Support system

Abstract

To properly support purchase and estimation of an article and to improve convenience of a user.SOLUTION: A support system 1 includes a first support server 100 and a second support server 200 both for supporting purchase or estimation of an article. The first support server 100 includes: a selecting unit for receiving, from a first user, selection of combination or specification of one or more articles; and an actual result information recording unit for recording, as actual result information, information of one or more articles selected by the selecting unit. The second support server 200 includes: a user information acquiring unit for acquiring information relating to a request or characteristic of a second user; an actual result information extracting unit for extracting, from the actual result information recorded by the actual result information recording unit, actual result information matched with the request or characteristic of the second user acquired by the user information acquiring unit; and an actual result information presenting unit for presenting, to the second user, the actual result information extracted by the actual information extracting unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to technologies for assisting in the purchase and quotation of goods.

Background Art

[0002] Household equipment such as kitchen sets and storage sets is composed of multiple goods. For example, a kitchen set is composed by combining goods such as a sink, a faucet, a heating appliance, a worktop, storage, a dishwasher, etc. It is possible to purchase each product individually, but in many cases, multiple products are purchased as a set when building a new house or renovating. In order to improve the convenience for customers who wish to purchase such household equipment, in a showroom provided by a manufacturer, a salesperson asks about the customer's needs, selects products that meet the needs in accordance with prohibited conditions, etc., and provides a quotation for the products.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There are many types of individual goods that make up household equipment, and each specification and function is also rich. Therefore, in order to propose household equipment suitable for customers, a vast amount of knowledge is required, and it takes time to educate the salesperson. In addition, since the combinations of these products and specifications can be extremely numerous, it is difficult for customers to select a combination of products and specifications suitable for themselves. 。

[0005] This disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and its purpose is to appropriately assist in the purchase and quotation of goods and improve the convenience of users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a support system in one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a first support server and a second support server for supporting the purchase or quotation of goods. The first support server comprises a selection unit that accepts the selection of one or more combinations or specifications of goods from a first user, and a performance information recording unit that records information of one or more goods selected by the selection unit as performance information. The second support server comprises a user information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the requests or characteristics of a second user, a performance information extraction unit that extracts performance information from the performance information recorded by the performance information recording unit that matches the requests or characteristics of the second user acquired by the user information acquisition unit, and a performance information presentation unit that presents the performance information extracted by the performance information extraction unit to the second user.

[0007] Another aspect of this disclosure is a support device. This device comprises a user information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the requests or characteristics of a second user; a performance information extraction unit that extracts performance information from performance information of one or more products that have been selected by a first user in combination or specifications, which matches the requests or characteristics of the second user acquired by the user information acquisition unit; and a performance information presentation unit that presents the performance information extracted by the performance information extraction unit to the second user.

[0008] Furthermore, any combination of the above components, as well as any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between methods, apparatus, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also valid forms of this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the configuration of the support system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the procedure by which the first support server assists the first user. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of the support method according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the configuration of the first support server according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a specification selection screen presented to the first user terminal by the first support server. [Figure 6] This diagram shows the configuration of the second support server according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a question screen presented to the second user terminal by the second support server. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a question screen presented to the second user terminal by the second support server. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a question screen presented to the second user terminal by the second support server. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a question screen presented to the second user terminal by the second support server. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a question screen presented to the second user terminal by the second support server. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of a question screen presented to the second user terminal by the second support server. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] As an embodiment of this disclosure, we describe a technology that helps users customize the specifications of a product, such as its color, design, function, and size, or coordinate combinations of multiple products, when considering purchasing a product.

[0011] Figure 1 shows the configuration of a support system according to an embodiment. The support system 1 includes a first support server 100, a second support server 200, a first user terminal 10, a second user terminal 20, and the Internet 2, which is an example of a communication network connecting these devices. In this embodiment, the case of supporting the purchase or quotation of a kitchen set will be mainly described.

[0012] The first support server 100 presents the first user terminal 10 of the first user who is considering purchasing a kitchen set with one or more candidate products that make up the kitchen set, as well as the available colors, designs, functions, sizes, and other specifications for each product, and accepts the selection of product combinations and specifications. When the first user selects one or more product combinations and specifications that make up the system kitchen and requests a quote or purchase, the first support server 100 records the information of the kitchen set for which a quote or purchase was requested as actual performance information.

