Information providing device, information providing method, information providing system, and program

Abstract

This information provision device comprises: a detection means that detects a customer reaction to content, the reaction being outputted to one of output devices in a store; an acquisition means that, when a customer reaction is detected, acquires information relating to commodities in a commodity accommodation means used by the customer; a determination means that, on the basis of details of the content and the information relating to the commodities in the commodity accommodation means, determines advertisement information to be provided to the customer; and an output means that outputs the advertisement information to one of the output devices.

Description

Information providing device, information providing method, information providing system, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information providing device, an information providing method, an information providing system, and a recording medium.

[0002] There is a signage advertising information distribution system that can provide customers with information they are interested in. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a system that determines product advertisements and coupon information based on the history of users' responses to promotional information provided to shoppers.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-173711

[0004] There is a demand for stores to provide more effective advertising information to customers. The technology described in Patent Literature 1 determines the content of an advertisement based on a customer's behavioral history, including the customer's reaction to promotional information. However, determining the content of an advertisement using the customer's behavioral history complicates information processing.

[0005] An example of an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information providing device that can provide effective advertising information while reducing the load on information processing.

[0006] An information providing device in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection means for detecting a customer's reaction to content output to one of the output devices in the store, an acquisition means for acquiring product information in a product storage means used by the customer upon detection, a determination means for determining advertising information to be provided to the customer based on the content of the content and the product information in the product storage means, and an output means for outputting the advertising information to one of the output devices.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, an information provision method involves a computer detecting a customer's response to content output to one of the output devices in a store, and upon detection, obtaining product information in the product storage means used by the customer, determining advertising information to provide to the customer based on the content and the product information in the product storage means, and outputting the advertising information to one of the output devices.

[0008] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a recording medium stores a program that causes a computer to execute a process of detecting a customer's response to content output to one of the output devices in a store, and when detected, acquiring product information in the product storage means used by the customer, determining advertising information to provide to the customer based on the content and the product information in the product storage means, and outputting the advertising information to one of the output devices.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide effective advertising information while reducing the load on information processing.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing device in a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration in which the information providing device in the first embodiment is realized by a computer device and its peripheral devices. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which the detection unit detects a customer's reaction. FIG. 4 is an example of a screen of advertising information output by the output unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information providing device in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing system in a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is an example of a screen of advertising information output by the output unit in a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is another example of a screen of advertising information output by the output unit in a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing system in a second embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an information providing device, an information providing method, and a non-transitory recording medium for recording a program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. The disclosed technology is not limited to these embodiments.

[0012] In this embodiment, an output device in a store outputs content for customers who are shopping. The store is, for example, a retail store such as a supermarket or a home improvement store. The content is audio, video, or still images related to store and product information. Examples of output devices include a customer terminal carried by a customer, a tablet terminal attached to a shopping cart, signage, or a speaker. Furthermore, advertising information in this embodiment is sales information about a specific product, including product features, price, display location, and inventory information. The content in this embodiment includes content that includes advertising information and content that does not include advertising information. Furthermore, the content may be arbitrary and may be controlled to output content related to multiple products in a predetermined order.

[0013] The installation location of the output device is not particularly limited. For example, the output device may be installed near the entrance or exit of the store, on a product shelf, a product shelf door, a store window, a ceiling, or the like, or on the floor of the store.

[0014] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing system according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, an information providing device 100 includes a detection unit 101, an acquisition unit 102, a determination unit 103, and an output unit 104.

[0015] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration in which the information providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is realized by a computer device 500 including a processor. As shown in FIG. 2, the information providing device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503, a storage device 505 such as a hard disk for storing a program 504, a communication interface 508 for network connection, and an input / output interface 509 for inputting and outputting data. In the first embodiment, the information providing device 100 is connected to each component via a bus 510. The information providing device 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 can also be configured using cloud computing or the like.

[0016] The CPU 501 runs an operating system to control the entire information providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The CPU 501 also reads programs and data into memory from a recording medium 506 mounted in, for example, a drive device 507. The CPU 501 also functions as the detection unit 101, acquisition unit 102, determination unit 103, and output unit 104 in the first embodiment, or as part of these, and executes processing or commands in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, which will be described later, based on the program.

