Information processing system and information processing method

Abstract

To allow a manufacturer or a service provider to efficiently identify a customer who is provided with a commodity or a service.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes: a manufacturer server 50 of a manufacturer M that manages personal information of a customer in association with a manufacturer ID issued by the manufacturer M which provides a commodity m; a store terminal 20 which is installed in a store 10 that sells the commodity m; and a management server 60 which manages personal information of a customer A and a manufacturer ID of the customer A in association with each other. When the customer A purchases the commodity m, the store terminal 20 acquires GID of the customer A from the management server 60. The management server 60 has a registrant DB 64a in which information on the commodity m purchased by the customer A, the manufacturer ID of the customer A, and GID of the customer A are associated with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing method that can efficiently grasp customers to whom a manufacturer (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturer") or service provider provides products or services.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, manufacturers often want to check which customers are buying the products they manufacture. For example, if it is possible to grasp the fact that products manufactured by the company are being purchased by many women in their 20s, it can be utilized for new product development.

[0003] For this reason, stores may collect ID-POS data that associates a customer ID that uniquely identifies a customer with POS (Point Of Sales) data indicating the sales performance of products and provide it to manufacturers and the like. Also, an operator (so-called "data platform provider") that operates and provides a data platform may collect ID-POS data from stores and provide it to manufacturers and the like.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 1 describes an information management device that generates integrated information by integrating corporate information and personal information based on the purchase history of products or the usage history of services by customers and manages the output of the integrated information.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, even if a manufacturer obtains ID-POS data from a store or data platform provider, they cannot determine who the customer ID included in this ID-POS data belongs to. As a result, manufacturers cannot directly approach customers, even if they are repeat buyers. In particular, many repeat customers who repeatedly purchase products are often registered as members of the manufacturer through the manufacturer's app, but because the customer ID included in the ID-POS data is not linked to the member ID, manufacturers cannot even know that a member has purchased a product.

[0007] Furthermore, while Patent Document 1 generates integrated information by combining corporate information and personal information, it is not practical for competing manufacturers to each generate integrated information by combining their corporate information, thus limiting the situations in which it can be used.

[0008] Therefore, a crucial challenge for manufacturers is how to efficiently track customers who have purchased their products. This challenge arises not only for manufacturers but also for service providers who offer services.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide an information processing system and information processing method that enable manufacturers or service providers to efficiently grasp information about customers who receive goods or services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first management device that manages a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services and information relating to the said customer in association with the said customer, and a store terminal installed in a store that provides the said goods or services. ,before Second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer Manage the information It has a second control device that manages the system. The first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network.A notification processing system in which the store terminal provides the goods or services to the customer, The control unit has a control unit that notifies the second management device of information relating to the goods or services provided to the customer, and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, The second control device, The first identification information received from the first management device, The aforementioned Received from the store terminal Information relating to the aforementioned goods or services and before Record number Management department that manages the identification information in association with item 2. and It has.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above invention, the second management device includes the customer's biometric information and generated based on the customer's biometric information. The aforementioned It is managed in association with the second identification information. The aforementioned store terminal is When the store provides the goods or services to the customer, it acquires the customer's biometric information, notifies the second management device of the acquired biometric information, and provides the biometric information to the second management device. The aforementioned Second identification information is obtained from the second management device. Having an acquisition unit .

[0012] Furthermore, in the above invention, the second management device includes a specification unit that, when it receives the biometric information from the store terminal, specifies a second identification information corresponding to the biometric information, and a notification unit that notifies the store terminal of the second identification information specified by the specification unit.

[0013] Furthermore, in the present invention, the store terminal notifies the second management device of information relating to the product or service and the second identification information, the second management device notifies the customer terminal held by the customer corresponding to the second identification information of event information relating to the product or service, and the customer terminal applies for the event, which includes at least the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above invention, the customer terminal submits an application to the second management device for the event, which includes a license to use the first identification information, the second identification information, and information relating to the provision of the goods or services.

[0015] Furthermore, in the present invention, the second management device notifies the first management device of information relating to the provision of the goods or services corresponding to the second identification information, and the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information.

[0016] Furthermore, in the above invention, the first management device further includes an information provision unit that provides information to a predetermined information provider by associating information relating to the goods or services provided to the customer with anonymized personal information of the customer.

[0017] Furthermore, in the above invention, the information relating to the goods or services is, The code includes a code that uniquely identifies the aforementioned product or service, and the code is coded using information collected from external sources in response to the needs of the information provider.

[0018] Furthermore, in the present invention, the second management device further includes a coding processing unit that, when it receives a coding request for the goods or services relating to a first industry that are not coded, applies a coding system that codes the goods or services relating to a second industry different from the first industry to the goods or services relating to the first industry and performs coding processing.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention relates to an information processing system which is connected to a network and includes: a first management device which manages in association a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services with information relating to the customer; a store terminal installed in a store that provides the goods or services; and a second management device which manages a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device, and the information processing system which is executed by the information processing system which is connected to a network, the method comprising: a control step in which, when the store terminal provides the goods or services to the customer, the store terminal notifies the second management device of information relating to the goods or services provided to the customer and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal; and a management step in which the second management device manages in association a first identification information received from the first management device with information relating to the goods or services and the second identification information received from the store terminal. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a second management device in an information processing system in which the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, wherein when the store terminal provides goods or services to the customer, the second management device includes a receiving unit that receives from a control unit provided in the store terminal information relating to the goods or services provided to the customer and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, and a management unit that manages in association the first identification information received from the first management device and the information relating to the goods or services and the second identification information received from the store terminal. In addition, the present invention includes a first management device that manages by associating first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider that provides a product or service with information related to the customer, a store terminal disposed in a store that provides the product or the service, and a second management device that manages second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, and in an information processing system in which the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, an information processing method executed by the second management device, wherein when the store terminal provides the product or the service to the customer, a control step of receiving, from the store terminal, information related to the product or the service provided to the customer and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, and a management step of associating and managing the first identification information received from the first management device with the information related to the product or the service and the second identification information received from the store terminal. In addition, the present invention is an information processing program for causing a computer of the second management device in an information processing system including a first management device that manages by associating first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider that provides a product or service with information related to the customer, a store terminal disposed in a store that provides the product or the service, and a second management device that manages second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, and in which the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, to execute the following procedures. When the store terminal provides the product or the service to the customer, a control procedure of receiving, from the store terminal, information related to the product or the service provided to the customer and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, and a management procedure of associating and managing the first identification information received from the first management device with the information related to the product or the service and the second identification information received from the store terminal.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, a manufacturer or service provider can efficiently grasp customers who receive products or services.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the outline (when the manufacturer ID is registered) of the information processing system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the outline (when the manufacturer ID is not registered) of the information processing system shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the store terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of customer data shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the POS terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the customer terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturer server shown in Figure 1. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the customer DB shown in Figure 8. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server shown in Figure 1. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the registrant DB shown in Figure 10. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram showing the ID linking process shown in Figure 12. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of coding in the food and beverage field. <000s0127> [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a diagram showing another example of coding in the food and beverage field. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a modified example. [Figure 17]Figure 17 shows an example of a screen displayed on a customer's terminal. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] Embodiments of the information processing system and information processing method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, we will describe the case in which a customer purchases a product manufactured by a manufacturer (hereinafter referred to as "manufacturer"). Furthermore, it is assumed that such a product is marked with a code that uniquely identifies the product. For example, it is assumed that the product is marked with a barcode that includes a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code, which is a standardized code for distribution in Japan that is based on the international standard EAN (European Article Number).

[0023] <System Configuration of Information Processing System> First, an overview of this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system shown in Figure 1 has a configuration in which a store terminal 20, a POS terminal 30, a customer terminal 40, a manufacturer server 50, and a management server 60 are connected to a network N. As shown in Figure 1, there are multiple stores, and store 10-1 is equipped with store terminals 20-1 to 20-q and POS terminals 30-1 to 30-q that are paired with these store terminals. Similarly, store 10-p is equipped with store terminals 20-1 to 20-r and POS terminals 30-1 to 30-r that are paired with these store terminals. In the same way, other stores are equipped with multiple store terminals and multiple POS terminals that are paired with these store terminals. p, q, and r are all positive numbers, and they may be the same value or different values. Hereinafter, "store 10" may refer to any of stores 10-1 to 10-p, or it may refer to the store terminals 10-1 to 10-q as a whole. Furthermore, "store terminal 20" may refer to any of the store terminals 20-1 to 20-q, or it may refer to all of the store terminals 20-1 to 20-q collectively. The same applies to "POS terminal 30".

