Price management device, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a selling price management device, a selling price management system, a control method, and a program capable of accurately displaying a selling price on mobile devices of customers.SOLUTION: A selling price management device comprises an acquisition unit, a second receiving unit, an update unit, a confirmation unit, and a display change unit. The acquisition unit receives selling price information related to change in selling price from a POS server managing information related to product sales. The second receiving unit receives product identification information indicating a product to be purchased at a store where a customer enters, from a mobile terminal used by the customer. The update unit generates or updates a purchase product list which is a list of products to be purchased, based on the product identification information. The confirmation unit confirms whether the selling price needs to be changed for the products in the purchase product list based on the selling price change information and the purchase product list. The display change unit changes the selling price display for the products of the purchase product list displayed by the mobile terminal based on the change necessity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a selling price management device, a selling price management system, a control method, and a program for managing selling prices.

Background Art

[0002] As a product sales system for customers who come to the store to purchase products, there is a known system in which a customer uses a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the customer to read the barcode of the product to register the product and perform settlement. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a self-shopping system including a mobile terminal that acquires product information of a product to be purchased and transmits settlement information including all the acquired product information to a management server, and a management server that generates and outputs sorting detail information in which each product name is listed in descending order of price based on the product information included in the settlement information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The selling price of a product may be changed according to predetermined conditions such as set sales. When such a selling price of a product occurs, in the self-shopping system described in Patent Document 1 and the like, there is a problem that the customer cannot know the correct selling price until settlement.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the main object of the present invention is to provide a selling price management device, a selling price management system, a control method, and a program capable of accurately displaying the selling price on the customer's mobile terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of a price management device is a price management server comprising: a first receiving means that receives identification information of a store obtained by the mobile terminal reading code information provided at the store into which the customer has entered, from a mobile terminal used by the customer; an acquisition means that acquires price change information relating to a change in the store's selling price indicated by the identification information; and a second receiving means that receives product identification information from the mobile terminal indicating the product the customer intends to purchase at the store. A determination means for determining whether or not a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased, based on the price change information and the product identification information, The system includes a display control means that displays the revised selling price for the product to be purchased, determined based on the price change information and the product identification information, on the mobile terminal. The price change information is at least one of the following: category discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, total amount discounts, category discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, and total amount discounts. The display control means changes the display of the price for the product to be purchased when it determines that a price change for the product to be purchased is necessary.

[0007] One aspect of the control method is a control method executed by a price management server, which receives identification information of the store obtained by the mobile terminal reading code information provided at the store into which the customer has entered from the mobile terminal used by the customer, obtains price change information relating to a change in the selling price at the store indicated by the identification information, and receives product identification information from the mobile terminal indicating the product that the customer intends to purchase at the store. Based on the aforementioned price change information and the aforementioned product identification information, it is determined whether or not a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased. The revised selling price for the product to be purchased, determined based on the price change information and the product identification information, is displayed on the mobile terminal. The price change information includes at least one of the following: category-specific discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, total amount discounts, category-specific price reductions, bundle discounts, set discounts, and total amount discounts. When it is determined that a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased, the system will change the display of the price for the product to be purchased.

[0008] One aspect of the program is a computer program comprising: a first receiving means that receives identification information of a store obtained by the mobile terminal reading code information provided at the store into which the customer has entered, from a mobile terminal used by the customer; an acquisition means that acquires price change information relating to a change in the selling price at the store indicated by the identification information; and a second receiving means that receives product identification information from the mobile terminal indicating the product that the customer intends to purchase at the store. A determination means for determining whether or not a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased, based on the price change information and the product identification information, Display control means for displaying the revised selling price for the product to be purchased, determined based on the price change information and the product identification information, on the mobile terminal. The computer is made to function as follows: The price change information is at least one of the following: category discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, total amount discounts, category discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, and total amount discounts. The display control means changes the display of the price for the product to be purchased when it determines that a price change for the product to be purchased is necessary. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the selling price of a product that a customer intends to purchase can be accurately displayed on the customer's mobile device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] The configuration of the sales price management system according to the embodiment is shown. [Figure 2] The following shows a general configuration of the POS server. [Figure 3] The following shows the general configuration of the price management server. [Figure 4] This shows the general configuration of the mobile device. [Figure 5] This is an example of a data structure for price change information. [Figure 6] This is a functional block diagram of the price management server and mobile terminal related to the display of the purchased product list screen. [Figure 7] This is an example of a flowchart for displaying the purchased items list screen. [Figure 8] This is an example of how the purchased items list screen looks when none of the price change conditions apply to the purchased items list. [Figure 9] This is an example of how the purchased items list screen looks when the item "bread" is added to the purchased items from the state shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] This is a second example of how the purchase list screen looks when the product "bread" is added as a purchase item from the state shown in Figure 8. [Figure 11] This is an example of the display of the purchased items list screen in Modification Example 1. [Figure 12] Figure 11 shows an example of the purchased items list screen displayed immediately after the user taps the discount application button. [Figure 13] This is an example of the configuration of the sales price management system in Modification Example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of a selling price management device, a selling price management system, a control method, and a program will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [Configuration of Selling Price Management System] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a selling price management system 100 according to this embodiment. The selling price management system 100 mainly includes a POS server 1, a selling price management server 2, a mobile terminal 3, and a cash register 5. In the selling price management system 100, a customer using the mobile terminal 3 registers a product to be purchased (also referred to as a "purchased product") by reading the barcode 7 of the product in the store 8 where the product is sold, and settles the payment using the cash register 5 in the store 8 or through electronic payment.

