Inventory management system and inventory management method

Abstract

Components that may be unavailable for supply are identified based on the demand for each component in an object having multiple components. [Solution] In the inventory management method, a computer acquires, for each component, the component inventory count, which is the inventory count of each of multiple parts contained in a component of an object; acquires the supplyable quantity of each of the multiple components based on the component configuration master showing the correspondence between the component and the multiple parts and the component inventory count; acquires data regarding demand for each of the multiple components based on the user's behavioral history with respect to the object; and identifies components from the multiple components that may be unavailable for supply based on the supplyable quantity and the data regarding demand.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention provides Inventory management system and Inventory management By law Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, products have been produced based on production plans. Furthermore, countermeasures for when the production plan is changed or when there is a delay in the delivery of parts are also being studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a parts delivery progress management system that can grasp the tendency of production bottlenecks and prevent a decline in production efficiency. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-312022 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The parts delivery progress management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines the inventory status and checks the order status before the scheduled delivery date of the components, allowing the manager to grasp the production bottleneck trends of the model in advance, thereby enabling appropriate responses to production bottlenecks. However, because this response is based solely on the production plan, if the production plan does not match demand, surplus parts or stockouts will occur.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is capable of identifying components that may be unavailable for supply based on the demand for each component in a product having multiple components. Inventory management system and Inventory management The law The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the inventory management system according to the present invention is an inventory management system in a terminal device and an inventory management device, comprising: The terminal device a first communication unit that transmits information about a user's behavior history with respect to an object that is configured with a plurality of components; The inventory management device The information of the behavior history transmitted by the first communication unit via an external device a second communication unit for receiving the signal; an acquisition unit that acquires a part inventory number, which is an inventory number of each of a plurality of parts included in the component of the object, for each of the parts; and an identification unit that identifies a component among the plurality of components that may be unable to be supplied based on the supplyable number of each of the plurality of components derived from a component configuration master that indicates the correspondence between the component and the plurality of parts and the number of parts in stock, and data regarding demand for each of the plurality of components derived from information on the behavioral history. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to identify components that may be unavailable for supply based on the demand for each component in a product that includes multiple components. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a product customization system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of components of a wristwatch according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an EC site device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for internet shopping for customizable products on an e-commerce site according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that displays detailed information about a product selected on an EC site according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for customizing a product on an EC site according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which a product component is selected on an EC site according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of component image information according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining price information etc. according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an inventory management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a component configuration master according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a parts list stored in a production management server according to an embodiment; [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mapping rule according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating component inventory according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a first part of a flowchart of a customization process according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a second part of the flowchart of the customization process according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart of an inventory management process according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart of a part allocation process according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining specific examples of inventory management processing and parts allocation processing according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A display control method and the like according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings, in which the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment) For ease of understanding, the following description will be given taking as an example a case where a display control method according to an embodiment is applied to a product customization system 1000 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the product customization system 1000 includes an e-commerce site device 100 and an inventory management device 200.

[0011] The EC site device 100 is a server that provides an EC (Electronic Commerce) site that sells customizable products based on inventory information acquired from the inventory management device 200. Users can customize and purchase products to their liking by accessing the EC site device 100 from a user terminal 300 such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smartphone.

[0012] This customizable product is made up of multiple components, and customization is achieved by changing the component specifications (variations, described below). A component is also made up of one or more parts. As an example of a customizable product and components, a wristwatch 500 shown in FIG. 2 will be used for explanation.

[0013] This wristwatch 500 is composed of a combination of multiple components, such as a band (S) component 510, a band (L) component 520, a buckle component 530, a ring component 540, a bezel component 550, and a crystal component 560. Each component can be selected from multiple specifications (color, material, quantity, etc.), and the selectable specifications are called variations (selectable specifications).

[0014] For example, band (S) component 510 is available in different colors, such as band (S) component 510A, band (S) component 510B, and band (S) component 510C. Band (S) component 510 is made up of two parts, band (S) 511 and spring bar 512, and multiple variations are provided by combining band (S) 511 of different colors with spring bar 512.

[0015] In other words, a variation (selectable specification) refers to a change in the color, material, number, etc. of the parts that make up band (S) component 510. Specifically, band (S) component 510A has an orange band made of resin, while band (S) component 510B has a black band made of metal, and so on. Depending on the variation, the properties (attributes) of the parts, such as color, material, and number, are changed as desired. The number of variations is also arbitrary and does not have to be the same for each component.

[0016] Although not shown, other components are also similarly made up of one or more parts, and multiple variations are provided by changing the color, material, number, etc. of the parts.

[0017] 1, the EC site device 100 transmits information on the user's behavior history (history of the user's browsing, selection, ordering, etc. of products and components on the EC site) received from the user terminal 300 to the inventory management device 200. Furthermore, when the EC site device 100 receives payment for the purchase of a product from the user terminal 300, it transmits a request for manufacturing the product to the production management server 400.

[0018] The inventory management device 200 understands the correspondence between components and parts (components), calculates the component inventory (supply quantity) from the component inventory, and if there is a shortage of component inventory, transmits the number of missing parts to the production management server 400 as a parts replenishment plan.

[0019] More specifically, the inventory management device 200 acquires information on user behavior history from the EC site device 100 and information on the number of parts (components) in stock from the production management server 400, and transmits component inventory information calculated based on this information to the EC site device 100. Furthermore, if a part (component) is expected to run out of stock based on this information, the inventory management device 200 calculates a parts replenishment plan to prevent the part from running out of stock and transmits it to the production management server 400.

[0020] The production management server 400 is a server that manages the inventory of parts (components), production of products, etc. For example, the production management server 400 transmits inventory information of parts (components) to the inventory management device 200, and transmits the manufacturing status of products to the EC site device 100. The production management server 400 acquires component information (information on component configuration masters, which will be described later) at any timing. Acquisition of component configuration master information by the production management server 400 will be described later.

[0021] The functional configurations of the EC site device 100 and the inventory management device 200 will be described below in order.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the EC site device 100 includes, as its functional configuration, a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a communication unit 130.

[0023] The control unit 110 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. The control unit 110 executes a program stored in the storage unit 120, and causes the EC site device 100 to function as a web server of the EC site.

[0024] The storage unit 120 stores programs and necessary data executed by the control unit 110. The storage unit 120 may include, but is not limited to, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and the like.

[0025] The communication unit 130 is a communication interface for the EC site device 100 to transmit and receive data to and from the inventory management device 200, the user terminal 300, the production management server 400, and the like.