[0024] The store terminal 20 is a terminal device such as a PC or tablet installed in stores 10 of retail and distribution businesses such as supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores, discount stores, and mass retailers, as well as food service businesses such as restaurants, and is capable of communicating with the POS terminal 30 and the management server 60. The store terminal 20 has a store terminal application installed that requests facial recognition from the management server 60.

[0025] The POS terminal 30 is installed in a store 10, such as a retail store, and is a terminal device that collects and records information about the product (product name, price, time of sale, etc.) on an individual item basis at the point of sale where the product is sold and payment is made. The POS terminal 30 can communicate with the store terminal 20, the management server 60, and the store controller (not shown).

[0026] In reality, the POS system consists of POS terminals 30 and a store controller that manages them. The POS terminals 30 obtain information about the products handled by the store 10 from a product database (not shown) in the store controller, and the store controller manages product inventory, etc., by analyzing the data from the POS terminals 30. For the sake of simplicity, here we will assume that the POS system is composed of POS terminals 30, and that the functions of the POS system are provided by the POS terminals 30.

[0027] Furthermore, some of the functions of the POS terminal 30 and the store controller may be provided on a headquarters server (not shown) that manages multiple stores 10. The headquarters server may be installed as hardware within the headquarters, or it may be implemented as a web server or cloud server (the same applies to other servers below).

[0028] The customer terminal 40 is a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet owned by customer A, and is a terminal device capable of sending and receiving emails and accessing HTTP servers. The customer terminal application provided by the management server 60 is installed on this customer terminal 40. The customer terminal application is a smartphone application provided to customers by the data platform provider that operates the management server 60, and in addition to the facial recognition function described later, it has functions such as message delivery to customers and campaign announcements. The customer terminal application may be an application that is downloaded and installed on the device (a so-called "native application"), or an application that does not require downloading and runs in a web browser (a so-called "web application"). In the following explanation, the customer terminal application will be described as a native application, but there will be no substantial difference compared to the case where the customer terminal application is a web application. In addition, the customer terminal application may be provided to customers by the headquarters of store 10, and some functions (for example, the facial recognition function) may be provided by the data platform provider.

[0029] The manufacturer server 50 is a server device owned by the manufacturer that produces the product, and provides a landing page for the campaign (hereinafter abbreviated as "CP") to customer A directly or via the management server 60. If the customer registers as a member with the manufacturer, the manufacturer server 50 issues a manufacturer ID and manages it together with the customer's personal information (name, address, etc.).

[0030] The management server 60 manages customer information registered in the customer terminal application and is a server device that manages the customer identification information (hereinafter referred to as "GID") managed by its own device and links it with the manufacturer ID of the customer managed by the manufacturer server 50. The management server 60 is connected to the store terminal 20, POS terminal 30, customer terminal 40 and manufacturer server 50 so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0031] Furthermore, the customer terminal application is equipped with a facial recognition function. The facial recognition function is used for launching and logging into the customer terminal application, opening messages and notifications, and paying for goods at store 10. The management server 60 manages customer information necessary for facial recognition (such as the customer's facial image) and provides the store terminal application to the store terminals 20 installed in store 10. This store terminal application includes functions such as accepting customers who wish to pay using facial recognition.

[0032] <Overview of the Information Processing System>

[0033] Figures 2 and 3 show an overview of the information processing system shown in Figure 1. Here, it is assumed that customer A is pre-registered as a member on the manufacturer server 50 operated by manufacturer M. In addition, customer A has previously submitted a registration request to the information processing system, and a customer terminal application provided by the management server 60 is installed on the customer terminal 40. When registering the customer, the management server 60 assigns a unique GID to customer A, and customer A's personal information and facial image are registered in association with this GID.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, when a customer purchases a product m manufactured by manufacturer M at store 10, the POS terminal 30 reads the barcode attached to the product m (S1), the store terminal 20's camera 22 captures an image of the customer's face (S2), and transmits the face image to the management server 60 via the store terminal application (S3).

[0035] When the management server 60 receives a facial image of customer A, it identifies the GID of customer A corresponding to this facial image (S4) and sends the customer data (including GID, name, and credit card information) corresponding to this GID to the store terminal 20 (S5). The store terminal 20 then transfers the customer data to the POS terminal 30 (S6).

[0036] For the sake of simplicity, this explanation assumes that customer data includes credit card information. However, in reality, highly sensitive information such as credit card numbers is stored on a separate, highly secure server (such as a payment server operated by a credit card company), and information related to credit card payment processing (such as inquiries about payment approval or rejection and the results of those inquiries) is transmitted and received between the payment server and the management server 60.

[0037] Then, the POS terminal 30 processes the payment for product m based on the customer's credit card information (S7). In this way, the POS terminal 30 processes the payment for product m based on the credit card information obtained using the facial image of customer A. After completing the payment process, the POS terminal 30 sends customer A's GID and POS data (hereinafter simply referred to as "ID-POS data") related to the product m purchased by customer A to the management server (S8).

[0038] When the management server 60 receives ID-POS data from the POS terminal 30, it determines whether the product m included in this POS data is a product of a manufacturer that requests information (hereinafter referred to as the "specific manufacturer") (S9). In this case, since manufacturer M is one of the specific manufacturers, product m is a product of the specific manufacturer.

[0039] If the management server 60 has registered a manufacturer ID for manufacturer M linked to the GID, it identifies the manufacturer ID for manufacturer M from the GID (S13), and sends the POS data corresponding to the GID and the identified manufacturer ID to manufacturer M's manufacturer server 50 (S14). This allows manufacturer M to know that customer A has purchased product m.

[0040] In contrast, if the manufacturer ID of manufacturer M corresponding to the GID is not registered in advance, the management server 60 cannot identify manufacturer M's manufacturer ID from the GID. As a result, even though customer A is registered with the manufacturer server 50, the fact that customer A purchased product m cannot be ascertained.

[0041] Therefore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the GID and manufacturer ID linking process is performed in the manner shown in Figure 3. The following describes the GID and manufacturer ID linking process. Here, it is assumed that the management server 60 manages customer A's email address in the registrant DB 64a.

[0042] The processes (S1) to (S9) shown in Figure 3 are the same as those in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 3, if the manufacturer ID of manufacturer M corresponding to the GID is not registered in advance, the management server 60 sends a CP notification to the customer terminal 40 (S10). Specifically, a CP notification email is sent to customer A's email address via the customer terminal application.

[0043] When customer A launches the customer terminal application on customer terminal 40, the facial recognition function is activated, and the customer terminal application obtains the GID corresponding to customer A's facial image. Subsequently, when customer A clicks on the landing page URL included in the CP notification email, they are accessed by the management server 60. In addition, if a predetermined amount of time elapses between the launch of the customer terminal application and the opening of the CP notification email, the facial recognition function may also be activated when the CP notification email is opened.

[0044] Generally, a landing page refers to a page specifically designed to guide customer action. In this case, the landing page includes materials provided by the manufacturer (such as the manufacturer's brand logo and login form) and is created to enable ID linking by guiding the customer to fill out the login form. The customer's GID is either embedded directly in the landing page's cookie or managed as a session ID, so the landing page associates the GID with the content entered in the login form. After filling out the login form, the page transitions to a member page or similar operated by the manufacturer's server 50.

[0045] Subsequently, if customer A enters the manufacturer ID on this landing page, agrees to the data usage license, and submits a CP application (S11), the GID and manufacturer ID are transmitted from the customer terminal application to the management server 60, and the management server 60 obtains the data that associates the GID and manufacturer ID (hereinafter referred to as "linked data"). For this reason, the management server 60 associates the manufacturer ID included in this linked data with the registrant of the GID and registers it in the registrant DB 64a (S12). Then, the management server 60 identifies the manufacturer ID from customer A's GID included in the ID-POS data received from the POS terminal 30 (S13), and notifies the manufacturer server 50 of the POS data corresponding to the GID and the identified manufacturer ID (S14).

