, and displays the types of benefits so that the user can recognize them, or associates information indicating the types of benefits with the benefits.

[0066] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF6 displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. The interface screen IF6 is, for example, a coupon list screen. It is displayed when the user operates the payment application 20 to acquire a coupon. The interface screen IF6 displays each coupon in association with its respective coupon type. For example, as described above, coupon types such as brand coupons, brand store coupons, and store coupons are associated with each coupon, making it possible to recognize which type of coupon a coupon is.

[0067] On interface screen IF6, for example, information indicating that a brand store coupon cannot be used at a store when the budget set for that store has been reached may be associated with the brand store coupon.Instead of (or in addition to) the display mode of interface screen IF6, coupons may be displayed in a display mode that allows the user to recognize the type of coupon, or may be displayed recognizably by a mark or the like.

[0068] This allows users to easily recognize the type of coupon on the coupon list screen. For example, users can easily recognize that a brand store coupon has a budget set for each store, and that the coupon may no longer be valid depending on the extent to which the store's benefit budget has been used up.

[0069] In the above example, the display of coupon types on the coupon list screen for acquiring coupons was described, but in addition to (or instead of) the coupon list screen for acquiring coupons, content may also be displayed in a manner that allows coupon types to be recognized on other screens, such as a list screen of coupons acquired by the user. Also, in the above example, instead of displaying each coupon type in a manner that allows the type of each coupon to be recognized, brand store unit coupons may be displayed so that they can be distinguished from other types of coupons.

[0070] Furthermore, on the coupon list screen, the display mode of the brand store-unit coupon may be changed or a predetermined mark may be added depending on the number of stores where the coupon can be used or the number of stores where the budget limit has been reached (or is about to be reached), thereby making the user aware of the convenience of using the coupon. Furthermore, the payment server 100 may display, in association with the brand store-unit coupon, information indicating that there are a predetermined number of stores where the coupon cannot be used because the budget limit has been reached, a predetermined number of stores where the budget limit has been reached, or information indicating that a budget has been set for each store and the number of stores where a special offer can be used has decreased because the budget limit has been reached, or may change the display mode of the brand store-unit coupon depending on the amount of the budget used up or the number of stores where a special offer can be used. These processes are also performed on the coupon details screen described below. In this way, the payment server 100 can improve user convenience by providing users with information about stores where coupons can be used.

[0071] [Coupon details screen presented to the user] The payment server 100 displays information on the display unit showing details of benefits available at stores of a specified brand in response to an operation performed by a user on the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) to check details of benefits available at stores of a specified brand on a coupon list screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. The information showing details of benefits includes multiple stores where benefits can be used. The payment server 100 displays information on the display unit showing details of benefits in a manner that gives a lower priority to the display of information about stores where the budget set for the store has been used up and the benefit cannot be used, or displays information on the display unit showing details of benefits in association with information indicating that the benefit cannot be used for the store where the benefit cannot be used.

[0072] Lowering the display priority means that the information about the store is not displayed, is displayed at the bottom of the screen, or is not displayed unless the user scrolls the screen, making it more difficult for the user to see than information about stores with a higher priority.

[0073] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF7 displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Interface screen IF7 is a coupon details screen that is displayed, for example, when a user selects a coupon on the coupon list screen and performs an operation to check the details. Interface screen IF7 is a coupon details screen for brand store coupons. On interface screen IF7, stores eligible for the coupon are listed in a predetermined order, such as in order of proximity to the user's location. At this time, a store that has reached its budget limit or is close to reaching its budget limit may be displayed to that effect. Furthermore, the display mode of a store that has reached its budget limit or is close to reaching its budget limit may be different from that of other stores, or a predetermined mark or the like may be displayed for that store. This allows the user to easily recognize which stores offer special offers.

[0074] Furthermore, the payment server 100 may omit a store that has reached its budget limit or is close to reaching its budget limit from the store list on the interface screen IF7, or may display the store with a lower priority in the list (for example, toward the bottom of the screen). This allows the user to easily recognize stores where they can use the special offer.

[0075] Also, information may be displayed indicating that a budget has been set for each store and that the limit has been reached, resulting in fewer stores at which coupons can be used. For example, even if a store that has reached its limit on the budget is omitted from the store list on interface screen IF7, the user can understand why there are so few stores at which coupons can be used and feel more satisfied.