[0013] The POS server 1 is a server that manages various sales information such as product information including the price and inventory status of products sold in the store 8, and sales information of the store 8. The POS server 1 can communicate with the selling price management server 2 and the cash register 5 via a network or the like. Note that the POS server 1 may manage the sales information of a series of stores including the store 8 collectively, or may exist for each store and manage only the sales information of the store 8.

[0014] The selling price management server 2 is a server device that controls the display of the mobile terminal 3, and can communicate with the mobile terminal 3 and the POS server 1 via a network or the like. The selling price management server 2 acquires and stores information necessary for display control of the mobile terminal 3 from the POS server 1. The selling price management server 2 transmits display information for the mobile terminal 3 to display various screens to the mobile terminal 3. Among the above-mentioned various screens, there is a screen (also referred to as a "purchased product list screen") that displays a list of purchased products (also referred to as a "purchased product list") registered by the mobile terminal 3 reading the barcode 7 together with the selling price.

[0015] The price management server 2 may be composed of multiple server devices. For example, the price management server 2 may consist of a server device that primarily performs interface operations with the mobile terminal 3, such as data exchange with the mobile terminal 3, and a server device that stores and manages various information such as information obtained from the POS server 1 and a list of purchased items. In this case, the former server device functions as a so-called application server, and the latter server device functions as a so-called database server. In this case, these server devices exchange information necessary to perform their respective assigned processes via a network or the like.

[0016] Mobile terminal 3 is a mobile terminal used by customers shopping at store 8. It has the function of reading barcodes 7 attached to products and the function of displaying various screens such as a purchase list screen by communicating with the sales price management server 2. In Figure 1, for the sake of explanation, only one mobile terminal 3 is shown, but in reality there are as many mobile terminals as there are customers in store 8.

[0017] Payment machine 5 is a payment machine (a so-called self-service payment machine) for customers to make payments using their mobile terminal 3. Payment machine 5 is capable of communicating with POS server 1 and exchanges various information necessary for payment with POS server 1.

[0018] [Device configuration] Next, the configurations of POS server 1, sales price management server 2, and mobile terminal 3 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 to 4.

[0019] Figure 2 shows the schematic configuration of POS server 1. POS server 1 mainly comprises a storage unit 13, a communication unit 14 for data communication, and a control unit 15.

[0020] The storage unit 13 is composed of memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 13 stores the program executed by the control unit 15, and the information necessary for the control unit 15 to execute predetermined processes by executing the program. In this embodiment, the storage unit 13 includes price change information 17, product information DB (Database) 18, and sales information 19, which is information regarding the sale of products. The storage unit 13 may also store various sales-related information other than the price change information 17, product information DB 18, and sales information 19.

[0021] Product Information DB18 is a database of information about products handled by Store 8 or affiliated stores including Store 8. Product Information DB18 includes various types of information, such as product price, JAN (Japanese Article Number) code and other information for identifying products (also called "product identification information"), product classification information, and product inventory status.

[0022] Price change information 17 is information regarding changes in the selling price. Figure 5 shows an example of the data structure of price change information 17. Price change information 17 includes at least one of the following types of discount information or discount information: category-specific discount information, bundle discount information, set discount information, total amount discount information, category-specific discount information, bundle discount information, set discount information, and total amount discount information.

[0023] Category-based discount information is information about discounts on products belonging to a specific category (e.g., frozen foods), and for example, it associates category information indicating the category to be discounted with the discount rate. Bundle discount information is information about discounts given when purchasing multiple units of a specific product, and for example, it associates the product to be discounted (in detail, product identification information), the number of units, and the discount rate. Set discount information is information about discounts on specific product combinations, and for example, it associates the product combination to be discounted with the discount rate. Total amount discount information is information about discounts that occur when the total amount of purchased products exceeds a certain amount, and for example, it associates the total amount to be discounted with the discount rate. Category-based discount information, bundle discount information, set discount information, and total amount discount information are discount information corresponding to category-based discount information, bundle discount information, set discount information, and total amount discount information, respectively.

[0024] Thus, the price change information 17 is information that shows a combination of the conditions for a price change due to a discount or price reduction (also called "price change conditions") and the degree of such change. Hereafter, price reductions and discounts will include rebates.

[0025] Referring again to Figure 2, the configuration of the POS server 1 will be explained. The control unit 15 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory), which are not shown, and performs various controls on each component within the POS server 1. For example, the control unit 15 communicates with the payment machine 5 via the communication unit 14 to perform settlement-related processing and update sales information 19, etc. The control unit 15 also communicates with the price management server 2 via the communication unit 14 to send price change information 17 and information related to the product information DB 18 to the price management server 2.