[0046] In this context, "data usage permission" refers to associating GID and manufacturer ID, sending POS data corresponding to the GID along with the manufacturer ID to a third party such as a manufacturer, and requesting permission for the third party to use the POS data and manufacturer ID for marketing purposes, etc. However, the content of the permission may be changed as appropriate according to the manufacturer's wishes.

[0047] By performing the above series of processes, the management server 60 can register the manufacturer ID corresponding to the GID in the registrant DB 64a, even if the manufacturer ID of manufacturer M corresponding to the GID is not registered in advance. Therefore, from the next time onward, when customer A purchases a product from manufacturer M, the POS data and manufacturer ID can be sent to manufacturer M's manufacturer server 50 using the procedure shown in Figure 2. As a result, manufacturer M will be able to ascertain that customer A has purchased its products.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, the system includes a manufacturer server 50 of manufacturer M that manages manufacturer IDs issued by manufacturer M that provide product m in association with customer personal information, a store terminal 20 installed in a store 10 that sells product m, and a management server 60 that manages customer A's personal information in association with customer A's manufacturer ID. The store terminal 20 obtains customer A's GID from the management server 60 when customer A purchases product m, and the management server 60 is configured to have a registered user DB 64a that associates information on product m purchased by customer A, customer A's manufacturer ID, and customer A's GID. Thus, manufacturer M can efficiently identify customer A who purchases product m.

[0049] For the sake of explanation, this document describes the case where customer A's facial image itself is registered in the registrant DB64a of the management server 60. However, it is also possible to configure the system to register the feature quantities of customer A's facial image. Furthermore, this document describes the case where customer A purchases product m, but it can also be applied to cases where customer A receives a service.

[0050] Furthermore, the management server 60 manages customer A's facial image in association with a GID generated based on that facial image. When customer A purchases product m, the store terminal 20 captures customer A's facial image and sends it to the management server 60, and receives the GID corresponding to this facial image from the management server 60. Note that various biometric information such as fingerprints and palm prints can be used instead of customer A's facial image. Additionally, the management server 60 may manage an ID and password arbitrarily set by customer A that uniquely identifies the customer, and use the ID as the GID. In other words, the authentication function of the customer terminal application may be implemented using knowledge authentication, such as prompting for password input, instead of biometric authentication that requires images of a part of the customer (face, fingers, palm, etc.).

[0051] Furthermore, when the management server 60 receives a facial image from the store terminal 20, it identifies the GID corresponding to the facial image and notifies the store terminal 20 of the identified GID. The store terminal 20 also notifies the management server 60 of the ID-POS data, and the management server 60 sends a campaign notification email for product m to the customer terminal 40 owned by customer A, which corresponds to the GID, and the customer terminal 40 receives the customer's application for the campaign. When applying for the campaign, at least the GID and manufacturer ID are associated with the customer terminal 40 and sent to the management server 60.

[0052] Furthermore, the customer terminal 40 accepts CP applications from the management server 60, including permission to use the manufacturer ID, GID, and information related to product m. The management server 60 also transmits POS data and the manufacturer ID to the manufacturer server 50. The manufacturer server 50 can also associate the POS data of product m purchased by customer A with anonymized personal information of customer A and provide this information to affiliated companies of manufacturer M.

[0053] <Consideration of the above system> (1) Issues in system operation While it might be conceivable for individual retailers, distributors, and restaurants to perform the above-mentioned processes, in reality, this would require modifications to their own systems, and it would be difficult to get all manufacturers to utilize their systems. On the other hand, if only some manufacturers were to use their systems, it would create the misconception that they are showing favoritism. For these reasons, it is not practical for each store to perform the same processes.

[0054] (2) Structural challenges in the industry It is conceivable that a so-called common point service provider could carry out the above series of processes, but even if a common point service provider does so, the same problems as in (1) above will arise. Furthermore, since common point service providers often implement measures that involve sales promotion for specific manufacturers, it is highly likely that they will not be able to approach competing manufacturers.

[0055] Furthermore, not all stores have adopted a common point service. If a common point service provider were to handle the above-mentioned series of processes, it would require stores that do not currently have a common point service to adopt one, which is not practical.

[0056] While it is conceivable that so-called cashless payment service providers could perform the above-mentioned series of processes, the same problems exist even if cashless payment service providers were to do so. In other words, not all stores have adopted cashless payment services. In addition, currently in Japan, cashless payments account for a small percentage of all payments, and there is a proliferation of cashless payment services, so the percentage of all payments made by any one cashless payment service provider is even lower. For this reason, even if a cashless payment service provider were to perform the above-mentioned series of processes, the amount of information that the cashless payment service provider could share would be small, and the benefits for the manufacturers who would be collaborating with them would also be small.

[0057] (3) Data processing challenges The IDs used by each store in the retail, distribution, and food service industries may differ. For example, chain store X uses a different ID than chain store Y, and they do not use a unified ID. Therefore, data matching becomes necessary. However, matching data would involve using personal information such as name, address, and telephone number to consolidate data about the same person, which is not practical. Also, even products from the same manufacturer may have different JAN codes depending on whether or not a campaign is running. Thus, even if various types of data can be collected, the burden of data processing, such as ID matching and JAN code interpretation, is significant. To increase profits beyond the data processing burden, it would be necessary to collect data from a wide range of areas and industries, but this is difficult from the perspectives of (1) and (2) above. Taking the above points into consideration, we decided to carry out the series of processes described above.

[0058] <Configuration of store terminal 20> Next, the configuration of the store terminal 20 shown in Figure 1 will be explained. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the store terminal 20 shown in Figure 1. The store terminal 20 is a terminal device such as a PC, tablet, or in-store linked signage installed in a store 10, such as a retail store. This store terminal 20 transmits facial images captured from the customer's face to the management server 60. It then receives customer data from the management server 60. This store terminal 20 has a store terminal application installed that requests facial recognition from the management server 60.

[0059] As shown in Figure 4, the store terminal 20 includes a display operation unit 21, a camera 22, a BT communication unit 23, a communication I / F unit 24, a storage unit 25, and a control unit 26. The display operation unit 21 is an input / output device consisting of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescence), etc.

[0060] Camera 22 is an imaging unit consisting of elements such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) that captures images of the customer's face. BT communication unit 23 is a communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with the POS terminal 30 using Bluetooth®. Communication I / F unit 24 is an interface unit that communicates with the management server 60 via the network N.

[0061] The storage unit 25 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, and stores customer data 25a. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the customer data 25a shown in Figure 4. As shown in the diagram, this customer data 25a includes the customer's GID, name, credit card information (credit card number, expiration date), etc. In the diagram, the customer with GID "G001" has the name "Ichiro ○yama", the credit card number is "1234-5678-9012-3456", and the expiration date is "12 / 25 (December 2025)".

[0062] The control unit 26 is a control unit that performs overall control of the store terminal 20 and includes an imaging control unit 26a, a face image transmission unit 26b, a customer data reception unit 26c, and a customer data transfer unit 26d. In practice, store terminal applications corresponding to the imaging control unit 26a, face image transmission unit 26b, customer data reception unit 26c, and customer data transfer unit 26d are stored in the memory unit 25 or the like, and by loading these store terminal applications into memory and executing them with the CPU, the processes corresponding to the imaging control unit 26a, face image transmission unit 26b, customer data reception unit 26c, and customer data transfer unit 26d are executed.

[0063] The imaging control unit 26a is a control unit that, upon receiving an imaging instruction from the POS terminal, controls the camera 22 to capture an image of the customer's face. At this time, it provides guidance to the customer, such as voice data, to give the imaging instruction.