[0017] The recording medium 506 is, for example, an optical disk, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, an external hard disk, or a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory or the like that is part of the recording medium is a non-volatile storage device that stores the program. The program may also be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) that is connected to a communication network.

[0018] As described above, the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is realized by the computer hardware shown in Fig. 2. However, the means for realizing each unit of the information providing device 100 in Fig. 1 is not limited to the configuration described above. Furthermore, the information providing device 100 may be realized by a single physically coupled device, or may be realized by a system consisting of two or more physically separated devices connected by wire or wirelessly.

[0019] The detection unit 101 is a means for detecting a customer's reaction to content output on one of the output devices in the store. A reaction is a customer's behavior that shows interest in the content. The reaction includes the behavior of viewing or listening to the content, and actions taken after viewing or listening to the content. The detection unit 101 may detect that a customer has viewed the content when the customer has viewed the content for a predetermined period of time or more. The detection unit 101 may also detect that content about products in the same category has been viewed multiple times on different output devices. Furthermore, if the content is audio, the detection unit 101 may detect the behavior of turning toward a speaker that outputs the audio of the content, or the behavior of stopping and listening to the audio of the content.

[0020] The detection unit 101 may detect a customer's behavior after viewing or listening to the content, such as approaching the output device. The behavior may also include the customer's gaze. The detection unit 101 may also detect a customer encouraging a companion to view or listen to the content, or moving toward the display of products displayed in the content. The detection unit 101 may also detect a customer's positive attitude toward the content based on the customer's mouth movements or facial expressions. The detection unit 101 may change the criteria for the behavior to be detected depending on the customer's attributes, or may detect the customer's level of interest in the products included in the content depending on the content of the detected behavior. However, the detection by the detection unit 101 is not limited to the above-described example, and any known method may be used.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which the detection unit 101 detects a customer's reaction. In the example of Fig. 3, a signage 2 is installed as an output device next to a product shelf 1 in a store, and a customer 3 is viewing content displayed on the signage 2. The detection unit 101 may detect the reaction of the customer 3 based on an image captured by an imaging element provided in the signage 2, or may detect the reaction of the customer 3 based on an image captured by a surveillance camera installed in the store.

[0022] The acquisition unit 102 is a means for acquiring product information in the product storage means used by the customer when a customer's reaction is detected. The product storage means is a container for storing products purchased by the customer, such as a shopping basket or shopping cart. The shopping cart may be a smart shopping cart equipped with a product scanning function. The shopping cart may also be equipped with a tablet terminal having a display. In the example of Figure 3, customer 3 is using shopping cart 4. The product information refers to product information placed in the product storage means, and if the product storage means is equipped with a scanning function, it refers to scanned product information.

[0023] The acquisition unit 102 identifies the product storage unit used by the customer who responded to the content based on an image captured to detect the customer's reaction. The acquisition unit 102 identifies the product storage unit held by the customer or a product storage unit located a predetermined distance from the customer as the product storage unit used by the customer. For example, each product storage unit may be provided with identification information such as a mark, and the acquisition unit 102 acquires the identification information of the identified product storage unit through image recognition. Alternatively, each product storage unit may be provided with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag on which identification information is recorded, and the acquisition unit 102 may acquire the identification information of the identified product storage unit using an RFID reader. Next, the acquisition unit 102 acquires product information by reading an identification code attached to the product using, for example, a camera or scanner. The acquisition unit 102 may acquire product information by analyzing product images captured by a camera or the like installed in a position that allows the contents of the product storage unit to be viewed. The acquisition unit 102 may acquire product information by analyzing images captured by a security camera in the store.

[0024] The determination unit 103 is a means for determining advertising information to be provided to a customer based on the content and the product information in the product storage means. The determination unit 103 analyzes products that the customer may purchase based on the product information, and selects a product for which advertising information is to be provided based on the analysis results from among products that are the same as or related to the products included in the content.

[0025] The determination unit 103 analyzes the customer's purchasing tendency based on, for example, product information stored in the customer's product storage means to determine which products the customer may purchase. If the customer's product information contains a predetermined percentage or more of low-priced products, the determination unit 103 determines that the customer's purchasing tendency is price-oriented. On the other hand, if the customer's product information contains a predetermined percentage or more of high-quality products, the determination unit 103 determines that the customer's purchasing tendency is quality-oriented.