[0026] With the above functional configuration, when the EC site device 100 is connected to the user terminal 300, it provides the functions of an EC site and displays a list of watches that can be shopped online on the screen 310, which is the display unit of the user terminal 300, as shown in Figure 4, for example.

[0027] In FIG. 4, the screen 310 displays a wristwatch with a model number of "Watch #1," which is an uncustomized "default model," a "designer A customized model" customized by designer A, and a "player O customized model" customized by popular athlete O. This is one example of the display, and the EC site device 100 may, for example, display wristwatches with different model numbers on the screen 310, or may display customized models with different model numbers on the screen 310. Furthermore, the EC site device 100 may display only the default model of each model number of wristwatch on the first page of the EC site, and display customized models on a separate dedicated page.

[0028] When the user selects, for example, "Watch #1 Designer A Customized Model" on the screen 310 shown in Fig. 4 (for example, by clicking or tapping on the wristwatch they want to select on the screen), the EC site device 100 causes the screen 310 of the user terminal 300 to display a page displaying detailed information about the selected product, as shown in Fig. 5. It is up to the user to decide what information to display as detailed product information, but Fig. 5 displays multiple angle images 312, which are images of the selected wristwatch viewed from various angles (multiple viewing directions).

[0029] 5 shows only three angle images 312, but in this embodiment, angle images are provided for each component that the user can select, allowing the component to be viewed effectively. Angular images are also provided for checking the overall design of the product (for example, an overall bird's-eye view from the front, an overall bird's-eye view from the back, an image from the side, a roll-cut image, etc.). However, the number of angle images 312 to provide and the angle from which the angle images 312 are to be used are optional.

[0030] When a user presses (e.g., clicks, taps, etc.) the customize button 311 on the upper right of the screen 310 shown in Fig. 5, the EC site device 100 displays, on the screen 310 of the user terminal 300, a customization screen for customizing each component of the product, as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an example of the customization screen, and in this example, a default angle image 312 of the product to be customized (e.g., an angle image seen from the front) is displayed large near the center of the screen, a list of selectable angle images 312 is displayed as thumbnail images 314 at the bottom of the screen, and a list of selectable components 313 is displayed on the right side of the screen.

[0031] In Figure 6, the components 313 displayed in the component selection area are Bezel, Face, Short Band, Long Band, Buckle, and Band Loop, which correspond to the bezel component 550, glass component 560, band (S) component 510, band (L) component 520, buckle component 530, and band loop component 540, respectively.

[0032] Here, when the user selects the angle image 312 that he or she wants to see from the list of thumbnail images 314, the EC site device 100 displays the selected angle image 312 in a large size near the center of the screen 310.

[0033] Furthermore, when a user selects a component 313 that the user wants to customize from the list of components 313, the EC site device 100 selects an angle image 312 that allows the selected component 313 (the band (S) component 510 in FIG. 7) to be effectively viewed, as shown in Fig. 7, and displays the selected angle image 312 large near the center of the screen 310. This angle image 312 that allows the selected component 313 to be easily viewed (effectively viewed) is called an effective angle image.

[0034] The EC site device 100 then displays on the screen 310 a list of customization items (selectable variations) 315 for the selected component 313. Here, color variation items can be selected as selectable variations for the band (S) component 510. Also, a check mark 316 is displayed for colors that have already been selected, and a sold-out mark 317 is displayed for colors that cannot be provided due to a lack of parts (i.e., are out of stock).

[0035] When the user selects a color different from the currently selected color as the customization item 315 for the band (S) component 510, the color of the watch band (S) component 510 in the angle image 312 (available angle image) on the screen 310 is changed to the selected color.

[0036] On the customization screen, the user can customize the wristwatch by selecting variations for the components they want to customize. Once customization is complete, they can finish the process by pressing the done button 318. Additionally, by pressing the share button 319, the user can post information about the image of the customized model to a social networking service (SNS) or the like.

[0037] Returning now to Fig. 3, various types of information stored in storage unit 120 will be described. Component image information 121 is information on image material (variation images) for each variation of each angle of each component. For example, as component image information 121 for a bezel component, image material for each angle image for each variation of the bezel component is stored, as shown in Fig. 8. Similar component image information 121 for other components is also stored in storage unit 120.

[0038] The angle image information 122 is information indicating which component image materials are to be combined to generate an angle image of each product. The control unit 110 can generate an arbitrary angle image of the product by combining the image materials of the component image information 121 based on the angle image information 122.

[0039] The component inventory information 123 is information about the inventory of each variation of each component. The component inventory information 123 is calculated by the inventory management device 200 and acquired by the control unit 110 from the inventory management device 200 via the communication unit 130. For variations with zero inventory, a sold-out mark 317 is displayed on the customization screen described above.

[0040] The price information 124 is information about the default model of each product and the price of each variation of each component. For example, a wristwatch with a model number "Watch #2" is composed of components A, B, and C, and the prices of each variation and default model are as shown in Figure 9.

[0041] In the example of Figure 9, inventory information 123 shows that the inventory quantity of variation B-3 of component B is 0, so variation B-3 cannot be purchased, but other variations can be purchased. Now, assume that the user selects variation A-1 of component A, variation B-2 of component B, and variation C-2 of component C on the customization screen for watch #2. In this case, control unit 110 refers to price information 124 and adds the price of the default model (20,000 yen) to the price of the selected variation (0 + 2,000 + 1,000), resulting in a total of 23,000 yen, as the price of the current customized model of watch #2.

[0042] Returning to Figure 3, behavioral history information 125 is historical information such as which products and components (variations) the user viewed on the EC site (how many times they viewed them and how long they viewed them), which they selected (how many times they selected them), and whether they placed an order.

[0043] Customization information 126 is information that indicates which variation is the selected customized model for each component of each product model displayed in a list as shown in Fig. 4. In the case of a model customized by a specific entity such as a specific person (designer, celebrity, etc.) or a specific device (artificial intelligence, etc.), the name of the specific entity (which may be an ID (Identification) that uniquely identifies the entity) is also saved as customization information 126. Furthermore, for example, some designers may not allow changes to be made to the variation they selected, and therefore, for components for which changes to the selected variation are prohibited, information indicating that changes to the component are not permitted is also saved in customization information 126.

[0044] Next, a description will be given of the inventory management device 200. The inventory management device 200 includes, as functional components, a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, and a communication unit 230, as shown in FIG.

[0045] The control unit 210 is configured with a processor such as a CPU, etc. The control unit 210 executes inventory management processing, which will be described later, using a program stored in the storage unit 220.

[0046] The storage unit 220 stores programs and necessary data executed by the control unit 210. The storage unit 220 may include, but is not limited to, a RAM, a ROM, an SSD, an HDD, and the like.

