Store sales promotion device, store sales system, and store sales promotion method

Abstract

To provide a store sales promotion apparatus, a store sales system, and a store sales promotion method configured to design a flow line that completes sales with commodities selected by a store on the assumption of considering the tastes of customers.SOLUTION: A method includes: setting priority of each commodity in accordance with the purpose of sales, such as stock clearance or pushing a new commodity; manage commodities or purchase history of a customer when connected to a user terminal of the customer; present a commodity group composed of commodities that match the taste of the customer in the store at a discounted price; and select, when the customer's intent to purchase is confirmed through the user terminal, one commodity in the commodity group, as a commodity for sale, on the basis of a prepared commodity selection rule.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a store sales promotion device, a store sales system, and a store sales promotion method. [Background technology]

[0002] In stores and online retailers, a method of promoting product sales is generally to run limited-time discount campaigns, which can increase the purchasing motivation of customers who visit the store or online retailer during the limited period.

[0003] Regarding sales methods that employ product discounts, a purchasing support system has been proposed that allows customers to repurchase previously purchased products or services at a discount (Patent Document 1). Also, a system has been proposed that recommends products to customers by taking into consideration not only purchase history but also the priority of products that a store wants to sell first (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Publication No. 2001-256396 [Patent Document 2] Publication No. 2022-168230 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the cases of Patent Documents 1 and 2 mentioned above, because the operation of selecting the product to be purchased is performed by the customer themselves, the sale may not be completed with the product that the store desires simply by recommending a product. In other words, even if a discounted product is recommended by the store, the customer does not necessarily ultimately select it, and the flow from product recommendation to the completion of the sale is often interrupted midway. As a result, certain products may remain in stock for a long period of time, or products with an approaching expiration date may remain.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and aims to provide a store sales promotion device, a store sales system, and a store sales promotion method that can realize a flow that completes sales with products selected by the store while taking into consideration the customer's preferences. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention is a store sales promotion device that is connected to a terminal having operation and display functions and sells one or more products displayed in a store at a discount, and includes a storage unit that stores data corresponding to each of the products, such as a price, a flag corresponding to a sales purpose, and a sales priority, and stores data on purchase behavior history corresponding to customer information that identifies the customer; an authentication unit that identifies a customer who visits the store through the terminal and acquires the identified customer information from the data stored in the storage unit; and a store sales promotion device that performs a sales promotion based on the data stored in the storage unit in association with the customer information acquired by the authentication unit. a price setting unit that sets a uniform discounted sales price for the product group configured by the product group configuration unit using a predetermined discount rule; a display processing unit that forms display data based on the product group configured by the product group configuration unit and the discounted sales price set by the price setting unit and outputs the display data to the terminal of the customer authenticated by the authentication unit; and a selection unit that accepts operation of the terminal after output to the terminal by the display processing unit and selects one product as a sales product from the product group configured by the product group configuration unit based on a predetermined product selection rule.

[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention is a store sales system for selling merchandise displayed in a store, comprising: an input / output device installed in the store for displaying and accepting input operations; and a store sales promotion device for selling the merchandise displayed in the store at a discount; wherein the store sales promotion device includes a memory unit that stores data on prices, flags according to sales purposes, and sales priorities associated with the merchandise displayed in the store, and stores data on purchase behavior history associated with customer information that identifies the customer; an authentication unit that identifies a customer who visits the store through the input / output device and acquires the identified customer information from the data stored in the memory unit; and an authentication unit that performs one or more authentications based on the data stored in the memory unit associated with the customer information acquired by the authentication unit. The system is characterized by comprising: a product group composition unit that composes a product group consisting of a plurality of products; a price setting unit that sets a uniform discounted sales price for the product group composed by the product group composition unit using predetermined discount rules; a display processing unit that forms display data based on the product group composed by the product group composition unit and the discounted sales price set by the price setting unit and outputs the display data to the input / output device; a selection unit that accepts operation of the input / output device after output to the input / output device by the display processing unit and selects one product as a sales product from the product group composed by the product group composition unit based on previously prepared product selection rules; and a payment processing unit that executes payment procedures for the sales product selected by the selection unit in association with customer information acquired by the authentication unit.

[0009] Another embodiment of the present invention is a store sales promotion method for a device connected to a terminal having operation and display functions, which sells one or more products displayed in a store at a discount, the device having a memory that stores data on prices, flags according to sales purposes, and sales priorities associated with each of the products, and stores data on purchase behavior history associated with customer information that identifies the customer, the method comprising: a first step of identifying a customer who has visited the store through the terminal and acquiring the identified customer information from the data stored in the memory; and a second step of acquiring one or more discounts based on the data stored in the memory associated with the customer information acquired in the first step. a third step of setting a uniform discounted sales price for the group of products configured in the second step using a predetermined discount rule; a fourth step of forming display data based on the group of products configured in the second step and the discounted sales price set in the third step and outputting the display data to the terminal of the customer authenticated in the first step; and a fifth step of accepting an operation on the terminal after output to the terminal in the fourth step and selecting one product from the group of products configured in the second step as a sales product based on a predetermined product selection rule. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a flow that completes sales with products selected by the store, taking into consideration the customer's preferences. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of an unmanned store operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a store sales promotion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the functions of a store sales promotion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a customer table according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an inventory table according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a behavior history table according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a product group configuration process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of a screen transition according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of a screen transition according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and some omissions and simplifications have been made as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following are merely examples of the present invention, and the content of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described below. The present invention can of course be modified into various embodiments, including the embodiments described below.

[0014] First, the present embodiment will be described, starting with the overall system, using Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of an unmanned store operating system according to this embodiment.

