Product comparison method and system thereof

Abstract

A product comparison method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is performed by a computing device and may comprise the steps of: in response to receiving a search word from a user, rendering a search result page for displaying products corresponding to the search word; receiving selections for comparison target products to be compared by the user among the products displayed on the search result page; rendering a widget for displaying thumbnails of the comparison target products on the search result page; in response to the user's selections for the comparison target products, displaying the thumbnails of the comparison target products on the widget; and in response to a comparison determination of the user, rendering a comparison page for comparing the comparison target products.

Description

Product comparison method and system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a product comparison method and system thereof, and more specifically, to a method for providing a user interface for allowing a user to directly select multiple products that the user wishes to compare from a search results page and compare the attributes of the multiple selected products.

[0002] With the advancement of logistics services and communication infrastructure, online transactions are becoming increasingly active. These online transactions primarily take place through online shopping malls. Online shopping malls display detailed information about the products they sell on their webpages, and users use this information to decide whether to purchase a product. Meanwhile, when purchasing a product, users are often asked to select options. Product webpages typically contain descriptions of various options and interfaces for selecting options. Specifically, when a product has multiple attributes, users are required to select options for each attribute. Therefore, a more convenient method for comparing options for products with multiple attributes is needed.

[0003] The technical problem to be solved through the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a method that allows a user to directly select a product to compare from a search results page.

[0004] In addition, a technical problem to be solved through embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a method that enables a user to compare multiple properties of different products of the same type on a single page.

[0005] A product comparison method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be performed by a computing device, and may include, in response to a user inputting a search term, a step of rendering a search results page for displaying products corresponding to the search term, a step of receiving a selection of a product to be compared from among products displayed on the search results page that the user wishes to compare, a step of rendering a widget for displaying a thumbnail of the product to be compared on the search results page, a step of displaying a thumbnail of the product to be compared on the widget in response to the user's selection of the product to be compared, and a step of rendering a comparison page for comparing the products to be compared in response to the user's comparison decision.

[0006] In one embodiment, the step of rendering the search results page may include the step of rendering a product comparison button, and the step of receiving a selection for the product to be compared may include the step of displaying a checkbox corresponding to a product displayed on the search results page in response to the user selecting the product comparison button, and receiving a product corresponding to the selected checkbox as a selection for the product to be compared.

[0007] In one embodiment, the step of receiving a selection for the product to be compared may include the step of providing a notification indicating that no more products can be selected if the user has selected more products as the product to be compared than a preset threshold.

[0008] In one embodiment, the preset threshold varies depending on the display specifications of the user terminal of the user, and the display specifications include the screen size and resolution of the user terminal.

[0009] In one embodiment, the step of rendering the comparison page may include, if the number of products to be compared is two or more, rendering the comparison page in response to the comparison decision, and if the number of products to be compared is one, providing a notification to the user indicating that more products to be compared are to be selected.

[0010] In one embodiment, the step of rendering the comparison page may include the step of displaying a plurality of attributes of the products to be compared in a table format, the step of receiving a selection of an attribute of interest among the plurality of attributes from the user, and the step of displaying the selected attribute of interest at the top of the table.

[0011] In one embodiment, the step of rendering the comparison page may include the step of displaying an add to cart button corresponding to the product to be compared.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a product comparison system includes a processor and a memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the following actions: in response to receiving a search word from a user, render a search results page for displaying a product corresponding to the search word; receive a selection of a comparison target product that the user wishes to compare among products displayed on the search results page;

[0013] An action may be performed to render a widget for displaying thumbnails of products to be compared on the search results page, an action may be performed to display thumbnails of products to be compared on the widget in response to the user's selection of the products to be compared, and an action may be performed to render a comparison page for comparing products to be compared in response to the user's comparison decision.

[0014] In one embodiment, the operation of rendering the search results page may include the operation of rendering a product comparison button, and the operation of receiving a selection for the product to be compared may include the operation of displaying a checkbox corresponding to a product displayed on the search results page in response to the user selecting the product comparison button, and receiving a product corresponding to the selected checkbox as a selection for the product to be compared.

