Distribution server, distribution method, and program

Abstract

To effectively utilize information obtained from a user when switching notification means from delivery notification to electronic notification.SOLUTION: There are provided: an acquisition unit for acquiring Webhook information notified from a communication provider, the Webhook information containing a status of a message notified by an electronic notification; and a control unit which performs control to transmit a message to a user according to a notification method flag, performs control to distribute a distribution object indicating information for performing a procedure, by the electronic notification, for changing the notification means to the electronic notification in the distribution notification, performs control to transmit a message to communication terminals of the users via the communication provider in the electronic notification, estimates a trend of response to the message on the basis of the Webhook information, and controls the message to be notified after the next notification according to the estimation result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a distribution server, a distribution method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There are electronic notification services that provide information notifications online. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for transmitting information to an address that has a high probability of being immediately viewed by a user when sending a notification to the user.

[0003] Such electronic notification services include message services that use telephone numbers as destinations, for example, RCS (Rich Communication Services). By using a telephone number as the destination, a message can be transmitted even if the user's email address is unknown.

[0004] Further, in electronic notification services, delivery notification may be performed to notify messages to users whose destination telephone numbers are unknown by delivering printed materials or the like. When notifying a message via delivery, users are guided to switch their notification method from delivery notification to electronic notification.

[0005] Further, in electronic notification services, for users whose destination telephone numbers are unknown, printed materials or the like are delivered, for example, a delivery includes a printed material on which a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for registering a telephone number, or a two-dimensional code embedding the URL is printed. The URL includes a link to a procedure site for performing procedures to switch the notification method from delivery notification to electronic notification. Then, when a communication device that accesses the URL performs procedures in accordance with the form of the procedure site, the user's telephone number is registered as a destination for electronic notifications. This allows subsequent notifications to the user to be electronic notifications with the telephone number as the destination.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-241732 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] However, the information (reactions) obtained from users when switching notification methods from physical delivery to electronic notifications was not fully utilized. Specifically, the phone number registered as the recipient of the user was only used as the recipient for subsequent notifications. For example, there are cases where time-limited coupons are notified via physical delivery, and there is a need to analyze why the delivered coupon was not used. By analyzing whether the user did not notice that the coupon had been delivered, or whether they noticed the coupon but were unable to use it because there were not enough days left until the expiration date, it becomes possible to consider what kind of expiration date would be easy or difficult for users to use. It is desirable that the information obtained from users when switching notification methods from physical delivery to electronic notifications be utilized in such analysis.

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a distribution server, a distribution method, and a program that can utilize information obtained from users when switching the notification means from delivery notification to electronic notification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned problems, a distribution server according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a storage unit that stores a notification method flag in which either delivery notification by delivery or electronic notification via a telecommunications carrier is set as a notification means for notifying a user of a message to be notified; an acquisition unit that acquires Webhook information notified by the telecommunications carrier, which includes Webhook information including the status of the message notified by the electronic notification; and a procedure that controls the notification of a message to be notified to the user according to the notification method flag and changes the notification means in the delivery notification to the electronic notification. do Information for embedded code The system includes a control unit that controls the delivery of the indicated delivery item, controls the transmission of a message to the user's communication terminal via the telecommunications carrier in the electronic notification, estimates the tendency of responses (reactions) to the message based on the Webhook information, and controls the message to be notified in subsequent notifications according to the estimated result.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned distribution server, the control unit estimates the time period during which the user can respond to the message via electronic notification, based on the time period when the Webhook information was acquired.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned distribution server, the control unit estimates the expiration date by which the user can use the delivery item, based on the difference between the date the delivery item was dispatched according to the delivery notification and the date the Webhook information was acquired, and controls the delivery to deliver the delivery item with the estimated expiration date set.

[0012] Furthermore, a distribution method according to one aspect of the present invention is a distribution method performed by a distribution server which is a computer equipped with a storage unit that stores a notification method flag set to either delivery notification by delivery or electronic notification via a telecommunications carrier as a notification means for notifying a user of a message to be notified, wherein the acquisition unit acquires Webhook information notified by the telecommunications carrier, which includes Webhook information including the status of the message notified by the electronic notification, and the control unit performs control to notify the user of the message according to the notification method flag, and the procedure for changing the notification means in the delivery notification to the electronic notification. do Information for embedded code The system controls the delivery of the indicated item, controls the transmission of a message to the user's communication terminal via the telecommunications carrier in the electronic notification, estimates the response trend to the message based on the Webhook information, and controls the message to be notified in subsequent notifications according to the estimated result.

