Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

An information processing device 10 according to an embodiment is provided with: an acquisition unit 12 that acquires sales information regarding sales of a plurality of products in a virtual space VS in which a plurality of product objects corresponding respectively to the plurality of products are arranged; a determination unit 13 that changes or adds a placement location for a target product object V corresponding to a target product in the virtual space VS on the basis of the sales information of the plurality of products; and a provision unit 14 that provides a virtual space VS containing the target product object V placed at the changed or added placement location.

Description

Information processing device and information processing method

[0001] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an information processing method that provide a virtual space.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which a user who is a passenger can purchase a product object sold by a crew character in a virtual space that simulates the interior of a vehicle.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-121496

[0004] In a system in which users can purchase products in a virtual space as described above, there is a demand for a mechanism that can further encourage users to make purchases.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device and an information processing method that can effectively encourage users to make purchases in a virtual space.

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires sales information regarding the sale of a plurality of products in a virtual space in which a plurality of product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products are arranged, a determination unit that changes or adds a placement location of a target product object corresponding to a target product included in the plurality of products in the virtual space based on the sales information of the plurality of products, and a provision unit that provides a virtual space including the target product object arranged in the changed or added placement location.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an information processing device that can effectively encourage users to make purchases in a virtual space.

[0008] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration including an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the information processing device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating examples of a product table T1, a sales history table T2, and a best-selling management table T3. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a placement location determination process. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an NPC object. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a placement location determination process. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the information processing device. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration including an information processing device 10 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of user terminals 20 used by a plurality of users via a network NW. The network NW may be any communication network such as the Internet.

[0011] The information processing device 10 provides a virtual space in which a plurality of products are sold to a plurality of users. The virtual space is, for example, the interior space of a virtual store (virtual shop) that mimics a store in the real world. Such a virtual space is, for example, configured by a metaverse space (three-dimensional space). However, the virtual space is not limited to the above and may also be an outdoor space of a virtual store (for example, a virtual town including a virtual store). The virtual space may also be, for example, a two-dimensional space represented on a plane. Various objects and virtual objects such as avatars of users who use the virtual space are arranged within the virtual space.

[0012] The information processing device 10 (e.g., the providing unit 14 described later) provides a virtual space image showing the scenery of the virtual space as seen from the user's virtual viewpoint (e.g., the viewpoint of an avatar corresponding to the user) placed in the virtual space to the user terminal 20 of the user. The user terminal 20 displays the virtual space image on a display provided in the user terminal 20, thereby allowing the user to experience the virtual space. Note that the virtual space image displayed on the user terminal 20 is not limited to the above-described first-person viewpoint (the viewpoint of the avatar) image, and may be, for example, a third-person viewpoint image seen from a location other than the viewpoint of the avatar.

[0013] In this embodiment, a user can purchase products for sale in a virtual space (a virtual store). For example, when a user performs a process to purchase a product in the virtual space, a payment process is executed based on a payment method (e.g., credit card information) pre-registered for the user. Such a payment process may be executed by the information processing device 10 (e.g., the processing unit 15 described below), or may be executed by a payment processing server that is an external device different from the information processing device 10.

[0014] In this embodiment, the term "product" refers not only to a physical object but also to a service that does not have a physical object (e.g., participation rights to a specific event, etc.). Furthermore, the product may be a virtual object that can be used in a virtual space, or a service that the user enjoys in the virtual space, or a real object that is delivered to the user in the real world, or a service that the user enjoys in the real world. In the latter case, when a user executes a process to purchase a product in the virtual space, the information processing device 10 (e.g., the processing unit 15 described below) may execute a process to deliver the product to the user's pre-registered address.

[0015] The user terminal 20 is a terminal device used to allow a user to experience the virtual space provided by the information processing device 10. Examples of the user terminal 20 include a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a smartphone, a tablet device, and a wearable device (e.g., a head-mounted display, smart glasses, etc.). The user terminal 20 is equipped with a display for displaying the virtual space (virtual space image) provided by the information processing device 10 (providing unit 14). The user terminal 20 also has an interface for controlling the actions of the user's own avatar in the virtual space (e.g., movement within the virtual space, purchasing products, etc.). An example of the interface is a dedicated controller, etc.