[0013] The second support server 200 enables the second user to select their preferred kitchen set from among the customized or coordinated kitchen sets recorded as performance information by the first support server 100. The second support server 200 obtains information such as the second user's requests and preferences from the second user's second user terminal 20, selects a kitchen set suitable for the second user from the performance information based on the obtained information, and presents the selected kitchen set to the second user terminal 20.

[0014] In the support system 1 of this embodiment, for a first user who wants to select a combination and specifications of one or more products that make up a kitchen set, the first support server 100 assists the first user in selecting a combination and specifications of products that suit the first user. For a second user who wants to purchase or get a quote for a kitchen set more easily, the second support server 200 assists the second user in selecting a kitchen set that suits them from among kitchen sets that have been customized or coordinated by the first user. This improves user convenience. The first user and the second user may be the same user or different users. Also, the first user terminal 10 and the second user terminal 20 may be the same user or different users.

[0015] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are sequence diagrams showing the procedures of the support method according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the procedure in which the first support server 100 supports the first user. The first support server 100 presents a list of products that can be estimated by the first support server 100 to the first user terminal 10 as selection candidates (S10). The first user terminal 10 transmits the product selected by the first user to the first support server 100 (S12).

[0016] The first support server 100 presents options of setting information for determining a plan for the product selected by the first user to the first user terminal 10 (S16). The first user terminal 10 notifies the first support server 100 of the setting information selected by the first user (S18).

[0017] The first support server 100 selects a plan for the product based on the setting information selected by the first user (S20), and presents selection candidates for the specifications of the products included in the selected plan to the first user terminal 10 (S22). The first user terminal 10 notifies the first support server 100 of the specifications selected by the first user (S24).

[0018] The first support server 100 refers to product combinations, specification prohibition conditions, etc., and determines the suitability of the products and specifications selected by the first user (S26). If the products and specifications selected by the first user meet the conditions, the first support server 100 creates an estimate (S28) and presents it to the first user terminal 10 (S30). The first support server 100 may automatically present an estimate regardless of whether a request for presenting an estimate is made from the first user when the products and specifications selected by the first user meet the conditions, or may present an estimate when a request for presenting an estimate is made from the first user terminal 10. If the first user wishes to purchase the presented product, the first user terminal 10 requests the first support server 100 to purchase the product (S32). The first support server 100 executes the processing necessary for the first user to purchase the product (S34).

[0019] The first support server 100 records information about products that have been customized or coordinated by the first user and for which a quote or purchase has been requested as performance information (S36). The first support server 100 may also record information about products for which a purchase has been requested as performance information.

[0020] Figure 3 shows the procedure by which the second support server 200 assists the second user. The second support server 200 requests information about the second user (S50). As will be described later, the information about the second user may include information about the specifications and functions requested by the second user, images of products similar to the product the second user wishes to purchase, or answers to questions to evaluate the characteristics of the second user's behavior and preferences. The second user terminal 20 transmits the information entered by the second user to the second support server 200 (S52).

[0021] The second support server 200, based on the information about the second user obtained from the second user terminal 20, extracts kitchen sets that match the second user's requests and preferences from the actual information customized or coordinated by the first user (S54), and presents the extraction results to the second user terminal 20 (S56). It also presents an estimate for the extracted kitchen sets to the second user terminal 20 (S58). The second support server 200 may further present information to the second user terminal 20, such as whether the extracted kitchen sets were actually purchased, and if so, the purchaser's evaluation.

[0022] If the second user wishes to purchase the presented kitchen set, the second user terminal 20 requests the second support server 200 to purchase the product (S60). If the second user wishes to change the products or specifications that make up the kitchen set, the second user terminal 20 may also request the second support server 200 to change the products or specifications. The second support server 200 changes the products and specifications of the system kitchen as necessary and performs the processing required for the second user to purchase the product (S62).

