Store operation support device, store operation support method, and program

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible to present a desired layout to a user, even without the user having sophisticated knowledge. A guideline information acquisition unit (11) acquires guideline information in which a guideline on a layout design of a product shelf in a store is described in a natural language. A layout generation unit (12) generates a layout proposal for the product shelf in the store on the basis of the guideline information and of a trained model for generating a layout of the product shelf in the store from the guideline information. A layout presentation unit (13) presents the generated layout proposal to a user.

Description

Store operation support device, store operation support method, and computer-readable medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a store operation support device, a store operation support method, and a computer-readable medium.

[0002] As a related technique, Patent Literature 1 discloses a shelf allocation management system. The shelf allocation management system presents a product layout planner with the layout of shelves in a store and the sales performance of each shelf. The product layout planner decides on which shelves to change the product layout based on the presented results. When the product layout planner specifies a shelf, the shelf allocation management system presents the sales performance of each product on that shelf to the product layout planner. The product layout planner decides which products to delete and which products to add based on the presented results. The shelf allocation management system automatically determines the number of displays for each product based on the properties of the product. The shelf allocation management system also stores knowledge related to product layout in a knowledge base and uses this knowledge to automatically determine the placement of each product on the display shelves.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-261462

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the knowledge of product placement held by experts is compiled into a knowledge base, and the placement of each product on a display shelf is automatically determined using that knowledge. However, in Patent Document 1, the product placement planner must specify products to be removed from the shelf and products to be newly added. For this reason, the shelf allocation management system described in Patent Document 1 requires the product placement planner to have knowledge of the products and their sales, and has the problem that it is not easy to change or design the layout.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present disclosure aims to provide a store business support device, a store business support method, and a computer-readable medium that can present a desired layout to a user even if the user does not have complex knowledge.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides, as a first aspect, a store operations support device that includes a guideline information acquisition unit that acquires guideline information in which guidelines for product shelf layout design in a store are written in a natural language, a layout generation unit that generates a product shelf layout plan for the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a product shelf layout for the store from the guideline information, and a layout presentation unit that presents the generated layout plan to a user.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a store operation support method that includes acquiring guideline information in which guidelines for designing a layout of product shelves in a store are written in a natural language, generating a layout plan for the product shelves in the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a layout of the product shelves in the store from the guideline information, and presenting the generated layout plan to a user.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process including acquiring guideline information in which guidelines for product shelf layout design in a store are written in a natural language, generating a product shelf layout plan for the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a product shelf layout for the store from the guideline information, and presenting the generated layout plan to a user.

[0009] The store operation support device, store operation support method, and computer-readable medium according to the present disclosure allow a user to easily determine a layout even if the user does not have complex knowledge.

[0010] A block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a store operations support device according to the present disclosure. A block diagram showing a store operations support device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A schematic diagram showing input and output of a trained model. A schematic diagram showing an example of movement of product shelves. A flowchart showing the operation procedure of a store operations support device. A block diagram showing a configuration example of a computer device.

[0011] Prior to describing embodiments of the present disclosure, an overview of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration example of a store operations support device according to the present disclosure. The store operations support device 10 includes a guideline information acquisition unit 11, a layout generation unit 12, and a layout presentation unit 13.

[0012] The guideline information acquisition unit 11 acquires guideline information in which guidelines for designing the layout of product shelves in a store are written in natural language. The layout generation unit 12 generates a layout plan for product shelves in the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a layout of product shelves in the store from the guideline information. The layout presentation unit 13 presents the generated layout plan to a user.

[0013] In the present disclosure, the guideline information acquisition unit 11 acquires guideline information in which guidelines for product shelf layout design are written in natural language. The layout generation unit 12 generates a layout plan based on the guideline information and a trained model. In the present disclosure, the layout generation unit 12 can generate a layout plan based on the acquired guideline information using the trained model. Therefore, the store operations support device 10 according to the present disclosure can present a desired layout to a user even if the user does not have complex knowledge.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings have been omitted or simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. In addition, in the following drawings, the same or similar elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted as necessary.