[0016] In this embodiment, a user who uses a virtual space is a user who can log in to the virtual space provided by the information processing device 10 and operate his or her own avatar. For example, a user who has completed user registration (account registration) to use a service using the virtual space provided by the information processing device 10 (i.e., a user whose user information is registered as shown in FIG. 3) can use the virtual space. The virtual space is shared by multiple users. In other words, users who are logged in to the virtual space can communicate with each other in the shared virtual space via their own avatars.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2 , the information processing device 10 includes a storage unit 11 , an acquisition unit 12 , a determination unit 13 , a provision unit 14 , and a processing unit 15 .

[0018] The storage unit 11 stores various data handled by the information processing device 10. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 11 stores virtual space information for generating a virtual space (for example, a background image of the virtual space, drawing information for drawing various objects (including avatars of each user) to be placed in the virtual space, and placement information indicating the positions of various objects in the virtual space). The storage unit 11 also stores various data such as user information shown in FIG. 3 and various table information shown in FIG. 4.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows an example of user information for each user who uses the virtual space. As an example, the user information includes a user ID for identifying a user who can use the virtual space (i.e., a registered user); user attributes such as the age, gender, residential area, hobbies, and behavioral history of the user corresponding to the user ID; a status indicating whether the user is currently using the virtual space (logged in) or offline; and location information indicating the location of the logged-in user (the user's avatar) in the virtual space. The age, gender, residential area, hobbies, and behavioral history included in the user information are entered by the user, for example, during user registration. The behavioral history included in the user information may be automatically registered based on, for example, the user's past actions in the virtual space via their avatar (e.g., participation in a specific event in the virtual space). The status and location information included in the user information are automatically stored and updated in the storage unit 11, for example, by being monitored by the system.

[0020] The location information indicating the location of the logged-in user's avatar may be expressed, for example, by position coordinates indicating a specific position within the virtual space (for example, coordinates in an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system if the virtual space is a three-dimensional space). Alternatively, if the virtual space is formed by multiple sections (areas), the location information may be information indicating the section in which the avatar is located (for example, a section ID).

[0021] FIG. 4 shows an example of a product table T1, a sales history table T2, and a best-selling item management table T3.

[0022] The product table T1 includes a product ID for identifying a product, an inventory quantity, a tentative reservation quantity, and a flag. The tentative reservation quantity is the number of products currently in a virtual shopping cart. The flag is information indicating whether or not the product is set as a promotion target. In this example, if the product is a promotion target, the flag value is set to "1," and if the product is not a promotion target, the flag value is set to "0."

[0023] The sales history table T2 is information showing the sales history of a product. The sales history table T2 stores information (records) for each sales transaction. The sales history table T2 includes a product ID, the date and time when the product corresponding to the product ID was purchased, a user ID indicating the user who purchased the product, and the number of sales (number of purchases).

[0024] The best-selling management table T3 stores information obtained by matching the product table T1 with the sales history table T2. That is, the best-selling management table T3 stores information listing the inventory quantity, reserved quantity, flag, and sales quantity for each product. The sales quantity for each product included in the best-selling management table T3 is, for example, the number of sales in a recent fixed period (e.g., the most recent hour). The sales quantity for each product in the most recent fixed period is calculated by referencing the sales history table T2. The information processing device 10 (e.g., the storage unit 11) keeps the table information shown in FIG. 4 up to date by, for example, monitoring the behavior of each user in the virtual space.

[0025] The acquisition unit 12 acquires sales information related to sales of a plurality of products in a virtual space in which a plurality of product objects corresponding to the plurality of products are arranged. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 12 acquires, as the sales information, information included in a best-selling product management table T3 stored in the storage unit 11. As an example, the acquisition unit 12 acquires sales information (the best-selling product management table T3) including information regarding the sales volume of the plurality of products (in the present embodiment, the sales volume during the most recent period) and information (a flag) indicating whether each of the plurality of products is set as a sales promotion target.