[0023] The second support server 200 may acquire and retain performance information from the first support server 100. The performance information may be provided to the second support server 200 from the first support server 100 at appropriate intervals and updated. The second support server 200 may send search conditions including information about the second user to the first support server 100 and request that it search for performance information that matches the search conditions from the performance information. In this case, the first support server 100 may search for performance information that matches the search conditions from the performance information it holds and respond to the second support server 200. The first support server 100 and the second support server 200 may be implemented using the same device. In this case, the second support server 200 may search for performance information that matches the search conditions from the performance information recorded by the first support server 100.

[0024] Figure 4 shows the configuration of the first support server 100 according to an embodiment. The first support server 100 includes a communication device 101, a display device 102, an input device 103, a processing device 110, and a storage device 160. The first support server 100 may be a server device, a device such as a personal computer, or a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, smartphone, or tablet terminal.

[0025] The communication device 101 controls communication with other devices. The communication device 101 may communicate using any communication method, such as wired or wireless. The display device 102 displays a screen generated by the processing device 110. The display device 102 may be a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or the like. The input device 103 transmits instructions from the person in charge to the processing device 110. The input device 103 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchpad, or the like. The display device 102 and the input device 103 may be implemented as a touch panel.

[0026] The storage device 160 stores programs, data, etc., used by the processing device 110. The storage device 160 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like. The storage device 160 includes a product database 161, a plan information storage unit 162, and a performance information storage unit 163.

[0027] Product database 161 stores product type, name, color, design, size, price, function, specifications, and 3D shape data.

[0028] The plan information storage unit 162 stores plan information for product groups that are pre-configured according to multiple concepts and themes for each product category. For example, for kitchen set plans, there are pre-configured plans such as a plan with a bright kitchen theme in which light-colored worktops, storage panels, and flooring materials are selected; a plan with a monochrome stylish kitchen theme in which white or black worktops, storage panels, and flooring materials are selected; and a plan with an outdoor living theme in which an open-plan kitchen is selected. Information on the product groups that make up the kitchen set for each plan is stored in the plan information storage unit 162.

[0029] The performance information storage unit 163 stores information such as the specifications of products customized by the first user and information on each product that makes up a product group coordinated by the first user. The performance information storage unit 163 may further store information about the first user who customized or coordinated the product or product group, such as the first user's attributes, preferences, and purchase history.

[0030] The processing unit 110 comprises a product selection unit 111, a plan selection unit 112, a specification selection unit 113, a quotation generation unit 114, a three-dimensional image generation unit 115, a quotation confirmation unit 116, a simulator 117, a purchase processing unit 118, and a performance information recording unit 119. These configurations are implemented hardware-wise by the CPU, memory, and other LSIs of any computer, and software-wise by programs loaded into memory, but here we are describing functional blocks that are realized through the cooperation of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0031] The product selection unit 111 presents the first user terminal 10 with a list of product categories for which an estimate can be created by the first support server 100, and accepts the selection of a product category. The selectable product categories include, for example, kitchen sets and storage sets.

[0032] The plan selection unit 112 presents the first user terminal 10 with a list of setting information and its respective options for determining the plan of the product selected by the product selection unit 111, and accepts the selection of setting information. The options for setting information may be presented using only text information, or they may be presented using images or illustrations. For example, the setting information for determining the plan of a kitchen set may include layouts such as wall-mounted I-type, wall-mounted L-type, counter kitchen unit / peninsula I-type, counter kitchen unit / island type, center kitchen / peninsula I-type, and center kitchen / island type, sink position, width, height, presence or absence of under-kitchen storage, and presence or absence of a dishwasher. The plan selection unit 112 determines the product plan based on the setting information received from the first user terminal 10. In addition to plans with pre-set product types and specifications, the plan selection unit 112 may also allow the selection of a free arrangement plan in which products can be freely selected and arranged.

[0033] The specification selection unit 113 presents a specification selection screen to the first user terminal 10 in order to accept the specifications of products that can be selected in the plan of the product selected by the plan selection unit 112. Figure 5 shows an example of the specification selection screen 190 presented to the first user terminal 10 by the first support server 100. The specification selection screen 190 displays a three-dimensional image 191 of the selected product, a user interface 192 for manipulating the three-dimensional image 191, messages 193 such as prohibited conditions and precautions for products and specifications, an estimated price 194 for the selected product, and options 195 for the specifications of the selectable products. For example, the specifications of a kitchen set include the types of products such as worktops, sinks, faucets, water purifiers, heating appliances, dishwashers, range hoods, and storage, as well as the color, material, and design of each product.