[0013] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for operating a computer as the distribution server described above, and is a program for causing the computer to function as each part of the distribution server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, information obtained from the user can be utilized when switching the notification method from delivery notification to electronic notification. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the distribution system 1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the distribution information 120 according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of response information 121 according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a delivery H according to the embodiment. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure site displayed on a communication terminal 40 according to the embodiment. [Figure 6B] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a talk room displayed on a communication terminal 40 according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing in the delivery system 1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a delivery server 10 according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of statistical information 122 according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing in the delivery system 1 according to a modified example of the embodiment. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the delivery system 1 according to the embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the delivery system 1 includes, for example, a delivery server 10, a corporate server 20, communication carrier servers 30 (30A, 30B), and a communication terminal 40.

[0017] The delivery server 10 is a server device managed by an operator that provides a service of transmitting messages to the communication terminal 40. The delivery server 10 transmits (delivers) a message for the communication terminal 40 via the communication carrier server 30. The delivery server 10 transmits a message using RCS (Rich Communication Services), which is a message service having a telephone number as a destination. The delivery server 10 performs wireless communication or wired communication with the corporate server 20 and the communication carrier server 30. The service of sending messages to the communication terminal 40 may be performed by the distribution server 10, but it may also be performed by the corporate server 20. For example, a company may operate a corporate server 20 equipped with the functions of the distribution server 10. In this case, the company operating the corporate server 20 can communicate with the communication carrier server 30 and send messages without going through the carrier of the distribution server 10. Furthermore, while the distribution server 10 may manage the messages notified to the communication terminal 40, this may be done by the telecommunications carrier server 30. For example, the telecommunications carrier operating the telecommunications carrier server 30, which is equipped with the functions of the distribution server 10, may also operate it. In this case, the telecommunications carrier of the telecommunications carrier server 30 can send messages to the communication terminal 40 at the request of the corporate server 20.

[0018] The enterprise server 20 is a server device managed by a requester who requests the distribution system 1 to deliver messages. The requester is, for example, a company or organization that provides information to the recipient user, such as a bank or insurance company. The enterprise server 20 communicates with the distribution server 10 wirelessly or via wired connection.

[0019] The telecommunications carrier server 30 is a server device managed by a telecommunications carrier. The telecommunications carrier is, for example, an MNO (Mobile Network Operator) that provides telephone number-based communication services to a communication terminal 40 using communication lines that it owns or operates. The communication service includes communication using RCS. The communication carrier server 30 communicates wirelessly or via wired connection with the distribution server 10 and the communication terminal 40. In response to a distribution request from the distribution server 10, the communication carrier server 30 sends a message using RCS to the communication terminal 40. In a communication service using RCS, Webhook information for a message sent to a communication terminal 40 using RCS is transmitted to the distribution server 10 via the communication carrier server 30. The Webhook information indicates the status of the message, such as whether the message has been received (delivered) or displayed (displayed) at the communication terminal 40. If there are multiple telecommunications carriers, a telecommunications carrier server 30 is also provided for each carrier. Telecommunications carrier server 30A is managed by the first telecommunications carrier, and telecommunications carrier server 30B is managed by the second telecommunications carrier. Hereafter, unless a specific telecommunications carrier server is identified, it will be referred to as telecommunications carrier server 30.

[0020] The communication terminal 40 is a communication device, such as a smartphone or mobile phone, that can be associated with a telephone number. The communication terminal 40 is contracted by the user with the carrier of the communication carrier server 30 to use communication services provided by the contracted carrier. The communication terminal 40 can communicate using the communication services provided by the contracted carrier. The communication terminal 40 is assigned a telephone number and has the function of performing communication using this telephone number as the destination, i.e., communication using RCS. The communication terminal 40 has an application program related to RCS (RCS app) installed and can receive RCS messages, that is, messages using RCS, distributed from the distribution server 10 via the corporate server 20. The communication terminal 40 has, for example, a display unit such as an LCD display and an operation unit such as a touch panel that accepts user input. The communication terminal 40 communicates with the communication carrier server 30 and the communication terminal 40 using a communication network. The user is, for example, a consumer.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the distribution server 10 comprises a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The communication unit 11 communicates with the corporate server 20 and the telecommunications carrier server 30.