[0026] The determination unit 13 changes or adds a placement location of a target product object corresponding to a target product included in the plurality of products in the virtual space based on sales information of the plurality of products (best sellers management table T3). Product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products that the user can purchase are placed in the virtual space. First, the determination unit 13 determines a target product from among the plurality of products. Next, the determination unit 13 determines a placement location where the target product object, which is a product object corresponding to the target product, will be changed or added. That is, the determination unit 13 executes a target product determination process for determining the target product, and a placement location determination process for determining a placement location where the target product object corresponding to the target product will be changed or added. Details of these processes will be described later. Note that a plurality of target products may be determined in the target product determination process. In this case, the placement location determination process may be executed for each of the plurality of target products.

[0027] The providing unit 14 provides a virtual space. More specifically, the providing unit 14 transmits information about the virtual space to a user terminal so that a virtual space image corresponding to each user's virtual viewpoint is displayed on the user terminal of each user who is logged in to the virtual space. In this embodiment, the virtual space includes a plurality of avatars corresponding to each of the plurality of users and product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products. The virtual space provided by the providing unit 14 also includes target product objects arranged at arrangement locations changed or added by the determining unit 13.

[0028] The processing unit 15 accepts a product purchase operation by a user in the virtual space and executes a process for selling the product to the user. For example, when the processing unit 15 accepts a user operation to select a product object displayed in the virtual space, the processing unit 15 executes a process for selecting the product corresponding to the product object as a purchase target (e.g., a process for adding the product to a virtual shopping cart). Furthermore, when the processing unit 15 accepts a purchase confirmation operation performed by a user at a virtual cash register located in the virtual space, the processing unit 15 confirms the purchase of the product added to the user's virtual shopping cart. Note that the user operation for confirming the purchase of the product may be configured to be executable at any location in the virtual space. In this case, the virtual cash register as described above does not need to be provided in the virtual space. However, if a virtual cash register is installed, it is possible to provide the user with an experience similar to that of shopping in real space.

[0029] Next, the target product determination process and placement location determination process of the determination unit 13 described above will be described in detail. First, an example of the target product determination process will be described. Here, two processing examples will be described, but the target product determination process is not limited to the following first and second examples.

[0030] (First Example of Target Product Determination Process) The determination unit 13 may determine target products based on the popularity of multiple products and predetermined criteria. Popularity is, for example, the number of sales in a recent fixed period. However, popularity may also be an index other than sales. For example, popularity may be the number of reviews posted by users, the average value of user ratings (e.g., a 5-point scale), etc. In this embodiment, as an example, popularity is the number of sales of each product (sales number in a recent fixed period) stored in the best-selling product management table T3.

[0031] For example, the determination unit 13 may determine the target product based on a comparison between the popularity of each product (in this embodiment, the number of sales n in the most recent period) and a predetermined threshold N. As one example, the determination unit 13 may determine a product whose number of sales n is equal to or greater than the threshold N (n≧N) as the target product, and determine a product whose number of sales n is less than the threshold N (n<N) as the normal product. As another example, the determination unit 13 may determine the target product based on a comparison between the number of sales n in the most recent period and the average number of sales n in the period prior to the most recent period. ＡＶＥ For example, the target product may be determined based on a comparison of the number of sales of a product in the nearest period compared to the past. ＡＶＥ Therefore, for example, the determination unit 13 determines whether the value of "n / n ＡＶＥ " may be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the product may be determined to be a target product. Alternatively, in order to identify popular products based on more real-time information, the number of reserved items (the number of items in a shopping cart) may be used in addition to the number of sales. For example, the weight of the number of sales n1 may be a, the weight of the number of reserved items n2 may be b (e.g., b<a), and the value calculated for each product by "n1×a+n2×b" may be used as the popularity level.

[0032] According to the first example, best-selling products can be determined as target products based on the popularity of each product (e.g., sales performance over a predetermined period of time). As a result, the subsequent placement location determination process can dynamically change or add placement locations for target product objects corresponding to such best-selling products, thereby further promoting sales of the best-selling products.

[0033] (Second Example of Target Product Determination Process) The determination unit 13 may determine, as the target product, a product that has been set as a promotion target. In this embodiment, the determination unit 13 can identify a product that has been set as a promotion target (i.e., a product with a flag value of "1") by referring to the flag of each product in the best-selling product management table T3 stored in the storage unit 11.