[0015] In one embodiment, the operation of rendering the comparison page may include an operation of rendering the comparison page in response to the comparison decision when the number of the products to be compared is two or more, and providing a notification to the user indicating that more products to be compared are to be selected when the number of the products to be compared is one.

[0016] In one embodiment, the operation of rendering the comparison page may include an operation of displaying a plurality of attributes of the products to be compared in a table format, an operation of receiving a selection of an attribute of interest among the plurality of attributes from the user, and an operation of displaying the selected attribute of interest at the top of the table.

[0017] In one embodiment, the act of rendering the comparison page may include the act of displaying an add to cart button corresponding to the product to be compared.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a shopping service providing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a search results page according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a product comparison widget displayed on the search results page of Figure 2.

[0021] Figure 4 illustrates an example where one product is added to the product comparison widget of Figure 3.

[0022] Figure 5 illustrates an example where two products are added to the product comparison widget of Figure 3.

[0023] Figure 6 illustrates an example where three products are added to the product comparison widget of Figure 3.

[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a comparison page according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8 exemplarily shows changes according to a user's scroll or swipe action on the comparison page of Figure 7.

[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a comparison page according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a comparison page according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 11 exemplarily shows changes according to a user's scroll or swipe action on the comparison page of Figure 10.

[0029] FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a comparison page according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a product detail page according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 14 is a flowchart exemplifying a product comparison method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Fig. 15 is a flowchart specifically illustrating the steps of rendering the search results page of Fig. 14 and receiving a selection for a product to be compared.

[0033] Figure 16 is a flowchart specifically illustrating the steps for rendering the comparison page of Figure 14.

[0034] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing device for product comparison according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the attached drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below and may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided only to ensure that the present disclosure is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the present disclosure of the scope of the invention, and the present disclosure is defined solely by the scope of the claims.

[0036] When designating components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are assigned identical reference numerals whenever possible, even if they appear on different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known components or functions are omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the present disclosure.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in the same sense as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms, unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0038] Additionally, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used to describe components of the present disclosure. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms. When a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

[0039] The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" as used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements.

[0040] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a shopping service providing system (10) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the shopping service providing system (10) may include a user terminal (100) and a service server (200).

[0041] A user terminal (100) may be a computing device used by a user to receive a shopping service from a service server (200). As exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 1, the user terminal (100) may include a smartphone (100a), a desktop (100b), a laptop (100c), etc. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the user terminal (100) may be implemented as any device. Hereinafter, when referring to any user terminal (e.g., 100a) or collectively referring to all user terminals (e.g., 100a to 100c), they will all be referred to by the reference numeral 100. The user terminal (100) may also be referred to as a 'client terminal', a 'buyer / purchaser terminal', a 'consumer terminal', etc.

[0042] A service server (200) may refer to a computing device / system that provides a shopping service. For example, the service server (200) may refer to a device / system (e.g., a shopping mall server) that provides an online shopping site. The service server (200) may provide a shopping service for registered products.

[0043] The service server (200) may provide a search results page for displaying products corresponding to search terms entered by the user, and a product details page for displaying detailed product information. In this case, the product details may include, in addition to information about the product itself, price information based on selected options, and delivery information. Furthermore, the service server (200) may provide a comparison page for comparing the attributes of each of the multiple products selected by the user.

[0044] Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, the service server (200) providing a specific page to a user may mean rendering the page on the screen of the user terminal (100) (e.g., the screen of a web browser or application running on the user terminal (100). Accordingly, in the following specification, rendering a specific component will be understood as displaying the corresponding specific component on the screen of the user terminal (100).

[0045] More specifically, in response to a user entering a search term, the service server (200) may render a search results page displaying products corresponding to the search term. Thereafter, the service server (200) may receive a selection of products to be compared from among the products displayed on the search results page that the user wishes to compare. To receive the selection of products to be compared, the service server (200) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may render a button (e.g., a "Compare Products" button) on the search results page to initiate a product comparison. For example, the "Compare Products" button may be rendered at the bottom center of the search results page.

[0046] In response to a user selecting the "Compare Products" button, the service server (200) may display a checkbox corresponding to each product displayed on the search results page. For example, the checkbox may be displayed to the left of the product thumbnail on the search results page. The service server (200) may then determine the product selected by the user through the checkbox as the product to be compared.

