Information processing methods
The method supports the increase in penetration rate of specific payment methods by identifying low-penetration areas and deploying vehicles with these methods, along with incentives, effectively boosting their usage.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing payment systems lack a mechanism to increase the penetration rate of specific payment methods, particularly in mobile stores.
An information processing method that identifies store target areas and acquires penetration rate information for various payment methods, dispatching vehicles equipped with specific payment methods to areas with low penetration rates, offering incentives such as refunds or notifications to encourage their use.
Enhances the adoption rate of specific payment methods by providing targeted deployment and incentives, thereby increasing their penetration in target areas.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to an information processing method.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, there is known a payment system used in a mobile store that gives points to users who use face pass payment at a high rate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In the above background art, there is no mention of the penetration rate of payment means and there is room for improvement.
[0005] In view of such circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to support an increase in the penetration rate of a specific payment means.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] An information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing method by an information processing apparatus, where the information processing apparatus includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, and is communicable with a network via the communication unit, by the control unit, identifying a store target area in the storage unit, acquiring, from the storage unit, penetration rate information indicating the penetration rate of each payment means in the store target area, If, based on the aforementioned penetration rate information, it is determined that the penetration rate of the first payment method is below a first predetermined value, then a vehicle of a business operator that can use the first payment method will be dispatched to the target area for store openings. Includes. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, it is possible to support an increase in the adoption rate of a particular payment method. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the information processing system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the operation of an information processing device. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the data structure of the penetration rate information database. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the data structure of the payment method database. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the information processing system S of this embodiment. The information processing system S includes an information processing device 1 and a vehicle 2 that can communicate with each other via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, a mobile communication network, the Internet, or a fixed communication network.
[0010] In Figure 1, for the sake of simplicity, one information processing unit 1 and one vehicle 2 are shown. However, the number of information processing units 1 and vehicles 2 is not limited to these figures. For example, the processing performed by information processing unit 1 may be performed by multiple distributed information processing units 1. Information processing unit 1 may be able to communicate with multiple vehicles 2. Multiple vehicles 2 may be connected to a network NW.
[0011] The information processing device 1 may be a server that supports the provision of services by a service provider. The information processing device 1 may be installed, for example, in a facility exclusively for the service provider or in a shared facility including a data center. Alternatively, the information processing device 1 may be mounted on a vehicle 2. The information processing device 1 may also be referred to as a center server or a roll call system.
[0012] Vehicle 2 includes any type of automobile, such as a gasoline car, diesel car, HEV, PHEV, BEV, or FCEV. "HEV" is an abbreviation for hybrid electric vehicle. "PHEV" is an abbreviation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. "BEV" is an abbreviation for battery electric vehicle. "FCEV" is an abbreviation for fuel cell electric vehicle. The operation of Vehicle 2 may be automated to any level. The level of automation may be, for example, one of levels 1 to 5 in the SAE classification. "SAE" is an abbreviation for Society of Automotive Engineers. Vehicle 2 may also be a vehicle dedicated to MaaS. "MaaS" is an abbreviation for Mobility as a Service. As an alternative, Vehicle 2 may be driven by a driver.
[0013] Figure 2 shows a detailed explanation of the internal configuration of the information processing device 1.
[0014] The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a display unit 14. Each component of the information processing device 1 is connected to each other so as to be able to communicate, for example, via a dedicated line.
[0015] The control unit 11 includes, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 11 may include one or more dedicated processors specialized for specific processing. Instead of including processors, the control unit 11 may include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 11 may also include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control unit 11 sends and receives arbitrary information via the communication unit 12.
[0016] The communication unit 12 includes a communication module compatible with one or more wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards for connecting to a network. The communication unit 12 may include a module compatible with one or more mobile communication standards, including LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 12 may include a communication module, etc., compatible with one or more short-range communication standards or specifications, including Bluetooth®, AirDrop®, IrDA, ZigBee®, Felica®, or RFID. The communication unit 12 transmits and receives arbitrary information via the network.
[0017] The storage unit 13 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or a combination of at least two of these, but is not limited thereto. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The RAM is, for example, a SRAM or a DRAM. The ROM is, for example, an EEPROM. The storage unit 13 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 13 may store the information of the results analyzed or processed by the control unit 11. The storage unit 13 may store various information related to the operation or control of the information processing apparatus 1. The storage unit 13 may store a system program, an application program, and embedded software, etc. The storage unit 13 may be provided outside the information processing apparatus 1 and accessed from the information processing apparatus 1. The storage unit 13 includes a penetration rate information DB and a payment means DB.
[0018] The information processing method executed in the information processing system S of the present embodiment will be described in detail. Here, as an example, the vehicle 2 is used by a business operator. The business is, for example, a restaurant. The vehicle 2 is movable and provides goods or services as a store in the store target area.
[0019] In S1 of FIG. 3, the control unit 11 of the information processing apparatus 1 specifies the store target area by referring to the storage unit 13. The store target area is specified by the user.
[0020] In S2, the control unit 11 acquires from the storage unit 13 the penetration rate information indicating the penetration rate of each payment means in the store target area. As shown in FIG. 4, in the penetration rate information DB, the penetration rate of each payment means is stored in association with the store target area.
[0021] The payment means is provided by a payment provider. For each business operator, the payment provider with which they contract may be different. The payment means may be, for example, electronic money, a two-dimensional code, a credit card, a debit card, or a cryptocurrency. The business operator, the owner of the vehicle 2, and the payment provider may be different. The business operator, the owner of the vehicle 2, and the payment provider may be combined and stored in the storage unit 13 by the information processing apparatus 1.