[0034] According to the second example above, the subsequent placement location determination process dynamically changes or adds the placement location of the target product object corresponding to the product set as the promotion target, thereby effectively promoting the sales of the promotion target product.

[0035] Next, the placement location determination process will be described. Two processing examples will be described here, but the placement location determination process is not limited to the following first and second examples.

[0036] (First example of placement location determination process) The determination unit 13 may change or add a placement location of the target product object in the virtual space based on location information regarding the positions of multiple avatars corresponding to each of multiple users existing in the virtual space.

[0037] For example, the determination unit 13 may set a low-density area where the density of avatars is low based on the position information of a plurality of avatars and a predetermined criterion, and determine a position corresponding to the low-density area as a placement location where the target product object will be changed or added. Alternatively, the determination unit 13 may set a high-density area where the density of avatars is high based on the position information of a plurality of avatars and a predetermined criterion, and determine a position corresponding to the high-density area as a placement location where the target product object will be changed or added. Here, the position corresponding to the low-density area (or the high-density area) may be a position within the low-density area (or the high-density area) or a position adjacent to the low-density area (or the high-density area) (for example, a position visible from an avatar present in the low-density area (or the high-density area)).

[0038] A first example of the placement location determination process will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual space VS. More specifically, FIG. 5 illustrates a map of the interior of a virtual store configured as the virtual space VS. As an example, the virtual space VS is a virtual store in which multiple (e.g., four) product shelves SH1-SH4 are arranged according to a predetermined layout, and multiple products available for purchase by users are placed in predetermined positions on the corresponding product shelves SH1-SH4. A user can move through the virtual store (virtual space VS) by operating their own avatar. They can add a desired product to their virtual shopping cart by moving the avatar near the product they want to purchase and performing a predetermined selection operation. The user can then go to the cash register in the virtual store and complete the purchase procedure to confirm the purchase of the product added to the shopping cart. In this example, the target product is product A, and a target product object V corresponding to product A is placed in a predetermined location X1 (front of area R31) on product shelf SH3.

[0039] For example, the determination unit 13 acquires position information of multiple avatars B corresponding to each of multiple users (i.e., each logged-in user) present in the virtual space by referring to the user information (see FIG. 3 ) stored in the storage unit 11. In the example of FIG. 5 , two areas R11 and R12 located in front of the product shelf SH1, two areas R21 and R22 located in front of the product shelf SH2, two areas R31 and R32 located in front of the product shelf SH3, and two areas R41 and R42 located in front of the product shelf SH4 are defined in the virtual space VS. In this case, the determination unit 13 can tally up the number of avatars for each area based on the position information of the multiple logged-in avatars B.

[0040] In the example of Fig. 5, area R12 has 0 avatars and is the area with the smallest number of avatars (in other words, the area with the smallest avatar density), while area R42 has 4 avatars and is the area with the largest number of avatars (in other words, the area with the largest avatar density).

[0041] For example, the determination unit 13 may set area R12, which has the lowest avatar density among multiple predetermined areas (eight areas R11 to R42 in the example of FIG. 5 ) in the virtual space VS, as the low-density area, and place a target product object V corresponding to the target product (product A) at a position corresponding to area R12 (in this embodiment, location X2, which faces area R12 among the product placement areas provided on the product shelf SH1). According to the above configuration, by placing the target product object V at a position (location X2) corresponding to the low-density area (area R12) with a small number of avatars in the virtual space VS, users who wish to purchase the target product in the virtual space VS can be directed to the low-density area (area R12). As a result, sales of the target product can be promoted and the positional distribution of avatars in the virtual space VS can be optimized.

[0042] In the above example, the area with the fewest number of avatars among the plurality of areas prepared in advance is set as the low-density area, but the criteria for determining whether an area is a low-density area are not limited to the above example. For example, the determination unit 13 may determine an area in which the number of avatars in the area is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold as a low-density area. In this case, a plurality of low-density areas may be set, and the determination unit 13 may determine a position corresponding to one of the low-density areas as the new placement location of the target product object V, or may determine a plurality of positions corresponding to all of the low-density areas as the new placement locations of the target product object V.

