Information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

When a commodity is sold to a customer, an LP is notified from an SNS server 50 in order to efficiently ascertain an attribute of the customer. If the customer applies for a CP on the basis of the LP, a management server 20 acquires a retail member ID from an AP server 30, generates a connection ID, and transmits the connection ID to the SNS server 50 via the AP server 30. The management server 20 acquires a manufacturer company ID, a manufacturer member ID, and the connection ID from the SNS server 50, and can associate the retail member ID with the manufacturer member ID on the basis of the connection ID.

Description

Information Processing System, Information Processing Method, and Information Processing Program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can efficiently grasp customer attributes when selling products to customers.

[0002] A manufacturer may want to know which customers are purchasing the products manufactured by the company. For example, if it is possible to grasp the fact that the products manufactured by the company are being purchased by a large number of women in their 20s, it can be utilized for new product development.

[0003] However, products manufactured by a manufacturer are often sold through retail stores. Since it is not possible to identify the manufacturer's members from the ID-POS data collected at the store, the manufacturer cannot analyze the member information held by the company in association with the ID-POS data.

[0004] For this reason, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a customer's face image is acquired in a store, customer recognition information (GID) is specified based on the face image, ID-POS data in which the GID acquired by a management server from the store is associated with POS data is obtained, and POS data in which the GID of the ID-POS data is converted into a manufacturer member ID is provided to the manufacturer.

[0005] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-107185

[0006] However, since the technique of Patent Document 1 assumes the acquisition of a face image, a camera must be installed in the store. In addition, since it is necessary to develop an interface for transmitting the GID from the store terminal to the POS terminal, there is a problem that the initial cost of system introduction increases.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in view of the prior art including the above problems, and one object is to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can efficiently grasp customer attributes when selling products to customers.

[0008] The information processing system relating to this disclosure is an information processing system having a management device that links and manages first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer and second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the management device comprises: a first acquisition unit that acquires the first identification information from a customer terminal owned by the customer; an issuing unit that issues linked identification information for linking the first identification information and the second identification information; a storage unit that stores first combined data including the first identification information and the linked identification information; a second acquisition unit that notifies a predetermined external device of the linked identification information and acquires the second identification information and the linked identification information from the external device; and an update processing unit that performs an update process to update the first combined data stored in the storage unit to second combined data including the first identification information and the second identification information based on the linked identification information acquired by the second acquisition unit.

[0009] In the above configuration, the first identification information may be identification information issued by a seller who sells the product, and the second identification information may be identification information issued by a manufacturer who produces the product.

[0010] In the above configuration, the update processing unit may perform an update process in which it identifies the first combined data having the linking identification information from among the one or more combined data stored in the storage unit, and updates the identified first combined data to the second combined data including the first combined data and the second identification information, and stores it in the storage unit.

[0011] Furthermore, the present disclosure may also include, in the above configuration, a management device comprising: a third acquisition unit that acquires the first identification information and POS data of products purchased by the customer; and a notification means that identifies the second identification information from one or more of the second combined data stored in the storage unit based on the first identification information acquired by the third acquisition unit, and notifies the manufacturer's server device of the identified second identification information and the POS data.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the first acquisition unit may acquire the first identification information by displaying application information on the input screen of the customer terminal in which the customer applies for the granting of a predetermined benefit, and by having the customer input the first identification information on the input screen and make an application for the granting of the benefit in accordance with the application information.

[0013] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the external device may be an SNS server of a social networking service provider.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above configuration, the external device may be a server device operated by the manufacturer.

[0015] The information processing method relating to this disclosure is an information processing method in an information processing system having a management device that manages a link between a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer and a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the management device includes a first acquisition step of acquiring the first identification information from a customer terminal owned by the customer; an issuance step of issuing linked identification information for linking the first identification information and the second identification information; a storage step of storing first combined data including the first identification information and the linked identification information in a predetermined storage unit; a second acquisition step of notifying a predetermined external device of the linked identification information and acquiring the second identification information and the linked identification information from the external device; and an update processing step of performing an update process to update the first combined data stored in the storage unit to second combined data including the first identification information and the second identification information based on the linked identification information acquired in the second acquisition step.