[0015] The unmanned store operation system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a store sales promotion device 10, a product shelf 20 on which one or more products are displayed (arranged) and which is equipped with a weight sensor 21 that detects changes in weight when customers take or put products in and out, a monitor 30, an input / output device 40 having a camera 41 and a touch panel 42, an optical radar 50, a payment platform 60, an authentication platform 70, and the like, all of which are connected to a network 200 to communicate data, signals, and the like. This network 200 is a communication network such as the Internet, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), or a wireless communication network, with security as a prerequisite.

[0016] In this unmanned store operation system 1, each component is connected to network 200, but the present invention is not limited to this and they may be configured as a single device. Also, although the payment infrastructure 60 and authentication infrastructure 70 are configured to be included in the unmanned store operation system 1, they are not required to be installed within the unmanned store, so they may be configured to be connected via network 200 as external devices rather than being included in the unmanned store operation system 1.

[0017] The store sales promotion device 10 is a computer that efficiently operates a gateless, unmanned store and executes a series of procedures for users, i.e., customers, visiting the unmanned store, from proposing products for sale to making a decision and making a payment. As shown in Fig. 1, the store sales promotion device 10 is further connected to an external user terminal 90 such as a smartphone via a network 200, and promotes product sales by communicating data, signals, etc. with the user terminal 90.

[0018] The input / output device 40 is a device installed in a predetermined entrance area within the space that makes up the unmanned store. The camera 41 of the input / output device 40 is an imaging device that not only detects the entry and exit of customers who visit the entrance area of ​​the unmanned store, but also captures images of the customer's biological parts, such as the face, and acquires and generates facial image data or feature data of the customer.

[0019] Furthermore, the touch panel 42 of the input / output device 40 receives input of identification information (hereinafter referred to as "ID") that identifies a customer whose face image is captured by the camera 41 described above.

[0020] It is assumed that each customer of an unmanned store has previously performed user registration processing with the authentication infrastructure 70 via the store sales promotion device 10 (or the user terminal 90).

[0021] In this case, the store sales promotion device 10 takes a facial image of the customer using the camera 41, and also inputs a pre-stored ID via the touch panel 42. The store sales promotion device 10 sets the thus obtained facial image data (or its feature data) and the ID together, and performs user registration processing in the authentication infrastructure 70. The user registration processing itself, which sets biometric information and ID together, can be performed by appropriately adopting an existing method.

[0022] Therefore, a customer who has completed the above-mentioned user registration stands in front of the input / output device 40, photographs his / her face using the camera 41, and inputs his / her ID using the touch panel 42, thereby proceeding with the user authentication procedure on the authentication infrastructure 70 via the store sales promotion device 10.

[0023] The information defining the above-mentioned store entry area includes the coordinate values ​​of each vertex that constitutes the shape of the area. The origin coordinates of the coordinate system including these coordinate values ​​indicate, for example, a point (predetermined) somewhere in the space that constitutes the unmanned store.

[0024] Next, the optical radar 50 is, for example, a 3D LiDAR, which is an optical sensor that can irradiate, for example, infrared laser light in a three-dimensional manner and measure the shape of the illuminated area, objects present therein, and the distance to them.

[0025] The optical radar 50 in this embodiment is responsible for identifying the space that constitutes the unmanned store, the entry area and purchasing area within that space, and identifying the location of customers and the target position on the shelf (i.e., the product located at that position). The observation values ​​by the optical radar 50 are distributed to the store sales promotion device 10 via the network 200.

[0026] Furthermore, weight sensors 21 are installed at each product storage location on the product shelf 20, and transmit their measurement results to the store sales promotion device 10 via the network 200. The store sales promotion device 10 stores and manages information relating to the weight of each product stored, i.e., displayed, in each section of the product shelf 20 in a product management database (not shown).

[0027] The monitor 30 is a display device installed around the above-mentioned product shelf 20, i.e., in the purchasing area, and is also equipped with a speaker. The monitor 30 outputs information distributed from the store sales promotion device 10 on a screen or as audio.

[0028] The information output on the screen includes advertisements for the customer as well as the status of the customer's purchasing behavior (purchase behavior) (in the store, making a purchase, making a payment, all payments completed, etc.).

[0029] The information to be output audibly also includes messages for guiding the customer's behavior to be appropriate depending on the status of the customer's classified purchasing behavior, whether user authentication for the customer has been completed or not, and the customer's product retrieval behavior.

[0030] Furthermore, the user terminal 90 is a terminal used by customers of the unmanned store when using the service, and specifically is a device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc. This user terminal 90 is an example of one terminal, and customers who visit the unmanned store are authenticated by the ID assigned to them.

[0031] In this embodiment, the authentication infrastructure 70 is a device that authenticates the user by, for example, biometric authentication, and employs an authentication infrastructure technology that achieves both privacy protection and high security. The authentication infrastructure 70 accepts a user authentication request from the store sales promotion device 10 via an API (Application Programming Interface) and responds with the authentication result.

[0032] The payment infrastructure 60 is a platform that realizes cashless payments such as credit cards, debit cards, electronic money, and code payments, and receives payment requests (regarding confirmation of a customer's purchase intention according to this embodiment and products that the customer has removed from the product shelf 20 and taken out of the purchasing area) from the store sales promotion device 10 via an API (Application Programming Interface), and responds with the payment result. Of course, the store sales promotion device 10 may have a function equivalent to the payment infrastructure 60.

[0033] Next, the store sales promotion device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the store sales promotion device 10 of this embodiment, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of the store sales promotion device 10 of this embodiment, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram explaining an example of a customer table of this embodiment, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram explaining an example of an inventory table of this embodiment, and Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram explaining an example of a behavior history table of this embodiment.