[0022] The memory unit 12 stores, for example, distribution information 120 and response information 121.

[0023] Figure 3 shows an example of distribution information 120 according to the embodiment. Distribution information 120 is generated based on information requested by a company, and is generated, for example, for each message to be notified to a user. The delivery information 120 includes information corresponding to items such as user ID, phone number, chat room ID, delivery address, notification content, notification method flag, and delivery date and time. The user ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the user. The telephone number is the telephone number to which electronic notifications will be sent to the user. The Talk Room ID is information that identifies a talk room. A talk room is the screen where messages are exchanged via the RCS app. Messages sent from a company to a user are displayed in that company's talk room. The Talk Room ID is sometimes referred to as a Bot ID or similar. The delivery address is the address to which the delivery notification will be sent to the user. The notification content is the content of the message to be sent to the user. The notification method flag indicates the means of notification. In the example shown in this diagram, the notification method flag includes the RCS flag and the delivery flag. For example, if the flag is set to 1, it indicates that the notification means corresponding to that flag will be used to notify the user of the message. If the flag is set to 0 (zero), it indicates that the notification means corresponding to that flag will not be used. The delivery date and time is information indicating the date and time the item was delivered. This delivery date and time may be information specified by the company, information indicating the actual date and time the item was delivered, or both.

[0024] Figure 4 shows an example of response information 121 according to the embodiment. Response information 121 is information indicating a response (reaction) obtained from the communication terminal 40. Response information 121 includes, for example, information corresponding to each item such as user ID, telephone number, talk room ID, and response (response 1, response 2, ...). Since the user ID, phone number, and chat room ID are the same information as in distribution information 120, their explanations will be omitted. The response fields store information corresponding to each field, such as date and time and type. The date and time is the date and time the response was made, as indicated in the timestamp notified in the Webhook information. The type is the type of response, as indicated in the Webhook information. For example, when a message is received by the communication terminal 40, Webhook information indicating that the message status is "received (delivered)" is notified to the distribution server 10 via the communication carrier server 30. The timestamp and status are extracted from this Webhook information and stored as the date and time and type in response 1 of the response information 121. Furthermore, when a message is displayed on the communication terminal 40, Webhook information indicating that the message status is "displayed" is notified to the distribution server 10 via the communication carrier server 30. The timestamp and status are extracted from this Webhook information and stored as the date and time and type in response 2 of the response information 121.

[0025] The storage unit 12 is composed of storage media such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access read / write Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or a combination thereof. The storage unit 12 stores programs for executing various processes of the distribution server 10, as well as temporary data used when performing these processes.

[0026] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2, the control unit 13 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 130 and a control unit 131. These functional units of the control unit 13 (acquisition unit 130 and control unit 131) are realized by having the CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided as hardware in the distribution server 10 execute a program.

[0027] The acquisition unit 130 acquires various types of information. For example, the acquisition unit 130 acquires a message transmission request that has been notified from the corporate server 20 to the distribution server 10. The transmission request includes information such as the recipient and content of the notification. The acquisition unit 130 stores the information such as the recipient and notification content from the acquired transmission request as telephone number, delivery address, notification content, etc. in the distribution information 120. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 130 may generate messages in response to a transmission request, such as a message to be notified using RCS and a message to be notified via delivery notification, and store the generated messages as notification content in the delivery information 120. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 130 acquires Webhook information notified from the telecommunications carrier server 30 to the distribution server 10 via the communication unit 11. The acquisition unit 130 stores the acquired Webhook information as response information 121 in the storage unit 12.

[0028] The control unit 131 performs control to notify the user of a message according to the notification method flag. For example, when the control unit 131 notifies a message via delivery notification, it controls the delivery to the user so that a delivery item H containing procedural information for changing from a delivery notification to an electronic notification is delivered.

