Product proposal device, product proposal method, and recording medium

Abstract

This product proposal device is provided with: an identification means for identifying a try-on product that a customer has tried on in a real store; a reception means for receiving an input of the reason for returning the try-on product when the customer returns the try-on product; a determination means for determining a recommended product, which is a product to be recommended to the customer, on the basis of the try-on product, the reason for return, and purchase history of other customers who returned the same try-on product for the same reason for return; and an output means for outputting information about the recommended product.

Description

Product proposal device, product proposal method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a product proposal device, a product proposal method, and a recording medium.

[0002] In the retail industry, there is a technology that analyzes information related to each customer to recommend to each customer products that are optimized for each customer.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology that recommends items that more closely match the user's preferences by analyzing the user's preferences based on the products purchased by the user and a group of products that were not purchased by the user from among the products that were presumed to have actually been considered as selection candidates by the user at the time of product selection.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-003587

[0005] As disclosed in Patent Literature 1, in addition to the products purchased by a customer, the products not purchased by a customer are useful information for suggesting products that meet the customer's needs, such as preferences, etc. However, the reasons why customers did not purchase products vary from person to person, and even if information on the products not purchased by a customer is used, it may not be possible to suggest products that meet the customer's needs.

[0006] An example of an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for proposing products that better meet customer needs.

[0007] A product suggestion device in one aspect of the present disclosure includes an identification means for identifying try-on products that a customer has tried on in a physical store, a reception means for receiving input of a reason for returning the try-on product when the customer returns the try-on product, a determination means for determining recommended products to be recommended to the customer based on the try-on product, the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same try-on product for the same reason, and an output means for outputting information regarding the recommended products.

[0008] A product suggestion method in one aspect of the present disclosure identifies products that a customer has tried on in a physical store, and when the customer returns the tried-on product, accepts input of the reason for returning the tried-on product, determines recommended products to be recommended to the customer based on the tried-on product and the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same tried-on product for the same reason, and outputs information about the recommended products.

[0009] A program in one aspect of the present disclosure identifies items that a customer has tried on in a physical store, and when the customer returns the item, accepts input of the reason for returning the item, determines recommended items to recommend to the customer based on the item and the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same item for the same reason, and causes a computer to execute a process of outputting information about the recommended items.

[0010] Each program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

[0011] One example of the effect of the present disclosure is the ability to propose products that better meet customer needs.

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including a product proposal device; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the product proposal device; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a reception screen; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the product proposal device; FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another example of the functional configuration of the product proposal device; FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another example of the functional configuration of the product proposal device; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration for realizing the product proposal device in the present disclosure with a computer and its peripheral devices;

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system including a product suggestion device 100 according to the present disclosure.

[0015] In FIG. 1, a product suggestion device 100 is a device that recommends products to a customer based on the reason for returning the tried-on product that is input by the customer.

[0016] Here, the try-on items are items that customers try on. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the items sold in the store are mainly clothing and accessories. Clothing and accessories include clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, etc.

[0017] The reason for return is the reason why the customer returns the product that they tried on. In other words, the reason for return is the reason why the customer does not end up purchasing the product that they tried on. There are various reasons for return, such as the size not fitting, the color or pattern not fitting, or the price being too high.

[0018] In FIG. 1, a product proposal device 100 is communicably connected to a terminal device.

[0019] The terminal device is an example of a device into which a customer inputs a reason for return. The terminal device is also an example of a device that recommends products to customers, i.e., a device that outputs information about products recommended to customers. The device into which a customer inputs a reason for return and the device that outputs information about products recommended to customers may be the same terminal device or different terminal devices.

[0020] The terminal device may be, for example, a tablet or a smartphone. The terminal device may also have other functions related to the customer's shopping experience in the store. Examples of other functions related to the customer's shopping experience in the store include a function to display product information, a function to search for products, a function to check out products, a function to record products that have been tried on, and the like.

[0021] The terminal device may be, for example, a tablet installed near a fitting room in a store. For example, the terminal device may be installed inside or at the entrance of a fitting room, or at the entrance to a fitting area with multiple fitting rooms. Furthermore, the terminal device may be, for example, a smartphone used by a customer or a smartphone or tablet used by a store clerk for work purposes.