[0022] In S3, the control unit 11 determines from the acquired penetration rate information whether the penetration rate of the first payment method is less than or equal to a first predetermined value. The first payment method may be specified by the user or may be arbitrarily set by the information processing device 1. The first predetermined value can be arbitrarily set.
[0023] If the result in S3 is No, the control unit 11 does not execute S4.
[0024] As shown in Figure 5, in the payment method DB, the payment methods available to the operator of vehicle 2 are associated and stored for each vehicle 2. If the answer is Yes in S3, in S4 the control unit 11 identifies the vehicle of the operator that can use the first payment method and dispatches the identified vehicle 2 to the target store area. The control unit 11 may control vehicle 2, which is an autonomous vehicle, to move to the target store area, or it may instruct the user to move vehicle 2 to the target store area.
[0025] As an additional or alternative example, if the control unit 11 determines that the penetration rate of the first payment method is below a second predetermined value, which is even lower than the first predetermined value, it may increase the refund rate in the storage unit 13 when the first payment method is used in vehicle 2. A refund indicates that part or all of the funds paid by the user using the first payment method are returned to the same user. A refund may be called a cashback.
[0026] As an additional or alternative example, the control unit 11 may detect payment methods available to the user (in this case, the customer). These available payment methods may be detected in the storage unit 13 or by a terminal operated by the user. If the control unit 11 determines that the first payment method eligible for refund is not included among the available payment methods, it may notify the user of the first payment method eligible for refund via the output unit of the vehicle 2. The output unit of the vehicle 2 may be, for example, a speaker or a display.
[0027] As an additional or alternative example, in S4, the control unit 11 may dispatch a vehicle 2 capable of notifying the method of use or registration of the first payment method that is eligible for a refund. The notification may be made via the output unit of the vehicle 2.
[0028] As described above, according to this embodiment, the operation of the control unit 11 includes identifying the target area for opening a store in the storage unit 13, obtaining penetration rate information from the storage unit 13 indicating the penetration rate of each payment method in the target area, and, if it is determined from the penetration rate information that the penetration rate of the first payment method is below a first predetermined value, dispatching a vehicle 2 of a business operator that can use the first payment method to the target area. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can support an increase in the penetration rate of a specific payment method in the target area for opening a store.
[0029] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the operation of the control unit 11 includes increasing the refund rate in the storage unit 13 when the first payment method is used in the vehicle 2, if it determines that the penetration rate of the first payment method is below a second predetermined value which is lower than a first predetermined value. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can provide the user with an incentive to use the first payment method.
[0030] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the operation of the control unit 11 includes detecting the payment methods available to the user in the storage unit 13, and if it determines that the first payment method eligible for refund is not included among the available payment methods, notifying the user of the first payment method eligible for refund via the output unit of the vehicle 2. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can provide the user with an incentive to use the first payment method.
[0031] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the operation of the control unit 11 includes dispatching a vehicle 2 capable of notifying the user of the method of using or registering the first payment method that is eligible for a refund. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can support the use of the first payment method.
[0032] While this disclosure is described based on drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Furthermore, changes are permitted as long as they do not depart from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each means or step can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple means or steps can be combined into one or divided.
[0033] For example, in the above embodiment, a program that performs all or part of the functions or processing of the information processing device 1 and the vehicle 2 can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes non-temporary computer-readable media, such as a magnetic recording device, optical disc, magneto-optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory. The program can be distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. Alternatively, the program can be distributed by storing it in the storage of any server and transmitting the program from any server to another computer. The program can also be provided as a program product. This disclosure can also be implemented as a program that can be executed by a processor.
[0034] A computer, for example, stores a program recorded on a portable storage medium or a program transferred from a server in its main memory. Then, the computer reads the program stored in the main memory with its processor and executes the processing according to the read program. The computer may also read a program directly from a portable storage medium and execute the processing according to the program. The computer may also execute the processing according to the received program sequentially each time a program is transferred to it from a server. Processing may also be performed by a so-called ASP-type service, which does not transfer programs from the server to the computer, but realizes its function only through execution instructions and result acquisition. "ASP" is an abbreviation for application service provider. A program includes information used for processing by an electronic computer that is equivalent to a program. For example, data that is not a direct instruction to the computer but has the nature of defining the computer's processing falls under "equivalent to a program". [Explanation of symbols]
[0035] S Information Processing System
Claims
1. An information processing method using an information processing device, The aforementioned information processing device includes a control unit, a communication unit, and a storage unit, and is capable of communicating with a network via the communication unit. The control unit, The storage unit identifies the target area for opening stores, The storage unit obtains penetration rate information indicating the penetration rate of each payment method in the target area for store openings, If, based on the aforementioned penetration rate information, it is determined that the penetration rate of the first payment method is below a first predetermined value, then a vehicle of a business operator that can use the first payment method will be dispatched to the target area for store openings. Information processing methods, including those mentioned above.
2. In the information processing method described in claim 1, An information processing method that, when it is determined that the penetration rate of the first payment method is lower than or equal to a second predetermined value which is lower than the first predetermined value, includes increasing the refund rate in the storage unit when the first payment method is used in the vehicle.
3. In the information processing method described in claim 2, The storage unit detects the payment methods available to the user, An information processing method that, if it is determined that the first payment method eligible for a refund is not included among the available payment methods, includes notifying the user of the first payment method eligible for a refund via the output unit of the vehicle.
4. In the information processing method described in claim 2, An information processing method, including dispatching a vehicle capable of notifying the method of use or registration of the first payment method that is eligible for a refund.