[0047] The communication unit 230 is a communication interface for the inventory management device 200 to send and receive data to and from the EC site device 100, the production management server 400, and the like.

[0048] Next, we will explain the various types of information stored in the storage unit 220. The component configuration master 221 is information that indicates what parts each variation of each component is made up of. For example, the component configuration master for a glass component is information that indicates, for each variation of a glass component, a list of the parts that make up that variation, as shown in Fig. 11.

[0049] Mapping rule 222 is a rule for extracting component configuration master 221 from the bill of materials (core system bill of materials) of each product stored in production management server 400. Note that the bill of materials of each product stored in production management server 400 is a tree structure that represents the configuration of the product (a wristwatch in the example of FIG. 12), with the parts that make up the product arranged in the parts that correspond to the leaves of the tree structure, as shown in FIG.

[0050] Although it is possible that a node in this tree structure happens to correspond to a component in this embodiment, the data stored in the production control server 400 does not generally take product customization into consideration, and therefore conditions for associating parts with components are generally required. A collection of these conditions is the mapping rule 222.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, an example of a mapping rule 222 includes conditions for specifying a position in the bill of materials ("parent", "exclude-child"), exception conditions ("proportion QTY"), variation conditions ("variation target", "variation not target"), etc.

[0052] 13, for example, glass component 560 is a component that has watch head 401 as its parent in the parts list shown in Fig. 12, excluding case back 403 and bezel 406, and therefore corresponds to the components surrounded by dotted lines 402, 404, 405, and 407. Furthermore, since "printed glass #*" is specified as a variation target (* corresponds to any character string in a regular expression), it can be seen that variations of glass component 560 can be obtained by changing the printed glass.

[0053] Other components can be similarly associated with parts in the parts list. However, in this embodiment, the free ring component 540 includes a free ring 1 component consisting of one free ring and a free ring 3 component consisting of three thin free rings, and the free ring 3 component is composed of one free ring 3-1 component, one free ring 3-2 component, and one free ring 3-3 component. The proportion QTY of each of the free ring 3-1 component, the free ring 3-2 component, and the free ring 3-3 component is 1 to indicate this.

[0054] As described above, the control unit 210 can easily generate the component configuration master 221 from the parts list using the mapping rule 222. The control unit 210 then transmits information about the generated component configuration master 221 to the production management server 400 via the communication unit 230. The production management server 400 then receives (acquires) the information about the component configuration master 221 via a communication unit (not shown) installed inside the housing of the production management server 400. Details of transmitting the information about the component configuration master 221 to the production management server 400 will be described later.

[0055] Returning to FIG. 10, the parts inventory information 223 is information on the inventory of each part, and is information on the inventory of each part stored in the production management server 400 that the control unit 210 has acquired via the communication unit 230.

[0056] The component demand information 224 is information relating to the demand for components acquired from users by the EC site device 100. This information may simply be information on the number of orders for the components, or may be information that anticipates future demand for the components based on the behavior history information 125 accumulated in the EC site device 100.

[0057] The component inventory information 225 is information on the supplyable quantity of each component (component inventory) acquired by the inventory management process described later. The EC site device 100 periodically requests the inventory management device 200 for information on the current component inventory and updates the component inventory information 225.

[0058] Priority information 226 is information for preferentially allocating parts to components (variations) that constitute a high-priority product when calculating component inventory, thereby preventing supply shortages (out-of-stock). For example, priority information 226 is set so that the priority of a product and the priority of its components (variations) are higher in the following cases: if the product is a new product or some limited model, if it is a product that supports engraving services (products that can be engraved), if it is a top-selling model (best-selling product) in a certain sales period in the past, during a promotion period (e.g., three months) after the promotion release date (release date on SNS, homepage, video, etc., pre-order start date, release date, etc.), or during a predetermined period including a user's anniversary (birthday, wedding anniversary, etc.) (e.g., one month before the anniversary to one week after the anniversary), etc.

[0059] For example, if a product is a limited edition model, the control unit 210 can use the priority information 226 to adjust the quantity of parts allocated to components constituting the limited edition model so that it is greater than the quantity of parts allocated to components constituting products other than the limited edition model. This makes it possible to prevent limited edition models from running out of stock as much as possible.

[0060] Furthermore, if the product is a released product that will be released on a promotion release date, the control unit 210 can use the priority information 226 to adjust the quantity of parts allocated to components that make up the released product so that it is greater than the quantity of parts allocated to components that make up products other than the released product during a predetermined period (e.g., three months) after the promotion release date. This makes it possible to prevent the released product from running out of stock as much as possible.

[0061] Furthermore, when a product is an engraving-enabled product, the control unit 210 can adjust the quantity of the parts allocated to the components constituting the engraving-enabled product so that it is greater than the quantity of the parts allocated to the components constituting products other than the engraving-enabled product during a predetermined period by using the priority information 226. This makes it possible to prevent the engraving-enabled product from running out of stock as much as possible.

[0062] Furthermore, if a product is a best-selling product, the control unit 210 can use the priority information 226 to adjust the quantity of parts allocated to components constituting the best-selling product so that it is greater than the quantity of parts allocated to components constituting products other than the best-selling product for a predetermined period (for example, the period until the product ceases to be a best-selling product). This makes it possible to prevent the best-selling product from running out of stock as much as possible.

[0063] With the above functional configuration, the inventory management device 200 can obtain information on parts inventory from the production management server 400 and allocate each part to a component according to demand, or according to demand and priority, thereby preventing components made up of multiple parts from running out of stock as much as possible.

[0064] For example, assume that there is a component A that is composed of parts α, β, and γ, as shown in Figure 14. Part γ has only one type, γ-1, but part α is selected from five types, α-1 to α-5, and part β is selected from three types, β-1 to β-3, so that component A has five variations (A-1 to A-5). Figure 14 shows that each variation (A-1 to A-5) of component A is composed of parts corresponding to the columns marked with ○ (for A-1, α-1, β-1, and γ-1).

[0065] In the example shown in Figure 14, the inventory quantity of each part is 400, and the demand quantity for each variation of the component is 400 for A-1, 160 for A-2, 120 for A-3, 80 for A-4, and 40 for A-5.

[0066] In this case, if parts are simply allocated to meet the demand for variation A-1, all 400 units of part γ-1 will be allocated to variation A-1, meaning that the available quantity for variation A-1 will be 400, but the available quantities for the other variations (A-2 to A-5) will be 0. This type of parts allocation is fine if you want to give variation A-1 a higher priority, for example to prevent variation A-1 from running out of stock, but normally you will want to allocate parts evenly to the other variations as well.