[0015] 2 illustrates a store operations support device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The store operations support device 100 includes a guideline information acquisition unit 101, a layout generation unit 102, a layout presentation unit 103, and a movement instruction unit 104. The store operations support device 100 may be physically configured as a device including one or more processors and one or more memories. For example, at least some of the functions of each unit within the store operations support device 100 may be realized by the processor executing processing in accordance with instructions read from the memory. The store operations support device 100 corresponds to the store operations support device 10 illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0016] The guideline information acquisition unit 101 acquires guideline information that serves as a guideline for designing or changing the layout of product shelves in a store. In this embodiment, the guideline information is written in a natural language. A user inputs character strings or text data that indicate the guideline information and are written in a natural language to the guideline information acquisition unit 101 using an input device such as a keyboard. The guideline information acquisition unit 101 corresponds to the guideline information acquisition unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 .

[0017] Layout design or changes are implemented, for example, when it is desired to increase sales of a particular product. Layout design or changes may also be implemented to expand eat-in space or to secure evacuation space in the event of a disaster. The guideline information includes, for example, the name or type of product for which sales are desired to be increased. The guideline information may include the type and magnitude of disasters that have occurred in relation to the area where the store is located. A user can input the purpose of changing the store's layout, such as wanting to increase sales of a particular product or product category or wanting to secure eat-in space, or their requests for a new layout as guideline information.

[0018] In this embodiment, the layout change can be realized, for example, by changing the position of the product shelves on which the products are displayed. The layout change can also be realized by changing the products displayed on the product shelves. The layout change can also be realized by increasing or decreasing the number of product shelves arranged in the sales floor of the store.

[0019] The layout generation unit 102 generates a layout plan for product shelves in the store based on the guideline information acquired by the guideline information acquisition unit 101 and a trained model for generating a layout of product shelves in the store from the guideline information. The trained model is, for example, a model that receives guideline information as input and outputs a layout plan according to the guideline information. The trained model is generated, for example, by learning the relationship between the position in the store of the product shelves on which each product is displayed and the sales of each product. The trained model is also called an AI (artificial intelligence) model.

[0020] The layout generation unit 102 may generate a layout proposal based on store characteristic information indicating characteristics of each store, in addition to the guideline information. The store characteristic information may include, for example, the population density of the area where the store is located and the characteristics of the area where the store is located, such as a shopping district or a residential area. The store characteristic information may include information indicating whether the area where the store is located is on solid ground or on loose ground. The store characteristic information may also include information indicating whether the area where the store is located is on low ground that is at risk of flooding during heavy rain. The layout generation unit 102 may generate a layout proposal based on time information, in addition to the guideline information and the store characteristic information. The time information includes, for example, information regarding the time of day to which the product shelf layout is applied, such as morning, noon, evening, and night.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows the input and output of the trained model. The layout generation unit 102 inputs guideline information written in natural language, store characteristic information, and time information into the trained model. The trained model is generated by learning training data in a learning device (not shown). The training data includes, for example, product sales data, product types, product shelf locations within the store, the number of customers visiting the store, the flow of people within the store, and the distribution of customer attributes within the store. The training data may also include information on weather, temperature, and surrounding events. The trained model outputs a layout proposal based on the input information.

[0022] The learning device generates a trained model by learning, for example, sales information for each product, product type, shelf location, and information on unsold products. In addition to the above information, the learning device may also generate a trained model by learning information on the distribution of customers in a store by purchaser attributes such as gender and age. Guideline information including a request, for example, "I want to increase sales of sweets," is input to the trained model. The trained model can output a shelf layout proposal for realizing the request based on the input guideline information.

[0023] Alternatively, the trained model may be input with guideline information including a request to "secure an eat-in space during lunch hours." In this case, the trained model can output a layout proposal that clears product shelves that display products that do not sell during lunch hours, such as products unrelated to food, and secures an eat-in space. Product shelves arranged in a store may be configured to be transformable and configured to be usable as tables and chairs in an eat-in space, etc. In this case, in the layout proposal output from the trained model, some product shelves may be transformed into table mode or chair mode for use.