[0043] Alternatively, the determination unit 13 may set area R42, which has the highest avatar density among multiple areas (eight areas R11 to R42 in the example of FIG. 5 ), as the high-density area, and place the target product object V corresponding to the target product (product A) at a position corresponding to area R42 (in this embodiment, location X3, which faces area R42 in the product placement area provided on the product shelf SH4). According to the above configuration, by placing the target product object V at a position (location X3) corresponding to the high-density area (area R42) with a large number of avatars (crowded) in the virtual space VS, the target product object V can be seen by more users. As a result, sales of the target product can be promoted more effectively.

[0044] In the above example, the area with the largest number of avatars among the multiple areas prepared in advance is set as the high-density area, but the criteria for determining whether an area is a high-density area are not limited to the above example. For example, the determination unit 13 may determine an area in which the number of avatars in the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold as the high-density area. In this case, multiple high-density areas may be set, and the determination unit 13 may determine a position corresponding to one of the high-density areas as the new placement location for the target product object V, or may determine multiple positions corresponding to all of the high-density areas as the new placement locations for the target product object V.

[0045] Furthermore, the placement location of the target product object V may be changed from location X1 to location X2 or location X3. That is, after the target product object V is placed in the new placement location, location X2 or location X3, the target product object V placed in location X1 may be deleted. In other words, the new placement location (locations X2 and X3) may be determined as a change destination from the original placement location (location X1). Alternatively, the target product object V placed in location X1 may continue to be placed in location X1 even after the target product object V is newly placed in location X2 or location X3. That is, the new placement location (locations X2 and X3) may be determined as an additional placement location.

[0046] In addition, in the above first example, the determination unit 13 may change or add the placement location of the target product object V within the virtual space VS based on the location information of the avatar B of each user among multiple users present in the virtual space VS who has a first attribute related to the target product (here, product A).

[0047] For example, each product may be associated with attributes of users who like the product (e.g., age, gender, residential area, hobbies and preferences, behavioral history, or a combination thereof, included in the user information in FIG. 3 ). Such product attributes may be set in advance by a service provider providing the virtual space VS, or may be set based on the results of a trend analysis of users who have purchased the product. The trend analysis may be performed as follows. For example, the determination unit 13 identifies multiple users who have purchased the target product (product A) based on their purchase histories in the sales history table T2 (see FIG. 4 ). Next, the determination unit 13 refers to the user information (see FIG. 3 ) and aggregates the attributes of each identified user. As a result, the determination unit 13 can determine, as the first attribute associated with product A, an attribute commonly shared by many users who have purchased product A (e.g., a number or percentage of users equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold).

[0048] In the above first example, by using the location information of avatar B of each user having the first attribute (for example, by determining the above-mentioned low-density area or high-density area based only on the location information of avatar B of the user having the first attribute), the effects of the above-mentioned first example can be further improved.

[0049] As described above, according to the first example, a new placement location for the target product object V (locations X2 and X3 in the example of Figure 5) can be appropriately determined based on the positional distribution of multiple avatars B within the virtual space VS.

[0050] (Second example of placement location determination processing) The determination unit 13 may determine an NPC object P (moving object) moving within the virtual space VS as the placement location where the target product object V will be changed or added, and place the target product object V in association with the NPC object P.

[0051] 6 shows an example of an NPC object P moving within the virtual space VS. In this example, the NPC object P is an object that resembles a humanoid character, but the NPC object P may also be an object that resembles a living thing other than a human, such as an animal, or an object that resembles a non-living thing, such as a robot.

[0052] In this example, the NPC object P is displayed holding (carrying) a target product object V representing the target product A. However, the manner in which the target product object V is associated with the NPC object P and arranged is not limited to the example of FIG. 6 . For example, if the target product is a product worn on a human body, such as "clothes," "hat," "shoes," or "wristwatch," the target product object V may be attached to a corresponding part of the body of the human-shaped NPC object P. Furthermore, the target product object V does not need to be in contact with the NPC object P. For example, the target product object V may be arranged so as to float near the NPC object P at a position physically separated from the NPC object P (for example, above the head of the human-shaped NPC object P). In this way, the target product object V is arranged, for example, with a predetermined association (positional relationship) with the NPC object P.