[0067] In this embodiment, an inventory allocation process, which will be described later, is performed to allocate parts to each variation equally or according to priority. As a result, when all variations are treated with the same priority, parts are allocated so that the supplyable quantities (component inventory) for each variation are 200 for A-1, 80 for A-2, 60 for A-3, 40 for A-4, and 20 for A-5. Also, when the priority of variation A-2 is higher than the other variations and the priorities of all variations other than variation A-2 are the same, parts are allocated so that A-1 is 150, A-2 is 160, A-3 is 45, A-4 is 30, and A-5 is 15. Parts allocation in this manner is performed in the inventory management process and parts allocation process, which will be described later.

[0068] 15 and 16, a description will be given of the customization process executed by the control unit 110 of the EC site device 100. This process is started when a user terminal 300 that has accessed the EC site provided by the EC site device 100 accesses an introduction page for a customizable product.

[0069] First, the control unit 110 displays a list of customizable product models as a product model selection screen on the screen 310 of the user terminal 300, as shown in FIG. 4 (step S101). The product model displayed here is the product model (base object) to be customized. Each component of the base object is in a state where a default or a variation (base specification) selected by a specific entity is selected. The product model list may display only the name of each product model (information that can identify the model number or the entity (person, etc.) that performed the customization), only images of each product model, or both the name and image.

[0070] In this list display, the control unit 110 basically displays products with the same model number (default models and various customized models) as a group. The control unit 110 is free to decide in what order to display each product model within the group of products with the same model number, but it may also be possible to use a certain component as a reference component and display variations of this reference component in a list based on their properties (attributes). For example, by using a bezel component as the reference component and displaying a list based on the color or material of the parts that make up the bezel component, product models with bezels of the same color and product models with bezels of the same material will be placed next to each other, making it easier to compare how the image of each product changes depending on the variations of components other than the reference component.

[0071] The list may also be grouped by the entity that performed the customization. In this way, for example, models customized by designer A are displayed together, making it easier for a user who wants to select a product model from models customized by a particular designer or celebrity to make a selection. The list may also be grouped by the type of entity that performed the customization. For example, models customized by designers, athletes, entertainers, musical instrument players, and PC AI are displayed together. In this way, models customized by designer A and models customized by designer B are displayed side by side, making it easy to compare the characteristics of the customization by the designers (such as the use of color and the relative positions of colors).

[0072] 15, the control unit 110 then determines whether or not any model has been selected from the displayed product models (step S102). If no model has been selected (step S102; No), the process returns to step S102.

[0073] When any model is selected (step S102; Yes), the control unit 110 displays detailed information about the selected model on the screen 310 of the user terminal 300 (step S103), as shown in Fig. 5. Although this is omitted in Figs. 15 and 16 to avoid complication, the control unit 110 treats the information about the selected model and components (variations) as information about the order being inquired about (order being inquired about), since there is a possibility that the selected model will be ordered from now on.

[0074] The control unit 110 also stores information about which models and variations the user has viewed, selected, and purchased (information such as model and variation viewing behavior (viewing time, number of views, etc.), selection behavior (number of selections, etc.), and purchase history) as behavior history information 125 in the storage unit 120. Then, the control unit 110 transmits information about the order being inquired and the behavior history information 125 to the inventory management device 200 as necessary (for example, before step S107). This allows the control unit 110 to obtain component inventory information 123 from the inventory management device 200.

[0075] Returning to Fig. 15, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the customize button 311 has been pressed (step S104). If the customize button 311 has not been pressed (step S104; No), the process returns to step S104. Although this is omitted in Fig. 15 to avoid complication, when a product model displayed in small letters in the upper right corner of the screen 310 shown in Fig. 5 is selected, the control unit 110 returns to step S103 and displays detailed information about the selected model.

[0076] When the customize button 311 is pressed (step S104; Yes), the control unit 110 displays a customization screen on the screen 310 of the user terminal 300 as shown in Fig. 6 (step S105). Then, the control unit 110 determines whether any of the components 313 has been selected on the screen 310 shown in Fig. 6 (step S106).

[0077] When any component 313 is selected (step S106; Yes), the control unit 110 retrieves from the storage unit 120 an angle image (effective angle image) at which the selected component (component of interest) can be effectively viewed, and displays an angle image 312 (effective angle image), customization items 315, and the like on the screen 310 of the user terminal 300, as shown in FIG. 7 (step S107). When displaying the customization items 315, the control unit 110 refers to the inventory information 123, and displays a sold-out mark 317 on any customization items 315 corresponding to a variation with zero inventory, indicating that the item is out of stock. In step S107, a thumbnail image 314 may be displayed in addition to the angle image 312 (effective angle image) and the customization items 315.

[0078] 15 to avoid complicating the explanation, if the determination in step S106 is Yes, the control unit 110 refers to the customization information 126, and if the selected component 313 cannot be changed, the process proceeds to step S110 without proceeding to step S107. At this time, the control unit 110 may display information on the screen 310 notifying that the component cannot be changed (for example, a message saying "Cannot be changed").

[0079] Then, the control unit 110 determines whether or not any of the customization items 315 has been selected (step S108). If no customization item 315 has been selected (step S108; No), the process proceeds to step S110.

[0080] If a customization item 315 is selected (step S108; Yes), the control unit 110 changes the display of the angle image 312 and the thumbnail image 314 according to the selected customization item 315 (step S109), and proceeds to step S110.

[0081] 8, and for each angle of the component of interest currently selected as the target for customization, combines image material (variation image) of a variation (selected specification) corresponding to the selected customization item 315 with the angle image 312 or thumbnail image 314. As a result, the display mode of the component of interest included in the angle image 312 or thumbnail image 314 is changed to that of the image material of the selected specification (selected specification image), and the user becomes able to check the image of the customized model with the changed variation.

[0082] Then, in step S110, control unit 110 determines whether or not a component 313 other than the component 313 selected in step S106 has been selected. If no such component 313 has been selected (step S110; No), the process returns to step S108.

[0083] If a component 313 other than the component 313 selected in step S106 is selected (step S110; Yes), the process returns to step S106.

[0084] On the other hand, if none of the components 313 is selected in step S106 (step S106; No), the control unit 110 determines whether or not the share button 319 has been pressed (step S111). If the share button 319 has not been pressed (step S111; No), the process proceeds to step S113.

[0085] If the share button 319 is pressed (step S111; Yes), the control unit 110 sends the sharing image of the customized product (information about the sharing image) to an SNS or the like (step S112), and proceeds to step S113. Note that the destination of the sharing image (image to send) in step S112 is not limited to a specific SNS. Depending on the destination setting, the control unit 110 can send the sharing image to any external device.