[0022] 1, the product proposal device 100 is a server communicably connected to a terminal device, but the hardware configuration realizing the product proposal device 100 is not limited to the example in Fig. 1. For example, the product proposal device 100 may be a terminal device, or may be a product proposal system made up of multiple devices.

[0023] Next, an application example in which a customer receives product suggestions from a system including the product suggestion device 100 will be described. For example, a customer tries on a product in a fitting room in a physical store. After trying on the product, the customer leaves the fitting room and, if they do not purchase the product, may return the product to a store clerk, a return container, or the like near the fitting room. At this time, the customer inputs the reason for returning the product into a terminal device. The product suggestion device 100 outputs information about products recommended to the customer based on the reason for return input into the terminal device. The information about the products recommended to the customer is then output to the terminal device. This allows the customer to recognize the recommended products, and it is expected that the customer will purchase the recommended products.

[0024] It should be noted that this application example is merely an example, and the application example and the configuration of the system including the product proposal device 100 are not limited to this example.

[0025] Next, the configuration of the product suggestion device 100 in the embodiment will be described.

[0026] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the product proposal device 100. Referring to FIG. 2, the product proposal device 100 includes an identifying unit 101, a receiving unit 102, a determining unit 103, and an output unit 104.

[0027] Next, the configuration of the product suggestion device 100 in the embodiment will be described in detail.

[0028] The identification unit 101 is an example of an identification means for identifying items that a customer has tried on in a physical store.

[0029] The identification unit 101 may use a known method to identify the try-on products that the customer has tried on. For example, the identification unit 101 may identify the try-on products using product information associated with code information attached to the products. In this case, the code attached to the products may be read by, for example, a scanner or camera communicatively connected to the product proposal device 100. Furthermore, for example, the identification unit 101 may identify the try-on products using product information associated with wireless communication tag information, such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, attached to the products. In this case, the wireless communication tag attached to the products may be read by, for example, a reading antenna communicatively connected to the product proposal device 100. Note that the method for identifying the try-on products is not particularly limited.

[0030] Furthermore, the timing at which the identification unit 101 identifies the items to be tried on is not particularly limited. For example, the timing at which the identification unit 101 identifies the items to be tried on may be the timing at which the customer enters the fitting room or the timing at which the customer returns the items to be tried on.

[0031] The reception unit 102 is an example of a reception means for receiving input of a reason for returning a product that has been tried on by a customer when the customer returns the product. The reason for returning the product may be input by the customer or by a store clerk who inquires about the reason for returning the product from the customer.

[0032] For example, the reception unit 102 receives input of the reason for return via a reception screen for receiving input of the reason for return. In this case, the reception unit 102 displays the reception screen on the terminal device. The customer inputs the reason for return on the reception screen displayed on the terminal device. Then, the reception unit 102 receives the input of the reason for return from the terminal device via the reception screen.

[0033] Here, the reception screen may be a screen that displays options for reasons for return so that the customer can select a reason for return, a screen that allows the customer to freely input a reason for return, or a combination of these.

[0034] When the reception screen displays options for the reason for return, the content of the options on the reception screen may be changed depending on the try-on product identified by the identification unit 101.

[0035] For example, the options corresponding to the try-on items are options whose content corresponds to the attributes of the try-on items. In other words, the content of the options displayed on the reception screen may be changed depending on the attributes of the try-on items.

[0036] For example, an attribute of a product to be tried on is the category of the product to be tried on. The content of the options corresponding to the category of the product to be tried on is, for example, a reason for return related to sleeve length if the product to be tried on is in the category of clothing worn on the upper body, and a reason for return related to hem length if the product to be tried on is in the category of clothing worn on the lower body. In other words, the content of the options corresponding to the category of the product to be tried on is a reason for return related to the size of a part of the product. The reason for return related to the size of a part of the product differs depending on the category of the product to be tried on.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, the attributes of the try-on product are whether or not there are variations in the color, pattern, size, etc. of the try-on product. For example, if there are variations in the try-on product, the content of the options corresponding to whether or not there are variations may include reasons for returning the product related to other variations. Reasons for returning the product related to other variations are reasons for considering purchasing other variations, such as "I would like to consider other variations" or "The size does not fit, including other sizes." For example, the content of the options corresponding to whether or not there are variations in the try-on product may not include reasons for returning the product related to other variations if there are no variations in the try-on product.