[0026] Figure 3 shows the schematic configuration of the price management server 2. The price management server 2 mainly comprises a storage unit 23, a communication unit 24, and a control unit 25. These elements are interconnected via a bus line 20.

[0027] The storage unit 23 is composed of memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 23 stores the program executed by the control unit 25, and the information necessary for the control unit 25 to execute predetermined processes by executing the program. In this embodiment, the storage unit 23 stores the sales price change information 27, the product information DB 28, and the purchased product list DB 29.

[0028] The price change information 27, like the price change information 17, is information regarding price changes due to discounts or reductions. The price change information 27 is updated periodically or irregularly based on the control of the control unit 25 to synchronize with the price change information 17 stored in the POS server 1. The product information DB 28, like the product information DB 18, is a database of information about products. The product information DB 28 is updated periodically or irregularly based on the control of the control unit 25 to synchronize with the product information DB 18 stored in the POS server 1.

[0029] The purchased items list DB29 is a database of purchased items for each mobile device 3 of customers shopping at store 8. The purchased items list is a list of combinations that include, for example, product identification information indicating the product to be purchased and the quantity of that product to be purchased, and is associated with information that identifies the mobile device 3 or the customer using the mobile device 3 (also called "customer identification information"). The purchased items list is updated whenever an item is added, deleted, or the quantity is changed based on the operation of the mobile device 3.

[0030] The control unit 25 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and performs various controls on each component within the price management server 2. The controls performed by the control unit 25 will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 6.

[0031] Figure 4 shows the schematic configuration of the mobile terminal 3. The mobile terminal 3 mainly comprises a display unit 31, an input unit 32, a storage unit 33, a communication unit 34, a control unit 35, and a reading unit 36. Each of these elements is interconnected via a bus line 30.

[0032] The display unit 31 displays various information, such as a list of purchased items, based on the control of the control unit 35. The input unit 32 is an interface that accepts user input, and may include, for example, a touch panel, buttons, or a voice input device.

[0033] The storage unit 33 is composed of memory such as a hard disk or flash memory. The storage unit 33 stores the program executed by the control unit 35, and the information necessary for the control unit 35 to execute predetermined processes by executing the program. For example, the storage unit 33 stores a dedicated application program that is activated when shopping at store 8 and controls the display of various screens, such as the purchased items list screen.

[0034] The control unit 35 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown), and performs various controls on each component within the mobile terminal 3. The controls performed by the control unit 35 will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 6.

[0035] The reading unit 36 ​​is, for example, an optical device such as a camera, which reads the barcode 7 attached to the product and supplies the read information to the control unit 35. In this embodiment, the control unit 35 obtains product identification information such as a JAN code from the barcode 7 attached to the product based on the information output by the reading unit 36.

[0036] [Purchased Items List Screen] Next, we will explain the functional blocks, processing flow, and display examples related to the display of the purchased product list screen.

[0037] (1) Functional Blocks Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of the price management server 2 and mobile terminal 3 related to the display of the purchased product list screen. As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 35 of the mobile terminal 3 functionally includes a product identification information acquisition unit 55, a product identification information transmission unit 56, and a display control unit 57.

[0038] The product identification information acquisition unit 55 of the mobile terminal 3 acquires product identification information for the product to which the barcode 7 is attached from the image of the barcode 7 acquired by the reading unit 36. In this case, the product identification information transmission unit 56 sends a purchase product list change request "S1" to the sales price management server 2 via the communication unit 34. In this case, the purchase product list change request includes the product identification information acquired by the product identification information acquisition unit 55, information instructing the addition of a purchase product, and customer identification information.

[0039] Alternatively, instead of immediately sending the purchase item list change request S1 to the price management server 2 after acquiring the product identification information, the product identification information transmission unit 56 may send the purchase item list change request S1 to the price management server 2 when it detects user input indicating that the product for which the product identification information has been acquired should be purchased. In this case, for example, the display unit 31 displays a screen after acquiring the product identification information in which the user can specify whether or not to register the product indicated by the product identification information in the purchase item list.

[0040] Furthermore, when the product identification information transmission unit 56 receives input from the input unit 32 specifying a change in the quantity of purchased products or the deletion of purchased products, it sends a purchased product list change request S1 to the sales price management server 2, which includes the product identification information of the target purchased product, information indicating the change or deletion in the quantity of the target purchased product, and customer identification information.

[0041] When the display control unit 57 receives display information "S2" for displaying the updated purchase item list screen from the sales price management server 2 via the communication unit 34, it displays the purchase item list screen on the display unit 31 based on the display information S2.

[0042] Functionally, the control unit 25 of the price management server 2 includes an acquisition unit 50, a second receiving unit 51, an update unit 52, a determination unit 53, and a display change unit 54.