[0064] The face image transmission unit 26b is a processing unit that transmits the face image of the customer captured by the camera 22 to the management server 60. The customer data reception unit 26c is a processing unit that receives the customer data transmitted from the management server 60 and stores it in the storage unit 25 as customer data 25a. The customer data transfer unit 26d is a processing unit that transfers customer data to the POS terminal 30. The reason for transferring such customer data is to perform the settlement process of the product at the POS terminal 30.

[0065] <Configuration of the POS terminal 30> Next, the configuration of the POS terminal 30 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the POS terminal 30 shown in FIG. 1. The POS terminal 30 is installed in a store 10 such as a retail store, and at the point of sale where the product is sold and paid, it is a terminal device that collects and records information about the product (product name, price, sales time, etc.) on a per-item basis. It reads the barcode attached to the product to identify the JAN code. From this JAN code, the product type, product price, etc. of the product can be identified.

[0066] After that, an instruction is given to the store terminal 20 to capture the face of the customer. Then, if the customer data is received from the store terminal 20, the settlement process is performed using the credit card information included in this customer data, and the ID-POS data is transmitted to the management server 60.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 6, the POS terminal 30 includes a display operation unit 31, a barcode reader 32, a BT communication unit 33, a communication I / F unit 34, a storage unit 35, and a control unit 36. The display operation unit 31 is an input / output device composed of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescence), etc.

[0068] The barcode reader 32 is a reading unit that reads the barcode attached to the product. This barcode includes the product's JAN code. The BT communication unit 33 is a communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with the store terminal 20 using Bluetooth®. The communication I / F unit 34 is an interface unit that communicates with the management server 60 via the network N.

[0069] The storage unit 35 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, and stores POS data 35a, customer data 35b, and product data 35c. POS data 35a is information about products purchased by customers (product name, price, time of sale, etc.).

[0070] Customer data 35b is customer data received from the store terminal 20 and includes the customer's GID, name, credit card information (credit card number, expiration date), etc. Product data 35c is data that associates the JAN code, product name, and price of products displayed in the store 10.

[0071] In this embodiment, we will describe the case where payment processing is performed using a credit card that has been registered in advance on the management server 60, but various other payment methods such as cash payment, debit card payment, and payment processing using transportation IC cards can also be performed.

[0072] The control unit 36 ​​is a control unit that performs overall control of the POS terminal 30 and includes a barcode reading unit 36a, a customer data receiving unit 36b, a payment processing unit 36c, and an ID-POS data transmission unit 36d. In practice, store terminal applications corresponding to the barcode reading unit 36a, customer data receiving unit 36b, payment processing unit 36c, and ID-POS data transmission unit 36d are stored in a memory unit 35 or the like, and by loading these store terminal applications into memory and executing them with the CPU, the processes corresponding to the barcode reading unit 36a, customer data receiving unit 36b, payment processing unit 36c, and ID-POS data transmission unit 36d are executed.

[0073] The barcode reader 36a is a processing unit that reads the barcode attached to the product purchased by the customer and identifies the JAN code, etc. contained in the barcode. Once the JAN code, etc. is identified, the product name and price can be identified by referring to the product data 35c.

[0074] The customer data receiving unit 36b is a processing unit that receives customer data transmitted from the store terminal 20 and stores it in the storage unit 35 as customer data 35b. The payment processing unit 36c is a processing unit that uses the credit card information contained in the customer data 35b to process the payment for the goods. The product name and price of the goods are identified based on the product data 35c and the JAN code. Once the payment processing is complete, the data is stored in the storage unit 35 as POS data 35a.

[0075] The ID-POS data transmission unit 36d is a processing unit that transmits the customer's GID and the POS data (ID-POS data) of the products purchased by the customer to the management server 60. By receiving this ID-POS data, the management server 60 can identify which customer purchased which product within the store 10.

[0076] <Configuration of customer terminal 40> Next, the configuration of the customer terminal 40 shown in Figure 1 will be described. Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the customer terminal 40 shown in Figure 1. The customer terminal 40 is a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the customer, and is a terminal device capable of sending and receiving emails and accessing HTTP servers. The customer terminal 40 has a customer terminal application provided by the management server 60 to customers who subscribe to the information processing system installed on it.

[0077] When a customer launches the customer terminal app on customer terminal 40, the facial recognition function is activated, and the customer terminal app obtains the GID corresponding to customer A's facial image. The customer then checks the CP notification email from the management server 60. The body of the CP notification email contains a message such as, "Thank you very much for purchasing product m from Company M. We are currently running a campaign where we will give away products to 100 lucky winners. Please take this opportunity to enter." and a URL to a landing page.

[0078] When a customer clicks on the landing page URL, they gain access to the landing page operated by the management server 60. Subsequently, if the customer enters their manufacturer ID and agrees to the data usage permission on the landing page, the management server 60 is notified of the linked data of the GID and manufacturer ID.

[0079] As shown in Figure 7, the customer terminal 40 includes a display operation unit 41, a camera 42, a communication I / F unit 43, a storage unit 44, and a control unit 45. The display operation unit 41 is an input / output device consisting of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescence), etc.

[0080] Camera 42 is an imaging unit consisting of elements such as a CCD, and captures images of the customer's face. Communication I / F unit 43 is an interface unit that communicates with the management server 60, etc., via the network N. Storage unit 44 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, etc.

[0081] The control unit 36 ​​is a control unit that performs overall control of the customer terminal 40 and includes a registration processing unit 45a, an imaging control unit 45b, a mailer 45c, and a browser 45d. In practice, the customer terminal application corresponding to the registration processing unit 45a and the imaging control unit 45b, and the programs corresponding to the mailer 45c and browser 45d are stored in the memory unit 44 or the like. By loading this customer terminal application into memory and executing it with the CPU, the processes corresponding to the registration processing unit 45a, the imaging control unit 45b, the mailer 45c, and the browser 45d are executed.

[0082] The registration processing unit 45a is a processing unit that performs registration processing when a customer registers with the information processing system. The registration processing unit 45a is formed when a customer terminal application is downloaded from the management server 60 or another server and executed. When a customer makes a registration request through this registration processing unit 45a, a GID that uniquely identifies the customer is issued, and personal information (name, address, email address, etc.), credit card information (credit card number, expiration date), facial image, etc. are registered with the management server 60.

[0083] The imaging control unit 45b is a control unit that controls the camera 42 to capture an image of the customer's face when registering a customer. The mailer 45c is a mailer that receives CP notification emails and the like from the management server 60. This mailer 45c can also send and receive various emails on the web.

[0084] Browser 45d is a browser for accessing various web pages. When a URL included in the CP notification email is clicked, Browser 45d is launched, and the user can access the corresponding landing page. Once the manufacturer ID and data usage permission are entered on this landing page and the CP application is submitted, the linked data is notified to the management server 60.

[0085] <Configuration of Manufacturer Server 50> Next, the configuration of the manufacturer server 50 shown in Figure 1 will be explained. Figure 8 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturer server 50 shown in Figure 1. The manufacturer server 50 is a terminal device owned by the manufacturer that produces the product, and it provides the materials necessary for creating the landing page (or the landing page itself) to the management server 60 (more precisely, the operator of the management server 60). Various information entered by customer A on the landing page is transmitted to the manufacturer server 50 via the management server 60. If customer A has registered as a member with manufacturer M, the manufacturer server 50 issues a manufacturer ID and manages it together with customer A's personal information (name, address, etc.). When the manufacturer server 50 receives POS data and manufacturer ID from the management server 60, it determines that the customer corresponding to the manufacturer ID has purchased the company's product from the POS data.

[0086] As shown in Figure 8, the manufacturer server 50 includes an input unit 51, a display unit 52, a communication interface unit 53, a storage unit 54, and a control unit 55. The input unit 51 is an input device such as a keyboard and mouse, and the display unit 52 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display, or a display device. The communication interface unit 53 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the customer terminal 40 and the management server 60 via a network.

[0087] The storage unit 54 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, and stores the customer DB 54a. A database management unit (DBMS) is provided to manage this customer DB 54a, but this is existing technology and not a distinctive feature of this embodiment, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0088] Customer DB 54a is a database containing information about customers registered on the manufacturer server 50. Figure 9 shows an example of customer DB 54a as shown in Figure 8. Here, it shows how customer names, addresses, genders, ages, purchased products, etc., are managed for each manufacturer ID that uniquely identifies the customer.