[0038] Furthermore, when the reception screen displays options for the reason for return, the display mode of the options on the reception screen may be changed depending on the try-on product identified by the identification unit 101.

[0039] For example, options according to the attributes of the try-on items are options whose display mode is changed according to the attributes of the try-on items. In other words, the reception screen may change the display mode of the options according to the attributes of the try-on items. Here, the display mode of the options refers to the order in which the options are displayed, the size of the options displayed, whether or not the options are displayed, etc. Furthermore, the display mode of the options may be changed according to the display priority of the options.

[0040] For example, an attribute of the try-on item is the price of the try-on item. For example, if the price of the try-on item is high, the display priority of the option "high price" may be increased. This is because, if the price of the try-on item is high, it is expected that the customer will return the try-on item because the price is "high." This makes it easier for the customer to select a reason for returning. Also, for example, if the price of the try-on item is high, it may be possible to prevent the option "high price" from being displayed, or to decrease the display priority of the option "high price." This is because, if the price of the try-on item is high, it is easily expected that the customer will return the try-on item because the price is "high." This is expected to encourage the customer to enter reasons for returning that are difficult to predict other than the easily predictable reasons for returning.

[0041] Here, the high price of a try-on item may mean, for example, that the price of the try-on item is above a predetermined value, or that the price of the try-on item is in the high price range among the products in the store or the products in the same category, and the criteria for determining that the price of a try-on item is high may be set as appropriate.

[0042] Furthermore, when the reception screen displays options for the reason for return, the content of the options on the reception screen may be changed according to the tendency of reasons for return that have been received in the past.

[0043] The options on the reception screen may be changed to include reasons for return that are further categorized into more detailed reasons for return that were frequently selected among reasons for return accepted in the past. For example, if there is a tendency for reasons for return related to the size of the product to be frequently selected, the options on the reception screen may be changed to include reasons for return related to the size of each part of the product.

[0044] The display mode of the options on the reception screen may also be changed depending on other information. For example, the display mode of the options may be changed depending on the trend of return reasons accepted in the past. For example, the display priority of return reasons that tend to be selected frequently may be increased.

[0045] The options on the reception screen may include an option that allows the user to indicate that there is no reason for return among the displayed options. Furthermore, when an option that allows the user to indicate that there is no reason for return among the displayed options is selected, the reception screen may be changed to allow the user to freely input a reason for return.

[0046] As described above, the reception screen may be changed depending on the situation, such as the products being tried on, trends in past reasons for returning items, and options selected by the customer. This may allow the customer to more appropriately input the reason for returning items. Furthermore, when the reception screen is changed depending on the situation, a reception screen generation unit provided inside or outside the product recommendation device 100 may generate the reception screen.

[0047] FIG. 3 is an example of a reception screen. In FIG. 3, the reception screen includes the try-on items identified by the identification unit 101 and options for reasons for return. In FIG. 3, the options for reasons for return include "too large," "too small," "color doesn't match," "shape doesn't fit," "thick fabric," "thin fabric," "unpleasant feel," and "expensive." In this way, the options for reasons for return may include options related to the size of the items to be tried on, options related to the color, pattern, or shape of the items to be tried on, options related to the fabric or stitching of the items to be tried on, options related to the price of the items to be tried on, and the like. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the reception screen may allow the user to select multiple reasons for return.

[0048] Note that examples of the reception screen are not limited to those shown in FIG. 3 and the above examples.

[0049] The receiving unit 102 may also receive input of the reason for return using a known method such as voice input to a terminal device.

[0050] The reception unit 102 may also accept other information. For example, the reception unit 102 may further accept input of customer identification information that identifies the customer. The customer identification information may be input by a known method, such as code reading, input to a terminal device, or facial recognition. For example, the reception unit 102 may also accept input of the reason for trying on the item. The reason for trying on the item may be input in the same way as the reason for returning the item.