[0086] Alternatively, in step S112, the control unit 110 may display the image to be shared on the screen 310 of the user terminal 300, rather than directly sending the image to the SNS, and send it to the SNS after the user has confirmed it. Alternatively, the control unit 110 may display a download button on the screen 310 along with the image to be shared, and download the image to the user terminal 300 when the download button is pressed. In this case, the user will be able to post the image to be shared to the SNS or the like from the user's device that downloaded the image to be shared, such as the user terminal 300.

[0087] In step S113, control unit 110 determines whether or not complete button 318 has been pressed. If complete button 318 has been pressed (step S113; Yes), control unit 110 derives the price required to purchase the customized product (step S114) and displays the price and angle images of the customized product on screen 310 (step S115). At this time, control unit 110 may display a plurality of angle images side by side on screen 310 so that the customized product can be visually confirmed from various angles.

[0088] Then, the control unit 110 performs a payment process (step S116) and determines whether the purchase payment has been completed (step S117). If the purchase payment has not been completed (step S117; No), the control unit 110 ends the customization process. This is the case when the user has customized the product but has not ended up purchasing it.

[0089] If the purchase settlement has been completed (step S117; Yes), the control unit 110 generates a production instruction sheet that outputs an angle image (effective angle image) of the customized product, information about at least one image from among the multiple thumbnail images, and a parts list, and sends it to the production management server 400 (step S118), ending the customization process. Note that once the purchase settlement is completed, the contents of this order are finalized, so the control unit 110 treats it as a confirmed order and will thereafter send it to the inventory management device 200 as information about the confirmed order as needed.

[0090] When the production control server 400 receives the production instruction sheet as a manufacturing request transmitted in step S118, it expands the information on the variations (selected specifications) of each component in the customized product described in the production instruction sheet into parts on a parts list (core system parts list) based on the information in the component configuration master 221 transmitted as appropriate from the inventory control device 200. Then, the production control server 400 issues manufacturing instructions for the customized product using the expanded parts information.

[0091] On the other hand, if the Complete button 318 has not been pressed (step S113; No), the control unit 110 determines whether or not the button to close the customization screen has been pressed (step S119). If the button to close the customization screen has not been pressed (step S119; No), the control unit 110 returns to step S106. If the button to close the customization screen has been pressed (step S119; Yes), the control unit 110 ends the customization process.

[0092] Through the above customization process, a user can select a preferred model from the product model selection screen, customize the product as desired, and then order or share it on social media, etc. The product model selection screen also displays base objects customized by specific entities, and by selecting these base objects, the user can customize a product based on the product customized by a specific entity other than the user. In this way, the EC site device 100 functions as a customization device.

[0093] Furthermore, on the customization screen, an effective angle image that allows the component to be effectively viewed is displayed according to the component selected by the user, so that the EC site device 100 functions as a display control device and can clearly display the component selected by the user.

[0094] Next, the inventory management process executed by the control unit 210 of the inventory management device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. The inventory management process can be executed at any timing, but for example, when component inventory information is requested from the EC site device 100, the control unit 210 starts the inventory management process.

[0095] First, the control unit 210 acquires master information (step S201). The master information is, for example, the component configuration master 221. In step S201, the control unit 210 acquires a parts list for each product from the production management server 400 via the communication unit 230 and generates the component configuration master 221 based on the mapping rule 222. The control unit 210 also acquires necessary master information other than the component configuration master 221 in step S201. However, since the master information is not updated frequently, the control unit 210 may skip step S201 if it is clear that all of the master information has not been changed. Furthermore, the control unit 210 may acquire master information (for example, acquire a parts list and update the component configuration master) at any timing as long as it is before performing inventory management processing.

[0096] 17 to avoid complexity, the control unit 210 transmits information about the component configuration master 221 generated in step S201 to the production management server 400 via the communication unit 230. Furthermore, if the control unit 210 updates the component configuration master 221 at any timing other than step S201, the control unit 210 transmits the information about the component configuration master 221 to the production management server 400 after the update is complete. This is because the production management server 400 acquires in advance the information about the component configuration master 221 that is used when issuing a manufacturing instruction for the customized product described above.

[0097] Next, the control unit 210 acquires supply information from the production management server 400 (step S202). The supply information is, for example, the actual inventory quantity of parts and the remaining order quantity, and is acquired from the production management server 400 via the communication unit 230.

[0098] Then, the control unit 210 acquires demand information from the EC site device 100 (step S203). The demand information is data on demand, such as confirmed orders (orders whose orders have been confirmed by the EC site device 100), orders under inquiry (orders that are being inquired by the EC site device 100 and whose orders have not yet been confirmed), and demand forecasts (demands predicted based on the behavior history information 125 accumulated in the EC site device 100, demands predicted due to the release of new products or limited products (limited models), demands predicted due to product promotions posted by celebrities on SNS or the like, or demands based on marketing strategies or the like).

[0099] Next, the control unit 210 performs a process of allocating supply for each demand based on the demand information and supply information, allocating supply in order according to the type of demand information (confirmed order, order under inquiry, demand forecast).

[0100] First, the control unit 210 allocates parts necessary to produce the product for which a confirmed order has been accepted (step S204). If there are any parts constituting the product that are out of stock when the EC site device 100 is accepting purchases, a sold-out mark 317 is displayed on the screen 310, for example, to prevent the confirmed order from being accepted. This ensures that there will be no shortage of parts even if all parts necessary to produce the product for which a confirmed order has been accepted are allocated.

[0101] Next, the control unit 210 allocates the parts necessary to produce the product corresponding to the inquired order based on the supply quantity of each part remaining after allocation for the confirmed orders (confirmed order allocation balance) (step S205). Details of this process (parts allocation process) will be described later.

[0102] Next, the control unit 210 allocates parts necessary to produce products corresponding to the demand forecast for the supply quantity of each part remaining after allocation for the orders under inquiry (remaining allocation for the orders under inquiry) (step S206).

[0103] Next, the control unit 210 calculates the number of components that can be supplied from the quantities of parts allocated in steps S205 and S206, and transmits this as component inventory to the EC site device 100 (step S207).

[0104] Then, the control unit 210 transmits a parts replenishment plan (shortage quantity) for making up for the quantity of parts that could not be allocated in steps S205 and S206 to the production management server 400 (step S208), and ends the inventory management process.

[0105] By this inventory management process, the inventory management device 200 can appropriately calculate component inventory and transmit it to the EC site device 100. Furthermore, when a part runs out of stock, the shortage can be transmitted to the production management server 400 as a parts replenishment plan.