[0089] The diagram shows that customer A123 has the name "Ichiro ○yama", the address "1-1 AB-cho, ○○ City", is male, and is 35 years old. Similarly, customer A124 has the name "Jiro △tani", the address "3-3 EF-cho, ○○ City", is male, and is 42 years old. When ID-POS data is received from the management server 60, it is possible to determine which customer purchased which product by tracing the manufacturer ID.

[0090] The control unit 55 is a control unit that performs overall control of the manufacturer server 50 and has a customer management unit 55a. In practice, a program corresponding to the customer management unit 55a is stored in a memory unit 54 or the like, and this program is loaded into memory and executed by the CPU to run the process corresponding to the customer management unit 55a. The customer management unit 55a is a management unit that manages customers registered with the manufacturer using the customer database 54a.

[0091] <Configuration of Management Server 60> Next, the configuration of the management server 60 shown in Figure 1 will be described. Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 60 shown in Figure 1. The management server 60 is a server device that links and manages the identification information of customer A (hereinafter referred to as "GID") managed by its own device with the manufacturer ID of customer A managed by the manufacturer server 50. The management server 60 provides a store terminal application with facial recognition functionality to stores that subscribe to the information processing system, and also provides a customer terminal application to customers that use the information processing system.

[0092] When the management server 60 receives a customer's face image from the store terminal 20, it uses the registrant DB 64a to identify the GID from the face image and sends the customer data containing the GID to the store terminal 20. Here, when identifying the GID from a face image, the management server 60 compares the face image sent from the store terminal 20 with the face images of each registrant registered in the registrant DB 64a. For example, it can determine which registrant has the highest cross-correlation coefficient between the two face images and identify this registrant's GID. Alternatively, the GID can be calculated directly by applying a one-way function to the face image.

[0093] As shown in Figure 10, the management server 60 includes an input unit 61, a display unit 62, a communication interface unit 63, a storage unit 64, and a control unit 65. The input unit 61 is an input device such as a keyboard and mouse, and the display unit 62 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display, or a display device. The communication interface unit 63 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the store terminal 20, POS terminal 30, customer terminal 40, and manufacturer server 50 via the network.

[0094] The storage unit 64 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, and stores the registrant DB64a. A database management unit (DBMS) is provided to manage this registrant DB64a, but this is existing technology and not a distinctive feature of this embodiment, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0095] The registrant DB64a is a database containing information about registrants registered with the management server 60. Figure 11 shows an example of the registrant DB64a shown in Figure 10. Here, the registrant's name, address, email address, credit card information (credit card number, expiration date), facial image, manufacturer ID, etc., are managed for each GID that uniquely identifies the registrant.

[0096] The diagram shows that the registrant for GID "G001" has the following characteristics: name "Ichiro ○yama", address "1-1 AB-cho, ○○ City", email address "123@abc.com", credit card number "1234-5678-9012-3456", expiration date "12 / 25 (December 2025)", face image file "abc.jpg", and manufacturer ID "A123".

[0097] Furthermore, the registrant for GID "G002" has the following characteristics: name "Hanako ×gawa", address "2-2 CD-cho, ××-ku", email address "456@def.com", credit card number "9876-5432-1098-7654", expiration date "11 / 24 (November 2024)", face image file "def.jpg", and manufacturer ID "B246". If such a manufacturer ID is already registered, the process described in Figure 2 will be performed; if the manufacturer ID is not registered, the process described in Figure 3 will be performed.

[0098] The control unit 65 is a control unit that performs overall control of the management server 60 and includes a registrant management unit 65a, a product determination unit 65b, a CP notification processing unit 65c, a manufacturer ID registration unit 65d, and a POS data transmission unit 65e. In practice, programs corresponding to the registrant management unit 65a, the product determination unit 65b, the CP notification processing unit 65c, the manufacturer ID registration unit 65d, and the manufacturer ID / POS data transmission unit 65e are stored in a memory unit 64 or the like, and these programs are loaded into memory and executed by the CPU to execute the processes corresponding to the registrant management unit 65a, the product determination unit 65b, the CP notification processing unit 65c, the manufacturer ID registration unit 65d, and the POS data transmission unit 65e.

[0099] The registrant management unit 65a is a management unit that manages registrants registered with the management server 60 using the registrant database 64a. Specifically, it issues a unique GID to customers who make registration requests through the customer terminal application installed on the customer terminal 40, and manages personal information, credit card information, and facial images in association with this GID.

[0100] The product determination unit 65b is a processing unit that determines whether the product included in the POS data of the ID-POS data received from the POS terminal 30 is a product of a specific manufacturer. If the manufacturer that produces the product is a member of the information processing system, it sends the POS data and manufacturer ID to the manufacturer's server 50. If the manufacturer that produces the product is not a member of the information processing system, it does not send the POS data and manufacturer ID to the manufacturer's server 50.

[0101] The CP notification processing unit 65c is a processing unit that sends a CP notification email using the customer terminal application on the customer terminal 40 owned by the customer when the manufacturer of a product requires information about that product, and the manufacturer ID is not registered in the row corresponding to the GID in the registrant DB 64a. The recipient address of this CP notification email is the email address registered in the row corresponding to the GID in the registrant DB 64a. The CP notification email also contains a URL to the landing page of the manufacturer server 50, and if this URL is selected, input fields for entering the manufacturer ID, etc., will be displayed.

[0102] The manufacturer ID registration unit 65d is a processing unit that, when the facial recognition function is activated upon the launch of the customer terminal application and a GID corresponding to the facial image is identified, registers the manufacturer ID entered by the customer in the row corresponding to that GID in the registrant DB 64a. This allows the manufacturer ID to be identified from the GID during subsequent processing.

[0103] The POS data transmission unit 65e is a processing unit that transmits POS data corresponding to the GID and the identified manufacturer ID to the manufacturer server 50.

[0104] <Processing Procedures for Information Processing Systems> Next, the processing procedure of the information processing system according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the information processing system according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, when the POS terminal 30 reads the barcode attached to the product purchased by the customer using the barcode reader 32 (step S101), it issues an imaging instruction to the store terminal 20.

[0105] When the store terminal 20 receives such an imaging instruction, it captures an image of the customer's face using the camera 22 (step S102) and transmits the captured face image to the management server 60 (step S103). When the management server 60 receives the customer's face image, it identifies the GID from the face image (step S104). For example, it can compare the face image transmitted from the store terminal 20 with the face images of each registrant registered in the registrant DB 64a, determine that the registrant has the highest cross-correlation coefficient between the two face images, and identify the GID of this registrant.

[0106] Subsequently, the management server 60 transmits customer data, including the customer's GID, name, and credit card information (credit card number, expiration date), to the store terminal 20 (step S105), and the store terminal 20 transfers the customer data received from the management server 60 to the POS terminal 30 (step S106).

[0107] When the POS terminal 30 receives customer data, it uses the credit card information contained in the customer data to process the payment for the goods (step S107) and sends the ID-POS data to the management server 60 (step S108). The ID-POS data may be sent immediately after the payment processing is completed (sequential processing), or it may be sent all at once when closing the register (batch processing).

[0108] If the manufacturer ID corresponding to the GID is not registered in the registrant DB64a (step S109; No), the management server 60 performs the ID linkage process described later (step S110). On the other hand, if the manufacturer ID corresponding to the GID is already registered in the registrant DB64a (step S109; Yes), it sends the manufacturer ID / POS data to the manufacturer server 50 (step S111) and terminates the above series of processes.

[0109] Next, the ID linkage processing procedure shown in Figure 12 will be explained. Figure 13 is a sequence diagram showing the ID linkage processing shown in S110 of Figure 12. As shown in the figure, the management server 60 determines whether the product included in the ID-POS data is a product of a specific manufacturer (step S201), and if it is not a product of a specific manufacturer (step S201; No), the process is terminated.