[0026] The determination unit 103 may, for example, predict a dish to be made from the customer's product information as a product that the customer may purchase, and analyze other ingredients needed to make the dish. The determination unit 103 may further determine to provide advertising information for a product that more closely matches the customer's purchasing tendency from among ingredients, or may determine to provide advertising information for a product that has a predetermined or greater inventory in the store from among ingredients.

[0027] The determination unit 103 may determine to provide advertising information for products in a category not included in the customer's product information. On the other hand, when the customer's product information includes a predetermined number or more products from a specific category, the determination unit 103 may determine to provide advertising information for other products in that category. Note that product categories may be major categories such as sales areas for vegetables, meat, confectionery, frozen foods, fresh foods, seasonings, etc. Product categories may also be minor categories such as potato chips, curry roux, etc. Product categories may also include both major categories and minor categories. In this case, the determination unit 103 may further determine to provide advertising information for products from food ingredients that more closely match the customer's purchasing tendencies, or may determine to provide advertising information for products from food ingredients that have a predetermined number or more in stock at the store.

[0028] The determining unit 103 may determine to provide a plurality of pieces of advertising information. When the plurality of pieces of advertising information are products displayed in separate sales areas, the determining unit 103 may specify the location of an output device that provides each piece of advertising information.

[0029] The output unit 104 is a means for outputting advertising information to one of the output devices. The output unit 104 outputs the advertising information to one of the output devices in the store. The output unit 104 may output the advertising information to an output device located within a predetermined distance from a customer whose appearance matches that of the customer who responded to the content. Furthermore, the output unit 104 may output the advertising information to the same output device that displayed the content.

[0030] The output unit 104 outputs, as the advertising information, for example, an area map showing the display location of the advertised product, a coupon, price change information, or stock replenishment information. FIG. 4 is an example of an advertising information screen output by the output unit 104. In the example of FIG. 4, an area map showing the display location of the product and a coupon are output. Price change information is information indicating that the advertised product has been reduced in price. Stock replenishment information is information indicating that the advertised product has been replenished on the shelves. However, the information output by the output unit 104 is not limited to these, as long as it is information about the advertised product.

[0031] The output unit 104 may output the advertising information on a receipt issued after the payment for the product. Alternatively, a two-dimensional barcode for outputting the advertising information may be attached to the product container or the receipt. In this case, the output unit 104 displays the advertising information linked to the two-dimensional barcode on the customer terminal when the customer terminal reads the information in the two-dimensional barcode.

[0032] In this embodiment, the detection unit 101 detects customer reactions to content displayed on signage among the output devices in the store, and the output unit 104 may output advertising information to a display of the product storage means or a customer terminal. In this case, for example, detailed information about a product can be provided to a customer who shows interest in a product in the content displayed on the signage on the display of the product storage means or on the customer terminal.

[0033] In this embodiment, the detection unit 101 may detect customer reactions to content displayed on the display of the product storage means or the customer terminal, among the output devices in the store, and the output unit 104 may output advertising information to signage in the store. In this case, for example, it is possible to provide information about a product on an easy-to-view screen to a customer who has shown interest in a product displayed on the display of the product storage means or the content on the customer terminal.

[0034] 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the information providing device 100 according to the first embodiment. The processing according to this flowchart may be executed based on program control by the processor described above. The processing according to this flowchart is executed each time the detection unit 101 detects a customer's reaction to content output to one of the output devices in the store.

[0035] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information providing device 100 in the first embodiment. When the detection unit 101 detects a customer's reaction to content output to one of the output devices in the store (step S101; YES), the acquisition unit 102 acquires product information from the product storage means used by the customer (step S102). Next, the determination unit 103 determines advertising information to provide to the customer based on the content and the product information from the product storage means (step S103). The output unit 104 outputs the advertising information to one of the output devices (step S104). This completes the information providing process for the information providing device 100.

[0036] As described above, in the first embodiment, the information providing device 100 has the determining unit 103 determine advertising information to provide to a customer based on the content to which the customer responded and the product information in the product storage means, and the output unit 104 outputs the advertising information to one of the output devices. In this case, for example, advertising information for products that the customer may purchase can be provided without tracking the customer's behavioral history. Therefore, effective advertising information can be provided while reducing the load on information processing.