[0051] The determination unit 103 is an example of a determination means for determining recommended products, which are products recommended to a customer, based on the customer's try-on products and reason for return and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same try-on products for the same reason. Customers who return the same try-on products for the same reason are expected to have similar needs. Therefore, the customer's try-on products and reason for return, as well as the purchase history of other customers who returned the same try-on products for the same reason, are likely to include products that the customer wants to purchase. The same try-on products may be products of the same type but with the same variations in size, color, pattern, etc., or may be the same products with different variations. In other words, the range of products that are considered to be the same try-on products may be determined as appropriate. Furthermore, the same reason for return may be when there are multiple reasons for return, and at least one of the reasons for return is the same, or all of the reasons for return are the same. The range of reasons for return that are considered to be the same may also be determined as appropriate.

[0052] The reasons for returning the tried-on products and the purchase histories of other customers may be recorded in advance in a database, etc. In this case, the database may be provided inside or outside the product recommendation device 100.

[0053] For example, the determination unit 103 may determine, as the recommended product, a product in the same category as the tried-on product for the same return reason, from among products included in the purchase history of other customers who returned the same tried-on product for the same return reason. Note that the number of recommended products may be one or more.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 103 may determine recommended products using the purchase history of other customers who returned the same tried-on product for the same reason within a specified period from the date and time when they returned the same returned product for the same reason.

[0055] The determination unit 103 may also determine recommended products based on the purchase histories of multiple other customers who returned the same tried-on product for the same return reason. For example, the determination unit 103 may determine, as the recommended product, a product that is determined to have been purchased frequently according to a predetermined criterion from the purchase histories of the multiple other customers. The predetermined criterion for determining that a product has been purchased frequently may be, for example, that the product has been purchased by a predetermined percentage of customers or that the product has been purchased by the largest number of customers, and is not particularly limited.

[0056] The determination unit 103 may determine recommended products using a trained model. For example, the recommended products may be determined by inputting the reason for returning the try-on products of the customer who is returning the try-on products into a trained model that has learned the relationship between the reason for returning the try-on products and the purchased products included in the purchase history.

[0057] The determination unit 103 may also determine recommended products by further using other information related to customer needs. Examples of other information related to customer needs include information related to customer attributes and information related to customer preferences. Examples of information related to customer attributes include the customer's age, generation, gender, occupation, family structure, height, and weight. Examples of information related to customer preferences include the customer's behavior history in a store and their internet browsing history, such as their browsing history on an EC (Electronic Commerce) site.

[0058] For example, the determination unit 103 may determine the recommended product based on the purchase history of a customer who has similar needs to the customer returning the try-on product, among multiple other customers who returned the same try-on product for the same reason. This may allow the determination unit 103 to determine the recommended product as a product that more closely matches the customer's needs.

[0059] The output unit 104 is an example of an output unit that outputs information about recommended products. The information about recommended products is information for recommending the recommended products to customers.

[0060] The information about the recommended products includes at least information indicating the recommended products. The information indicating the recommended products may be the product name, product identification information, the URL of a website where product information can be viewed, or the like, as long as the recommended products can be recognized by the customer.

[0061] The information about the recommended products may also include information that customers use to consider purchasing the products, such as the product price, product inventory, the location of the product in the store, and product images.

[0062] Furthermore, the information about the recommended product may include information indicating the reason why the recommended product is recommended, because it is believed that by being informed of the reason why the recommended product is recommended, customers may become more interested in the recommended product.

[0063] There are no particular limitations on the timing and destination of output of the information about the recommended products by the output unit 104. For example, the output unit 104 may output the information about the recommended products to the terminal device where the reason for return has been input immediately after the reason for return has been input.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, the output unit 104 may output information about recommended products to a terminal device used by a sales clerk at the physical store when it detects that a customer who has returned a tried-on product has returned to the physical store based on the customer identification information of the customer. The return visit may be detected using a known method, such as when the customer identification information is input at the store or when the customer is captured in a video captured at the physical store using a facial image associated with the customer identification information. In this case, the sales clerk can recommend recommended products to the customer by referring to the information about recommended products output to the terminal device when serving the customer.