[0016] The information processing program relating to this disclosure is an information processing program executed by a management device that manages a link between first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer and second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the management device causes a computer to execute a first acquisition procedure for acquiring the first identification information from a customer terminal owned by the customer; an issuance procedure for issuing linked identification information to link the first identification information and the second identification information; a storage procedure for storing first combined data including the first identification information and the linked identification information in a predetermined storage unit; a second acquisition procedure for notifying a predetermined external device of the linked identification information and acquiring the second identification information and the linked identification information from the external device; and an update processing procedure for updating the first combined data stored in the storage unit to second combined data including the first identification information and the second identification information based on the linked identification information acquired by the second acquisition procedure.

[0017] According to the information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program related to this disclosure, manufacturers or service providers can efficiently identify customers who receive their goods or services.

[0018] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the information processing system shown in Figure 1 (when IDs are linked). Figure 3 is a diagram showing an overview of the information processing system shown in Figure 1 (when POS data is transmitted). Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of manufacturer member ID data shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of linked ID data shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of ID-POS data shown in Figure 4. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of POS data with manufacturer member IDs shown in Figure 4. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram explaining the updating of linked ID data. Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the AP server shown in Figure 1. Figure 11 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the customer terminal shown in Figure 1. Figure 12 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the SNS server shown in Figure 1. Figure 13 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturer server shown in Figure 1. Figure 14 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the POS terminal shown in Figure 1. Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure (part 1) when an ID is linked in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure (part 2) when an ID is linked in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 17 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure when POS data is transmitted in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 18 is a diagram showing an overview of the information processing system according to Embodiment 2 (when an ID is linked). Figure 19 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure (part 1) when an ID is linked in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2. Figure 20 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure (part 2) when an ID is linked in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration.

[0019] The embodiments of the information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program relating to this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the case in which a customer purchases a product manufactured by a manufacturer will be used as an example. The product will be assumed to have a code that uniquely identifies the product. For example, the product will be assumed to have a barcode that includes a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code, which is a standardized code for distribution in Japan that is based on the international standard EAN (European Article Number).

[0020] Furthermore, customers are assumed to have registered their personal information and hold accounts on the websites, applications (hereinafter referred to as "apps") and social networking services (SNS) of multiple manufacturers, as well as on the websites, apps, and SNS of multiple retailers (supermarkets, drugstores, department stores, convenience stores, etc.). Manufacturers are assumed to hold the personal information of customers who have registered on their own sites, apps, and official SNS.

[0021] [Embodiment 1] <System Configuration of Information Processing System> An overview of the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 has a configuration in which a management server 20, an application server (hereinafter referred to as "AP server 30"), a customer terminal 40, an SNS server 50, a manufacturer server 60, and a plurality of POS terminals 80 are connected to a network N.

[0022] There are multiple stores 70, and store 70-1 is equipped with POS terminals 80-1 to 80-q. Store 70-p is equipped with POS terminals 80-1 to 80-r. Similarly, other stores are also equipped with multiple POS terminals. p, q, and r are all positive numbers, and their values ​​may be the same or different. Hereinafter, "store 70" may refer to any of stores 70-1 to 70-p, or it may refer to stores 70-1 to 70-p as a whole. "POS terminal 80" may refer to any of POS terminals 80-1 to 80-q and POS terminals 80-1 to 80-r, or it may refer to POS terminals 80-1 to 80-q and POS terminals 80-1 to 80-r as a whole.

[0023] The management server 20 is a server device that links the identification information of retail customers (hereinafter referred to as "retail member ID") obtained from the customer terminal 40 with the manufacturer member ID on the customer's SNS, which is managed by the manufacturer server 60, based on a linked ID, and manages it as linked ID data. When a customer purchases a product at store 70 using their retail member ID, the management server 20 matches the retail member ID obtained from the POS terminal 80 with the retail member ID included in the linked ID data, extracts the target, converts the retail member ID to a manufacturer member ID, and transmits the manufacturer member ID and product information to the manufacturer server 60. The management server 20 may be installed as hardware within the company operating the management server 20, or it may be implemented as a web server or cloud server (the same applies to other servers below).