[0034] First, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the store sales promotion device 10 is configured with a CPU 11 that controls the entire device, a memory 13 that stores programs 12 for processing according to this embodiment to be executed by the CPU 11 and stores various data during execution, an operation device 14 that includes a keyboard and a display device, an external storage device 15 that registers and stores various data in the form of tables or the like, a communication IF 16 that is connected to a network 200 and controls communication with external terminals (devices such as the user terminal 90 shown in Fig. 1), and a bus 17 that is connected to each unit within the device and controls communication of data, signals, etc. within the device.

[0035] Next, the functions of the store sales promotion device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the store sales promotion device 10 includes a communication control unit 101, a store entry / exit determination unit 102, an operation input unit 103, a user recognition unit 104, a behavior determination unit 105, a data storage unit 106, a discount price setting unit 108, a priority determination unit 109, a product group configuration unit 110, a product selection unit 111, a payment processing unit 112, a display processing unit 113, and the like.

[0036] The communication control unit 101 is a function of the communication IF 16 that controls communication with each device in Fig. 1 connected to the network 200. The store entry / exit determination unit 102 determines whether a customer has entered or exited the store based on data acquired by the optical radar 50 when a person enters or leaves the store. The user recognition unit 104 recognizes the customer's face based on data captured by the camera 41, and also acquires an ID from the customer's operation on the touch panel 42 to recognize the user, i.e., the customer. This user recognition unit 104 operates in cooperation with the authentication infrastructure 70. It goes without saying that user authentication (customer recognition) may be achieved by the user recognition unit 104 alone.

[0037] The behavior determination unit 105 determines the customer's movement line based on the data acquired by the optical radar 50, and determines whether the customer has taken an item from the shelf or returned an item to the shelf based on the customer's position and behavior within the store, and determines whether the item has been purchased. Here, an item being taken out is determined to be in an unpurchased state. To determine which items have been taken in or out, weight changes must be detected by the weight sensor 21 on the shelf 20.

[0038] The data storage unit 106 is provided in the external storage device 15, and registers and manages, for example, a customer table 107A (FIG. 4), an inventory table 107B (FIG. 5), a behavior history table 107C (FIG. 6), and the like.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4, for example, customer table 107A registers and stores purchased products (e.g., product ID and product name) and unpurchased leftover products (e.g., product ID and product name) by purchase date as a purchase history linked to customer information, i.e., customer ID, assigned to the customer at the time of registration. Unpurchased leftover products refer to products that were taken from shelves 20 after entering the store but returned to shelves 20 before leaving. Here, leftover products refer to products that the customer took from shelves 20 and picked up.

[0040] For example, in the case of customer ID "00030," on September 6, 2023, the purchased products will be Juice A and Ice Cream A, and the unpurchased products returned to shelf 20 will be Biscuits A and Gum B. For example, the product IDs for Gum B and Biscuits A are "6721" and "3357," respectively.

[0041] In addition, as shown in Figure 5, inventory table 107B registers and stores, linked to a product ID previously assigned to the product, the product name, type indicating the type of product to identify it, sales price (yen), purchase date, best-before date (or use-by date), a discount flag to identify products eligible for discounts using information that can be set arbitrarily by the store, a new product flag that manages products as new products for a certain period after they arrive in stock, a stretch flag that manages products that have been removed from the product shelf 20 at least once, the stock quantity that is added at the time of arrival and subtracted after sale (payment) for inventory management purposes, and the priority of the product itself.

[0042] Each flag is set as "1" for valid and "0" for invalid. The discount flag may be set arbitrarily by the store, or may be selected randomly using a predetermined algorithm. The new product flag can be automatically set from the date of purchase if the store arbitrarily sets the period for registering a new product. The hand-stretching flag can be set based on weight detection by the weight sensor 21 on the product shelf 20, etc.

[0043] The priority may be set automatically based on the state of each flag and the expiration date using a pre-prepared algorithm, or may be set manually by the store using the operation input unit 103.

[0044] For example, when actively selling new products, a product group (described later) is configured by referring to the new product flag. At that time, a process is executed to select products with high priority as shown in FIG. 5 as products that configure the product group (described later).

[0045] Furthermore, when products with an approaching expiration date are actively sold as inventory clearance, the current date and expiration date are referenced, and a process is executed to select products with a high priority as products that make up the product group described below. For example, if the expiration date is less than one month, it may be determined that the expiration date is approaching and a high priority may be set.

[0046] In addition, even if a product does not sell as planned within a predetermined period and the inventory does not decrease, the product may be selected as a product to be included in the product group described below as a target for inventory disposal. In this case, the inventory decrease rate can be calculated from the relationship between the elapsed period and the change in inventory quantity by arbitrarily dividing the period, and products that fall below a certain decrease rate can be selected as a target for inventory disposal.

[0047] In Figure 5, for the product name "Candy A" with product ID "2136," the type is registered as "Candy," the selling price is 100 yen, the purchase date is December 15, 2022, and the expiration date is December 15, 2023. Since the discount flag, new product flag, and stretch flag for this Candy A are all zero, it is a product that is not eligible for discounts, is not a new product, and has no stretch history. In this case, the priority is set low at "7."

[0048] In addition, for the product name "Biscuit A" with product ID "3357," the type is registered as "biscuit," the selling price is 100 yen, the purchase date is October 7, 2023, and the expiration date is October 10, 2024. For this biscuit A, the discount flag, new product flag, and stretch flag are "1," "1," and "0," respectively, making it a product eligible for discount, a new product, and one with no stretch history. In this case, the priority is set to "1," with a higher priority.

[0049] Here, the priority can be ranked by absolute value for all products received by the store, or of course, by product type. In addition to this method, it is also possible to set separate priorities and rank products for discount flag "1", new product flag "1", clearance flag "1", and clearance products.