[0053] According to the second example above, by having the NPC object P carry a target product object V corresponding to a target product such as a best-selling product or a product being promoted, the target product object V can be seen by many users, thereby enabling the sales of the target product to be promoted in an optimal manner.

[0054] Note that the location of appearance and movement path of the NPC object P within the virtual space VS can be set arbitrarily. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , the determination unit 13 may determine the movement pattern of the NPC object P so that it passes through area R12, which is a low-density area. In this case, by guiding the avatar B to the low-density area, the positional distribution of the avatar B within the virtual space VS can be optimized. Alternatively, the determination unit 13 may determine the movement pattern of the NPC object P so that it passes through area R42, which is a high-density area. In this case, the target product object V placed in association with the NPC object P can be seen by many users, thereby enhancing the sales promotion effect of the target product.

[0055] Next, an example of the operation (information processing method) of the information processing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0056] In step S1, the acquisition unit 12 acquires sales information (in this embodiment, the best-selling management table T3 shown in FIG. 4) of a plurality of products arranged in the virtual space VS.

[0057] In step S2, the determination unit 13 determines at least one target product from among the multiple products based on the sales information of the multiple products (best-selling management table T3). For example, the determination unit 13 determines the target product by executing the target product determination process described above. The determination unit 13 also changes or adds a placement location of the target product object V in the virtual space VS. For example, the determination unit 13 determines a new placement location of the target product object V (e.g., locations X2 and X3 shown in FIG. 5 , NPC object P shown in FIG. 7 , etc.) by executing the placement location determination process described above.

[0058] In step S3, the providing unit 14 provides the virtual space VS reflecting the processing in step S2. For example, the providing unit 14 provides, to each user terminal 20 of a plurality of users currently logged in to the virtual space VS, an image of the virtual space as seen from the virtual viewpoint of each user (for example, the viewpoint of an avatar corresponding to each user).

[0059] In the information processing device 10 and information processing method described above, by changing or adding the placement location of the target product object V of the target product identified based on sales information (for example, information contained in the best-selling product management table T3 shown in FIG. 4 ) in the virtual space VS, it is possible to preferably bring the target product object V into the user's sight, thereby promoting product purchasing behavior by the user in the virtual space VS.

[0060] In the above embodiment, several examples of the processing by the determination unit 13 have been described, but these processing contents may be combined as appropriate. For example, the determination unit 13 may execute only one of the first example and the second example of the target product determination processing described above, or may execute both. Furthermore, the determination unit 13 may execute only one of the first example and the second example of the placement location determination processing for one target product, or may execute both.

[0061] [Additional Notes] The present disclosure includes the following aspects.

[0062] [1] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires sales information regarding sales of a plurality of products in a virtual space in which a plurality of product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products are placed; a determination unit that changes or adds a placement location of a target product object corresponding to a target product included in the plurality of products in the virtual space based on the sales information of the plurality of products; and a provision unit that provides the virtual space including the target product object placed in the changed or added placement location.

[0063] [2] The information processing device of [1], wherein the acquisition unit acquires information regarding the popularity of the plurality of products, and the determination unit determines the target product based on the popularity of the plurality of products and a predetermined criterion.

[0064] [3] The information processing device of [1] or [2], wherein the acquisition unit acquires the sales information including information indicating whether each of the plurality of products is set as a sales promotion target, and the determination unit determines the product set as a sales promotion target as the target product.

[0065] [4] An information processing device according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the determination unit changes or adds a placement location of the target product object within the virtual space based on location information regarding the positions of multiple avatars corresponding to each of multiple users present within the virtual space.

[0066] [5] The information processing device of [4], wherein the determination unit sets a low-density area where the density of the avatars is low based on the position information of the multiple avatars and predetermined criteria, and determines a position corresponding to the low-density area as the placement location where the target product object will be changed or added.