[0065] Furthermore, for example, the output unit 104 may use the customer identification information of the customer who returned the tried-on items to output information about recommended items to the terminal device used by the customer. In this case, the timing for outputting the information about recommended items may be when the customer views the store's website or application, when the customer, identified based on the location information of the terminal device used by the customer, approaches the physical store, or at a preset date and time.

[0066] Furthermore, the output unit 104 may output information about recommended products to a timing and output destination according to the customer's purchase history associated with the customer identification information. For example, if it is determined based on the purchase history that the customer frequently purchases products on e-commerce sites, the output unit 104 may output information about recommended products to the customer's terminal device. For example, if it is determined based on the purchase history that the customer frequently purchases products at physical stores, the output unit 104 may output information about recommended products to a store clerk at the physical store when it is detected that the customer has returned to the physical store.

[0067] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an output screen on a terminal device for displaying information about recommended products output by the output unit 104. The output screen in FIG. 4 illustrates a case in which information about recommended products is output after a customer inputs a reason for return on a terminal device. In FIG. 4, the output screen includes information indicating the recommended product, such as the product name "BBB shirt," the color of the recommended product "red," and the size of the recommended product "large size." The output screen also includes information indicating whether the recommended product is in stock in the store, information indicating the sales area of ​​the recommended product in the store, and an image of the recommended product. The output screen also includes a two-dimensional code including a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for viewing product information on a website. The output screen also includes a message indicating that the displayed recommended product is "a popular product among people who have returned the same product," which is information indicating the reason for recommending the recommended product.

[0068] The output mode of the terminal device is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0069] The operation of the product recommendation device 100 configured as above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0070] First, the identification unit 101 identifies the items that the customer tried on in the physical store (step S101).

[0071] Next, when the customer returns the tried-on product, the accepting unit 102 accepts input of the reason for returning the tried-on product identified in step S101 (step S102).

[0072] Next, the determination unit 103 determines recommended products to be recommended to the customer based on the products tried on by the customer and the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same tried-on products for the same reason (step S103).

[0073] Then, the output unit 104 outputs information about the recommended product determined in step S103 (step S104).

[0074] This completes the series of operations of the product proposal device 100.

[0075] The product suggestion device in the above-described embodiment includes an identification unit, a reception unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The identification unit identifies the try-on items that the customer tried on in the physical store. When the customer returns the try-on items, the reception unit receives input of the reason for returning the try-on items. The determination unit determines recommended products that are products to recommend to the customer based on the try-on items, the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same try-on items for the same reason. The output unit outputs information related to the recommended products.

[0076] When a customer returns a product that he or she has tried on, the product recommendation device of this embodiment can determine a product to recommend to the customer based on the reason for returning the product. As a result, the product recommendation device of this embodiment can recommend products that better suit the customer's needs.

[0077] [Modification 1] Next, a description will be given of Modification 1 of the present disclosure. Below, a description of the contents that overlap with the above description will be omitted to the extent that the description of Modification 1 is not unclear.

[0078] In Modification 1, an example of modifying the embodiment will be described, with the main purpose of encouraging customers who are returning tried-on items to input the reason for returning the items.

[0079] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the product proposal device 200. In Fig. 6, the product proposal device 200 includes a control unit 205 in addition to the configuration of the product proposal device 100.

[0080] The control unit 205 is an example of a control means that controls the opening of a return container for returning the tried-on items when the reception unit 102 receives an input of a reason for return. In other words, the control unit 205 allows the customer to return the item when the customer inputs a reason for return, thereby encouraging the customer to input the reason for return.

[0081] Here, the return container is a container for returning the items to be tried on. The shape of the container is not particularly limited, and it may be a box or a small compartment with an opening and closing part such as a lid or a door. The return container may have a space for placing the items to be tried on and an opening and closing part that can be controlled by the control unit 205.

[0082] For example, when the reception unit 102 receives an input of the reason for return, the control unit 205 may control to open an opening / closing part of the return container to enable the return container to be opened. Also, when the reception unit 102 receives an input of the reason for return, the control unit 205 may control to unlock an opening / closing part of the return container to enable the return container to be opened. Note that any known method may be used as the method for controlling to enable the return container to be opened.

[0083] As described above, the product recommendation device 200 can encourage customers to input the reason for return, and can therefore recommend products that better meet the needs of more customers.