[0047] Here, the maximum number of products to be compared that a user can select may be preset based on the display specifications of the user terminal (100). For example, the display specifications of the user terminal (100) may include the screen size and resolution of the user terminal (100). Specifically, the larger the screen size and the higher the resolution, the greater the maximum number of products to be compared. For example, if the user terminal (100) is a smartphone and the maximum number of products to be compared is assumed to be three, the maximum number of products to be compared will be greater than three if the user terminal (100) is a desktop.

[0048] If a user wishes to select more products as comparison targets than the maximum number (i.e., if the user wishes to select more products as comparison targets than the threshold set according to the display specifications of the user terminal (100), the service server (200) may display a notification to the user indicating that no more products can be selected as comparison targets.

[0049] The service server (200) can render a product comparison widget to display thumbnails of products to be compared on the search results page. For example, the product comparison widget can be rendered to be positioned at the bottom of the search results page. The service server (200) can display thumbnails of products to be compared selected by the user on the product comparison widget. This allows the user to simultaneously view products displayed in the search results and select products to be compared.

[0050] In response to the user's comparison decision, the service server (200) can render a comparison page for comparing the selected products. For example, the user's comparison decision may be made by selecting the Compare button displayed in the product comparison widget.

[0051] Specifically, if there are two or more selected products to compare, the service server (200) may render a comparison page in response to the user's comparison decision. However, as described above, the number of products to compare cannot exceed a preset maximum. Conversely, if there is only one product to compare, the service server (200) may display a notification to the user indicating that they must select more products to compare.

[0052] The service server (200) can display multiple attributes of the product being compared on the rendered comparison page. For example, the multiple attributes can be displayed in a table format. If the product being compared is a laptop, the multiple attributes can include the manufacturer, release date, screen size, CPU, RAM, operating system, etc. This allows users to easily compare multiple attributes of different products of the same type on a single page without having to switch between the search results page and the product details page.

[0053] Additionally, in some embodiments, the service server (200) may receive a user's selection of an attribute of interest from among multiple attributes and display the selected attribute at the top of a table displaying multiple attributes. Furthermore, in some other embodiments, the service server (200) may display an "Add to Cart" button on the comparison page. This allows the user to immediately purchase the product they have decided to purchase among the compared products.

[0054] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the service server (200) may provide a comparison function for specific attributes. More specifically, the service server (200) may compare and display the performance of each attribute of the products being compared. Here, the performance comparison for an attribute may be possible if the corresponding attribute has a numerical value. For example, if the product being compared is a laptop, the service server (200) may compare the CPU speed, RAM capacity, or screen size of the laptop on the comparison page to display the product with better performance.

[0055] The service server (200) may be implemented by at least one computing device. For example, all functions of the service server (200) may be implemented by a single computing device, or a first function of the service server (200) may be implemented by a first computing device, and a second function may be implemented by a second computing device. Alternatively, specific functions of the service server (200) may be implemented by multiple computing devices. For example, the computing devices may include any type of device equipped with a computing means and a communication means.

[0056] The user terminal (100) may also perform various operations / functions to provide the aforementioned shopping service. For example, the shopping service of the service server (200) may be provided through a web browser or application of the user terminal (100). For example, the user terminal (100) may, in conjunction with the service server (200), render a search results page for displaying products corresponding to a search term, render a product comparison widget for displaying thumbnails of products to be compared on the search results page, display thumbnails of products to be compared selected by the user on the product comparison widget, and render a comparison page for comparing products to be compared.

[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a user terminal (100) and a service server (200) can communicate via a network. For example, the network can be implemented as any type of wired / wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a mobile radio communication network, or Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet).

[0058] So far, with reference to FIG. 1, a shopping service provided by a user terminal (100) and a service server (200) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been briefly described. Below, a method for providing a shopping service according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described through a specific user interface displayed on the user terminal (100). For example, the user interface may be a screen displayed on an application running on the user terminal (100) or a web browser.