[0067] [6] An information processing device according to [4] or [5], wherein the determination unit sets a high-density area where the avatars are highly dense based on the positional information of the multiple avatars and predetermined criteria, and determines a position corresponding to the high-density area as the placement location where the target product object will be changed or added.

[0068] [7] An information processing device according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the determination unit changes or adds a placement location of the target product object in the virtual space based on location information regarding the location of the avatar of each user among multiple users present in the virtual space who has a first attribute related to the target product.

[0069] [8] An information processing device according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the determination unit determines a moving object moving within the virtual space as a placement location where the target product object will be changed or added, and places the target product object in association with the moving object.

[0070] [9] An information processing method comprising: a step of acquiring sales information regarding sales of a plurality of products in a virtual space in which a plurality of product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products are placed; a step of changing or adding a placement location of a target product object corresponding to a target product included in the plurality of products in the virtual space based on the sales information of the plurality of products; and a step of providing the virtual space including the target product object placed in the changed or added placement location.

[0071] [Definition of Terms, etc.] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (e.g., using wires, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining software with the single device or the multiple devices.

[0072] Functions include, but are not limited to, judging, determining, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching, verifying, receiving, transmitting, outputting, accessing, resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, expecting, anticipating, regarding, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assigning.

[0073] For example, the information processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the information processing method of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The information processing device 10 may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, and the like.

[0074] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in Fig. 9, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0075] Each function of the information processing device 10 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0076] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system, and may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc.

[0077] The processor 1001 also reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with the programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, each functional unit of the information processing device 10 (e.g., the determination unit 13, etc.) may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001, and similar implementations may be used for other functional blocks. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0078] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured, for example, by at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing an information processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0080] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0081] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0082] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0083] The information processing device 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0084] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to the embodiment described in this specification. The present embodiment can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in this specification is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present embodiment.

[0085] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0086] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0087] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0088] The aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0089] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0090] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0091] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0092] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

[0093] The names used for the parameters described above are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical formulas and the like that use these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and the various names assigned to these various information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0094] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0095] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0096] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when the term "or" is used in this disclosure, it is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0097] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0098] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0099] 10...information processing device, 11...storage unit, 12...acquisition unit, 13...determination unit, 14...provision unit, 15...processing unit, 20...user terminal, B...avatar, P...NPC object (moving object), V...target product object.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires sales information regarding the sales of a plurality of products in a virtual space in which a plurality of product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products are placed; a determination unit that changes or adds a placement location of a target product object corresponding to a target product included in the plurality of products in the virtual space based on the sales information of the plurality of products; and a provision unit that provides the virtual space including the target product object placed in the changed or added placement location.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information regarding the popularity of the plurality of products, and the determination unit determines the target product based on the popularity of the plurality of products and predetermined criteria.

3. The information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the sales information including information indicating whether each of the plurality of products is set as a sales promotion target, and the determination unit determines the product set as a sales promotion target as the target product.

4. The information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the determination unit changes or adds a placement location of the target product object within the virtual space based on location information regarding the positions of multiple avatars corresponding to each of multiple users present within the virtual space.

5. The information processing device described in claim 4, wherein the determination unit sets a low-density area where the density of the avatars is low based on the position information of the multiple avatars and predetermined criteria, and determines a position corresponding to the low-density area as the placement location where the target product object will be changed or added.

6. The information processing device described in claim 4, wherein the determination unit sets a high density area where the avatars are highly dense based on the position information of the multiple avatars and predetermined criteria, and determines a position corresponding to the high density area as the placement location where the target product object will be changed or added.

7. The information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the determination unit changes or adds a placement location of the target product object in the virtual space based on location information regarding the location of an avatar of each user among multiple users present in the virtual space who has a first attribute related to the target product.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a moving object moving within the virtual space as a placement location where the target product object will be changed or added, and places the target product object in association with the moving object.

9. An information processing method comprising: a step of acquiring sales information regarding sales of a plurality of products in a virtual space in which a plurality of product objects corresponding to each of the plurality of products are placed; a step of changing or adding a placement location in the virtual space of a target product object corresponding to a target product included in the plurality of products based on the sales information of the plurality of products; and a step of providing the virtual space including the target product object placed in the changed or added placement location.