[0034] The estimate generation unit 114 calculates the estimated price of the product with the specifications selected by the specification selection unit 113. When specifications are selected by the specification selection unit 113, the estimate generation unit 114 may calculate the estimated price and update the estimated price on the specification selection screen in real time, or it may calculate the estimated price and update the estimated price on the specification selection screen when the first user terminal 10 requests an update to the estimated price.

[0035] The three-dimensional image generation unit 115 generates a three-dimensional image of a product by rendering the three-dimensional shape data of the product with the specifications selected by the specification selection unit 113. When the three-dimensional image generation unit 115 receives instructions from the first user terminal 10 via the user interface provided on the specification selection screen to move the viewpoint position of the three-dimensional image, enlarge or reduce it, move the placement position of the product, or change the color or design of the product, it regenerates the three-dimensional image according to the instructions and updates the three-dimensional image on the specification selection screen.

[0036] Once the specification selection by the specification selection unit 113 is complete, the estimate confirmation unit 116 displays a list of selected products and the estimated price to the first user terminal 10 for the first user to confirm. After the first user confirms the estimate, the estimate confirmation unit 116 outputs the estimate, drawings, proposal, etc.

[0037] Simulator 117 provides a function to simulate the placement of estimated products in a room. Simulator 117 acquires three-dimensional shape data of the room where the products will be placed, sets the viewpoint position to a predetermined position, and renders the three-dimensional shape data of the room with the products placed. Simulator 117 changes the viewpoint position, product placement position, placement direction, product color and design, etc., according to instructions from the first user terminal 10.

[0038] When the purchase processing unit 118 receives a request from the first user terminal 10 to purchase a quoted product, it executes the necessary processes for the purchase, such as settling the payment and arranging for the delivery of the product. The purchase processing unit 118 may also request the sale of the product by sending information about the product that the first user wishes to purchase to the server that sells the product.

[0039] The performance information recording unit 119 records the specifications of the product customized by the first user, and information on each product that makes up the product group coordinated by the first user, in the performance information holding unit 163. The performance information recording unit 119 may also record information about the first user, such as the attributes, preferences, and purchase history of the first user who customized or coordinated the product or product group, in the performance information holding unit 163 in association with the performance information.

[0040] Thus, the first support server 100 of this embodiment assists the first user in gradually narrowing down the products and specifications that suit their preferences from a vast number of product and specification combinations. This improves user convenience.

[0041] Figure 6 shows the configuration of the second support server 200 according to the embodiment. The second support server 200 includes a communication device 201, a display device 202, an input device 203, a processing device 210, and a storage device 260. The second support server 200 may be a server device, a device such as a personal computer, or a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, smartphone, or tablet terminal.

[0042] The communication device 201 controls communication with other devices. The communication device 201 may communicate using any communication method, such as wired or wireless. The display device 202 displays a screen generated by the processing device 210. The display device 202 may be a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or the like. The input device 203 transmits instructions from the person in charge to the processing device 210. The input device 203 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchpad, or the like. The display device 202 and the input device 203 may be implemented as a touch panel.

[0043] The storage device 260 stores programs, data, etc., used by the processing device 210. The storage device 260 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like. The storage device 260 includes a product database 261 and a performance information storage unit 262.

[0044] The product database 261 stores product type, name, color, design, size, price, function, specifications, three-dimensional shape data, etc. The product database 261 may also store evaluation values ​​for product characteristics. Product characteristics may include, for example, workability, cleanability, aesthetic appeal, storageability, durability, and hygiene.

[0045] The performance information storage unit 262 stores performance information acquired from the first support server 100. The performance information storage unit 262 may further store evaluation values ​​of the kitchen set characteristics that are stored as performance information, as well as evaluation results by the first user or a third party.

[0046] The processing unit 210 includes a performance information acquisition unit 211, a second user information acquisition unit 212, a desired image acquisition unit 213, a desired specification acquisition unit 214, a performance information extraction unit 215, an extraction result presentation unit 216, a change acceptance unit 217, and a purchase processing unit 218. These configurations can be implemented in various forms, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0047] The performance information acquisition unit 211 acquires performance information from the first support server 100 and stores it in the performance information storage unit 262. The performance information acquisition unit 211 acquires performance information from the first support server 100 at a predetermined timing and updates the performance information storage unit 262.