[0024] The AP server 30 is a server device that provides customers with landing pages (hereinafter abbreviated as "LP") for campaigns (hereinafter abbreviated as "CP") requested by manufacturers, companies operating the management server 20, or retailers. The LP may include application information for customers to apply for benefits, encouraging customer participation. When a customer accesses the LP and enters their retail member ID, the AP server 30 provides the retail member ID to the management server 20 and receives the linked ID generated by the management server 20. Upon receiving the linked ID from the management server 20, the AP server 30 transmits the manufacturer company ID and campaign ID included in the LP, along with the linked ID, to the management server 20.

[0025] The customer terminal 40 is a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the customer, or a PC, and is a terminal device capable of accessing the HTTP server. This section describes the case where a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the customer is used. The customer terminal 40 has a customer terminal application provided by the SNS server 50 installed. The customer terminal application is a smartphone application provided to customers by the SNS operating company that operates the SNS server 50, and has functions such as sending messages to customers and announcing campaigns. The customer terminal application may be an application that is downloaded and installed on the device (a so-called "native application"), or an application that does not require downloading and runs in a browser (a so-called "web application"). In the following description, the customer terminal application will be described as a native application, but there will be no substantial difference compared to the case where the customer terminal application is a web application.

[0026] The SNS server 50 is a server device that provides social networking services to the customer terminal 40. The SNS server 50 performs login processing, authorization processing for linking the customer's manufacturer member ID, and processing to send the manufacturer member ID to the management server 20.

[0027] The manufacturer server 60 is a server device owned by the manufacturer that produces the products. The manufacturer server 60 stores manufacturer member IDs and processes POS data with manufacturer member IDs transmitted from the management server 20. The manufacturer server 60 can also analyze what kind of products manufactured by the manufacturer a customer is purchasing based on the manufacturer member IDs included in the POS data with manufacturer member IDs.

[0028] The POS terminal 80 is installed in stores 70, such as retail stores, and is a terminal device that collects and records information about each product (product name, price, time of sale, etc.) on an individual item basis at the point of sale where the product is sold and payment is made. The POS terminal 80 can communicate with the management server 20 and the store controller.

[0029] In practice, the POS system is comprised of POS terminals 80 and a store controller that oversees them. The POS terminals 80 obtain information about the products handled by the stores 70 from a product database in the store controller, and the store controller manages product inventory and other information by analyzing the data from the POS terminals 80. For the sake of simplicity, here we will assume that the POS system is comprised of POS terminals 80, and that the functions of the POS system are provided by the POS terminals 80. Some of the functions of the POS terminals 80 and the store controller may be provided on a server at headquarters that manages multiple stores 70.

[0030] <Overview of the Information Processing System> The overview of the information processing system when IDs are linked will be explained. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the overview of the information processing system (when IDs are linked) shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1, the SNS server 50 sends an LP notification to the customer terminal 40 (S1). The LP is assumed to contain data for the retail company ID, manufacturer company ID, and campaign ID.

[0031] If a customer accesses the LP using the customer terminal 40 (S2), enters their retail member ID, and applies for the CP listed on the LP, the AP server 30 notifies the management server 20 of the retail company ID and retail member ID (S3). Upon receiving the retail company ID and retail member ID, the management server 20 registers the retail member ID and generates a linked ID (S4). The management server 20 then notifies the AP server 30 of the linked ID (S5).

[0032] When the AP server 30 receives notification of the linked ID from the management server 20, it notifies the management server 20 of the manufacturer company ID, linked ID, and campaign ID (S6). Subsequently, the management server 20 generates an SNS login URL for logging into the SNS server 50 (S7). The SNS login URL contains data such as the manufacturer company ID and linked ID. The management server 20 notifies the AP server 30 of the SNS login URL (S8).

[0033] When the AP server 30 receives an SNS login URL from the management server 20, it redirects to the SNS server 50 based on the received SNS login URL (S9) and sends a login request to the SNS server 50. When the SNS server 50 is redirected by the AP server 30 with the SNS login URL, it sends a login screen to the customer terminal 40 (S10). When the customer terminal 40 has entered the login data required for login (user ID and password), it sends the login data to the SNS server 50 (S11).

[0034] If the login is successful, the SNS server 50 sends a notification to the customer terminal 40 indicating whether or not it authorizes the customer to provide their manufacturer member ID (S12). If the customer terminal 40 authorizes the customer to provide their manufacturer member ID, it notifies the SNS server 50 of the authorization (S13).