[0084] [Modification 2] Next, a description will be given of Modification 2 of the present disclosure. Below, a description of the contents that overlap with the above description will be omitted to the extent that the description of Modification 2 is not unclear.

[0085] In the second modification, similar to the first modification, an example of modifying the embodiment will be described, with the main purpose of encouraging customers who are returning tried-on items to input their reasons for returning the items.

[0086] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the product proposal device 300. In Fig. 7, the product proposal device 300 further includes an assigning unit 306 in addition to the configuration of the product proposal device 100.

[0087] The granting unit 306 is an example of a granting unit that grants a reward to the customer when the receiving unit 102 receives the input of the reason for return. The reward may be a coupon, points, or the like.

[0088] For example, the granting unit 306 may grant a reward to the customer identification information accepted by the accepting unit 102. If the reward is points, for example, the granting unit 306 adds a predetermined number of points to point information associated with the customer identification information. If the reward is a coupon, for example, the granting unit 306 uses the customer identification information to output a predetermined coupon to a terminal device used by the customer.

[0089] Furthermore, for example, the awarding unit 306 may award a reward to a customer by displaying a two-dimensional code including a URL for awarding the reward on the terminal device. In this case, the customer reads the two-dimensional code using their own terminal device and receives the reward on the website of the read URL. The method by which the customer receives the reward on the website is not particularly limited, and any known method may be used.

[0090] The reward may be available for a limited period of time, such as the day the rewarding unit 306 grants the reward, the day after the rewarding unit 306 grants the reward, or a predetermined period of time after the rewarding unit 306 grants the reward. The reward may also be a reward related to the purchase of a recommended product. For example, the reward may be available for payment when purchasing a recommended product.

[0091] The awarding unit 306 may also award a better reward the more reasons for return that are input. For example, a larger number of reasons for return may refer to a larger number of reasons for return selected from options, or a larger number of characters in the freely input reason for return. A better reward may be, for example, a reward with a longer validity period, a coupon with a larger discount amount or discount rate, or a larger number of points.

[0092] As described above, the product recommendation device 300 can encourage customers to input the reason for returning the product, and can therefore recommend products that better meet the needs of more customers.

[0093] It should be noted that Modification 1 and Modification 2 may be combined. That is, the product proposal device may be configured such that the control unit 205 and the assigning unit 306 are added to the configuration of the product proposal device 100.

[0094] [Other Application Examples] The embodiments and modifications have been described assuming that the products are mainly clothing items that are tried on in physical stores, but the present disclosure may be applied to other products and stores.

[0095] For example, the present disclosure may be applied to a service that allows customers to try out products at locations other than a store. For example, there is a service in which a customer applies for a trial or rental of a product on a website, the product is delivered to their home, and if the customer likes the product, they can purchase it, or if the customer does not like the product, they can return it. In such a service, the product recommendation device of the present disclosure may accept an input of a reason for returning the product on a screen for requesting return of the product, and output information about recommended products based on the reason for return.

[0096] Furthermore, for example, the present disclosure may be applied to products other than clothing that may be purchased after being tried out in a store. Products that may be purchased after being tried out in a store include, for example, cosmetics, sporting goods, home appliances, furniture, and other products that are tried out and then returned as is, and products such as food and beverages that are tried out and then the containers and cutlery for the product are returned (discarded).

[0097] Also, for example, the present disclosure may be applied to products that are returned after purchase.

[0098] [Hardware Configuration] Some or all of the components of each device or system in each embodiment of the present disclosure described above are realized by any combination of an information processing device 1000 and a program, for example, as shown in Fig. 8. The information processing device 1000 includes, as an example, the following configuration.

[0099] - CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001 - ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 - RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 - Program 1004 loaded into RAM 1003 - Storage device 1005 for storing program 1004 - Drive device 1007 for reading and writing from and to recording medium 1006 - Communication I / F 1008 for connecting to communication network 1009 - Input / output I / F 1010 for inputting and outputting data - Bus 1011 for connecting each component. Note that I / F is an abbreviation for Interface.