[0048] The second user information acquisition unit 212 sends questions to the second user terminal 20 to acquire characteristics such as the behavior and preferences of the second user, and acquires the second user's answers from the second user terminal 20.

[0049] Figures 7-12 show examples of question screens presented to the second user terminal 20 by the second support server 200. As shown in Figure 7, the second user information acquisition unit 212 presents a question screen to ask about the second user's household composition, the height of the person who usually cooks, and the height of the person who will cook next, and acquires the answers from the second user.

[0050] As shown in Figure 8, the second user information acquisition unit 212 presents a question screen to inquire about the layout of the kitchen in the second user's residence and obtains the second user's response. Kitchen layouts include, for example, wall-mounted kitchens, open-plan kitchens, open-plan kitchens, peninsula I-type, peninsula L-type, and island-type kitchens.

[0051] As shown in Figures 9-11, the second user information acquisition unit 212 presents a question screen to inquire about the second user's behavioral characteristics while cooking and obtains the second user's responses. Behavioral characteristics while cooking include, for example, whether the user wants to prepare ingredients and cooking utensils in advance or only lay out what is necessary, whether they want to keep seasonings on hand or put them away as needed, whether they want to wash dishes frequently during cooking or all at once after the meal.

[0052] The second user information acquisition unit 212 analyzes the responses from the second user to evaluate the behavioral characteristics of the second user while cooking, and presents the evaluation results as shown in Figure 12. The second user information acquisition unit 212 may also evaluate the behavioral characteristics of the second user while cooking by quantifying the responses from the second user through statistical processing or the like based on scores that have been assigned to the answers to each question in advance.

[0053] The desired image acquisition unit 213 acquires images of kitchen sets similar to the kitchen set that the second user wishes to purchase from the second user terminal 20. The desired image may be an image of a kitchen set obtained from a web page, catalog, social media, etc.

[0054] The desired specifications acquisition unit 214 acquires information regarding the specifications and functions of the kitchen set that the second user wishes to purchase from the second user terminal 20.

[0055] The performance information extraction unit 215 extracts kitchen sets that match the second user's requests and preferences from the performance information based on the information obtained from the second user terminal 20. The performance information extraction unit 215 extracts the performance information using, for example, at least one of the following three extraction methods.

[0056] In the first extraction method, the performance information extraction unit 215 extracts performance information from the performance information holding unit that matches the characteristics of the second user, such as their requests and preferences, determined based on the information about the second user acquired by the second user information acquisition unit. The performance information extraction unit may also extract performance information that matches the characteristics of the second user by statistically processing and comparing the numerical characteristic information of the second user with the characteristic information assigned to each piece of performance information.

[0057] In the second extraction method, the performance information extraction unit 215 extracts images similar to the image of the kitchen set that the second user wishes to purchase, which was acquired by the desired image acquisition unit 213, from the images of performance information stored in the performance information storage unit 262. The performance information extraction unit 215 may also use any known image search technique to extract images similar to the desired image.

[0058] In the third extraction method, the performance information extraction unit 215 extracts performance information from the performance information holding unit 262 that matches the specifications and functions of the kitchen set that the second user wishes to purchase, as obtained by the desired specification acquisition unit 214. The performance information extraction unit 215 may also extract performance information using an algorithm that takes information on specifications and functions obtained by the desired specification acquisition unit 214 as input and outputs a kitchen set that matches those specifications and functions. This algorithm may be implemented using a neural network or the like. This algorithm may be machine-learned using performance information and information such as the specifications and functions of the kitchen set desired by the first user who generated the performance information as training data. Performance information that matches the desired specifications and functions may also be extracted by classifying or clustering the performance information.