[0029] Figure 5 shows an example of a delivery item H containing procedural information. Delivery item H is a printed document delivered to customers to encourage them to switch from delivery notices to electronic notifications for subsequent deliveries. In this example, delivery item H contains the main text T, a two-dimensional code C, and a procedural code U. The main text T contains instructions on how to change from delivery notifications to electronic notifications. The two-dimensional code C contains information about the change procedure. The procedure code U shows the string of characters (including numbers and symbols) required by the customer to perform the change procedure. The procedure code U is associated with the user's identification information (for example, the user ID in delivery information 120).

[0030] The two-dimensional code C contains embedded link information to the chat room in the RCS app. When a user changes their notification method to electronic notification in response to the delivery notice H, they perform the operation of reading the two-dimensional code C using the communication terminal 40.

[0031] Based on the link information read from the two-dimensional code C, the communication terminal 40 displays a message to the user asking for confirmation, for example, whether it is acceptable to obtain the phone number as the recipient of an electronic notification. If the user consents to obtaining the phone number, the communication terminal 40 launches the RCS application and displays a chat room for the user to exchange messages with the company corresponding to the corporate server 20 (Shiodome Bank in this example).

[0032] Figure 6 (Figures 6A and 6B) shows an example of a talk room displayed on the communication terminal 40. As shown in Figure 6A, message M0 is displayed in the chat room prompting the user to enter procedure code U. Here, message M0 is sent from the distribution server 10 to the communication terminal 40 via the communication carrier server 30. For example, when message M0 is received by the communication terminal 40, the status becomes "received" (delivered). In this case, the distribution server 10 is notified via the communication carrier server 30 of Webhook information indicating that the status is "received" (delivered). For example, when message M0 is displayed on the communication terminal 40, the status of message M0 becomes "displayed". In this case, the distribution server 10 is notified via the communication carrier server 30 of Webhook information indicating that the status is "displayed". For example, if message M0 is content of an RCS application such as a rich card or a chip list, and an operable button provided in the content, such as a button with embedded link information to a URL, is operated, the status of message M0 will change to a status indicating that the button has been operated. In this case, the distribution server 10 is notified of the status and Webhook information indicating the button operation via the communication carrier server 30.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6B, when a user enters procedure code U in the chat room and performs the send operation, the message M1 that was sent is displayed in the chat room. As a result, procedure code U is notified to the distribution server 10 via the telecommunications carrier server 30. The distribution server 10 verifies the procedure code U, and if the notified procedure code U matches the procedure code U described in the delivery item H, it changes the notification method to the user to electronic notification. Specifically, the distribution server 10 stores the telephone number from the user's communication terminal 40 in the telephone number field of the distribution information 120, sets the RCS flag to 1, and sets the delivery flag to 0 (zero). This changes the notification method to the user to electronic notification. When the distribution server 10 changes the notification method to the user, it sends a message M2 to the communication terminal 40 indicating that the procedure has been completed.

[0034] Returning to Figure 2, when the control unit 131 notifies a message via electronic notification, it sends the message to the user's communication terminal 40 via the telecommunications carrier. More specifically, the control unit 131 requests the telecommunications carrier server 30 to send the message to the user's communication terminal 40.

[0035] When the control unit 131 receives a message via electronic notification, it estimates the response trend to the message based on the date and time the message status was changed, obtained from the Webhook information, and controls the message to be notified in subsequent instances according to the estimated result.

[0036] For example, the control unit 131 periodically (e.g., once a day) or irregularly retrieves the status of messages notified via electronic notification. Specifically, the control unit 131 refers to the response information 121 in the storage unit 12 and retrieves the status of messages notified via Webhook information of messages notified using RCS. Then, if the acquired status indicates that a response has been made to the message sent by the distribution server 10 to the communication terminal 40, the control unit 131 acquires the date and time (timestamp) of that response. The control unit 131 estimates the days of the week and times when a user is likely to check a message, based on the date and time indicated in the timestamp. For example, if the timestamp indicates Monday at 3:33 PM, the control unit 131 estimates that a response to a message is more likely to be received if the user sends the message around 3 PM on a Monday (or weekday) (or in the afternoon). The control unit 131 controls the system to send the message to be notified next time around 3 PM on Monday (or on weekdays) (or in the afternoon), depending on the estimated result.