[0059] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a search results page (20) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2, a search term input box (21) and a product comparison button (22) are displayed on the search results page (20). The search term input box (21) of FIG. 2 displays the word "laptop" as entered, and accordingly, the search results page (20) displays the laptops found in the shopping service provided by the service server (200). For convenience of explanation, it is assumed herein that the product a user wishes to search for and compare is a laptop. When a user selects the product comparison button (22), a user interface for selecting a product to be compared may be displayed. This will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0060] FIG. 3 exemplarily illustrates a product comparison widget (24) displayed on the search results page (20) of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3 , a product comparison widget (24) is displayed on the search results page (20) along with a message (23) indicating that products to be compared should be selected (checked). The product comparison widget (24) may include an area for displaying thumbnails of selected products to be compared and a compare button (25) for performing a comparison decision on the selected products to be compared. In the case of FIG. 3 , since no products to be compared have been selected, the compare button (25) is inactive. Meanwhile, selection of products to be compared can be performed through a checkbox (26) displayed on the left side of the product thumbnail. Products to be compared can be selected by checking the checkbox (26), which will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .

[0061] FIG. 4 illustrates an example where a single product has been added to the product comparison widget (24) of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 4, the checkbox (26) displayed to the left of the AAA BB Midnight product is shown to be selected. That is, the AAA BB Midnight product has been selected as a product to be compared. Accordingly, a thumbnail of the product to be compared can be displayed on the product comparison widget (24). However, in FIG. 4, since only one product to be compared has been selected, the Compare button (25) is inactive.

[0062] Figure 5 illustrates an example where two products have been added to the product comparison widget (24) of Figure 3. Referring to Figure 5, a thumbnail of a second product to be compared is additionally displayed on the product comparison widget (24). Furthermore, in Figure 5, since two products to be compared have been selected, the "Compare" button (25) is activated.

[0063] FIG. 6 illustrates an example where three products have been added to the product comparison widget (24) of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 6, a thumbnail of a third product to be compared is additionally displayed on the product comparison widget (24). As with FIG. 5, in FIG. 6, since two or more products to be compared have been selected, the "Compare" button (25) is confirmed to be activated.

[0064] Furthermore, in the case of FIG. 6, a message (27) appears on the search results page (20) indicating that the user can no longer select products to compare. That is, FIG. 6 may correspond to an embodiment in which the maximum number of products to compare is three. As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the maximum number of products to compare may be determined based on the display specifications of the user terminal on which the search results page (20) is displayed.

[0065] Meanwhile, in FIGS. 4 to 6, the user can cancel the selection of a product to be compared by clicking the X button located at the upper right of the thumbnail displayed in the product comparison widget (24). Alternatively, the user may also cancel the selection of a product to be compared by directly unchecking the checkbox. In addition, the user can cancel the selection of all products to be compared by clicking the X button located at the upper right of the product comparison widget (24), and return to the state before selecting the product comparison button (22) of FIG. 2 (i.e., the state as in FIG. 2).

[0066] Furthermore, although the product comparison widget (24) of FIGS. 4 to 6 is illustrated as displaying thumbnails of products to be compared, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in some other embodiments, the product comparison widget (24) may display the names of the products to be compared instead of thumbnails of the products to be compared. Additionally, in the embodiments of FIGS. 4 to 6, when a user selects a product to be compared, other products that have been frequently compared with the selected product by other users may be recommended. For example, such recommendation results may also be displayed on the product comparison widget (24).

[0067] In embodiments such as those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a user can select the compare button (25) to make a comparison decision on the selected comparison target product. The comparison page will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13.

[0068] Figure 7 exemplarily illustrates a comparison page (30a) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 and Figures 8 and 9, which will be described later, illustrate an embodiment in which two products are compared. Referring to Figure 7, a product information display area (31) is shown, where information about the products being compared is displayed. For example, the information displayed in the product information display area (31) may include the name, price, delivery information, and rating of the products being compared. Additionally, a table displaying multiple attributes of the products being compared is shown at the bottom of the product information display area (31).

[0069] FIG. 8 exemplarily illustrates changes in response to a user's scroll or swipe action on the comparison page (30a) of FIG. 7. For example, in response to a user's downward scroll or swipe action on the comparison page (30a), remaining attributes not displayed in the table of FIG. 7 may be additionally displayed. In this case, when scrolling or swiping downward, the product information display area (31) may be simplified. On the other hand, in response to an upward scroll or swipe action, a screen similar to FIG. 7 may be displayed again.