[0106] Next, the parts allocation process executed in step S205 of the inventory management process will be described with reference to Fig. 18. In this case, the component demand and the number of parts in stock shown in Fig. 14 will be used as specific demand and supply.

[0107] First, the control unit 210 calculates the dependent demand quantity of each part from the component demand (step S301). The dependent demand quantity is the quantity of parts required to satisfy the component demand. For example, in FIG. 14, part β-1 is used in A-1 and A-2, which are variations of component A, and the component demands of A-1 and A-2 are 400 and 160, respectively, so the dependent demand quantity of part β-1 is 400 + 160 = 560.

[0108] Next, the control unit 210 determines whether or not a variation with a high priority exists by referring to the priority information 226 (step S302). If no variation with a high priority exists (step S302; No), all variations are targeted, and the available allocation quantities are set for all parts constituting the target variation by the processing of the following steps S305 to S307 (step S303), and the process proceeds to step S305.

[0109] On the other hand, if a variation with a higher priority exists (step S302; Yes), the process proceeds to step S305, where the available quantities are set for all parts that make up the target variation, starting with the variation with the highest priority and targeting variations with the same priority, by processing steps S305 to S307 below (step S304).

[0110] Then, in step S305, the control unit 210 determines whether the dependent demand quantity is less than the inventory quantity for each part. If the dependent demand quantity is less than the inventory quantity (step S305; Yes), the control unit 210 sets the allocation quantity for that part as the dependent demand quantity (step S306) and proceeds to step S308. For example, in FIG. 14, the dependent demand quantity for part α-2 is 160 and the inventory quantity is 400, so the allocation quantity for part α-2 is 160.

[0111] On the other hand, if the dependent demand quantity is equal to or greater than the inventory quantity (step S305; No), the control unit 210 calculates the allocable quantity for that part according to the component demand ratio as inventory quantity x component demand ratio (step S307), and proceeds to step S308. For example, in Fig. 14, if the priorities of A-1 to A-5 are all the same (equal), the dependent demand quantity for part γ-1 is 800 and the inventory quantity is 400, so the inventory quantity is distributed according to the component demand ratio, and the allocable quantities for part γ-1 to A-1 to A-5 (component demand ratio is 10:4:3:2:1) are 200, 80, 60, 40, and 20, respectively.

[0112] 14, if only A-2 has a high priority and the other A-1, A-3, A-4, and A-5 all have the same (equal) priority, then of the dependent demand quantity of 800 for part γ-1, 160 corresponds to A-2, and the inventory quantity of part γ-1 is 400, so the determination in step S305 is Yes, and the allocable quantity of part γ-1 for A-2 is the dependent demand quantity, 160. Then, for the remaining A-1, A-3, A-4, and A-5, the dependent demand quantity of part γ-1 is 800 minus 160 (the quantity corresponding to A-2), which is 640, and of the 400 inventory of part γ-1, 160 is allocated to A-2, so the inventory is 240. Therefore, the determination in step S305 is No, and the quantities that can be allocated to A-1, A-3, A-4, and A-5 (component demand ratio is 10:3:2:1) of part γ-1 are 150, 45, 30, and 15, respectively, by distributing the inventory quantity of 240 in the component demand ratio of 10:3:2:1.

[0113] Then, in step S308, the control unit 210 sets the minimum of the available allocation quantities of each part that constitutes the component as the available supply quantity of that component, and ends the part allocation process. For example, in the above example, whether A-1 to A-5 all have the same (equal) priority or whether A-2 has a higher priority, the minimum available allocation quantity becomes the available allocation quantity of part γ-1, and therefore the available allocation quantity of part γ-1 becomes the available supply quantity of each variation, i.e., the component inventory.

[0114] The above parts allocation process allows optimal parts allocation to each component based on supply and demand. Furthermore, for a component whose supply quantity becomes 0 in step S308, the control unit 210 can identify that component as an out-of-stock component (a component that may become unavailable for supply).

[0115] This parts allocation process may have two processing modes: a demand mode that uses only demand information without using priority information 226, and a priority mode that uses not only demand information but also priority information 226. The administrator of inventory management device 200 may be able to select between these two modes. In this case, in the demand mode, the determination in step S302 is always No, making it unnecessary to use priority, thereby reducing the load on the parts allocation process.

[0116] Furthermore, if the priority information 226 includes information on a priority usage period, which is a period when the priority information 226 should be used (for example, the release date of a new product or limited edition model, the release date of product information on a website or the like, the release date of a promotion for a new product or limited edition model using SNS or the like, or a promotion period (start date to end date) for a certain product), the control unit 210 may refer to the priority information 226 and automatically switch the processing mode from demand mode to priority mode when the current date and time falls within a predetermined period (priority usage period) that includes the priority usage period, or automatically switch the processing mode from priority mode to demand mode when the current date and time is not within the priority usage period. Here, the priority usage period is a predetermined period that includes the priority usage period, and for example, a predetermined period (e.g., three months) that includes the release date, the release date of product information, the release date of a promotion, etc. is the priority usage period. Furthermore, if the priority usage period has a fixed duration, such as a promotion period, the priority usage period also includes such a priority usage period.

[0117] To switch the processing mode using the priority usage period, the control unit 210 may determine whether any products have entered a priority usage period that includes the priority usage time included in the priority information 226. If it determines that any products have entered the priority usage period, the control unit 210 may adjust the quantity of parts in the priority mode. If it determines that no products have entered the priority usage period, the control unit 210 may adjust the quantity of parts in the demand mode. For example, the control unit 210 may automatically switch from the demand mode to the priority mode at a predetermined time on the release date of a new product, and then switch from the priority mode to the demand mode when it determines that a predetermined period (e.g., three months) has passed since the release date. Automatically switching the processing mode in this way eliminates the need for the manager of the inventory management device 200 to select a processing mode. For example, the control unit 210 may automatically switch to the priority mode on the release date of a new product, thereby enabling efficient priority allocation of parts.

[0118] Next, a specific example of inventory management processing will be described with reference to Fig. 19. As shown in Fig. 19, in this example, it is assumed that the parts warehouse has stock of each part in the quantity shown in "(1) Inventory," and that there are orders pending from the EC site device 100 for each variation of the component as shown in "(2) Demand." In addition, for the sake of simplicity, in this example, it is assumed that the priority of each variation is the same, and confirmed orders and demand forecasts are not taken into consideration (each is 0).

[0119] First, in step S201 of the inventory management process (FIG. 17), the control unit 210 generates a component configuration master from the parts list acquired from the production management server 400 based on the mapping rule 222.