[0043] The acquisition unit 50 receives information from the POS server 1 necessary to keep the product information DB 28 and the selling price change information 27 up to date, and updates the selling price change information 27 and the product information DB 28. The second receiving unit 51 receives the purchased product list change request S1 transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 via the communication unit 24. The second receiving unit 51 then supplies the received purchased product list change request S1 to the update unit 52.

[0044] The update unit 52 extracts the purchase product list corresponding to the customer identification information included in the purchase product list change request S1 from the purchase product list DB 29 and updates the purchase product list. In this case, if the purchase product list change request S1 indicates an addition to the purchase product list, the update unit 52 adds the purchase product indicated by the product identification information included in the purchase product list change request S1 to the extracted purchase product list. Also, if the purchase product list change request S1 indicates a deletion from the purchase product list, the update unit 52 deletes the purchase product indicated by the product identification information included in the purchase product list change request S1 from the extracted purchase product list. Furthermore, if the purchase product list change request S1 indicates a change in the quantity of items in the purchase product list, the update unit 52 changes the quantity of the target purchase product registered in the extracted purchase product list to the quantity indicated in the purchase product list change request S1. Finally, the update unit 52 supplies the updated purchase product list to the determination unit 53.

[0045] The determination unit 53 determines whether a price change is necessary for the purchased items in the target purchased item list, based on the purchased item list supplied by the update unit 52 and the price change information 27. In other words, the determination unit 53 determines whether any of the price change conditions indicated in the price change information 27 are met, based on the product information and quantity of each purchased item shown in the purchased item list supplied by the update unit 52. If any of the price change conditions indicated in the price change information 27 are met, the determination unit 53 notifies the display change unit 54 of the discount rate and / or discount amount associated with the applicable price change condition. Furthermore, if the price change information 27 includes total discount information, the determination unit 53 compares the total amount shown in the purchased item list with the price change conditions indicated in the total discount information, and if the price change conditions are met, it notifies the display change unit 54 of the corresponding discount rate and / or discount amount.

[0046] The display change unit 54 changes the purchased product list screen displayed on the mobile terminal 3 by transmitting the display information "S2" of the purchased product list screen to the mobile terminal 3. Specifically, the display change unit 54 calculates the selling price for the products in the purchased product list based on the purchased product list updated by the update unit 52, the price information for each purchased product obtained from the product information DB 28, and the discount rate and / or discount amount notified by the determination unit 53. Then, the display change unit 54 generates the display information "S2" of the purchased product list screen to be displayed on the mobile terminal 3 based on the purchased product list and the calculated selling price. At this time, if the display change unit 54 is notified of the discount rate and / or discount amount by the determination unit 53, it generates the display information S2 that includes the selling price information reflecting the discount rate and / or discount amount. Then, the display change unit 54 transmits the generated display information S2 to the mobile terminal 3 via the communication unit 24.

[0047] (2) Processing flow Figure 7 is an example of a flowchart related to the display of the purchased items list screen. As an example, Figure 7 shows a flowchart of the process for displaying the purchased items list screen when product identification information is read from product barcode 7.

[0048] First, the mobile terminal 3 activates the reading unit 36 ​​based on user input and reads product identification information from the product's barcode (step S11). If store 8 is one of several stores belonging to a company with multiple locations, the mobile terminal 3 may, for example, obtain store 8's identification information by reading a barcode attached to a shopping cart or similar item upon entering store 8, based on user input. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 3 may automatically select store 8 from among multiple stores based on its location information and obtain store 8's identification information. In this case, the mobile terminal 3 transmits store 8's identification information along with customer identification information to the price management server 2. The price management server 2 then recognizes that the user of mobile terminal 3 has entered store 8 and performs subsequent processing by referring to the price change information 27 and product information DB 28 corresponding to store 8.

[0049] The mobile terminal 3 sends a purchase item list change request S1, which includes the product identification information read in step S11, to the price management server 2 (step S12).

[0050] In this case, the price management server 2 receives the purchase item list change request S1 sent by the mobile terminal 3 (step S21). The price management server 2 then refers to the customer identification information etc. included in the purchase item list change request S1, retrieves the corresponding purchase item list from the purchase item list DB 29, and updates the purchase item list based on the purchase item list change request S1 (step S22). Specifically, the price management server 2 adds the product indicated by the product identification information included in the purchase item list change request S1 to the target purchase item list and stores the updated purchase item list in the purchase item list DB 29. If the corresponding purchase item list does not exist, the price management server 2 generates a new purchase item list associated with the customer identification information included in the purchase item list change request S1 and stores it in the purchase item list DB 29.

[0051] Then, the price management server 2 determines whether the purchase product list updated in step S22 corresponds to any of the price change conditions indicated in the price change information 27 (step S23). If the updated purchase product list corresponds to any of the price change conditions indicated in the price change information 27 (step S23; Yes), the price management server 2 generates display information S2 for the purchase product list screen that reflects the price change due to the discount or reduction associated with the applicable price change condition (step S24). On the other hand, if the combination of purchase products shown in the purchase product list does not correspond to any of the price change conditions indicated in the price change information 27 (step S23; No), the price management server 2 generates display information S2 for the purchase product list screen that does not consider price changes (step S25).