[0035] When the SNS server 50 receives a permission notification, it sends an access permission code to the management server 20 to access the SNS server 50 (S14). The access permission code is accompanied by the manufacturer company ID and linked ID as parameters. The management server 20 sends a user data request with the access permission code attached (S15). The SNS server 50 sends user data (manufacturer member ID) to the management server 20 (S16). The SNS server 50 redirects the customer by specifying the manufacturer company ID as a parameter in the login URL sent from the management server 20, and the customer logs in via SNS using login data already registered in the customer terminal application (user ID and password, etc.) or login data entered by the customer on the screen. As a result, the SNS server 50 can identify user data (manufacturer member ID) that is unique to each company based on the manufacturer company ID and login data, and send it to the management server 20 as user data (manufacturer member ID) for a specific customer.

[0036] When the management server 20 receives user data from the SNS server 50, it links the manufacturer company ID and linked ID obtained as parameters of the access permission code with the user data (manufacturer member ID), searches for the linked ID data 24b, and links the manufacturer member ID and retail member ID based on the linked ID data (S17). The management server 20 sends a request to the AP server 30 to display the application completion screen (S18). The AP server 30 sends an instruction to the customer terminal 40 to display the application completion screen (S19).

[0037] Next, an overview of the information processing system during POS data transmission will be described. Figure 3 shows an overview of the information processing system shown in Figure 1 (during POS data transmission). As shown in Figure 3, the customer operates the customer terminal 40 and displays the retail member ID on the operation display of the customer terminal 40 (S20). The POS terminal 80 reads the retail member ID displayed on the customer terminal 40 (S21). The retail member ID is read using, for example, a barcode reader.

[0038] The POS terminal 80 reads the barcode of the product purchased by the customer using a barcode reader and processes the payment for the purchased product (S22). The payment processing is performed by reading the credit card information and using a payment server (not shown), etc. The payment processing may also be done using smartphone payment using a two-dimensional barcode.

[0039] Once the payment processing is complete, the POS terminal 80 sends ID-POS data to the management server 20, including the store code, date and time, register number, retail member ID, product code, JAN code, and product name (S23). The management server 20 matches the retail member ID in the received ID-POS data with the retail member ID in the linked ID data and extracts the target data (S24). The management server 20 replaces the retail member ID in the target data of the ID-POS data with the manufacturer member ID (S25).

[0040] The management server 20 transmits linked ID data and POS data with manufacturer member ID, including store code, date and time, product code, JAN code, product name, and manufacturer member ID, to the manufacturer server 60 (S26).

[0041] By performing the above series of processes, the management server 20 can link the customer's retail member ID and manufacturer member ID based on the linked ID. When a customer purchases a product at a retail store using their retail member ID, the management server 20 matches the retail member ID included in the ID-POS data with the retail member ID in the linked ID data, extracts the target data, replaces the retail member ID in the target data with the manufacturer member ID, and transmits the POS data and manufacturer member ID to the manufacturer server 60. This allows the manufacturer to efficiently track the customers who receive their products.

[0042] Thus, according to Embodiment 1, when the SNS server 50 notifies the LP and the customer applies for the CP based on the LP, the management server 20 acquires the retail member ID from the AP server 30, generates a connection ID, and transmits it to the SNS server 50 via the AP server 30. Then, the SNS server 50 acquires the manufacturer member ID and the connection ID, and can associate the retail member ID and the manufacturer member ID based on the connection ID. Further, when the customer purchases a product using the retail member ID, the management server 20 acquires ID-POS data including the retail member ID from the POS terminal 80, and is configured to transmit the POS data with the manufacturer member ID obtained by replacing the retail member ID with the manufacturer member ID to the manufacturer server 60. Therefore, the manufacturer can efficiently grasp the customers who receive the product.

[0043] <Configuration of Management Server 20> The configuration of the management server 20 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 20 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the management server 20 includes a display unit 21, an input unit 22, a communication I / F unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25. The display unit 21 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescence), or a display device. The input unit 22 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The communication I / F unit 23 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the AP server 30, the customer terminal 40, the SNS server 50, the manufacturer server 60, and the POS terminal 80 via the network N.

[0044] The storage unit 24 is a storage device including a hard disk device, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, or the like. The storage unit 24 stores manufacturer member ID data 24a, connection ID data 24b, ID-POS data 24c, and POS data with the manufacturer member ID 24d.