[0120] Then, in step S202, the control unit 210 acquires, as supply information, the inventory quantity of each part ("(1) Inventory" shown in FIG. 19) from the production management server 400. Then, in step S203, as demand information, it acquires, from the EC site device 100, orders currently in inquiry ("(2) Demand" shown in FIG. 19).

[0121] In this example, since there are no confirmed orders, step S204 is essentially skipped, but if there are confirmed orders, the stock quantity will be allocated to those confirmed orders.

[0122] Then, in step S205, the control unit 210 allocates the stock quantity for the order being inquired, and this processing is performed in the parts allocation processing (FIG. 18).

[0123] For a bezel component, the only part that constitutes this component is the bezel, so in step S301, "dependent demand quantity = component demand ((2) demand)" is obtained. Furthermore, since there is no variation with a higher priority, the determination in step S302 is "No," and the allocation quantity is set for all parts that constitute the bezel component (i.e., the bezel) through the processing in steps S305 to S307 (step S303). For bezels, the dependent demand quantity is greater than the inventory quantity, so the determination in step S305 is "No." Furthermore, since there are no parts shared between different variations, the ratios are all 100%. Therefore, in step S307, the inventory quantity ((1) inventory) of each bezel becomes the allocation quantity. Furthermore, since a bezel component is composed of only bezels, the allocation quantity becomes the supply quantity of the component (step S308), as shown in "(3) supply quantity" in FIG. 19.

[0124] Furthermore, for the glass component, of the parts that make up this component, the printed glass has a "dependent demand quantity = component demand ((2) demand)" and a ratio of 100%. As the other parts are used in common in the two variations, the "dependent demand quantity = sum of component demand ((2) demand) = 400" and the ratio is the same, so both are 50%. Since the dependent demand quantity is greater than the inventory quantity in both cases, the determination in step S305 is No. Therefore, in step S307, the inventory quantity ((1) inventory) for the printed glass becomes the available allocation quantity (i.e., 100 for printed glass #1 and 80 for printed glass #2), and for the other parts, 50% of the inventory quantity (i.e., 100) becomes the available allocation quantity. Then, in step S308, the minimum of the available quantities of each part that makes up the component is set as the available supply quantity for that component, so that the available supply quantity for glass component #1 is 100 and the available supply quantity for glass component #2 is 80, as shown in "(3) Available Supply Quantity" in Figure 19.

[0125] In this example, the demand forecast is 0, so step S206 is essentially skipped. Also, in this example, the entire inventory of bezels and printed glass has been allocated in step S205, so even if there is a demand forecast, allocation in step S206 is not possible. Of the parts that make up the glass component, only 20 parts other than printed glass remain, but since a glass component cannot be constructed without printed glass, these remain as they are. If a component can be constructed using unallocated parts and there is a demand forecast, those parts will be allocated to that demand forecast in step S206.

[0126] Then, in step S207, the component inventory, that is, the supplyable number of each component calculated in step S205, is transmitted to the EC site device.

[0127] 19, the component inventory ((3) available supply quantity) is low compared to the component demand ((2) demand), but this is because the inventory quantity of parts ((1) inventory) is low. Therefore, in step S208, the control unit 210 calculates the number of parts that are in short supply and transmits this to the production management server 400 as a parts replenishment plan.

[0128] In this example, all bezels and printed glass have been allocated, so the quantity of parts that was in short supply is "(2) demand - (3) available supply quantity." However, of the parts that make up the glass component, 20 parts other than printed glass remain that were not allocated, so the quantity of parts that was in short supply is "(2) demand (300 + 100) - (3) available supply quantity (100 + 80) - unallocated quantity (20)" = 200. Therefore, the control unit 210 will send the quantities shown in "(4) replenishment plan" in Figure 19 to the production management server 400 as a parts replenishment plan.

[0129] As described above, the inventory management device 200 can prevent components from running out of stock as much as possible based on demand or priority, and can create a replenishment plan if a stockout is predicted to occur.

[0130] (Variation) In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the customization process is performed when a user accesses an EC site provided by the EC site device 100 from the user terminal 300 using a web browser, but the customization process is not limited to this. For example, a dedicated application program for accessing the EC site without using a web browser may be installed in the user terminal 300, and the customization process may be performed by accessing the EC site using this dedicated application program.

[0131] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a digital clock has been described as an example of a product model (base object) that can be customized by a user on an e-commerce site, but the objects that can be customized are not limited to digital clocks. For example, instead of or in addition to a digital clock, an analog clock or an analog-digital combination clock (a clock that displays the time in large analog displays using hour and minute hands on the clock face, and has an opening of any size at any position on the clock face through which the time is displayed digitally using a liquid crystal display or the like) may be used as a customizable product model (base object). Furthermore, e-commerce sites may be configured to allow the customization of any object having multiple components, not just clocks.

[0132] For example, if an analog clock is added as a customizable object on an e-commerce site, components that constitute the analog clock are required. Possible components for an analog clock include, for example, a bezel component, a dial component, a short band component, a long band component, hour, minute, and second hand components, a buckle component, a band ring component, and a crown component. In this case, in step S201 of the inventory management process, the control unit 210 of the inventory management device 200 obtains a parts list for each product from the production management server 400 and generates a component configuration master 221 based on the mapping rule 222 updated to accommodate the analog clock. Thereafter, by similarly performing the processes of steps S202 to S208 of FIG. 17, the inventory of each component for the analog clock can be obtained and transmitted to the e-commerce site device 100.

[0133] Furthermore, in order to perform customization on an e-commerce site, the component image information 121 of the e-commerce site device 100 stores image material (variation images) for each variation of each angle of each component, and the angle image information 122 stores information indicating which component image material is to be combined to generate an angle image of an analog clock product, thereby enabling support. For analog-digital combination clocks and other objects, by preparing mapping rules 222, component image information 121, and angle image information 122 that correspond to the components that make up those objects, the control units 110 and 210 can perform similar customization processing and inventory management processing, respectively. This allows users to customize any object (analog clock, combination clock, etc.) on the user terminal 300.

[0134] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the appearance of an object is mainly customized, but the object to be customized is not limited to the appearance of the object.

[0135] Furthermore, both the EC site device 100 and the inventory management device 200 can be realized by a computer such as a normal PC. Specifically, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the program executed by the control unit 110 of the EC site device 100 is pre-stored in the storage unit 120, and the program executed by the control unit 210 of the inventory management device 200 is pre-stored in the storage unit 220. However, the program may be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto-Optical disc), a memory card, or a USB memory, and the program may be read and installed on a computer to configure a computer capable of executing each of the above-described processes.