[0037] [Modification of First Embodiment] Next, a modification of the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Below, explanations of content that overlaps with the above explanation will be omitted to the extent that the explanation of this embodiment is not unclear.

[0038] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information providing system 11 according to a modification of the first embodiment. The information providing device 110 is connected to a customer terminal 210 via a communication network. The customer terminal 210 may be a terminal device owned by the customer or a terminal device loaned by the store for shopping. As shown in Fig. 6, the customer terminal 210 may be a tablet terminal mounted on a shopping cart.

[0039] An application program for shopping at a store is installed in advance on the customer terminal 210, and store information for the store to be shopped is selected. Product information is scanned by the customer and stored in the application program. As with the computer device shown in Figure 2, the functions of the information providing device 110 and the customer terminal 210 can be realized not only by hardware but also by a computer device and software under program control.

[0040] In a modification of the first embodiment, the detection unit 111 may detect behavior of operating content displayed on the customer terminal 210 in addition to the method of detecting the customer's reaction by the detection unit 101 .

[0041] The acquisition unit 112 first identifies customers who responded to the content based on the location of the customer terminal 210. The acquisition unit 112 may identify the location of the customer terminal 210 based on GPS information and identify customer identification (ID) in an application program of a customer who is near the output device that displays the content. As another example, the acquisition unit 112 may identify a customer ID near the output device that displays the content based on, for example, store information selected on an application program and the location of the customer terminal 210, which is identified by the radio wave intensity of wireless communication between the customer terminal 210 and a communication device installed in the store using short-range wireless communication based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). After identifying the customer ID, the acquisition unit 112 acquires product information for that customer via the communication interface 508.

[0042] In a modification of the first embodiment, the determination unit 113 may determine the advertising information using customer information such as attribute information such as the gender and age of the user that is registered in association with the customer ID of the application program, purchase history, and movement line analysis results, in addition to the method of determining the advertising information by the determination unit 103. In this case, the determination unit 113 can determine to provide advertising information for products that more closely match the customer's preferences.

[0043] In this embodiment, the output unit 114 may output the advertising information through an application program.

[0044] FIG. 7 is an example of an advertising information screen output by the output unit 114. In the example screen of FIG. 7, advertising information to be provided to the customer is displayed on the application program in addition to product information in the customer's product storage means. In FIG. 7, the product information in the product storage means (basket) includes high-quality "pork from XX," "organic potatoes," "organic carrots," and "organic onions." Therefore, the determination unit 103 analyzes that the customer's purchasing tendency is quality-oriented. Furthermore, the determination unit 113 determines to provide advertising information for high-quality curry roux as an ingredient not available in the product storage means, since these are ingredients necessary for curry. Then, the output unit 114 displays the advertising information for high-quality curry roux on the application program.

[0045] Fig. 8 is another example of an advertising information screen output by the output unit. In the example of Fig. 8, low-priced "pork," "jamette," "carrot," and "onion" are displayed as product information in the product storage means (basket). Therefore, the determination unit 113 analyzes that the customer's purchasing tendency is price-oriented. Furthermore, since the product information in the product storage means is an ingredient necessary for curry, the determination unit 113 determines to provide advertising information for a low-priced curry roux as an ingredient not present in the product storage means. Then, the output unit 114 displays the advertising information for the low-priced curry roux on the application program.

[0046] As described above, in the modified example of the first embodiment, the information providing device 110 has the acquisition unit 112 acquire product information registered in the application program of the identified customer as product information in the product storage unit. In this case, for example, product information can be acquired more easily, which can further reduce the load on information processing.

[0047] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Below, the description of the second embodiment will be omitted to the extent that it does not make the description of the present embodiment unclear.

[0048] 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information provision system 12 in the second embodiment. The information provision device 120 is connected to a mobile sales vehicle 220 via a communication network. As with the computer device shown in FIG. 2, the functions of the information provision device 120 and the mobile sales vehicle 220 can be realized not only by hardware but also by a computer device and software based on program control.

[0049] The mobile sales vehicle 220 is not particularly limited as long as it is, for example, a self-propelled product shelf or wagon and has a structure that allows it to move around the store with products displayed thereon. The mobile sales vehicle 220 is triggered by receiving a signal including the destination location from the information providing device 120, and moves to the destination in accordance with the signal from the information providing device 120. In this embodiment, the information providing device 120 stores in the storage device 505 a list of products displayed in the mobile sales vehicle 220 within the store.