[0052] Then, the price management server 2 sends the display information S2 generated in step S24 or step S25 to the mobile terminal 3, which is the source of the purchase item list change request S1 (step S26). In this case, the mobile terminal 3 that sent the purchase item list change request S1 in step S12 receives the display information S2 from the price management server 2 (step S13). Then, the mobile terminal 3 displays the purchase item list screen based on the received display information S2 (step S14).

[0053] (3) Display example Next, we will explain an example of how the purchased items list screen will look, referring to Figures 8 to 11.

[0054] Figure 8 shows an example of the display of the purchased items list screen when the combination of purchased items shown in the purchased items list does not meet any of the selling price change conditions. In the example in Figure 8, the mobile terminal 3 has a product reading button 40, a purchased items list display field 41, a subtotal display field 42, a total amount display field 43, a home screen transition button 44, a payment (settlement) screen transition button 45, and a transaction cancellation button 46, based on the purchased items list change request S1 transmitted from the selling price management server 2.

[0055] When the mobile terminal 3 detects that the product reading button 40 has been selected by a tap or other operation, it switches the display on the display unit 31 to the product reading screen. On the product reading screen, the mobile terminal 3 displays images acquired from the activated reading unit 36. This allows the user of the mobile terminal 3 to move the product or the mobile terminal 3 so that the barcode 7 is within the reading range of the reading unit 36.

[0056] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 3 displays the name, quantity, and price of each purchased item in the purchased item list display field 41. The mobile terminal 3 also displays a quantity decrement button 47 and a quantity increment button 48 for each purchased item in the purchased item list display field 41. When the mobile terminal 3 receives a change in the quantity of a purchased item via the quantity decrement button 47 or the quantity increment button 48, it sends a product list change request S1 to the sales price management server 2, for example, which includes the product identification information of the purchased item whose quantity has been changed and the information of the changed quantity.

[0057] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 3 displays the tax-exclusive subtotal of the selling prices for all items in the purchased items list in the subtotal display field 42, and the tax-inclusive total amount of the selling prices for all items in the purchased items list in the total amount display field 43. The selling price management server 2 calculates these subtotals or total amounts based on the prices of the purchased items registered in the product information DB 28.

[0058] Furthermore, when the mobile terminal 3 detects that the home screen transition button 44 has been selected, it sends a request to display the home screen to the price management server 2, and displays a predetermined home screen based on the display information received as a response. The home screen may display information such as discounts and price reductions at the store 8, or customer registration information of the mobile terminal 3.

[0059] Furthermore, when the mobile terminal 3 detects that the payment screen transition button 45 has been selected, it sends a request to display the payment screen to the price management server 2 and displays a predetermined payment screen based on the display information received as a response. The payment screen includes, for example, displays to confirm the total number and total amount of purchased items, and displays such as buttons and input fields for specifying the payment (settlement) method. If payment such as credit card or electronic money is selected, the mobile terminal 3 exchanges data with the price management server 2, etc., necessary for settlement processing based on electronic commerce, and completes the settlement.

[0060] Furthermore, if cash payment is selected, the mobile terminal 3 will, for example, display a barcode that can be read by the payment machine 5, and the payment will be processed by having the payment machine 5 read the barcode. In this case, the payment machine 5 recognizes the items to be purchased and their quantities by reading the aforementioned barcode, and calculates the total amount that the user of the mobile terminal 3 should pay. In this case, the total amount calculated by the payment machine 5 will be equal to the total amount displayed in the total amount display field 43.

[0061] Furthermore, if the mobile terminal 3 detects that the transaction cancellation button 46 has been selected, it sends information notifying the cancellation of the transaction to the price management server 2. In this case, the price management server 2 deletes the purchase product list of the customer identification information corresponding to the mobile terminal 3.

[0062] Figure 9 shows an example of the purchased items list screen when the item "bread" is added as a purchased item from the state shown in Figure 8. In this example, the mobile terminal 3 selects the item reading button 40 in Figure 8 and registers the item "bread" by reading the barcode 7 attached to the item "bread".

[0063] In this case, the price management server 2 recognizes that the price change condition indicated by the price change information 27 is the simultaneous purchase of milk and bread, and that a 50 yen discount is associated with this price change condition. In this case, the price management server 2 adds an item for bread to the purchased items list display field 41 as a purchased item, and also creates an item for the 50 yen discount based on the simultaneous purchase of milk and bread. Furthermore, the price management server 2 calculates the subtotal and total amount reflecting the aforementioned 50 yen discount, and displays them in the subtotal display field 42 and the total amount display field 43, respectively.

[0064] In this way, when a discount or price reduction occurs based on the price change information 27 due to the addition of a purchased item, the price management server 2 immediately displays the total amount reflecting the discount or price reduction on the mobile terminal 3 in the purchased item list screen that is displayed thereafter. This allows the price management server 2 to make the user of the mobile terminal 3 aware of the accurate current selling price. Furthermore, by clearly indicating the amount of the price change (in the example of Figure 9, -50 yen) on the purchased item list screen, the price management server 2 can effectively make the customer of the mobile terminal 3 aware of the existence of a discount or price reduction.