[0050] 6, the behavior history table 107C registers and stores authentication result data, location data within the store, purchasing behavior status, observation time data, data on unpurchased items during the store visit, and data on purchased items during the store, all linked to a pre-registered customer ID. The authentication result data is registered as "OK" if the user is successfully authenticated by the user recognition unit 104 when entering the store, and as "NG" if not.

[0051] The location data is coordinate data indicating the location of the customer in the store based on data acquired by the optical radar 50 by the behavior determination unit 105. The observation time data indicates the time measured by the timer control of the CPU 11, for example.

[0052] The data on unpurchased items during a visit is created by registering the item ID of an item when it is taken off the shelf for purchase during the visit, and when the registered unpurchased item is returned to the shelf, the corresponding item ID is deleted.

[0053] The data on purchased items during a visit to the store is composed of the product IDs of items purchased during the visit and paid for. Purchases during a visit to the store will be described later.

[0054] For example, for customer ID "00030," as shown in Figure 6, the authentication result is "OK" and the purchasing behavior status is "In store," indicating that the customer is still shopping. As of 11:00 on October 10, 2023, the unpurchased item is lunch box A with product ID "9001," and at this point in time, no purchased items have yet been registered.

[0055] In the case of a customer who has already left the store, the time of leaving, 10:00 on October 10, 2023, is registered as the observation time, and the purchasing behavior status is registered as "all payments completed," as in the case of the customer with customer ID "00101" shown in Figure 6. Of course, in the case of a customer who leaves the store without purchasing anything, the status of leaving the store is registered, and if there is any reaching for a product, the behavior history is registered and kept as a record in customer table 107A shown in Figure 4.

[0056] Returning now to the explanation of Fig. 3, the discount price setting unit 108 presets the discount rate required for discount sales according to this embodiment, and when presenting product prices to customers, acquires the product price calculated by multiplying the sales price of the discounted product by the discount rate. In this embodiment, discount processing based on the discount rate is applied as the discount rule.

[0057] The priority determination unit 109, details of which will be described later, selects one or more products to form a product group based on the priorities shown in Fig. 5. This selection criterion takes into consideration price as well as priority, and the product group is formed by selecting products with the same price by referring to the sales prices in the inventory table 107B shown in Fig. 5.

[0058] The product group configuration unit 110 configures a product group based on the selected product or products. The discount price setting unit 108 obtains the actual sales price by multiplying the uniform sales price of the product group configured by the product group configuration unit 110 by a discount rate.

[0059] The display processing unit 113 acquires product group data from the product group configuration unit 110, and further acquires the discounted sales price from the discount price setting unit 108, and forms display data to be transmitted to the user terminal 90 via the communication control unit 101.

[0060] After the display data is sent from the display processing unit 113 to the user terminal 90, when the operation input unit 103 receives an operation indicating a purchase intention from the user terminal 90, the product selection unit 111 automatically selects the product with the highest priority among the product group as the product for sale, rather than selecting a product based on the customer's operation. Of course, since the product group is already made up of products with high priority, selecting one product by random numbers does not change the sales promotion effect.

[0061] When a product is selected by the product selection unit 111, the payment processing unit 112 executes payment processing as a purchase procedure during the visit to the store. As a result, in the customer table 107A, gum A with product ID "3357" is registered and stored as a purchased product (purchase history), as shown by arrow AR1 in FIG. 4. At the same time, in the inventory table 107B, the inventory quantity of gum A is changed from 10 units to 9 units, as shown by arrow AR2 in FIG. 5. At the same time, in the behavior history table 107C, gum A with product ID "3357" is registered and stored as a purchased product during the visit, as shown by arrow AR3 in FIG. 6. Here, the state as of 11:10 on October 10, 2023 is used as an example.

[0062] When a customer leaves the store, the payment processing unit 112 also executes processing to obtain data on unpurchased items by referencing the behavior history table 107C and execute a process to settle the unpurchased items in cooperation with the payment platform 60. The trigger to execute the settlement occurs when the store entry / exit determination unit 102 detects that the customer has left the store, i.e., moved outside the store. In this embodiment, as an example, a gate for settlement is not provided within the store. Therefore, when a customer who has been authenticated as a user leaves the store, there is no need to complete a settlement procedure at the gate, and the customer can leave the store with the unpurchased items.

[0063] Next, the operation of the store sales promotion device 10 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 11. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation according to this embodiment, Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the product group configuration process according to this embodiment, and Figures 9, 10, and 11 are explanatory diagrams illustrating examples of screen transitions according to this embodiment. Note that the operation is executed by the program 12 in Figure 2.

[0064] Regarding the customer's entry into the store, the store entry / exit determination unit 102 determines whether or not the customer has entered the store (step S401). If it is determined that the customer has entered the store, the user recognition unit 104 identifies the customer through user authentication from the authentication infrastructure 70 (step S402) and obtains a result that the user, i.e., the customer, has been recognized (step S403). Note that the determination as to whether or not the customer is a registered customer is made by checking against customer table 107A, which has previously registered customers.

[0065] If the customer is recognized, analysis of the customer's movement within the store is started, and while the customer is moving within the store, the purchasing behavior status in the behavior history table 107C is set to "in the store" (step S404). As an example, the customer with customer ID "0030" is set to "in the store."

[0066] Next, the process enters an event acceptance state (step S405, NO route in step S406). The events include acceptance of a customer login by the user terminal 90, detection of taking out or returning a product, detection of leaving the store, acceptance of an operation by the user terminal 90 indicating a purchase intention, acceptance of an operation by the user terminal 90 to check discounted products, etc.

[0067] When any of the above events is accepted (YES route in step S406), the type of the event is determined (step S407). When the customer's login via the user terminal 90 is accepted, the process proceeds to step S408. When the taking out or returning of a product is detected, the process proceeds to step S410.