[0037] Alternatively, when delivering a time-limited coupon (a delivery item with an expiration date) via a delivery notification, the control unit 131 may set the expiration date of the coupon based on the date and time indicated in the timestamp. For example, the control unit 131 calculates the difference between the date the coupon was sent and the date indicated in the timestamp. If the calculated difference is less than a threshold, and the coupon was not used, the control unit 131 estimates that the user was unable to use the coupon even if they wanted to because there was almost no time left before the coupon expired when they became aware of its existence, i.e., when they responded to the message. Based on this estimation, the control unit 131 controls the system to extend the expiration date of coupons delivered to users in the future. On the other hand, if the calculated difference is greater than or equal to a threshold and the coupon was not used, the control unit 131 estimates that the user was aware of the coupon's existence but did not use it. Based on this estimation, the control unit 131 ensures that future deliveries to the user do not include the same type of coupon as before. For example, the control unit 131 may change the type of coupon or deliver a package that does not include a coupon.

[0038] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow performed by the distribution system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0039] First, the corporate server 20 requests the distribution server 10 to send a message to the user (step S10). For example, the corporate server 20 has a database (distribution data). The distribution data stores the personal information (customer information) of the user who is a customer of the company. The distribution data also stores information that identifies the company's chat room (chat room ID). The corporate server 20 refers to the distribution data and obtains the user's address, for example, a phone number, or if there is no phone number, information such as the address and name. The corporate server 20 sends the distribution server 10 information that associates the user's address, the message notification content, and the chat room ID to send the distribution request.

[0040] The distribution server 10 receives a distribution request from the corporate server 20 (step S11). Based on the received distribution request, the distribution server 10 generates distribution information 120 and creates notification data to notify the user, such as a message to be notified using RCS and a message to be notified by delivery notification (step S2).

[0041] The distribution server 10 notifies a message according to the notification method flag in the distribution information 120. For example, if the delivery flag in the distribution information 120 is set to 1, it controls the delivery of the item (step S13). For example, the distribution server 10 sends notification data to the delivery company and instructs them to print the contents of the notification data and deliver it to the user as a package. As a result, the item is delivered to the user.

[0042] The user receives the delivered item. The user uses the communication terminal 40 to read the two-dimensional code C in accordance with the instructions included in the delivered item, i.e., the instructions for changing to electronic notification. As a result, the communication terminal 40 obtains the information embedded in the two-dimensional code C (step S14). The communication terminal 40 displays a talk room based on the obtained information. The user performs an operation according to the content displayed in the talk room and sends a message (RCS message) with the procedure code U and other information entered. As a result, the communication terminal 40 notifies the communication carrier server 30 to request that the distribution server 10 send the message (step S15).

[0043] The telecommunications carrier server 30 delivers an RCS message to the distribution server 10 in response to a request from the communication terminal 40, and also notifies the distribution server 10 of the Webhook information corresponding to the delivered RCS message (step S16). As a result, the distribution server 10 receives the RCS message notified from the communication terminal 40 via the telecommunications carrier server 30, and also receives the Webhook information (step S17). The distribution server 10 obtains information based on the received message and Webhook information, such as the user's telephone number and the date and time the communication terminal 40 responded, and stores the obtained information as response information 121. In this case, the distribution server 10 may store the status of the message notified to the communication terminal 40 (e.g., message M0), such as the date and time it was read, as response information 121. The date and time it was read is the date and time when the message notified to the communication terminal 40 (e.g., message M0) was displayed on the communication terminal 40, and the status is the date and time indicated in the timestamp notified by the Webhook information indicating that it was displayed.

[0044] The distribution server 10 sends the distribution result to the corporate server 20 (step S18). The distribution result is the result of notifying the message for which a distribution request was made in step S10. The distribution result includes, for example, information stored as response information 121, namely information indicating the user ID, telephone number, date and time the response was made, and the type of response. The distribution result may also include a summary log showing how many responses (reactions) were made after a predetermined period had elapsed since the delivery of the package.

[0045] The enterprise server 20 receives the distribution results (step S19). The enterprise server 20 stores the received distribution results in the database (result data).