[0076] [Payment completion screen] When a user uses the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) to make an electronic payment for an electronic payment service at a store that is eligible for a benefit associated with the user ID, and if the store's budget has reached its upper limit, the payment server 100 displays information indicating that the budget has reached its upper limit on an electronic payment completion screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0077] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an interface screen IF8 displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. The interface screen IF8 is a screen that is displayed, for example, when electronic payment is completed. The interface screen IF8 is a screen that is displayed, for example, when the user has a coupon for a store and makes an electronic payment at that store. For example, in the above situation, if the coupon budget for that store has already been reached, the payment server 100 displays information to the user indicating that the coupon has been acquired but cannot be applied because the store's budget limit has been reached.

[0078] This allows the user to know that the coupon was not applied, or that the coupon's budget limit has been reached at the store, etc. This increases the user's sense of satisfaction.

[0079] In the above example, various processes were described assuming that a budget for brand / store coupons was set. However, instead, various processes may also be performed on brand coupons or store coupons. For example, a notification may be sent in the Budget Notifications section when a brand or store budget is reached or is approaching. For example, brand coupons and store coupons may be displayed in a distinguishable manner on the Coupon List Screen for Affiliated Stores or the List Screen Presented to Users. Coupons that have reached or are close to reaching their budget may be displayed differently from other coupons. The fact that a coupon has reached or is close to reaching its budget may be displayed in association with the coupon. For example, if a coupon has reached or is close to reaching its budget on the Coupon Details Screen Presented to Users, this fact may be displayed on the coupon details screen. Furthermore, if a coupon cannot be applied because the brand or store budget has been reached, this fact may be displayed on the Payment Completion Screen. The above is merely an example, and various processes may also be applied to brand coupons or store coupons.

[0080] According to the embodiment described above, the payment server 100, in response to an instruction from the affiliated store terminal device of the affiliated store of the electronic payment service to create a benefit that can be used at the affiliated store, displays an interface screen on the display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts the setting of a budget for the benefit for each of multiple stores belonging to the same brand, and creates a benefit for each store based on the budget set for each store, thereby providing a highly convenient service for users regarding electronic benefit services.

[0081] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 100 Payment Server 120 Contents Provider 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 150 Information Processing Department

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; the processing unit displays, on the interface screen, a first button for setting a budget for each brand and a second button for setting a budget for each store included in the brand; If the first button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed by the brand is set for the brand; When the second button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed at each of the stores of the brand is set for each of the stores. Information processing device.

2. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; the processing unit refers to a budget set for each of the stores and a budget consumed at each of the stores, and when the consumed budget reaches or approaches the set budget, provides information indicating that the budget has been reached or approached to the terminal device of the affiliated store; Information processing device.

3. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; the processing unit displays a benefit list screen on a display unit of the user's terminal device in response to an operation performed by the user on the user's terminal device to acquire a benefit; the benefit list screen includes a plurality of types of benefits, and the benefits are displayed so that the types of the benefits can be recognized by the user, or information indicating the types of the benefits is associated with the benefits; Information processing device.

4. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; The processing unit In response to an operation performed by the user on the terminal device to confirm details of benefits available at a store of a specified brand on the benefit list screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device of the user, information showing details of benefits available at the store of the specified brand is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device of the user; the information indicating details of the benefit includes a plurality of stores where the benefit can be used; displaying information showing details of the benefit on the display unit in a manner that gives a lower priority to the display of information of a store among the stores where the budget set for the store has been consumed and the benefit cannot be used, or displaying information showing details of the benefit in association with information indicating that the benefit cannot be used for the store where the benefit cannot be used; Information processing device.

5. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; When the user uses the terminal device of the user to perform electronic payment of the electronic payment service at a store that is eligible for a benefit associated with the user's identification information, When the store's budget has reached its upper limit, information indicating that the budget has reached its upper limit is displayed on a completion screen of the electronic payment displayed on a display unit of the user's terminal device. Information processing device.

6. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; the plurality of stores included in the brand are stores associated with brand identification information indicating the same brand in the electronic payment service, Each of the stores is associated with store identification information of a different store, and each of the stores is managed by the electronic payment service; the processing unit sets the budget for each of the store identification information; a payment unit that acquires the store identification information and user identification information of the user from a terminal device of the store or a terminal device of a user who is making an electronic payment at the store, and executes the electronic payment at the store using the acquired store identification information and user identification information; the payment unit applies the benefit available at the store to the user identification information in the electronic payment service and executes the electronic payment if the benefit has not been consumed. Information processing device.