[0068] Furthermore, when it is detected that a customer who has entered the store and has completed user authentication is leaving the store, the process proceeds to step S411. Furthermore, when an operation indicating a purchase intention is accepted by the user terminal 90, the process proceeds to step S413. Furthermore, when an operation to check discounted products is accepted by the user terminal 90, the process proceeds to step S415.

[0069] In step S408 of the login process, user authentication is performed via the user terminal 90, and subsequent communication with the user terminal 90 becomes possible. Subsequent communication includes accepting an operation to indicate an intention to purchase a group of products, accepting an operation to check discounted products, and notifying the completion of payment for purchased products. After the login process is completed in this manner, the process returns to step S405.

[0070] In step S409, when taking out or returning of a product is detected, the behavior history table 107C is updated as the customer's behavior history. For example, when a customer with customer ID "00030" takes lunch box A from the product shelf 20, the weight sensor 21 detects the removal of lunch box A (product), the product ID "9001" of that lunch box A is registered, and the registration information for customer ID "00030" is updated.

[0071] In addition, if a customer takes a product from the product shelf 20 and the product remains out for a certain period of time (for example, 10 seconds), the product becomes a candidate for purchase and the product is confirmed for removal.

[0072] As such, it is difficult to instantly determine whether or not a product has been taken out. Therefore, since a customer may simply pick up a product to look at, it is preferable to make a decision after observing the progress for a certain period of time in accordance with the principles of human behavior, which makes it possible to reduce the processing load.

[0073] Similarly, weight sensor 21 detects the taking in and out of products on shelf 20, so when an unpurchased product is returned to shelf 20, similar to the case of taking out the product described above, if the customer returns the product from shelf 20 and this state continues for a certain period of time (for example, 10 seconds), the return of the product is confirmed and the data of the returned unpurchased product is deleted from behavior history table 107C. Monitoring the return of this product for a certain period of time also leads to a reduction in the processing load.

[0074] In this way, when the behavior history update process in step S409 is completed, the process returns to step S405.

[0075] Furthermore, in the settlement process for non-purchase items when a customer's departure is detected (step S410), the behavior history table 107C is first referenced. For example, when a customer with customer ID "00030" leaves the store, the presence or absence of unpurchased items is checked, and it is determined that lunch box A with product ID "9001" has not been purchased. Therefore, the settlement process for product ID "9001" is executed for customer ID "00030."

[0076] After this, as a store exit process, the purchasing behavior status of customer ID "00030" is updated to "All payments completed", the inventory quantity linked to product ID "9001" in inventory table 107B is decremented by one, and product ID "9001" is added to the purchased products for customer ID "00030" in customer table 107A. At this time, if there is an item that was reached for (taken out) but returned and not purchased, the corresponding product ID is added as an out-of-stock item. In this way, when the store exit process is completed, this process for the customer ends.

[0077] Furthermore, for customers who have completed the login process in step S406 and whose purchasing behavior status is currently visiting the store (behavior history table 107C), it becomes possible to accept operations for checking discounted products and operations for indicating purchase intention from the user terminal 90.

[0078] Regarding discounted product check, although not shown, after logging in, a discounted product check menu is presented to the user terminal 90, making it possible to accept operations from the customer.

[0079] When a discounted product check operation is received from the user terminal 90, the product group configuration process is executed in step S412. In this product group configuration process, as shown in Fig. 8, the store first determines in advance how to configure the product group and stores this pattern as data in the external storage device 15. These patterns include new product recommendations, inventory clearance, and the behavioral history of third parties, and the product group configuration unit 110 configures the product group according to the set pattern.

[0080] In the product group configuration process, first, a pattern for configuring a product group is read (step S501), and the pattern is determined (step S502). As a result, if the set pattern is to recommend a new product, the behavior history table 107C is referenced and the type of product linked to the customer's behavior history is extracted (step S503). As a result, the type of product in which the customer has been interested in the past is confirmed as matching the customer's preferences.

[0081] Next, the product IDs of new products with the same product price that can be discounted among the types extracted in step S503 are read out (step S504), and a product group of the new products is formed based on the priority associated with the read product IDs (step S505).

[0082] Then, a discounted product price is calculated based on a predetermined discount rate for the product price (step S506), and display data based on the product group and the discounted product price is formed and transmitted to the user terminal 90 (step S515).

[0083] 9 shows an example of a product group on, for example, a touch panel type display screen 91 of a user terminal 90. Here, four new products, namely, biscuit A, gum F, candy E, and biscuit D, all with a retail price (list price) of 100 yen, are displayed as a product group. As an example, four products are displayed on one screen, but the number is not limited to four, and may be more or less than four.

[0084] As an example, let's say a discount rate is set at 20 percent, and the list price of this product group is 100 yen, but with the discount, it is a flat 80 yen. As a result, the customer does not have to select one product to purchase from the product group displayed on the display screen 91, but leaves the selection to the store, i.e., the device. In other words, the purchase button 92 displayed on the display screen 91 is the trigger for indicating the intention to purchase to the device by operation. In addition, the display screen 91 also displays a page change button 93, which allows the user to move to the next page if there are five or more new products available.

[0085] Here, for the group of products eligible for discounts, the store can set patterns in advance to prioritize conditions such as new product push, inventory clearance, expiration date, and products that are being sold out.

[0086] Of course, it is also possible to prepare an algorithm that determines the priority by combining multiple conditions and creates a product group with a predetermined number of products.The important thing here is that the product group is created using the priority that determines the sales priority as an index.

[0087] Next, when prioritizing sales for the purpose of inventory clearance or expiration date considerations, or when prioritizing products by combining multiple conditions as described above to create a product group for sale, processing from step S507 onwards is executed as an inventory clearance pattern.