[0050] In addition to the components of the information providing device 100 in the first embodiment, the information providing device 120 includes a control unit 125 that controls the position of the mobile sales vehicle 220 within the store. If a product included in the advertising information is displayed in one of the mobile sales vehicles 220 within the store, the control unit 125 moves the mobile sales vehicle 220 to a location where a customer will pass. The control unit 125 designates, as the location where a customer will pass, an arbitrary location a predetermined distance along a shopping route set by the store from the location of the output device displaying the content that detected the customer's reaction. However, the location to which the control unit 125 moves the mobile sales vehicle 220 is not limited to this, and the location where a customer will pass may be estimated by analyzing the customer's past movement path. In this embodiment, the output unit 124 may output that a product included in the advertising information has moved near the customer.

[0051] As described above, in the second embodiment, when a product included in the advertising information is displayed in one of the mobile sales vehicles 220, the control unit 125 of the information providing device 120 moves the mobile sales vehicle 220 to a location where customers will pass. In this case, it is possible to bring customers closer to the location where the product is displayed without the customers having to go to the location where the product is displayed.

[0052] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to various embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. The configuration and details of each of the present disclosures may include embodiments to which various modifications that would be apparent to those skilled in the art are applied within the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may also include embodiments in which the details described herein are appropriately combined or substituted as necessary. For example, details described using a particular embodiment may also be applied to other embodiments to the extent that no contradiction occurs. For example, although multiple operations are described in sequence in the form of a flowchart, the order of the descriptions does not limit the order in which the multiple operations are performed. Therefore, when implementing each embodiment, the order of the multiple operations may be changed as long as it does not interfere with the content.

[0053] 11, 12 Information provision system 100, 110, 120 Information provision device 101, 111, 121 Detection unit 102, 112, 122 Acquisition unit 103, 113, 123 Determination unit 104, 114, 124 Output unit 125 Control unit 210 Customer terminal 220 Mobile sales vehicle 500 Computer device 501 CPU 502 ROM 503 RAM 504 Program 505 Storage device 506 Recording medium 507 Drive device 508 Communication interface 509 Input / output interface 510 Bus

Claims

1. a detection means for detecting a customer's reaction to the content outputted to one of the output devices in the store; an acquisition means for acquiring, when the detection is made, product information in the product storage means used by the customer; a determining means for determining advertising information to be provided to the customer based on the content and the product information in the product storage means; and an output unit for outputting the advertising information to any one of the output devices.

2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the determining means analyzes products that the customer may purchase based on the product information, and selects a product for which the advertising information is to be provided based on the results of the analysis from among products that are the same as or related to the products included in the content.

3. 2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein said output means outputs said advertising information to an output device located within a predetermined distance from a customer whose appearance matches that of the customer who responded to said content.

4. the detection means detects a customer's reaction to content displayed on a signage in the store; 4. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs advertising information to a display of the product storage means or a customer terminal.

5. the detection means detects a customer's reaction to content displayed on the display of the product storage means or on the customer terminal; 4. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs advertising information to a signage in the store.

6. the product storage means is in an application program installed on the terminal used by the customer, 4. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring means acquires the product information registered in the application program of the customer identified based on the location of the terminal.

7. 4. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs, as the advertising information, an area map, a coupon, price change information, or inventory replenishment information relating to the advertised product.

8. An information provision system comprising the information provision device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and a mobile sales vehicle within the store, the information providing device further includes control means for controlling the position of the mobile sales vehicle within the store; The control means controls the mobile sales vehicle to move to a location where the customer passes when the advertised product is displayed in the mobile sales vehicle.

9. The computer Detecting customer reactions to content output on one of the output devices in the store, When the detection is made, product information in the product storage means used by the customer is acquired; determining advertising information to be provided to the customer based on the content and the product information in the product storage means; an information providing method for outputting the advertising information to any one of the output devices;

10. Detecting customer reactions to content output on one of the output devices in the store, When the detection is made, product information in the product storage means used by the customer is acquired; determining advertising information to be provided to the customer based on the content and the product information in the product storage means; A program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting the advertising information to any one of the output devices.