[0100] Each component of each device or system in each embodiment is realized by the CPU 1001 acquiring and executing a program that realizes the function of that component. The program that realizes the function of each component of each device is stored in the storage device 1005 or RAM 1003 in advance, for example, and is read by the CPU 1001 as needed. The program 1004 may be supplied to the CPU 1001 via a communication network, or may be stored in the recording medium 1006 in advance, and the drive device 1007 may read the program and supply it to the CPU 1001.

[0101] There are various variations in the method of realizing each device. For example, each device or system may be realized by any combination of a separate information processing device 1000 and a program for each component. Furthermore, multiple components included in each device may be realized by any combination of a single information processing device 1000 and a program.

[0102] Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device or system may be realized by general-purpose or dedicated circuits (circuitry) including a processor or the like, or a combination of these. Examples of circuits include a CPU, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an AI (Artificial Intelligence) processing LSI (Large Scale Integration). These may be configured by a single chip or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits and a program.

[0103] When some or all of the components of each device or system are realized by multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc., the multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally or decentralized. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, or the like, in which they are connected via a communication network.

[0104] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0105] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a sequential order in the form of a flowchart, the order of description does not limit the order in which the operations are performed. Therefore, when implementing each embodiment, the order of the operations may be changed as long as it does not affect the content.

[0106] Some or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0107] [Supplementary Note 1] A product suggestion device comprising: an identifying means for identifying a product that a customer has tried on in a physical store; an accepting means for accepting input of a reason for returning the product when the customer returns the product; a determining means for determining a recommended product to be recommended to the customer based on the product that has been tried on, the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who have returned the same product that has been tried on for the same reason for return; and an output means for outputting information regarding the recommended product.

[0108] [Supplementary Note 2] The product suggestion device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the determination means determines the recommended product by inputting the reason for returning the tried-on product into a trained model that has learned the relationship between the reason for returning the tried-on product and purchased products included in the purchase history.

[0109] [Supplementary Note 3] The product suggestion device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the information about the recommended product includes information indicating a reason for recommending the recommended product.

[0110] [Supplementary Note 4] The product recommendation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, further comprising a control means for controlling the device to open a return container for returning the tried-on products when the input of the reason for return is accepted.

[0111] [Supplementary Note 5] The product recommendation device according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the control means performs control to open an opening / closing section of the return container when input of the reason for return is accepted.

[0112] [Supplementary Note 6] The product recommendation device according to Supplementary Note 4 or 5, wherein the control means performs control to unlock an opening / closing part of the return container when input of the reason for return is accepted.

[0113] [Supplementary Note 7] The product recommendation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 6, further comprising: a rewarding unit that rewards the customer when the input of the reason for return is accepted.

[0114] [Supplementary Note 8] The product recommendation device according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein the reward is a reward related to the purchase of the recommended product.

[0115] [Supplementary Note 9] The product recommendation device according to Supplementary Note 7 or 8, wherein the rewarding unit awards a better reward as the number of input reasons for return increases.

[0116] [Supplementary Note 10] The product recommendation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9, wherein the accepting unit accepts the reason for return via a screen that displays options for the reason for return.

[0117] [Supplementary Note 11] The product suggestion device according to Supplementary Note 10, wherein the options are options corresponding to the try-on products.

[0118] [Supplementary Note 12] The product suggestion device according to Supplementary Note 11, wherein the options are options according to prices of the try-on products.

[0119] [Supplementary Note 13] The product suggestion device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 10 to 12, wherein the options are displayed on the screen according to trends in reasons for return accepted in the past.

[0120] [Supplementary Note 14] The product suggestion device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 13, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended product to a terminal device where the reason for return is input.

[0121] [Supplementary Note 15] The product recommendation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 14, wherein the accepting means further accepts input of customer identification information that identifies the customer.

[0122] [Supplementary Note 16] The product suggestion device according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended product to a terminal device of the customer associated with the customer identification information.

[0123] [Supplementary Note 17] The product suggestion device described in Supplementary Note 15 or 16, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended product to a terminal device of a salesperson at the physical store when it detects that the customer has returned to the physical store based on the customer identification information.

[0124] [Supplementary Note 18] The product suggestion device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 15 to 17, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended products to an output destination at a timing according to a purchase history of the customer associated with the customer identification information.