[0088] That is, when the set pattern is inventory clearance, first, the behavior history table 107C is referenced to extract the type of product linked to the behavior history of the customer (step S507). This allows the type of product that the customer has been interested in in the past to be confirmed.

[0089] Next, the product IDs of products of the type extracted in step S507 that are available for discount, have the same product price, and have been managed as inventory for a long period since purchase or are close to their expiration date are read out (step S508), and a product group of the products is formed based on the priority associated with the read product IDs (step S509).

[0090] Of course, products managed as long-term inventory and products with an approaching expiration date may be handled separately. In addition, the period considered long-term and the period from the expiration date to be subject to inventory clearance may be set arbitrarily by the store, or a formula (logic) for determining inventory clearance may be set.

[0091] Then, a discounted product price is calculated based on a predetermined discount rate for the product price (step S510), and display data based on the product group and the discounted product price is formed and transmitted to the user terminal 90 (step S515).

[0092] In the case of inventory clearance, as shown in Figure 10, a process is executed in which direct expressions are avoided and the title is displayed as "Introducing discounted products" on the display screen 91. Here, four items, Gum B, Gum S, Candy G, and Biscuit Z, all with a selling price (list price) of 100 yen, are displayed as a product group for clearance.

[0093] In this case, for example, the discount rate is set to 20%, and the list price of this product group is reduced to a flat 80 yen from 100 yen. This allows the customer to leave the selection to the store, i.e., this device, rather than selecting one product to purchase from the product group displayed on the display screen 91.

[0094] That is, the purchase button 92 displayed on the display screen 91 is a trigger for indicating the intention to purchase to the device by operation. Also, the display screen 91 displays a page switching button 93, which allows the user to move to the next page when there are five or more new products available.

[0095] Furthermore, when products that third parties (other customers) visiting the store are interested in are given priority for sale, a process is executed in which the title "Introducing products that are of great interest to you all" is displayed on the display screen 91, as shown in Fig. 11. In this case, too, it is desirable that the products be those that the store wants to sell with priority, so it is desirable to select products taking into consideration conditions such as clearance and expiration dates for products that third parties have picked up by hand.

[0096] That is, when a product that a third party (other customer) visiting the store is interested in is to be sold preferentially, first, the behavior history table 107C is referenced to extract the type of product linked to the customer's behavior history (step S511). This allows the type of product that the customer has been interested in in the past to be confirmed.

[0097] Next, the product IDs of the products extracted in step S511 that are discountable, have the same product price, and have a history of being picked up by a third party are read out (step S512), and a product group of the products is formed based on the priority associated with the read product IDs (step S513).Of course, it is also possible to further consider products that have been kept in stock for a long period of time for sales promotion purposes by the store, or products with an approaching expiration date.

[0098] Then, a discounted product price is calculated based on a predetermined discount rate for the product price (step S514), and display data based on the product group and the discounted product price is formed and transmitted to the user terminal 90 (step S515).

[0099] When products that are of interest to third parties (other customers) visiting the store are given priority for sale, a process is executed to display the title "Introducing products that will be of great interest to you all" on the display screen 91, as shown in Fig. 11. Here, four products for sale, Gum R, Gum Q, Candy B, and Biscuit Y, each with a retail price (list price) of 100 yen, are displayed as a product group.

[0100] In this case, too, let us assume that a discount rate of 20% has been preset, and the list price of this product group, 100 yen, has been discounted to a flat 80 yen. As a result, the customer does not select one product to purchase from the product group displayed on the display screen 91, but leaves the selection to the store, i.e., the device. In other words, the purchase button 92 displayed on the display screen 91 serves as a trigger for indicating the intention to purchase to the device through operation. In addition, the display screen 91 also displays a page switching button 93, which allows the user to move to the next page if there are five or more new product groups available.

[0101] As described above, the product group configuration process (FIG. 8) in step S412 is executed, and the process returns to the event reception process in step S406.

[0102] After this product group configuration process is executed, in the event reception of step S406, it becomes possible to accept an operation indicating an intention to purchase the product group from the user terminal 90. That is, in any of the cases of Fig. 9, Fig. 10, and Fig. 11, when the customer taps the purchase button 92 on the display screen 91, an operation indicating a decision to purchase is accepted.

[0103] When the purchase intention operation is accepted, one product for sale is determined as the product to be purchased by the customer according to a predetermined product selection rule, i.e., product selection based on priority (product selection based on random numbers may also be possible if pre-set by the store) (step S413).

[0104] If it is a new product, for example, biscuit A is selected as the product to be purchased and displayed on the display screen 91, as shown by the arrow AR11 in Fig. 9. This display is achieved by the display processing unit 113 forming display data in response to an instruction from the payment processing unit 112 and transmitting it to the user terminal 90. If the back button 94 is operated here, the display screen 91 returns to the new product introduction page.

[0105] 10, gum B is selected as the product to be purchased and displayed on the display screen 91. This display is also achieved by the display processing unit 113 forming display data in response to an instruction from the payment processing unit 112 and transmitting it to the user terminal 90. Here too, if the back button 94 is operated, the display screen 91 returns to the new product introduction page.

[0106] Furthermore, if a third party visiting the store is interested in the product, for example, candy B is selected as the product to be purchased and displayed on the display screen 91, as shown by the arrow AR13 in Fig. 11. This display is also achieved by the display processing unit 113 forming display data in response to an instruction from the payment processing unit 112 and transmitting it to the user terminal 90. Here too, if the back button 94 is operated, the display screen 91 will return to the new product introduction page.

[0107] As explained above, according to this embodiment, first, by discounting product prices, it is possible to lower the psychological hurdle of price for customers and increase their willingness to purchase, and it is also possible to take into consideration the customer's preferences based on their purchasing history and the flow of movement within the store. Furthermore, it is possible to realize a flow from selecting a product for sale (a product purchased by the customer) from a product group consisting of high-priority products that the store actively wants to sell, to completing the sale.