[0070] FIG. 9 exemplarily illustrates a comparison page (30b) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The comparison page (30b) of FIG. 9 is identical to the comparison page (30a) of FIG. 7 , but additionally includes an Add to Cart button (32). The Add to Cart button (32) allows a user to immediately purchase a desired product among the compared products.

[0071] Fig. 10 exemplarily illustrates a comparison page (40a) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 and Figs. 11 and 12, which will be described later, illustrate an embodiment in which there are three products to be compared. Referring to Fig. 10 , a product information display area (41) is shown, similar to Fig. 7 , in which information about the products to be compared is displayed. Except for the number of products to be compared, the configuration of the comparison page (40a) of Fig. 10 is identical to the configuration of the comparison page (30a) of Fig. 7 , and therefore, a redundant description will be omitted.

[0072] Figure 11 exemplarily illustrates changes according to a user's scroll or swipe action on the comparison page (40a) of Figure 10. Similarly, except for the number of products to be compared, the changes according to the scroll or swipe action of Figure 11 are identical to the changes according to the scroll or swipe action described with reference to Figure 8, and therefore, redundant description will be omitted.

[0073] FIG. 12 exemplarily illustrates a comparison page (40b) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The comparison page (40b) of FIG. 12 is identical to the comparison page (40a) of FIG. 10 , but additionally includes an Add to Cart button (42). As described with reference to FIG. 9 , the user can immediately purchase a desired product among the compared products via the Add to Cart button (42).

[0074] Meanwhile, the comparison pages (30b, 40b) of FIGS. 9 and 12 are illustrated as including an add to cart button (32, 42), but in some embodiments, a buy button may be displayed on the comparison page instead of the add to cart button.

[0075] As described with reference to FIG. 1, in the comparison pages of FIGS. 7 through 12, the user-selected attribute of interest may be displayed at the top of a table displaying multiple attributes. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the comparison pages of FIGS. 7 through 12 may display performance comparison results for each attribute of the compared products. For example, the performance comparison results may highlight the compared product with the best performance for the user-selected attribute of interest.

[0076] In some other embodiments, other products known to perform better on the user-selected attribute may be recommended, and an interface may be provided for the user to select the recommended product as a comparison item and add it to the comparison page. For example, if the user selects CPU speed as an attribute of interest, another laptop with the fastest CPU speed may be displayed in a pop-up window. If the user selects the laptop displayed in the pop-up window, that product may be immediately added to the comparison page.

[0077] In the comparison pages of FIGS. 7 to 12, if a user selects a product to be compared, he or she can be taken to a product detail page. The product detail page will be described below with reference to FIG. 13.

[0078] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a product detail page (50) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 13, the product detail page (50) may include an image of the selected product, a product name, a rating, specific attributes, a summary of reviews, an interface for selecting options for each attribute, and a gift button and a purchase button related to purchase.

[0079] That is, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user can select a product to be compared directly on the search result page (20) as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 without having to move back and forth between the search result page (20) of FIG. 2 and the product detail page (50) of FIG. 13, and can easily compare multiple attributes of the selected product to be compared through the comparison pages (30a, 30b, 40a, 40b) as shown in FIGS. 7 to 12.

[0080] FIG. 14 is a flowchart exemplifying a product comparison method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For reference, FIG. 14 illustrates steps / operations of the product comparison method performed on a user terminal (100). Therefore, in the following descriptions, if the subject of a specific step / operation is omitted, it can be understood that it is performed on the user terminal (100). However, in an actual environment, some functions / operations of the user terminal (100) may be implemented on the service server (200), and some functions / operations of the service server (200) may be implemented on the user terminal (100). In other words, the subject performing a specific step / operation may vary depending on the implementation method.

[0081] In step S100, a search results page may be rendered to display products corresponding to the search term entered by the user. In step S200, the user may select a product to compare. Steps S100 to S200 will be described below with reference to FIG. 15.