7. the processing unit displays, on the interface screen, a first button for setting a budget for each brand and a second button for setting a budget for each store included in the brand; If the first button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed by the brand is set for the brand; When the second button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed at each of the stores of the brand is set for each of the stores; The settlement unit If a budget is set for a brand, when the total amount of the benefits applied at each store of the brand reaches the budget, the application of the benefits will be stopped. When a budget to be consumed at each of the stores is set, when the amount according to the benefit applied at the store reaches the budget of the corresponding store, the application of the benefit is stopped. The information processing device according to claim 6 .

8. an acquisition unit that acquires instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store; a processing unit that, in response to the instruction, displays an interface screen on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device that accepts setting of budgets for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand, and creates the benefit for each of the stores based on the budgets set for each of the stores; The processing unit proposes or determines a budget to be distributed to each of the stores based on performance information of the use of the electronic payment service of each of the stores; The performance information is one or more of the following information: the payment amount of each electronic payment at the store, the number of users of each electronic payment at the store, and the trend of increase or decrease in the payment amount or number of users of each electronic payment at the store; Information processing device.

9. the processing unit, when setting the budget, causes a display unit of the terminal device of the affiliated store to display performance information on the use of each electronic payment service of the store; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

10. The computer Obtaining instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; displaying on the interface screen a first button for setting a budget for each brand and a second button for setting a budget for each store included in the brand; If the first button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed by the brand is set for the brand; When the second button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed at each of the stores of the brand is set for each of the stores. Information processing methods.

11. On the computer, acquires, from a member store terminal device of a member store of the electronic payment service, instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at the member store; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; displaying on the interface screen a first button for setting a budget for each brand and a second button for setting a budget for each store included in the brand; If the first button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed by the brand is set for the brand; When the second button is selected, the budget input in the area for inputting the budget to be consumed at each of the stores of the brand is set for each of the stores. program.

12. The computer Obtaining instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; a budget set for each of the stores and a budget consumed at each of the stores, and when the consumed budget reaches or approaches the set budget, providing information indicating that the budget has reached or approached the set budget to a terminal device of the affiliated store; Information processing methods.

13. On the computer, acquires, from a member store terminal device of a member store of the electronic payment service, instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at the member store; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; a budget set for each of the stores and a budget consumed at each of the stores, and when the consumed budget reaches or approaches the set budget, the terminal device of the affiliated store is caused to provide information indicating that the consumed budget has reached or approached the set budget; program.

14. The computer Obtaining instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; displaying a benefit list screen on a display unit of the user's terminal device in response to an operation performed by the user on the user's terminal device to acquire a benefit; the benefit list screen includes a plurality of types of benefits, and the benefits are displayed so that the types of the benefits can be recognized by the user, or information indicating the types of the benefits is associated with the benefits; Information processing methods.

15. On the computer, acquires, from a member store terminal device of a member store of the electronic payment service, instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at the member store; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; displaying a benefit list screen on a display unit of the user's terminal device in response to an operation performed by the user on the user's terminal device to acquire a benefit; the benefit list screen includes a plurality of types of benefits, and the benefits are displayed so that the types of the benefits can be recognized by the user, or information indicating the types of the benefits is associated with the benefits; program.

16. The computer Obtaining instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at a store that is a member store of the electronic payment service from a member store terminal device of the member store of the electronic payment service; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; In response to an operation performed by the user on the terminal device to confirm details of benefits available at a store of a specified brand on the benefit list screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device of the user, information showing details of benefits available at the store of the specified brand is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device of the user; the information indicating details of the benefit includes a plurality of stores where the benefit can be used; displaying information showing details of the benefit on the display unit in a manner that gives a lower priority to the display of information of a store among the stores where the budget set for the store has been consumed and the benefit cannot be used, or displaying information showing details of the benefit in association with information indicating that the benefit cannot be used for the store where the benefit cannot be used; Information processing methods.

17. On the computer, acquires, from a member store terminal device of a member store of the electronic payment service, instructions for creating a benefit that can be used at the member store; In response to the instruction, an interface screen for accepting setting of a budget for the benefit for each of a plurality of stores belonging to the same brand is displayed on a display unit of the affiliated store terminal device, and the benefit for each of the stores is created based on the budget set for each of the stores; In response to an operation performed by the user on the terminal device to confirm details of benefits available at a store of a specified brand on the benefit list screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device of the user, information showing details of benefits available at the store of the specified brand is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device of the user; the information indicating details of the benefit includes a plurality of stores where the benefit can be used; displaying information showing details of the benefit on the display unit in a manner that gives a lower priority to the display of information of a store among the stores where the budget set for the store has been consumed and the benefit cannot be used, or displaying information showing details of the benefit in association with information indicating that the benefit cannot be used for the store where the benefit cannot be used; program.

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