[0024] The learning device may learn information related to past disasters and generate a trained model. The learning device may learn information such as the types of disasters that have occurred in the past, the scale of the disasters, the number of people evacuated to evacuation shelters such as community centers, and the population density of the area. In addition to disaster-related information, the learning device may also learn information related to the location of a store. For example, the learning device may learn information about the surrounding environment, such as whether the store is prone to flooding or has weak ground. Furthermore, the learning device may learn information such as products that will sell in the event of a disaster and products to provide to nearby residents.

[0025] The trained model receives, for example, guidance information such as "An earthquake has occurred. It is magnitude 4." Alternatively, the trained model may receive guidance information such as "Flooding has occurred" or "A typhoon is approaching." The trained model can predict the number of evacuees depending on the type and scale of the disaster, and generate a layout plan for securing evacuation space within the store based on the predicted number of evacuees. Alternatively, the trained model can generate a layout plan for selling products that sell well in the event of a disaster on shelves near the store entrance.

[0026] Here, the layout plan generated by the layout generation unit 102 does not need to be a layout plan of product shelves for all areas in the store. For example, the layout generation unit 102 may fix the positions of product shelves in some areas and generate layout plans for other areas in accordance with the guideline information.

[0027] The layout presentation unit 103 presents the layout proposal generated by the layout generation unit 102 to the user as a layout proposal recommended for the input guideline information. The layout presentation unit 103 displays the layout proposal on the screen of a display device, for example. The user may be able to make corrections to the displayed layout proposal. If the user approves the proposed layout proposal, the layout presentation unit 103 outputs the approved layout proposal to the movement instruction unit 104.

[0028] In this embodiment, the product shelves arranged in the store are configured to be autonomously movable. The product shelves may be equipped with, for example, a motor as a drive source. The product shelves may be divided into multiple blocks horizontally or vertically, and may be configured to be expandable or contractible by changing the number of connected blocks. The movement instruction unit 104 moves the product shelves according to the layout plan generated by the layout generation unit 102.

[0029] For example, an identifier is assigned to each product shelf, and an address is assigned to each location within the store. The movement instruction unit 104 transmits, for example, a pair of the identifier and the address of the destination location to the product shelf. Each product shelf identifies a movement route based on the source address and the destination address, and moves along the movement route to the location of the destination address. By moving the product shelves, a layout in accordance with the layout plan can be realized in the store. The movement instruction unit 104 is also called a shelf movement unit.

[0030] FIG. 4 shows a schematic example of the movement of a product shelf. In a store, the product shelf 200 is first lowered under the floor and then moved in the space under the floor. The product shelf 200 is then raised above the floor at the destination location, completing the movement of the shelf. The destination location may be the back yard. By moving the product shelf 200, the product arrangement, i.e., the sales floor, can be changed. The product shelf 200 may transmit location information. The movement instruction unit 104 may receive location information from multiple product shelves in the store and manage which product shelf is located in which location.

[0031] Next, the operation procedure will be described. Fig. 5 shows the operation procedure of the store operations support device 100. The operation procedure of the store operations support device 100 corresponds to the store operations support method. The guideline information acquisition unit 101 acquires guideline information written in natural language (step S1). The layout generation unit 102 uses the trained model to generate a layout plan corresponding to the guideline information acquired in step S1 (step S2).

[0032] The layout presentation unit 103 presents the layout plan generated in step S2 to the user (step S3). The user approves the presented layout plan. The user may also modify the presented layout plan. The movement instruction unit 104 moves the product shelves in accordance with the layout plan approved by the user or the layout plan modified by the user (step S4).

[0033] In this embodiment, the layout generation unit 102 generates a layout plan based on guideline information written in natural language and a trained model. In this embodiment, when a user inputs a desired layout request to the store operations support device 100, the store operations support device 100 can present the user with a layout plan recommended for the request. By providing the store operations support device 100 with somewhat ambiguous guideline information written in natural language, the user can receive a layout plan presented according to the provided guideline information. Furthermore, the user can easily perform layout design even if they do not have complex knowledge.