[0125] [Appendix 19] A product suggestion method comprising: identifying a product that a customer has tried on in a physical store; accepting input of a reason for returning the product when the customer returns the product; determining a recommended product to be recommended to the customer based on the product and the reason for return, as well as the purchase history of other customers who have returned the same product for the same reason; and outputting information about the recommended product.

[0126] [Appendix 20] A recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: identify products that a customer has tried on in a physical store; when the customer returns the products, accept input of a reason for returning the products; determine recommended products to be recommended to the customer based on the products and the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who have returned the same products for the same reason; and output information related to the recommended products.

[0127] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 18 that are subordinate to Supplementary Note 1 (product proposal device) may also be subordinate to Supplementary Note 19 (product proposal method) and Supplementary Note 20 (recording medium) in the same subordinate relationship as Supplementary Note 2 to 18. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Note 1, Supplementary Note 19, and Supplementary Note 20, some or all of the configurations described as Supplements may be subordinate to various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, within the scope of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0128] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Product proposal device 101 Identification unit 102 Reception unit 103 Determination unit 104 Output unit 200 Product proposal device 205 Control unit 300 Product proposal device 306 Assignment unit 1000 Information processing device 1001 CPU 1002 ROM 1003 RAM 1004 Program 1005 Storage device 1006 Recording medium 1007 Drive device 1008 Communication I / F 1009 Communication network 1010 Input / output I / F 1011 Bus

Claims

1. A product suggestion device comprising: an identification means for identifying a product that a customer has tried on in a physical store; an acceptance means for accepting input of a reason for returning the product when the customer returns the product; a determination means for determining a recommended product to be recommended to the customer based on the product that has been tried on, the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who have returned the same product for the same reason; and an output means for outputting information regarding the recommended product.

2. The product suggestion device of claim 1, wherein the determination means determines the recommended product by inputting the reason for returning the tried-on product into a trained model that has learned the relationship between the reason for returning the tried-on product and the purchased products included in the purchase history.

3. The product suggestion device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information about the recommended product includes information indicating the reason for recommending the recommended product.

4. The product suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a control means for controlling the opening of a return container for returning the tried-on products when the input of the reason for return is accepted.

5. The product recommendation device according to claim 4, wherein the control means performs control to open the opening and closing part of the return container when the input of the reason for return is accepted.

6. The product recommendation device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control means performs control to unlock the opening and closing part of the return container when the input of the reason for return is accepted.

7. The product suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: a rewarding unit that rewards the customer when the input of the reason for return is accepted.

8. The product recommendation device according to claim 7, wherein the reward is a reward for purchasing the recommended product.

9. The product suggestion device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the rewarding means awards a larger reward the more reasons for return that are input.

10. The product suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the accepting means accepts the reason for return via a screen that displays options for the reason for return.

11. The product suggestion device according to claim 10, wherein the options are options corresponding to the products to be tried on.

12. The product suggestion device according to claim 11, wherein the options are options according to the prices of the items to be tried on.

13. The product suggestion device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the options are displayed on the screen according to trends in reasons for return accepted in the past.

14. The product suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended product to a terminal device on which the reason for return is input.

15. The product suggestion device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the reception means further receives input of customer identification information that identifies the customer.

16. The product suggestion device according to claim 15, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended products to a terminal device of the customer associated with the customer identification information.

17. A product suggestion device as described in claim 15 or 16, wherein the output means, when detecting that the customer has returned to the physical store based on the customer identification information, outputs information regarding the recommended product to a terminal device of a salesperson at the physical store.

18. A product suggestion device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the output means outputs information about the recommended products at a timing and to an output destination according to the purchase history of the customer associated with the customer identification information.

19. A product suggestion method comprising: identifying a product that a customer has tried on in a physical store; accepting input of a reason for returning the product if the customer returns the product; determining a recommended product to be recommended to the customer based on the product, the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who have returned the same product for the same reason; and outputting information about the recommended product.

20. A recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: identify products that a customer has tried on in a physical store; when the customer returns the products, accept input of the reason for returning the products; determine recommended products to recommend to the customer based on the products and the reason for return, and the purchase history of other customers who returned the same products for the same reason; and output information about the recommended products.

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