[0136] Therefore, the user terminal 300 may function as the EC site device 100 (display control device or customization device) by storing the same programs and data as those of the EC site device 100 in the user terminal 300. Alternatively, the user terminal 300 and the EC site device 100 may share and store necessary data, and the above-mentioned customization process may be executed by a control unit of the user terminal 300 and a control unit 110 of the EC site device 100 working together. For example, the control unit of the user terminal 300 may display images during customization on the display unit of the user terminal 300, and the control unit 110 of the EC site device 100 may communicate with the inventory management device 200 and the production management server 400.

[0137] Furthermore, the program may be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be posted and distributed on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network. The program may then be started and executed under the control of an operating system (OS) in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-described processes to be performed.

[0138] In addition, the control unit 110 and the control unit 210 may be configured by any single processor such as a single processor, a multiprocessor, or a multi-core processor, or may be configured by combining any of these processors with processing circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0139] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and includes the inventions set forth in the claims and their equivalents. The inventions set forth in the original claims of this application are set forth below.

[0140] (Appendix 1) The computer Acquire a part inventory number for each of a plurality of parts included in a component of the target object; acquiring the supplyable quantity of each of the plurality of components based on a component configuration master indicating a correspondence relationship between the component and the plurality of parts and the number of parts in stock; acquiring data on demand for each of the plurality of components based on a user's behavior history with respect to the object; identifying a component that may be unavailable from among the plurality of components based on the available supply quantity and the data on demand; Inventory management methods.

[0141] (Appendix 2) the component configuration master is generated by a mapping rule that associates the parts and the components in a bill of materials for the object; Inventory control method as described in Appendix 1.

[0142] (Appendix 3) the mapping rule includes a condition for extracting the part corresponding to the component in the bill of materials; Inventory control method as described in Appendix 2.

[0143] (Appendix 4) The computer The bill of materials is acquired at a certain timing, and the component configuration master is updated. 1. An inventory control method as set forth in Appendix 2 or 3.

[0144] (Appendix 5) The behavior history includes a browsing behavior or a selection behavior of the component of the object by the user. 1. An inventory control method as set forth in any one of appendices 1 to 4.

[0145] (Appendix 6) The browsing behavior includes browsing time and number of browsing times, and the selection behavior includes number of selection times. Inventory control method as described in Appendix 5.

[0146] (Appendix 7) The behavioral history includes a purchase record of the object having a plurality of the components. 10. The inventory control method of any one of appendices 1 to 6.

[0147] (Appendix 8) the object is a watch, The components include a bezel and a band. 10. The inventory control method of any one of appendices 1 to 7.

[0148] (Appendix 9) On the computer, Acquire a part inventory number for each of a plurality of parts included in a component of the target object; acquiring the supplyable quantity of each of the plurality of components based on a component configuration master indicating a correspondence relationship between the component and the plurality of parts and the number of parts in stock; acquiring data on demand for each of the plurality of components based on a user's behavior history with respect to the object; identifying a component that may be unavailable from among the plurality of components based on the available supply quantity and the data on demand; A program that executes a process.

[0149] (Appendix 10) An inventory management device including a control unit, The control unit Acquire a part inventory number for each of a plurality of parts included in a component of the target object; acquiring the supplyable quantity of each of the plurality of components based on a component configuration master indicating a correspondence relationship between the component and the plurality of parts and the number of parts in stock; acquiring data on demand for each of the plurality of components based on a user's behavior history with respect to the object; identifying a component that may be unavailable from among the plurality of components based on the available supply quantity and the data on demand; Inventory control device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 100...EC site device, 110, 210...control unit, 120, 220...storage unit, 121...component image information, 122...angle image information, 123...component inventory information, 124...price information, 125...behavior history information, 126...customization information, 130, 230...communication unit, 200...inventory management device, 221...component configuration master, 222...mapping rule, 223...parts inventory information, 224...component demand information, 225...component inventory information, 226...priority information, 300...user terminal, 310...screen, 311...customization button, 312...angle image, 313...component, 314...sub Nail image, 315...Customization item, 316...Check mark, 317...Sold out mark, 318...Done button, 319...Share button, 400...Production management server, 401...Watch head, 402, 404, 405, 407...Dotted line, 403...Case back, 406...Bezel, 500...Wristwatch, 510, 510A, 510B, 510C...Band (S) component, 511...Band (S), 512...Spring bar, 520...Band (L) component, 530...Buckle component, 540...Bracelet ring component, 550...Bezel component, 560...Crystal component, 1000...Product customization system

Claims

1. An inventory management system in a terminal device and an inventory management device, The terminal device a first communication unit that transmits information about a user's behavior history with respect to an object that is configured with a plurality of components; The inventory management device a second communication unit that receives the information on the behavior history transmitted by the first communication unit via an external device; an acquisition unit that acquires a part inventory number, which is an inventory number of each of a plurality of parts included in the component of the object, for each of the parts; an identification unit that identifies a component that may be unavailable for supply among the plurality of components based on a component configuration master indicating a correspondence between the component and the plurality of parts and the number of parts in stock, and data on demand for the plurality of components derived from information on the behavior history, Inventory management system.

2. the component configuration master is generated by a mapping rule that associates the parts and the components in a bill of materials for the object; The inventory management system of claim 1 .

3. the mapping rule includes a condition for extracting the part corresponding to the component in the bill of materials; The inventory management system of claim 2 .

4. The bill of materials is acquired at a certain timing, and the component configuration master is updated. The inventory management system of claim 2 .

5. The inventory management device includes a storage unit that stores information on the behavior history, The behavior history information includes a browsing behavior or a selection behavior of the user of the component of the object. The inventory management system of claim 1 .

6. The browsing behavior includes browsing time and number of browsing times, and the selection behavior includes number of selection times. The inventory management system according to claim 5 .

7. The behavioral history information includes a purchase record of the object having a plurality of the components. The inventory management system of claim 1 .

8. the object is a watch, The components include a bezel and a band. The inventory management system of claim 1 .

9. An inventory management method in an inventory management system in an inventory management device including a terminal device having a first communication unit, a second communication unit, an acquisition unit, and an identification unit, the first communication unit of the terminal device transmits information on a user's behavior history with respect to an object configured with a plurality of components; the second communication unit of the inventory management device receives the information on the behavior history transmitted by the first communication unit via an external device; the acquisition unit acquires a part inventory count, which is an inventory count of each of a plurality of parts included in the component of the target object, for each of the parts; the identifying unit identifies a component among the plurality of components that may be unavailable for supply based on a supplyable quantity of each of the plurality of components derived from a component configuration master indicating a correspondence relationship between the component and the plurality of parts and the part inventory quantity, and data on demand for each of the plurality of components derived from information on the behavior history; Inventory management methods.

Images