[0034] In the present disclosure, the store operations support device 100 may be configured using a computer device or a server device. Fig. 6 shows an example configuration of a computer device that may be used in the store operations support device 100. The computer device 500 has a control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 510, a storage unit 520, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 530, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 540, a communication interface (IF: Interface) 550, and a user interface 560.

[0035] The communication interface 550 is an interface for connecting the computer device 500 to a communication network via wired communication means, wireless communication means, etc. The user interface 560 includes a display unit such as a display, and an input unit such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel.

[0036] The storage unit 520 is an auxiliary storage device that can store various types of data. The storage unit 520 does not necessarily have to be a part of the computer device 500, but may be an external storage device or cloud storage connected to the computer device 500 via a network.

[0037] The ROM 530 is a non-volatile storage device. For example, a semiconductor storage device with a relatively small capacity, such as a flash memory, is used for the ROM 530. The programs executed by the CPU 510 can be stored in the storage unit 520 or the ROM 530. The storage unit 520 or the ROM 530 stores various programs for realizing the functions of each unit in the store operations support device 100, for example.

[0038] The program includes instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include RAM, ROM, flash memory, solid-state drives (SSDs) or other memory technologies, compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may also be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, transitory computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0039] The RAM 540 is a volatile storage device. Various semiconductor memory devices such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) are used for the RAM 540. The RAM 540 can be used as an internal buffer for temporarily storing data and the like. The CPU 510 loads and executes a program stored in the storage unit 520 or the ROM 530 into the RAM 540. The CPU 510 executes the program, thereby realizing the functions of each unit within the store operations support device 100. The CPU 510 may have an internal buffer for temporarily storing data and the like.

[0040] In each of the above embodiments, the store operations support device 100 does not necessarily have to be configured as a single device. The store operations support device 100 may be configured using multiple physically separated devices. For example, the store operations support device 100 may be separated into a device including the guideline information acquisition unit 101, the layout generation unit 102, and the layout presentation unit 103, and a device including the movement instruction unit 104. In this case, the device including the guideline information acquisition unit 101, the layout generation unit 102, and the layout presentation unit 103 may be called a layout presentation device.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments that do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure are also included in the present disclosure.

[0042] 10: Store operation support device 11: Guide information acquisition unit 12: Layout generation unit 13: Layout presentation unit 100: Store operation support device 101: Guide information acquisition unit 102: Layout generation unit 103: Layout presentation unit 104: Movement instruction unit 200: Product shelf 500: Computer device 510: Control unit 520: Storage unit 530: ROM 540: RAM 550: Communication interface 560: User interface

Claims

1. a guideline information acquisition unit that acquires guideline information in which guidelines for designing the layout of product shelves in a store are written in natural language; a layout generation unit that generates a layout plan of the product shelves in the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a layout of the product shelves in the store from the guideline information; a layout presentation unit that presents the generated layout plan to a user.

2. The store operations support device according to claim 1 , wherein the trained model is a model to which the guideline information is input and which outputs the layout proposal.

3. The store operation support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the layout generation unit generates the layout plan based on store characteristic information indicating characteristics of the store in addition to the guideline information.

4. The store operation support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guideline information includes the name or type of a product for which sales are desired to be increased.

5. The store operation support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guideline information includes the type and magnitude of a disaster that has occurred in an area where the store is located.

6. 3. The store operation support device according to claim 1, further comprising a shelf moving unit that moves autonomously movable product shelves arranged in the store in accordance with the generated layout plan.

7. Acquire guideline information in which guidelines for the layout design of product shelves in a store are written in natural language; generating a layout plan for the product shelves in the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a layout of the product shelves in the store from the guideline information; and presenting the generated layout plan to a user.

8. Acquire guideline information in which guidelines for the layout design of product shelves in a store are written in natural language; generating a layout plan for the product shelves in the store based on the guideline information and a trained model for generating a layout of the product shelves in the store from the guideline information; A program for causing a computer to execute a process including presenting the generated layout plan to a user.