[0046] As described above, the distribution server 10 according to the embodiment comprises a storage unit 12, an acquisition unit 130, and a control unit 131. The storage unit 12 stores distribution information 120 (an example of a notification method flag). The control unit 131 controls the notification of a message to the user according to the notification flag. In delivery notifications, the control unit 131 controls the delivery of a delivery item H (a delivery item containing information for performing the procedure to change the notification means to electronic notification via electronic notification). In electronic notifications, the control unit 131 controls the transmission of a message to the user's communication terminal 40 via a telecommunications carrier. The control unit 131 estimates the trend of responses to messages based on Webhook information. The control unit 131 controls the messages to be notified in subsequent instances according to the estimated results. Thus, the distribution server 10 of the embodiment can estimate the trend of responses to messages based on Webhook information and control the messages to be notified in subsequent instances according to the estimated results. Therefore, information obtained from the user can be utilized when switching the notification means from delivery notifications to electronic notifications.

[0047] Furthermore, in the distribution server 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit 131 estimates the time period during which a user can respond to a message via electronic notification, based on the time period when the Webhook information was acquired. For example, if the timestamp of the Webhook information indicates Monday at 15:33, the control unit 131 estimates that the time period around 15:00 on Monday (or a weekday) (or sometime in the afternoon) is the time period during which a user can respond to a message. The control unit 131 controls the system to notify the message during the estimated time period. As a result, the distribution server 10 of this embodiment can notify messages during the time period during which responses are more likely to be received, thereby improving the response rate to notified messages. The above example illustrates a case where the control unit 131 controls the system to notify the user of a message during a time when the user is able to respond to the message, but it is not limited to this. At a minimum, the control unit 131 only needs to estimate the time when the user is able to respond to the message. Furthermore, the distribution server 10 may also notify the corporate server 20 of the estimated time period during which users are likely to respond to messages sent via electronic notification. This allows the distribution server 10 in this embodiment to notify the corporate server of the time period during which responses from users are likely to be received, thereby providing the corporate server with added value for sending messages to users using the distribution server 10.

[0048] Furthermore, in the distribution server 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit 131 estimates the expiration date by which a user can use a coupon (a delivery item with an expiration date as indicated in the delivery notification) based on the difference between the date the delivery item was shipped and the date the Webhook information was acquired. For example, if the difference is less than a threshold and the coupon was not used, the control unit 131 estimates that the user was unable to use the coupon even if they wanted to. Based on the estimated result, the control unit 131 controls the coupons to be delivered to users in the future to extend their expiration dates. As a result, the distribution server 10 of this embodiment can set the expiration date of the coupon to make it easier for the coupon to be used, and can improve the usage rate of delivered coupons.

[0049] Here, a modified version of the embodiment will be described. In this modified version, statistical data (statistical information 122, described later) is generated based on the response obtained from the user. In the following description, components similar to those in the embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0050] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a distribution server 10 according to a modified embodiment. The distribution server 10 stores statistical information 122 in, for example, the storage unit 12. Statistical information 122 is statistical data that shows the trend of responses to messages. The control unit 131 creates statistical information 122 based on the statistical information 122.

[0051] Figure 9 shows an example of statistical information 122 related to a modified embodiment. Statistical information 122 stores information corresponding to each of the following items: statistical information ID, source data, and trend. The statistical information ID is information that identifies the statistical information. The source data for statistics is information that indicates the data used in the statistics. In this example, it is shown that the source data used for statistics is delivery notifications sent from a company (Company A) to users. Trends are information that shows the response trend. In the example in this figure, the trends shown are the number of days from the delivery date to the response, and the day of the week and time of day when the response occurred. For the number of days from delivery date to response, multiple items are set, such as within 3 days, 4 to 7 days, 8 days or more, and for each item, information such as the percentage of users who responded is shown. For the day of the week and time of day when the response occurred, multiple items are set, such as weekday mornings, weekday afternoons, weekday evenings, and for each item, information such as the percentage of users who responded is shown.

[0052] Thus, statistical data may be generated for each company using responses from users to deliveries made by that company. This allows for the presentation of statistical data to each company, indicating times when responses are likely to be received, coupon expiration dates when coupons are most likely to be used, and other suggestions for future notification messages.

[0053] Furthermore, statistical data can be generated that aggregates multiple companies in the same industry. This allows the same statistical data to be presented to companies in the same industry, enabling suggestions for future notification messages, such as the best time of day to receive a response and the most likely expiration dates for coupons. By aggregating multiple companies in the same industry, it becomes easier to grasp the overall industry trends. It also makes it possible to provide suggestions to companies considering using electronic notification services based on their track record in the same industry.