[0108] In this way, allowing the store to proceed to payment for the final selected products leads to more efficient store operations in terms of purchasing.

[0109] Stores will also enjoy the following benefits:

[0110] Especially when selling in a small space, measures that increase the turnover of displayed products have a direct impact on total sales and have a significant promotional effect.

[0111] The sales promotion method of adjusting the price of a new product by discounting it as a new product introduction gives consumers the opportunity to experience the new product from the time of its release. By monitoring sales after that, it is possible to identify best-selling products, which not only improves sales efficiency (efficiency of the sales floor) but also reduces products that remain in long-term inventory.

[0112] By incorporating campaigns and other event elements with a slight discount as a premise, it is possible to increase the opportunities for customers to visit the store. In addition, since discount targets can be selected based on customer preferences (purchase history, non-purchase history, etc.), it is possible to realize efficient sales promotion that matches customer preferences from the perspective of purchasing motivation.

[0113] On the other hand, customers can enjoy the following benefits:

[0114] If a group of products that match the customer's own preferences are discounted and the prices of each product in the group are uniform, the psychological resistance to making a purchase will be reduced, even if the store decides which products to purchase, and the psychological hurdle to making a purchase will be lowered.

[0115] In addition, by including purchase history and behavioral history in customer data, product groups are set up with products that take into account the customer's preferences, and since the products presented are discounted to a uniform price, there is no variation in product prices, making it possible to eliminate unnecessary criteria for judgment based on price differences.

[0116] In particular, by taking into account the detection of customers' reaching movements in purchasing behavior, it is possible to determine customer preferences from their behavior.In addition, when a customer visits a store, the preferences and behavior of other customers in the store are taken into account in real time, allowing the system to provide a range of products, which can help customers discover new products.

[0117] Furthermore, the product group is constructed taking into consideration the stock status of each product, the expiration date of each product (which may be the consumption period or a combination thereof), or the time of purchase of each product, so it is possible to take measures to deal with unsold items, reduce the risk of disposal in the case of existing products, and promote sales of new products.

[0118] Furthermore, when the store selects one product from a group of products by random numbers, all products are displayed to the customer in a form that matches the customer's preferences, and all products are presented at a uniform discounted price, so anxiety about product prices can be eliminated.

[0119] Furthermore, since each product is ranked according to its sales priority, it is possible for the store to present products to customers in the order of the products it has prioritized for sale. In particular, since the final product group is created taking into consideration customer preferences, it is possible to realize sales promotion through the correlation and synergy between the products that customers want to purchase and the products that the store wants to sell.

[0120] In the above-described embodiment, the purchase procedure including the display of a range of products on the screen of the user terminal 90 is carried out in cooperation with the user terminal 90 such as a smartphone carried by the customer, but the present invention is not limited to this, and similar functions may be realized by input / output devices, monitors, and other display devices in the store.

[0121] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment exemplifies a brick-and-mortar store where a customer actually makes a purchase in the store, the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to online sales, such as those on the Internet. In this case, instead of a behavioral history that detects a customer reaching for a product in the store, an operation link history of accessing a product page on the screen and viewing a product overview is stored as the behavioral history. This behavioral history is then taken into account as a product selection factor when creating a product group. In this way, it is possible to achieve the same sales promotion in both brick-and-mortar stores and online, thereby realizing omni-channelization. Of course, application and linkage to Internet advertising is also possible.

[0122] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the discount at the time of purchase was linked to one motivation to purchase, but by offering more points than usual for this purchase, it is possible to emphasize the benefits to the customer and take measures to further increase motivation to purchase.

[0123] In addition, in the above embodiment, which gives an example of an unmanned store, there is a method in which customers can remove purchased items from the shelves themselves, but from the perspective of an unmanned store, a vending machine can be provided, which can store discounted items and be responsible for displaying the product lineup, performing purchasing operations, and even handing over the purchased items.

[0124] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a single store was used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and in order to be applicable to chain stores, related stores, etc., an ID may be assigned to each store and managed centrally.

[0125] In the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which products that customers other than the customer (third parties) are interested in are recommended, but instead of the broad category of third parties, it is also possible to limit the recommendation to customers who entered the store together and analyze the movement of the group to recommend products that someone in the group picked up (reached products).If other customers in the group are registered users, it is easy to identify the users, but if they are not registered, a provisional group determination may be made based on movement analysis or camera footage.

[0126] In the above-described embodiment, a product group is composed of products with the same selling price. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the selling prices of the products in a product group are different, a discount rule may be used in which different discount rates are applied to the respective selling prices to adjust them to the same selling price. The process corresponding to this is the product group composition process in step S412 (FIG. 7). In this case, the discounted price of the cheapest product may be unified. In this way, by composing a product group with products of different prices, it is possible to give customers a sense of value and increase their willingness to purchase.