[0082] FIG. 15 is a flowchart specifically illustrating the step (S100) of rendering the search results page of FIG. 14 and the step (S200) of receiving a selection for a product to be compared. Referring to FIG. 15 , in step S110, a "Compare Products" button may be rendered on the search results page. In step S210, in response to the user selecting the "Compare Products" button, checkboxes corresponding to the products displayed on the search results page may be displayed. Thereafter, in step S220, the product corresponding to the selected checkbox may be determined as the product to be compared.

[0083] Returning to FIG. 14, in step S300, a widget for displaying thumbnails of products to be compared may be rendered on the search results page. This widget may correspond to the product comparison widget described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 . In step S400, a thumbnail of the selected product to be compared may be displayed on the widget. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in some other embodiments, the widgets in steps S300 and S400 may display the names of the products to be compared instead of their thumbnails.

[0084] In step S500, a comparison page for comparing products may be rendered in response to the user's comparison decision. More specifically, in step S500-1, if there are two or more products to be compared, a comparison page may be rendered. In step S500-2, if there is only one product to be compared, a notification indicating that the user may select another product to be compared may be provided. Step S500 will be described below with reference to FIG. 16.

[0085] FIG. 16 is a flowchart specifically illustrating the step (S500) of rendering the comparison page of FIG. 14. Referring to FIG. 16, in step S510, multiple attributes of a product to be compared may be displayed. As described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12 , the multiple attributes may be displayed in a table format at the bottom of an area displaying information about the product to be compared, and all attributes may be viewed based on a user's scroll or swipe action. In step S520, a user may select an attribute of interest, and in step S530, the selected attribute of interest may be displayed at the top of a table displaying multiple attributes.

[0086] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing device (500) for product comparison according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 17, a computing device (500) may include one or more processors (510), a bus (530), a communication interface (540), a memory (520) for loading a computer program executed by the processor (510), and a storage (550) for storing a computer program (560). However, only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 17. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will appreciate that other general components may be included in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 17. That is, the computing device (500) may further include various components in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 17. Furthermore, in some cases, the computing device (500) may be configured in a form in which some of the components illustrated in FIG. 17 are omitted. Hereinafter, each component of the computing device (500) will be described.

[0088] The processor (510) can control the overall operation of each component of the computing device (500). The processor (510) can be configured to include at least one of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Micro Processor Unit (MPU), a Micro Controller Unit (MCU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), or any other type of processor well known in the art of the present disclosure. In addition, the processor (510) can perform operations for at least one application or program for executing operations / methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The computing device (500) can include one or more processors.

[0089] Next, the memory (520) can store various data, commands, and / or information. The memory (520) can load a computer program (560) from the storage (550) to execute operations / methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The memory (520) may be implemented as a volatile memory such as RAM, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0090] Next, the bus (530) can provide communication functions between components of the computing device (500). The bus (530) can be implemented as various types of buses, such as an address bus, a data bus, and a control bus.

[0091] Next, the communication interface (540) can support wired and wireless Internet communication of the computing device (500). Furthermore, the communication interface (540) can also support various communication methods other than Internet communication. To this end, the communication interface (540) can be configured to include a communication module well known in the technical field of the present disclosure.

[0092] Next, the storage (550) can non-temporarily store one or more computer programs (560). The storage (550) can be configured to include non-volatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any form of computer-readable recording medium well known in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0093] Next, the computer program (560) may include one or more instructions that, when loaded into the memory (520), cause the processor (510) to perform operations / methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. That is, the processor (510) may perform operations / methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure by executing the loaded one or more instructions.

[0094] For example, the computer program (560) may include instructions for performing, in response to a user inputting a search term, an operation of rendering a search results page for displaying products corresponding to the search term, an operation of receiving a selection of a product to be compared from among products displayed on the search results page that the user wishes to compare, an operation of rendering a widget for displaying a thumbnail of the product to be compared on the search results page, an operation of displaying a thumbnail of the product to be compared in the widget in response to the user's selection of the product to be compared, and an operation of rendering a comparison page for comparing the products to be compared in response to the user's comparison decision.

[0095] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user using a shopping service can conveniently compare multiple attributes of different products of the same type by selecting the products they wish to compare directly from the search results page and moving to a comparison page, without having to repeatedly select each product they wish to compare from the search results page and then check the attributes through the product details page. Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an Add to Cart button can be activated on the comparison page, thereby increasing the number of cases where the user's product comparison activity directly leads to a purchase.