[0110] In response to this, if the product is from a specific manufacturer (Step S201; Yes), a CP notification email is sent to the customer terminal 40 (Step S202). When the customer terminal 40 receives such a CP notification email, if it selects the URL of the manufacturer's server 50 landing page included in the CP notification email, an input field for entering the manufacturer ID, etc., is displayed.

[0111] Then, if the customer enters the manufacturer ID and data usage permission on the landing page (step S203) and applies for the CP (step S204), the linked data, including the GID and manufacturer ID extracted from the landing page, is notified to the management server 60.

[0112] The management server 60 sends the POS data corresponding to the GID and the manufacturer ID identified from the GID to the manufacturer server 50 (step S205), registers the manufacturer ID in the row for the corresponding GID in the registrant DB 64a (step S206), and terminates the above series of processes. If the manufacturer server 50 receives the POS data and manufacturer ID, it registers the manufacturer ID and POS data in the customer DB 54a (step S207) and terminates the process.

[0113] As described above, in this embodiment, there is a manufacturer's server 50 that manages the association between a manufacturer ID issued by the manufacturer providing the product and the customer's personal information, a store terminal 20 installed in a store 10 that sells the product, and a management server 60 that manages the association between the customer's personal information and the customer's GID. The store terminal 20 obtains the customer's GID from the management server 60 when a customer purchases a product, and the management server 60 is configured to have a registered user DB 64a that associates information on the product purchased by the customer, the customer's manufacturer ID, and the customer's GID. As a result, the manufacturer can efficiently identify customers who purchase products.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the case in which the customer's face image itself is registered in the registrant DB64a of the management server 60 was described, but it is also possible to configure the system to register the feature quantities of the customer's face image. In addition, although the above embodiment described the case in which a customer purchases a product, it can also be applied to the case in which a customer receives a service.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the management server 60 manages customer facial images in association with GIDs generated based on those facial images. When a customer purchases a product, the store terminal 20 captures a facial image of the customer and sends it to the management server 60, and receives the GID corresponding to this facial image from the management server 60. Note that various biometric information such as fingerprints and palm prints can be used instead of a customer's facial image. Additionally, the management server 60 may manage an ID and password arbitrarily set by customer A that uniquely identifies the customer, and use the ID as the GID. In other words, the authentication function of the customer terminal application may be implemented using knowledge authentication, such as prompting for password input, instead of biometric authentication that requires images of a part of the customer (face, fingers, palm, etc.).

[0116] Furthermore, GID can be associated with the customer terminal 40 rather than various biometric information. A beacon receiver (not shown) is placed near the POS terminal 30, and with the customer's prior consent, the beacon receiver transmits and receives beacon waves with the customer terminal 40 to obtain the identification information of the customer terminal 40 contained in the beacon waves and transmits it to the POS terminal 30. The POS terminal 30 transmits the identification information obtained from the customer terminal 40 via the beacon receiver and the corresponding POS data to the management server 60. On the other hand, the customer terminal 40 stores its identification information (which may be generated from the initial setup information of the customer terminal 40 or generated when registering the customer terminal application) in memory, and returns the identification information of the customer terminal 40 when requested by the beacon receiver. In addition, with the customer's prior consent, the customer terminal 40's identification information is used when using a predetermined function of the customer terminal application. For example, when a customer clicks on a URL link in a CP notification email using a customer terminal app and opens a landing page, the identification information of the customer terminal 40 is embedded in a cookie or managed as a session ID.

[0117] Furthermore, beacon receivers may be installed not only near the POS terminal 30 but also in various locations throughout the store. In this case, the beacon receiver collects not only the identification information of the customer terminal 40 but also the beacon reception time from the beacon wave and transmits it to the POS terminal 30. The POS terminal 30 then transmits the identification information of the customer terminal 40 that received the beacon at a time close to the payment time, along with the corresponding POS data, to the management server 60.

[0118] The beacon transmitter may obtain the application ID assigned to the customer terminal application by sending and receiving beacon waves with the customer terminal 40, and may use the combination of the application ID and GID instead of the GID. On the customer terminal 40, the application ID is generated and stored in memory when the customer terminal application is installed. Alternatively, instead of the combination of the application ID and GID, a combination of the application ID and the identification information of the customer terminal 40 may be used.

[0119] In this embodiment, when the management server 60 receives a facial image from the store terminal 20, it identifies the GID corresponding to the facial image and notifies the store terminal 20 of the identified GID. The store terminal 20 then notifies the management server 60 of the ID-POS data, and the management server 60 sends a product CP notification email to the customer terminal 40 held by the customer corresponding to the GID, and the customer terminal 40 accepts applications for the CP from the customer. When applying for the CP, the customer terminal 40 sends at least the GID and manufacturer ID to the management server 60. The customer terminal 40 also accepts the CP application from the management server 60, which includes the manufacturer ID, GID, and permission to use information related to product m. The management server 60 also sends the POS data and manufacturer ID to the manufacturer server 50.

[0120] Furthermore, the manufacturer server 50 can be configured to associate POS data of products purchased by customers with anonymized personal information of customers and provide this information to the manufacturer's affiliated companies.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the explanation of the provision of benefits associated with customer participation in the CP (Campaign) is omitted, but various benefits can be provided, such as the manufacturer mailing products to customers and the awarding of points from the manufacturer server 50 to the customer terminal 40. Furthermore, the system can be configured so that the manufacturer pays a fee to the operator of the information processing system in proportion to the frequency with which the manufacturer receives product information from the management server 60.

[0122] In the above-described embodiment, when customer A purchases product m of manufacturer M, the CP related to product m is notified to customer A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When customer A purchases product m of manufacturer M, it is not always the case that the CP related to product m is being held or will be held soon. Manufacturer M should want to avoid a situation where the linkage between customer A's manufacturer ID and GID is not promoted until the timing of customer A's product purchase coincides with the CP holding. Manufacturer M should want the ID linkage of customer A to be realized quickly. Also, manufacturer M should want to know not only about customer A of product m but also about customers of widely related products. Hereinafter, an example of CP notification for quickly realizing the ID linkage of customers and knowing about customers of widely related products will be described.

[0123] <Example 1 of CP Notification> When the operating company of management server 60 receives a request for ID linkage from each manufacturer, it receives from each manufacturer, as CP information, information related to CP target products (codes and product categories of CP target products, codes of manufacturers that manufacture CP target products, etc.) and CP holding schedules (dates and stores where the CP is held, etc.), and stores them in management server 60 in advance. Management server 60 generates a CP notification email using the CP information of each manufacturer and transmits it to customer terminal 40 of customer A.

[0124] For example, when customer A purchases beer from a manufacturer different from manufacturer M and the CP related to the beer of manufacturer M is being held (or is scheduled to be held soon), management server 60 notifies customer A of the CP related to the beer of manufacturer M.

[0125] In this way, when customer A does not purchase a CP target product but purchases a product of a different manufacturer with the same category as the CP target, management server 60 notifies customer A of the CP.

[0126] <Example 2 of CP Notification> For example, if customer A purchases wine from manufacturer M and there is a CP (or it is scheduled to be held soon) related to cheese from a manufacturer different from manufacturer M, the management server 60 notifies customer A of the CP related to cheese.

[0127] In this way, when customer A does not purchase the CP target product but purchases a product related to the CP target product (so-called "combined purchase"), the management server 60 notifies customer A of the CP.

[0128] <CP Notification Example 3> Before the manufacturer ID and GID of customer A are associated through CP notification, every time customer A shops at a store using the app, the management server 60 acquires the ID-POS data of customer A via the store terminal 20. That is, the management server 60 has acquired the purchase history of customer A. Also, similar to the above-mentioned CP notification examples 1 and 2, it is assumed that the CP information of each manufacturer is stored in the management server 60 in advance.

[0129] The management server 60 generates a CP notification email using the CP information of each manufacturer and the acquired purchase history of the customer, and transmits it to the customer terminal 40 of customer A.

[0130] For example, if customer A purchases beer from manufacturer M but there is no CP (or it is not scheduled to be held soon) related to this beer, the management server 60 analyzes the purchase tendency by referring to the purchase history of customer A. And if it is found that "customer A frequently purchases alcoholic beverages", the management server 60 notifies customer A of the CP of highballs.