[0065] Furthermore, if the system is designed to transition from the barcode reading screen to a screen other than the purchased items list screen, such as the home screen, after reading barcode 7, the price management server 2 may calculate the discount or price reduction as described above when it receives a request from the mobile terminal 3 to display the purchased items list screen. In other words, the price management server 2 may execute step S23 and subsequent processing in Figure 7 when it receives a request from the mobile terminal 3 to display the purchased items list screen.

[0066] Figure 10 shows a second example of the purchase list screen when the product "bread" is added as a purchase item from the state shown in Figure 8. In this example, the price change information 27 includes not only set discount information of 50 yen off when milk and bread are purchased together, but also total amount discount information of 5% off when the total amount is 3000 yen or more.

[0067] In this case, the price management server 2 reflects the 50 yen discount based on the simultaneous purchase of milk and bread in the purchased item list display field 41, the subtotal display field 42, and the total amount display field 43, respectively, as shown in the display example in Figure 9. Furthermore, since the total amount has approached the price change condition for the total discount information (total amount of 3,000 yen or more), the price management server 2 clearly indicates the existence of the total discount information, which offers a 5% discount for total amounts of 3,000 yen or more, on the purchased item list screen. Here, the price management server 2 clearly indicates the difference (43 yen) between the base amount of the total amount required to satisfy the price change condition for the total discount information (3,000 yen in this case) and the current selling price of the items in the purchased item list (2,957 yen in this case). In this way, when the price management server 2 approaches the price change condition, it may also display the price change condition and the conditions required to satisfy that price change condition on the purchased item list screen. The condition for price change is described as approaching the target total amount, for example, when the total amount approaches the target amount within a specified range, or when the condition for price change is met by adding one more specific item to the purchase.

[0068] Thus, as shown in the example in Figure 10, the user of the mobile terminal 3 can accurately determine the selling price on the purchased items list screen before payment, and if there is a discount or price reduction corresponding to the total amount, they can appropriately determine the difference required to receive the discount or price reduction.

[0069] [Differentiation] Next, a suitable modification of this embodiment will be described. The following modifications may be arbitrarily combined and applied to the above-described embodiment.

[0070] (Variation 1) When the price management server 2 added a purchase item to which a discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 was applicable, it immediately reflected the discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 on the purchase item list screen. Alternatively, the price management server 2 may reflect the discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 on the purchase item list screen when it detects a predetermined input to the mobile terminal 3 instructing the mobile terminal 3 to reflect the discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 on the purchase item list screen.

[0071] Figure 11 shows an example of the purchase item list screen in Modification Example 1. The purchase item list screen shown in Figure 11 has a discount reflection button 49, which is a user interface for reflecting discounts or price reductions based on the selling price change information 27 on the purchase item list screen.

[0072] Thus, in the example shown in Figure 11, before the selection of the discount application button 49, the price management server 2 sends the display information S2 generated without considering the discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 to the mobile terminal 3. As a result, the price management server 2 displays a purchase item list screen on the mobile terminal 3 that does not reflect the discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27. In this case, the determination unit 53 (see Figure 6) of the price management server 2 does not perform the discount or price reduction determination process, and the display change unit 54 generates the display information S2 based on the purchase item list updated by the update unit 52 and the price information contained in the product information DB 28.

[0073] Figure 12 shows an example of the display of the purchased items list screen immediately after the user taps the discount application button 49 in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 12, in this case, the mobile terminal 3 updates the purchased items list display field 41, the subtotal display field 42, and the total amount display field 43 based on the display information S2 received from the price management server 2, so that they are displayed identically to the purchased items list display field 41, the subtotal display field 42, and the total amount display field 43 in Figure 9, respectively.

[0074] Specifically, when the mobile terminal 3 detects the selection of the discount reflection button 49, it sends a request to the price management server 2 to reflect the discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 on the purchased product list screen. When the price management server 2 (specifically the determination unit 53 in Figure 6) receives the reflection request, it determines whether there is a discount or price reduction based on the price change information 27 based on the purchased product list corresponding to the mobile terminal 3 that sent the request and the product information of the products included in the purchased product list. In this case, the determination unit 53 recognizes that the price change condition indicated by the price change information 27 is the simultaneous purchase of milk and bread, and recognizes a 50 yen discount for this price change condition, and notifies the display change unit 54 of the 50 yen discount. The display change unit 54 then sends display information S2 to the mobile terminal 3 to reflect the notified 50 yen discount. In this case, the display control unit 57 of the mobile terminal 3 updates the purchased product list screen based on the received display information S2.

[0075] According to this modified version, the mobile terminal 3 can reflect the discount or reduction based on the price change information 27 on the purchase item list screen at any time specified by the user before payment, thereby allowing the user to be appropriately aware of the existence of the discount or reduction before payment.

[0076] (Modification 2) The price change information 17 and price change information 27 may further include member discount information or member discount information indicating discounts or price reductions granted to members, and / or member rank discount information or member rank discount information indicating discounts or price reductions granted according to the member's rank.