[0054] Furthermore, statistical data can be generated that is categorized by user attributes. These user attributes may include, for example, the user's gender, age, and occupation. By categorizing data by user attributes, companies can make proposals that align with the attributes of their target users to whom they wish to promote their products and services.

[0055] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow in the distribution system 1 according to a modified embodiment. The processing shown in steps S20 to S29 in Figure 10 is the same as steps S10 to S19 in Figure 7, so its explanation is omitted.

[0056] The distribution server 10 creates statistical data (step S30). The distribution server 10 creates statistical data by taking statistics on responses for each company that has received a distribution request, or by grouping multiple companies in the same industry, or by grouping by user attributes, and stores the created statistical data as statistical information 122. The distribution server 10 sends a distribution proposal based on the generated statistical data to the corporate server 20 (step S31). The corporate server 20 receives the distribution proposal (step S32) and makes subsequent distribution requests based on the received distribution proposal.

[0057] As described above, in the distribution server 10 according to the modified embodiment, the control unit 131 creates statistical data (statistical information 122) based on Webhook information (response information 121). The statistical data is a statistical quantity that shows the characteristics (trends) of each response to multiple messages. As a result, the distribution server 10 according to the modified embodiment can quantitatively grasp the response trends as statistical quantities.

[0058] In the embodiments described above, the use of RCS messages as electronic notifications is used as an example, but the explanation is not limited to this. Any electronic notification will suffice, as long as it is addressed to at least a telephone number or information associated with a telephone number; for example, it may be a notification using SMS (Short Message Service).

[0059] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be noted that all or part of the functions of the distribution system 1 and distribution server 10 in the above-described embodiments may be implemented using a computer. In this case, the functions may be implemented by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into the computer system, and executing it. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. "Computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period, such as volatile memory inside the computer system acting as a server or client. The above-mentioned program may be for implementing part of the functions described above, or it may be a program that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0060] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to those described above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0061] 1. Distribution System 10 Distribution Servers 130 Acquisition Department 131 Control Unit 20 Enterprise Servers 30. Telecommunications carrier servers 40 Communication terminals

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores a notification method flag, which is set to either delivery notification by delivery or electronic notification via a telecommunications carrier, as a means of notifying the user of a message to be notified. An acquisition unit that acquires Webhook information notified by the aforementioned telecommunications carrier, which includes Webhook information including the status of the message notified by the aforementioned electronic notification, A control unit that controls the delivery of a delivery that includes a code containing information for changing the notification method to electronic notification in the delivery notification, controls the delivery of a delivery that includes a code containing information for changing the notification means to electronic notification in the delivery notification, controls the delivery of a message to the user's communication terminal via the telecommunications carrier in the electronic notification, estimates the response trend to the message based on the Webhook information, and controls the message to be notified in subsequent notifications according to the estimated result. A distribution server equipped with the following features.

2. The control unit estimates the days of the week or time period during which the user can respond to the message via electronic notification, based on the date and time when the Webhook information was acquired. The distribution server according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, based on the difference between the date the delivery item was dispatched according to the delivery notification and the date the Webhook information was acquired, estimates the expiration date by which the user can use the delivery item according to the delivery notification, and controls the delivery to deliver the delivery item with the estimated expiration date set. A distribution server according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A distribution method performed by a distribution server, which is a computer equipped with a storage unit that stores a notification method flag set to either delivery notification by delivery or electronic notification via a telecommunications carrier, as a means of notifying users of a message to be notified, The acquisition unit acquires Webhook information notified by the telecommunications carrier, which includes the status of the message notified by the electronic notification. The control unit controls the notification of a message to the user according to the notification method flag, controls the delivery of a delivery that shows a code containing embedded information for changing the notification means to the electronic notification, controls the electronic notification to send a message to the user's communication terminal via the telecommunications carrier, estimates the response trend to the message based on the Webhook information, and controls the message to be notified in subsequent notifications according to the estimated result. Distribution method.

5. A program for operating a computer as a distribution server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the program for causing the computer to function as each part of the distribution server.

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