[0131] In this way, the management server 60 analyzes the customer's purchase tendency according to the schedule of the CP related to the purchased product, and if there is any common point between the CP target product and the purchased product, the management server 60 notifies the customer A of the CP. Examples of "any common point with the CP target product" include that products in the same category as the CP target product are frequently purchased, products with the same product characteristics as the CP target product are frequently purchased, products of the same manufacturer as the CP target product are frequently purchased, and products related to the CP target product are frequently purchased.

[0132] Here, the purchase tendency is analyzed by referring to the purchase history of customer A. However, when analyzing the purchase tendency, the reference is not limited to only customer A. For example, the purchase history of another customer with attributes similar to customer A or the purchase history of a customer group consisting of multiple customers with attributes similar to customer A may also be referred to.

[0133] So far, the process of associating the manufacturer ID and GID of customer A through CP notification has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0134] <Processing after ID Linkage> Even after the manufacturer ID and GID of customer A are associated, every time customer A uses the app to shop at the store, the management server 60 acquires the ID-POS data of customer A via the store terminal 20. With the consent of customer A, once the manufacturer ID and GID are associated, the management server 60 transmits the manufacturer ID and POS data corresponding to the ID-POS data acquired via the store terminal 20 to the manufacturer server 50 regardless of whether customer A has purchased the products of that manufacturer. In this way, once the IDs are linked, the manufacturer can collect the customer's POS data even if its own products are not purchased, so that the customer's purchase behavior can be analyzed more precisely.

[0135] <Variant Example> By the way, the above embodiment described the case where a JAN code is assigned to a product, but when coding products provided in the food and beverage sector (including dishes served in restaurants, as well as meat, fish, and prepared foods processed and sold in retail stores), each store often assigns its own original code. For this reason, this modified example describes an example in which the management server 60 performs coding in the food and beverage sector.

[0136] In addition to information registered in POS registers and ticket vending machines (menu classification and menu name), dishes can be coded using information collected from external websites, etc., according to the needs of the information provider. The following are examples of information that can be collected. The following is an example of information collected when coding dishes, but the same applies to other items such as meat, fresh fish, and prepared foods.

[0137] Furthermore, for meat, fresh fish, and prepared foods, it is also possible to photograph the package labels and collect information such as the country of origin and ingredients displayed on the labels from the images. Alternatively, this information may be collected in conjunction with other systems operating in the store, such as labeling systems and ordering systems. (1) Area It is possible to collect information indicating the area where the store is located. For example, this information can be collected from the "area list" on a store introduction website. (2) Store genre It is possible to collect information indicating the type of cuisine offered by a restaurant. For example, this information can be collected from the "cuisine category" section of a restaurant's website.

[0138] (3) Raw materials It is possible to collect information about the ingredients used in dishes. Although ingredient labeling is not mandatory for restaurants, this information can be collected from the ingredient lists displayed on the websites of restaurant chains. (4) Place of origin Information indicating the origin of raw materials can be collected. Similar to raw materials, origin labeling is not mandatory, but it can be collected from the ingredient lists displayed on the websites of restaurant chains. (5) Number of keyword occurrences in reviews It is possible to collect the number of times the same keyword appears in reviews from a restaurant review website. These reviews fall into three categories: reviews about the restaurant, reviews about food in general, and reviews about specific dishes. Of these, we will count the number of times the keyword appears in reviews about specific dishes. Specifically, this will involve counting the number of times the keyword appears in the vicinity of a particular dish name.

[0139] (6) Recipe Since restaurants sometimes publish their recipes online, it is possible to collect information about ingredients and seasonings from such recipes. (7) Others You can utilize paid or free dictionary data that contains synonyms. For example, since "beef" and "beef" are synonyms, even if the spelling is different, you can check whether they are essentially the same by referring to dictionary data.

[0140] Figure 14 shows an example of coding in the food and beverage sector. Here, we show an example of assigning a unified menu code for Company X. Company X wants to know what kind of curry is popular in the X1 area when it is planning to open a new curry restaurant in the X1 area. In this case, not only curry restaurants but also other types of restaurants (soba noodle shops or Western-style restaurants) may also serve curry, and these other types of restaurants could also be competitors.

[0141] To find out what types of curry are selling well, regardless of genre, one approach is to assign a unified menu code to curries made with the same ingredients, as shown in Figure 14, calculate sales for each unified menu code, and provide this information to Company X. If Company X wants more detailed information, they can also utilize keywords from customer reviews. Furthermore, if Store X wants to know what types of curry are selling well among curry restaurants in the same genre, they can narrow down the store genre.

[0142] Figure 15 shows another example of coding in the food and beverage sector. Here, Mr. Y1 of Company Y, an importer of food ingredients, wants to know what kind of spices are in demand in the newly assigned Y2 district. In this case, keywords that indicate the amount of spice used are pre-registered for each dish that uses spices, and the number of times these keywords appear on review sites is counted. One possible scenario is to determine whether the pre-set keywords exist within a certain distance (number of characters) from a specific dish name, assign a unified menu code to dishes with similar amounts of spice use, calculate the sales for each unified menu code, and provide this information to Mr. Y1. Note that in this example, reviews are used instead of recipes because many restaurants do not publish their recipes, but recipes can also be used instead of reviews. It is also possible to use existing technology that estimates nutritional content from photographs of dishes.

[0143] Furthermore, based on the information collected by the management server 60 mentioned above, codes used in the retail and distribution industries can also be applied to the food and beverage sector. For example, if a customer who frequently purchases XX beer at a certain supermarket orders beer at a restaurant, there is a high probability that this beer is XX beer. If a certain number of such customers exist, it can be estimated that the beer served at the restaurant is XX beer.

[0144] Up to this point, we have described an example of a modified version in which the management server 60 performs coding in the food and beverage sector. Below, we will describe the system for realizing coding in the food and beverage sector.

[0145] <System configuration of a modified example> Figure 16 shows a modified system configuration. The information processing system shown in Figure 16 has a configuration in which the equipment in stores 10-1 to 10-p, the customer terminal 40, and the management server 60 are connected to network N. The equipment in stores 10-1 to 10-p is the same as that shown in Figure 1, so a detailed explanation is omitted. As with Figure 1, "store 10" may refer to any of stores 10-1 to 10-p, or it may refer to the store terminals 10-1 to 10-q as a whole. POS data generated when a customer makes a purchase in store 10 is transmitted from the POS terminal 30 to the management server 60.

[0146] The customer terminal 40 is basically the same as the one shown in Figure 1, but it differs in that the "customer" in the embodiment described using Figure 1 is a shopper at the store, whereas the "customer" in this modified example is a client who desires to encode food and beverage menu data. The customer uses a web browser or application on the customer terminal 40 to set the encoding criteria for the food and beverage menu data. The operations performed on the customer terminal 40 are transmitted to the management server 60.

[0147] The management server 60 codes food and beverage menu data based on the operations performed on the customer terminal. Furthermore, the management server 60 retrieves POS data from the POS terminal 30 sequentially or in batches. The management server 60 then compares and aggregates the coded food and beverage menu data with the POS data.

[0148] <Code Criteria Settings Screen> Next, we will describe the screen displayed on the customer terminal 40 when the customer sets the coding criteria for food and beverage menu data.

[0149] Figure 17(a) shows an example of a screen (criteria setting screen) 70 for setting coding criteria. As shown in the figure, items that can be used as criteria when coding food and beverage menu data are listed. In this figure, area, store genre, and menu are listed, but the list is not limited to these. Ingredients, place of origin, review keywords, recipes, etc., may also be listed. On the criteria setting screen 70, when a customer selects the items they want to set as coding criteria and presses the button on the far right, a screen for setting the details of the items (detailed setting screen 71) will be displayed in a separate window.

[0150] Figure 17(b) shows an example of the area detail settings screen 71. Here, the detail settings screen 71 is described as being displayed in a separate window from the standard settings screen 70, but depending on the details of the items, a user interface appropriate to the details of the items may be adopted, such as displaying them as a pull-down menu within the standard settings screen 70.