[0077] Figure 13 shows an example configuration of the price management system 100A in Modification 2. The price management system 100A has a member server 4 that stores member information. The member server 4 can communicate with the price management server 2 via a network or the like. When a customer with a mobile terminal 3 enters the store 8, the price management server 2 queries the member server 4 based on customer identification information transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 to determine whether the customer with the mobile terminal 3 is a member, and / or the member rank (grade) of the customer with the mobile terminal 3. Then, the determination unit 53 of the price management server 2 determines whether there is a discount or price reduction by referring to member rank discount information or member rank price reduction information based on the recognized member registration status or member rank. According to this example, the price management server 2 can also suitably reflect price reductions or discounts based on member price change information 27 on the purchased product list screen.

[0078] In other examples, the price change information 17 and price change information 27 may include monthly total discount information or monthly total price reduction information. In this case, the monthly total discount information is information about a discount that occurs when the total purchase amount at store 8 (or affiliated stores including store 8) each month exceeds a predetermined amount, and for example, the total amount subject to the discount and the discount rate are associated. The monthly total price reduction information is price reduction information corresponding to the monthly total discount information. In this case, the POS server 1 stores purchase history information for each customer's past purchases at store 8 or affiliated stores including store 8, and the price management server 2 stores the purchase history information for each customer by periodically or irregularly synchronizing this purchase history information from the POS server 1. The determination unit 53 of the price management server 2 then refers to the purchase history information, the product information DB 28, and the purchased product list DB 29 to sum the purchase amounts from past purchases and the total amount of the current purchase, and determines whether the price change conditions indicated by the monthly total discount information or monthly total price reduction information are met. In this example, the sales price management server 2 can also suitably reflect discounts or reductions based on monthly total discount information or monthly total price reduction information on the purchased product list screen.

[0079] (Variation 3) The POS server 1 and the price management server 2 may be configured as a single server device. In this case, for example, the price management server 2 stores the data stored by the POS server 1 in a manner that prevents direct access from the mobile terminal 3. For example, in this case, the price management server 2 stores data such as the price change information 17, product information DB 18, and sales information 19 described in the embodiment in a first memory that is not directly accessible from the mobile terminal 3. The price management server 2 also stores the price change information 27, product information DB 28, and purchased product list 29 described in the embodiment in a second memory that is accessible from the mobile terminal 3. The price management server 2 then refers to the first memory and periodically or irregularly updates the price change information 27 and product information DB 28 stored in the second memory.

[0080] In addition, some or all of the above embodiments (including modifications, the same applies hereinafter) may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following.

[0081] [Note 1] An acquisition unit that acquires information on changes in selling prices, A receiving unit that receives product identification information indicating the products that the customer intends to purchase at the store they entered, from a mobile device used by the customer. A determination unit that determines whether or not to change the selling price of an item on the purchased item list based on the aforementioned price change information and the aforementioned list of items, When a change in the selling price is necessary, the display change unit changes the display of the selling price for the product in the purchased product list displayed on the mobile terminal, A price management server that includes the following features.

[0082] [Note 2] The sales price management server described in Appendix 1 further comprises an update unit that generates or updates a purchase product list, which is a list of the products, based on the product identification information.

[0083] [Note 3] The display change unit is a price management server as described in Appendix 2, which, when the list of purchased items is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary, reflects the change in the selling price in the display of the selling price no later than before the customer makes a payment at the store.

[0084] [Note 4] The display modification unit is a price management server as described in Appendix 3, which immediately reflects the change in the selling price in the display of the selling price when the purchase product list is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary.

[0085] [Note 5] The display change unit is a price management server as described in Appendix 3, which, when the purchase product list is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary, reflects the change in the selling price in the display of the selling price when it detects a predetermined input to the mobile terminal.

[0086] [Note 6] The price change information is a price management server as described in any one of the following: a discount or reduction based on the number of items, a discount or reduction based on the combination of items, a discount or reduction based on the total amount, a discount or reduction for a specific type of item, or a discount or reduction based on whether the customer is a member or the rank of that member.

[0087] [Note 7] The display change unit is a price management server as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 6, which, when the list of purchased items is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary, displays the amount of the change in selling price on the mobile terminal.

[0088] [Note 8] The aforementioned price change information includes information regarding discounts or reductions based on the total amount. The display modification unit is a price management server as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 7, which displays on the mobile terminal the difference between the total amount required to apply the discount or reduction and the selling price of the items in the purchase list.

[0089] [Note 9] The mobile device used by the customer, A price management system comprising: a price management server that manages the selling prices of a purchase item list, which is a list of items that a customer intends to purchase at the store where the customer entered; The aforementioned mobile terminal is A product identification information acquisition unit acquires product identification information indicating the products that the customer intends to purchase at the store they entered. A product identification information transmission unit that transmits the aforementioned product identification information to the aforementioned price management server, It includes a display control unit that updates the display on the display unit based on display information received from the sales price management server, The aforementioned price management server is An acquisition unit that acquires information on changes in selling prices, A receiving unit that receives the product identification information from the aforementioned mobile terminal, A determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to change the selling price of the products on the purchased product list, based on the aforementioned selling price change information and the aforementioned purchased product list, A display modification unit that, when a change in the selling price is necessary, transmits the display information to the mobile terminal to change the display of the selling price for the product in the purchased product list displayed on the mobile terminal. A sales price management system that includes [a specific feature / feature].