[0096] Various embodiments of the present disclosure and effects according to the embodiments have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 17 so far. The effects according to the technical concept of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0097] Although all components constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the present disclosure, all components may be selectively combined and operated in one or more combinations.

[0098] Although operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood to imply that the operations must be performed in the particular order depicted, or in any sequential order, or that all depicted operations must be performed to achieve the desired results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of the various components in the embodiments described above should not be understood to imply that such separation is absolutely necessary, and it should be understood that the program components and systems described may generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0099] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the rights of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In a product comparison method performed by a computing device, A step of rendering a search results page for displaying products corresponding to a search term entered by a user; A step of receiving a selection of a product to be compared that the user wishes to compare among the products displayed on the search results page; A step of rendering a widget for displaying thumbnails of products to be compared on the search results page; In response to the user's selection of the product to be compared, a step of displaying a thumbnail of the product to be compared on the widget; and In response to the user's comparison decision, a step of rendering a comparison page for comparing the products to be compared is included. How to compare products.

2. In paragraph 1, The steps for rendering the above search results page are: Includes a step of rendering a Compare Products button, The steps for receiving selections for the above comparison target products are: In response to the user selecting the product comparison button, a step of displaying a checkbox corresponding to a product displayed on the search results page; and A step of receiving a product corresponding to a selected checkbox as a selection for the product to be compared, How to compare products.

3. In paragraph 1, The step of receiving a selection for the above comparison target product is: Including a step of providing a notification indicating that no more products can be selected when the user selects more products as the comparison target products than the preset threshold. How to compare products.

4. In paragraph 3, The above preset threshold varies depending on the display specifications of the user terminal of the user, and the display specifications include the screen size and resolution of the user terminal. How to compare products.

5. In paragraph 1, The steps to render the above comparison page are: If the number of products to be compared is two or more, the comparison page is rendered in response to the comparison decision, Including a step of providing a notification to the user indicating that he / she should select more products to compare, when the number of products to be compared is one. How to compare products.

6. In paragraph 1, The steps to render the above comparison page are: A step of displaying multiple attributes of the products to be compared in a table format; A step of receiving a selection of an attribute of interest among the plurality of attributes from the user; and comprising the step of displaying the selected above-mentioned interest attributes at the top of the above-mentioned table; How to compare products.

7. In paragraph 1, The steps for rendering the above comparison page are: Including a step of displaying an add to cart button corresponding to the product to be compared, How to compare products.

8. Processor; and Contains memory that stores instructions, The above instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: In response to a user entering a search term, an action is taken to render a search results page to display products corresponding to the search term; An action of receiving a selection of a product to be compared among the products displayed on the search results page that the user wishes to compare; An action of rendering a widget for displaying thumbnails of products to be compared on the search results page; In response to the user's selection of the product to be compared, an action of displaying a thumbnail of the product to be compared in the widget; and In response to the user's comparison decision, an action is performed to render a comparison page for comparing the products to be compared. Product comparison system.

9. In paragraph 8, The action of rendering the above search results page is: Contains an action that renders the Compare Products button, The action to receive the selection for the above comparison target product is: In response to the user selecting the product comparison button, an action of displaying a checkbox corresponding to a product displayed on the search results page; and Including an action of receiving a product corresponding to a selected checkbox as a selection for the product to be compared, Product comparison system.

10. In paragraph 8, The behavior of rendering the above comparison page is: If the number of products to be compared is two or more, the comparison page is rendered in response to the comparison decision, If the number of the products to be compared is one, an action is included that provides a notification to the user indicating that he or she should select more products to be compared. Product comparison system.

11. In paragraph 8, The behavior of rendering the above comparison page is: An action of displaying multiple attributes of the above-mentioned comparison target products in a table format; An operation of receiving a selection of an attribute of interest from the user among the plurality of attributes; and Including an action to display the selected above-mentioned interest attribute at the top of the above-mentioned table, Product comparison system.

12. In paragraph 8, The action of rendering the above comparison page is: Including an action of displaying an add to cart button corresponding to the product to be compared, Product comparison system.

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