[0151] Furthermore, the display of the next item to be selected or entered may change depending on the previously selected or entered item. For example, if "curry" is selected from the menu, the ingredients such as "beef" and "onions" may be displayed as dropdown lists.

[0152] On the criteria setting screen 70, once the customer completes the necessary selections and inputs and presses the "Set Criteria" button, coding criteria based on the customer's actions are set. If the customer presses the "Reset" button, all previously selected and entered information is reset.

[0153] <Flowchart of a variation> Next, the processing procedure for the modified example will be described. Figure 18 is a flowchart of the processing procedure for the modified example. As shown in the figure, when an operation is performed on the customer terminal 40 (step 301; Yes), the management server 60 generates data corresponding to the operation (step 302). Specifically, the management server 60 generates merged data by collecting and merging information corresponding to the items selected or entered on the standard setting screen 70 in Figure 17(a). The sources of information collection are as described above; for example, menu classifications and menu names are collected from POS registers and ticket vending machines, and areas and store genres are collected from store introduction websites. Examples of merged data generated by the management server 60 include the table in Figure 14 with the column "Unified Menu Code for Company X" removed, and the table in Figure 15 with the column "Unified Menu Code for Company Y" removed.

[0154] Subsequently, the management server 60 assigns the same code to menus that can be considered equivalent to the merged data generated in step 302 (step 303). Examples of the codes assigned by the management server 60 include the column "Unified Menu Code for Company X" in the table in Figure 14, and the column "Unified Menu Code for Company Y" in the table in Figure 15.

[0155] The management server 60 extracts POS data from the POS terminal 30 that corresponds to the merged data (encoded data) to which a code was assigned in step 303, and aggregates it by comparing it with the encoded data (step 304).

[0156] On an aggregation screen (not shown), the customer can specify what to aggregate, for example, sales revenue or sales volume. Based on the indicator specified by the customer, the management server 60 compares the coded data with the POS data, aggregates the results, and sends the aggregated results to the customer terminal 40 (step 305).

[0157] In steps 302-304, it was explained that merged data is generated and coded based on customer operations, and then compared with POS data. However, POS data may also be collected based on customer operations and included as part of the merged data. In this case, the merged data is not compared with the POS data.

[0158] It should be noted that the configurations illustrated in the above embodiments are functional schematics and do not necessarily have to be physically represented as shown. In other words, the distributed and integrated forms of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions. [Industrial applicability]

[0159] As described above, the information processing system and information processing method according to the present invention are suitable for manufacturers or service providers to efficiently identify customers who receive goods or services. [Explanation of symbols]

[0160] A customer M Manufacturer m products N Network 10,10-1~10-p store 20,20-1~20-q,20-r Store terminal 21 Display operation section 22 cameras 23 BT Communications Department 24 Communication I / F Section 25 Memory section 25a Customer data 26 Control Unit 26a Imaging control unit 26b Face image transmission unit 26c Customer data receiving unit 26d Customer Data Transfer Section 30,30-1~30-q,30-r POS terminal 31 Display operation section 32 barcode readers 33 BT Communication Department 34 Communication I / F Section 35 Storage section 35a POS data 35b Customer Data 36 Control Unit 36a Barcode reader 36b Customer data receiving unit 36c Payment Processing Unit 36d ID-POS data transmission unit 40 Customer terminals 41 Display operation section 42 cameras 43 Communication I / F Section 44 Memory section 45 Control Unit 45a Registration Processing Unit 45b Imaging control unit 45c Mailer 45d browser 50 Manufacturer Servers 51 Input section 52 Display section 53 Communication I / F Section 54 Memory section 54a Customer DB 55 Control Unit 55a Customer Management Department 60 Management Servers 61 Input section 62 Display section 63 Communication I / F Section 64 Memory section 64a Registered User Database 65 Control Unit 65a Registered User Management Department 65b Product Judgment Department 65c CP Notification Processing Unit 65d Manufacturer ID Registration Department 65e POS data transmission unit 70. Criteria setting screen 71. Advanced Settings Screen

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising: a first management device that manages a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services and associates it with information relating to the customer; a store terminal installed in a store that provides the goods or services; and a second management device that manages a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, The store terminal has a control unit that, when providing the product or service to the customer, notifies the second management device of the information relating to the product or service provided to the customer, and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, The second management device includes a management unit that manages the first identification information received from the first management device, the information relating to the product or service received from the store terminal, and the second identification information in association with each other. An information processing system having

2. The second control device described above is The customer's biometric information and the second identification information generated based on the customer's biometric information are managed in association with each other. The store terminal has an acquisition unit that, when providing the goods or services to the customer at the store, acquires the customer's biometric information, notifies the second management device of the acquired biometric information, and acquires the second identification information corresponding to the biometric information from the second management device. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The second control device described above is When the biometric information is received from the store terminal, the identification unit identifies the second identification information corresponding to the biometric information, A notification unit that notifies the store terminal of the second identification information identified by the identification unit. The information processing system according to claim 2, having the following features.

4. The second control device described above is Event information related to the product or service is notified to the customer terminal held by the customer corresponding to the second identification information. The aforementioned customer terminal is Applying for the event includes at least the first identification information and the second identification information. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The aforementioned customer terminal is The application for the event includes granting permission to use the first identification information, the second identification information, and information related to the provision of the goods or services to the second management device. The information processing system according to claim 4.

6. The second control device described above is The first management device is notified of information relating to the provision of the goods or services corresponding to the second identification information, and the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information. The information processing system according to claim 1.

7. The first control device is, The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising an information provision unit that provides information to a predetermined information provider by associating information relating to the goods or services provided by the customer with anonymized personal information of the customer.

8. Information relating to the aforementioned goods or services is: The information processing system according to claim 7, which includes a code that uniquely identifies the aforementioned product or service, wherein the code is coded using information collected from an external source in response to the needs of the information provider.

9. The second control device described above is The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a coding processing unit that, upon receiving a request to code the goods or services relating to a first industry that is not coded, applies a coding system that codes the goods or services relating to a second industry different from the first industry to the goods or services relating to the first industry to perform coding processing.

10. An information processing method executed by an information processing system having a first management device that manages a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services and information relating to the said customer in association with the said customer, a store terminal installed in a store that provides the said goods or services, and a second management device that manages a second identification information that uniquely identifies the said customer, wherein the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, A control step in which, when the store terminal provides the product or service to the customer, the store terminal notifies the second management device of the information relating to the product or service provided to the customer, and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, The second management device manages the first identification information received from the first management device, the information relating to the product or service received from the store terminal, and the second identification information in a management process. Information processing methods including

11. The second management device in an information processing system comprising: a first management device that manages a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services and associates it with information relating to the customer; a store terminal installed in a store that provides the goods or services; and a second management device that manages a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, When the store terminal provides goods or services to the customer, a receiving unit receives information relating to the goods or services provided to the customer and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal from a control unit provided in the store terminal. A management unit that manages the first identification information received from the first management device and the information relating to the product or service and the second identification information received from the store terminal in association with each other. A second control device having the following:

12. An information processing method performed by the second management device in an information processing system in which the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, the first management device manages a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services and associates it with information relating to the customer, the store terminal is installed in a store that provides the goods or services, and the second management device manages a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer. When the store terminal provides the product or service to the customer, a control step is performed to receive from the store terminal information relating to the product or service provided to the customer, and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal. A management process for managing the first identification information received from the first management device, the information relating to the product or service received from the store terminal, and the second identification information in association with each other. An information processing method having

13. An information processing program for causing the computer of the second management device in an information processing system, in which the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device are connected to a network, to perform the following procedure, comprising: a first management device that manages a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer issued by a provider of goods or services and associates the first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer with information relating to the customer; a store terminal installed in a store that provides the goods or services; and a second management device that manages a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, the first management device, the store terminal, and the second management device. A control procedure for receiving information relating to the goods or services provided to the customer, and the second identification information acquired by the store terminal, when the store terminal provides the goods or services to the customer, from the store terminal. A management procedure for managing the first identification information received from the first management device, the information relating to the product or service received from the store terminal, and the second identification information in association with each other. An information processing program that has [a certain feature].

Images