[0090] [Note 10] A control method executed by the price management server, We obtain price change information regarding changes in selling prices. The store receives product identification information from the customer's mobile device indicating the products the customer intends to purchase at the store they entered. Based on the aforementioned price change information and the purchase product list, which is a list of the aforementioned products, it is determined whether or not a price change is necessary for the products on the purchase product list. A control method for changing the displayed selling price for an item in the purchased item list displayed on the mobile terminal when a change in the selling price is necessary.

[0091] [Note 11] A program that is executed by a computer, An acquisition unit that acquires information on changes in selling prices, A receiving unit that receives product identification information indicating the products that the customer intends to purchase at the store they entered, from a mobile device used by the customer. A determination unit that determines whether or not to change the selling price of an item on the purchased item list based on the aforementioned price change information and the aforementioned list of items, A display change unit that changes the display of the selling price for the product in the purchased product list displayed on the mobile terminal when a change in the selling price is necessary. A program that causes the aforementioned computer to function.

[0092] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present invention can be made that are understandable to those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention naturally includes the full disclosure, including the claims, and various modifications and alterations that those skilled in the art could make in accordance with the technical idea. Furthermore, each disclosure of the above-mentioned patent documents and other references is incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 1 POS server 2. Price management server 3 Mobile devices 4. Member Server 5 Payment machine 100, 100A Sales Price Management System

Claims

1. A first receiving means that receives identification information of the store obtained by the mobile terminal used by the customer when the mobile terminal reads code information provided at the store the customer entered, An acquisition means for acquiring price change information relating to a change in the selling price at the store indicated by the identification information, A second receiving means that receives product identification information from the mobile terminal indicating the product that the customer intends to purchase at the store, A determination means for determining whether or not a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased, based on the price change information and the product identification information, A display control means for displaying the revised selling price for the product to be purchased, determined based on the price change information and the product identification information, on the mobile terminal. It has, The aforementioned price change information is at least one of the following: category-specific discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, total amount discounts, category-specific price reductions, bundle discounts, set discounts, and total amount discounts. The display control means is a price management server that changes the display of the selling price for the product to be purchased when it determines that a change in the selling price for the product to be purchased is necessary.

2. The sales price management server according to claim 1, further comprising an update means for generating or updating a purchase product list, which is a list of the products, based on the product identification information.

3. The price management server according to claim 2, wherein the display control means, when the list of purchased items is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary, reflects the change in the selling price in the display of the selling price no later than before the customer makes a payment at the store.

4. The price management server according to claim 3, wherein the display control means immediately reflects the change in the price in the display of the price when the list of purchased items is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary.

5. The price management server according to claim 3, wherein the display control means reflects the change in the price in the display when the purchase product list is updated and a change in the selling price is necessary, upon detecting a predetermined input to the mobile terminal.

6. The price management server according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the display control means causes the amount of the price change to be displayed on the mobile terminal when the purchase product list is updated and a price change is necessary.

7. A control method executed by the price management server, The mobile device used by the customer receives the identification information of the store obtained by the mobile device reading the code information provided at the store the customer entered. The price change information regarding the change in the selling price at the store indicated by the identification information is obtained, The mobile terminal receives product identification information indicating the product the customer intends to purchase at the store. Based on the aforementioned price change information and the aforementioned product identification information, it is determined whether or not a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased. The revised selling price for the product to be purchased, determined based on the aforementioned price change information and the aforementioned product identification information, is displayed on the mobile terminal. The aforementioned price change information is at least one of the following: category-specific discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, total amount discounts, category-specific price reductions, bundle discounts, set discounts, and total amount discounts. If it is determined that a change in the selling price of the product to be purchased is necessary, the displayed selling price of the product to be purchased will be changed. Control method.

8. A program that is executed by a computer, A first receiving means that receives identification information of the store obtained by the mobile terminal used by the customer when the mobile terminal reads code information provided at the store the customer entered, An acquisition means for acquiring price change information relating to a change in the selling price at the store indicated by the identification information, A second receiving means that receives product identification information from the mobile terminal indicating the product that the customer intends to purchase at the store, A determination means for determining whether or not a price change is necessary for the product to be purchased, based on the price change information and the product identification information, Display control means for displaying the revised selling price of the product to be purchased, determined based on the price change information and the product identification information, on the mobile terminal. The computer is made to function as follows: The aforementioned price change information is at least one of the following: category-specific discounts, bundle discounts, set discounts, total amount discounts, category-specific price reductions, bundle discounts, set discounts, and total amount discounts. The display control means is a program that changes the display of the selling price for the product to be purchased when it determines that it is necessary to change the selling price for the product to be purchased.

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