[0059] The performance information extraction unit 215 may adopt one of the three extraction methods described above, or it may adopt a combination of two or more methods. When adopting a combination of two or more methods, the unit may prioritize presenting performance information that is extracted in overlapping manner by two or more extraction methods. A priority order for the extraction methods may be determined, and performance information extracted by the extraction method with the higher priority may be presented preferentially. If the number of performance information items extracted in overlapping manner by two or more extraction methods is less than a predetermined number, the unit may extract performance information using another extraction method from the performance information extracted by any one of the extraction methods until the predetermined number of performance information is reached. For example, the unit may add higher-ranking performance information extracted by the third extraction method from the performance information extracted by the second extraction method until the predetermined number of performance information is reached.

[0060] The extraction result presentation unit 216 presents the kitchen set information extracted by the actual information extraction unit 215 to the second user terminal 20. The extraction result presentation unit 216 also presents the extracted kitchen set's three-dimensional image and estimated price to the second user terminal 20. The extraction result presentation unit 216 may further present the second user terminal 20 with information such as whether the extracted kitchen set was actually purchased, and if so, the purchaser's evaluation.

[0061] The change reception unit 217 receives changes to the products and specifications that make up the kitchen set, as presented by the extraction result presentation unit 216, from the second user terminal 20, and modifies the products and specifications that make up the kitchen set.

[0062] When the purchase processing unit 218 receives a request from the second user terminal 20 to purchase a product, it performs the necessary processing for the purchase, such as settling the payment and arranging for the delivery of the product. The purchase processing unit 218 may also request the sale of the product by sending information about the product that the second user wishes to purchase to the server that sells the product.

[0063] Thus, the second support server 200 of this embodiment makes it possible to select products from the product performance information customized or coordinated by the first support server 100 in accordance with prohibited conditions, etc., making it easier to purchase preferred products. This improves user convenience.

[0064] By operating both the first support server 100 and the second support server 200, and by providing the second support server 200 with performance information recorded by the first support server 100 in real time, the variety of customized or coordinated products that a second user can select on the second support server 200 can be increased. This further improves user convenience.

[0065] The present invention has been described above based on embodiments, but embodiments merely illustrate the principles and applications of the present invention. Furthermore, many modifications and changes in arrangement are possible in the embodiments, without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Support system, 2 Internet, 10 First user terminal, 20 Second user terminal, 100 First support server, 111 Product selection unit, 112 Plan selection unit, 113 Specification selection unit, 114 Estimate generation unit, 115 Three-dimensional image generation unit, 116 Estimate confirmation unit, 117 Simulator, 118 Purchase processing unit, 119 Performance information recording unit, 161 Product database, 162 Plan information retention unit, 163 Performance information retention unit, 200 Second support server, 211 Performance information acquisition unit, 212 Second user information acquisition unit, 213 Desired image acquisition unit, 214 Desired specification acquisition unit, 215 Performance information extraction unit, 216 Extraction result presentation unit, 217 Change acceptance unit, 218 Purchase processing unit, 261 Product database, 262 Performance information retention unit.

Claims

1. First and second support servers for assisting with the purchase or quotation of products that constitute residential equipment. Equipped with, The first support server is, A selection unit presents a list of product categories for which an estimate can be created to a first user, accepts the selection of a product category from the first user, and accepts the selection of one or more product combinations or specifications included in the selected product category. A performance information recording unit records information about one or more product combinations or specifications selected by the selection unit as performance information, Equipped with, The selection unit refers to the prohibited conditions of the product specifications and determines whether the combination of products or specifications selected by the first user is appropriate. The second support server is, A user information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the requests or characteristics of a second user, A performance information extraction unit extracts performance information that matches the requests or characteristics of the second user, acquired by the user information acquisition unit, from the performance information of one or more product combinations or specifications that are selected by the first user and conform to the prohibited conditions, which has been recorded by the performance information recording unit. A performance information presentation unit presents the performance information extracted by the performance information extraction unit to the second user, Equipped with Support system.

2. The user information acquisition unit acquires the second user's requests regarding the specifications or functions of the product. The support system according to claim 1.

3. The user information acquisition unit acquires images of products similar to the product that the second user wishes to purchase or request a quote for. The aforementioned performance information extraction unit extracts one or more products from the performance information that are similar to the image obtained by the user information acquisition unit. The support system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The user information acquisition unit acquires answers to questions for evaluating the behavioral or preference characteristics of the second user, and evaluates the second user's requests or characteristics based on those answers. The support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images