[0127] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the discount on the sales price was calculated using a discount rate, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the amount to be discounted from the sales price may be determined in advance. Of course, since the sales price varies depending on the product, the discount amount may be set for each price range. As a discount rule, for example, a rule may be set such that a discount of 20 yen is applied when the sales price is 100 yen or more but less than 200 yen, or a rule may be set such that a discount of 30 yen is applied when the sales price is 200 yen or more but less than 300 yen. The process corresponding to this is the process of calculating the discounted product price in steps S506, S510, and S514 (FIG. 8). [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1. Unmanned store operation system 10. Store sales promotion devices 11 CPU 12 Programs 13. Memory 14 Operating Devices 15 External storage device 16 Communication Interface 17 Bus 20 product shelves 21 Weight sensor 30 monitors 40 Input / Output Devices 41 Camera 42 Touch Panel 50 Optical Radar 60 Payment Infrastructure 70 Authentication Infrastructure 90 User terminals 90A display screen 101 Communication control unit 102 Entry / exit judgment department 103 Operation input section 104 User Recognition Unit 105 Behavior Judgment Department 106 Data storage unit 107A Customer Table 107B Inventory Table 107C Action History Table 108 Discount Pricing Department 109 Priority judgment section 110 Product Group Composition Department 111 Product Selection Department 112 Payment processing unit 113 Display processing unit

Claims

1. A store sales promotion device connected to a terminal having operation and display functions, which sells one or more products displayed in a store at a discount, comprising: a storage unit that stores data on prices, flags according to sales purposes, and sales priorities in association with each of the products, and stores data on purchase behavior history in association with customer information that identifies the customer; an authentication unit that identifies a customer who has visited the store through the terminal and acquires the identified customer information from the data stored in the storage unit; a product group configuration unit that configures a product group consisting of one or more products based on the data stored in the storage unit in association with the customer information acquired by the authentication unit; a price setting unit that sets a uniform discounted sales price for the product group configured by the product group configuration unit according to a predetermined discount rule; a display processing unit that forms display data based on the product group configured by the product group configuration unit and the discounted sales price set by the price setting unit and outputs the display data to the terminal of the customer authenticated by the authentication unit; a selection unit that accepts an operation of the terminal after the display processing unit has output to the terminal and selects one product as a sales product from the product group configured by the product group configuration unit based on a product selection rule prepared in advance; A store sales promotion device comprising:

2. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, further comprising a payment processing unit for executing payment for the merchandise for sale selected by said selection unit.

3. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein said storage unit further stores past purchase history data in association with said customer information.

4. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, further comprising an optical sensor for detecting the position of a customer within the store and a weight sensor for detecting changes in the weight of a product, and a behavior determination unit for determining the taking out and returning of a product as a purchasing behavior based on the detection of the optical sensor and the weight sensor and in association with the customer information stored in the memory unit.

5. 5. The store sales promotion device according to claim 4, wherein the behavior determination unit determines the store entry and exit status of a customer corresponding to the customer information stored in the memory unit based on detection by the optical sensor, and the memory unit stores the status determined by the behavior determination unit as data corresponding to the customer information stored in the memory unit.

6. 6. The store sales promotion device according to claim 5, further characterized in that the behavior determination unit determines the purchasing behavior of a customer corresponding to the customer information stored in the memory unit when the customer enters the store.

7. 6. The store sales promotion device according to claim 5, wherein the product group configuration unit configures the product group taking into account the purchasing behavior of other customers visiting the store as determined by the behavior determination unit.

8. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in said storage unit includes a purchase date for each of said products.

9. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in said storage unit includes a best-before date for each of said products.

10. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the product selection rule is a rule for selecting one product by a random number.

11. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the discount rule is a rule that sets a uniform sales price at a predetermined discount rate when the products constituting the product group have the same sales price.

12. 2. The store sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the discount rule is a rule that sets a uniform post-discount sales price when the products constituting the product group have different sales prices.

13. A store sales system that sells products displayed in a store, an input / output device installed in the store for displaying and accepting input operations; a store sales promotion device that sells products displayed in the store at a discount; Equipped with The store sales promotion device a storage unit that stores data on prices, flags according to sales purposes, and sales priorities in association with products displayed in the store, and also stores data on purchase behavior history in association with customer information that identifies customers; an authentication unit that identifies a customer who has visited the store through the input / output device and acquires the identified customer information from the data stored in the storage unit; a product group configuration unit that configures a product group consisting of one or more products based on the data stored in the storage unit in association with the customer information acquired by the authentication unit; a price setting unit that sets a uniform discounted sales price for the product group configured by the product group configuration unit according to a predetermined discount rule; a display processing unit that generates display data based on the product group configured by the product group configuration unit and the discounted sales price set by the price setting unit and outputs the display data to the input / output device; a selection unit that accepts an operation of the input / output device after the display processing unit has output to the input / output device and selects one product as a sales product from the product group configured by the product group configuration unit based on a product selection rule prepared in advance; a payment processing unit that executes payment procedures for the merchandise for sale selected by the selection unit in association with the customer information acquired by the authentication unit; A store sales system comprising:

14. A store sales promotion method for a device that is connected to a terminal having operation and display functions and that sells one or more products displayed in a store at a discount, comprising: The device comprises: a memory for storing data on prices, flags according to sales purposes, and sales priorities in association with each of the products, and for storing data on purchase behavior history in association with customer information for identifying customers; a first step of identifying a customer who has visited the store through the terminal and acquiring information about the identified customer from data stored in the memory; a second step of assembling a product group consisting of one or more products based on the data stored in the memory in association with the customer information acquired in the first step; a third step of setting a uniform discounted sales price for the group of products configured by the second step according to a predetermined discount rule; a fourth step of forming display data based on the product group configured in the second step and the discounted sales price set in the third step, and outputting the display data to the terminal of the customer authenticated in the first step; a fifth step of accepting an operation of the terminal after the output to the terminal in the fourth step and selecting one product as a sales product from the group of products configured in the second step based on a product selection rule prepared in advance; A store sales promotion method comprising:

15. The store sales promotion method according to claim 14, further comprising a sixth step in which the device is connected to a weight sensor that detects weight changes of each product displayed in the store and an optical sensor that detects the position of a customer linked to the customer information acquired in the first step and each product placed in the store, and determines the position of the customer linked to the customer information acquired in the first step and the taking in and out of products based on detection by the weight sensor and the optical sensor, and stores the determination result in the memory as a behavioral history.

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