[0045] The manufacturer member ID data 24a is data of manufacturer member IDs transmitted from the SNS server 50. In the manufacturer member ID data 24a, for example, the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID are associated. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the manufacturer member ID data 24a shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows a situation where the manufacturer company ID "M0001" is associated with the manufacturer member ID "1122334455" and the linked ID "XYZ999".

[0046] The linked ID data 24b is data that links retail member IDs and manufacturer member IDs based on the linked ID. Figure 6 shows an example of the linked ID data 24b shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 shows the situation where the retail company ID "R0001", retail member ID "1234567890", linked ID "XYZ999", manufacturer company ID "M0001", and manufacturer member ID "1122334455" are associated with the update date and time "2024 / 10 / 15 15:30:55". The linked ID data 24b may be generated each time the application button is pressed, or it may be generated for each campaign ID.

[0047] ID-POS data 24c is data transmitted from the POS terminal 80 regarding the customer's retail member ID and the customer's purchased items. In ID-POS data 24c, for example, the store code, date and time, register number, retail member ID, product code, JAN code, and product name are associated. Figure 7 shows an example of ID-POS data 24c shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 shows the situation where the store code "011" is associated with the date and time "2024 / 10 / 15 10:21:04", register number "003", retail member ID "1234567890", product code "MB00482", JAN code "45124569134", and product name "XX Beer".

[0048] The POS data 24d with manufacturer member ID is the POS data obtained by replacing the retail member ID with the manufacturer member ID among the data of the ID-POS data 24c. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the POS data 24d with manufacturer member ID shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 shows a situation where the store code "011" is associated with the date and time "2024 / 10 / 15 10:21:04", the cash register number "003", the manufacturer member ID "1122334455", the product code "MB00482", the JAN code "45124569134", and the product name "XX Beer".

[0049] The control unit 25 is a control unit that performs overall control of the management server 20. The control unit 25 includes a retail member ID acquisition unit 25a, a concatenated ID generation unit 25b, a concatenated ID registration unit 25c, an SNS login URL generation unit 25d, a manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e, a concatenated ID verification unit 25f, a concatenated ID update unit 25g, an ID-POS data acquisition unit 25h, an ID replacement unit 25i, and a POS data transmission unit 25j with manufacturer member ID. Actually, by loading these programs into the memory and executing them with the CPU, processes corresponding to the retail member ID acquisition unit 25a, the concatenated ID generation unit 25b, the concatenated ID registration unit 25c, the SNS login URL generation unit 25d, the manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e, the concatenated ID verification unit 25f, the concatenated ID update unit 25g, the ID-POS data acquisition unit 25h, the ID replacement unit 25i, and the POS data transmission unit 25j with manufacturer member ID will be executed respectively.

[0050] The retail member ID acquisition unit 25a is a processing unit that acquires the retail member ID from the customer terminal 40. Specifically, when the customer inputs the retail member ID to the customer terminal 40 and applies for the CP displayed on the LP, the retail member ID acquisition unit 25a acquires the retail member ID input by the customer. The concatenated ID generation unit 25b is a processing unit that generates a concatenated ID corresponding to the retail member ID if the retail member ID is acquired.

[0051] The concatenated ID registration unit 25c is a processing unit that associates the retail member ID and the concatenated ID and stores them in the storage unit 24 as concatenated ID data, and transmits the generated concatenated ID to the AP server 30.

[0052] The SNS login URL generation unit 25d is a processing unit that generates a redirect URL for logging into the SNS server 50. When generating a redirect URL, the SNS login URL generation unit 25d adds the linked ID generated by the linked ID generation unit 25b and the manufacturer company ID as parameters.

[0053] The manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e is a processing unit that acquires manufacturer member IDs from the SNS server 50. Specifically, when the manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e receives an access permission code including the manufacturer company ID and linked ID from the SNS server 50, it sends a user data request to the SNS server 50 requesting the transmission of user data, and receives the user data transmitted from the SNS server 50.

[0054] The linked ID matching unit 25f is a processing unit that links the manufacturer member ID obtained by the manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e with the linked ID, and compares the linked ID associated with the retail member ID with the linked ID registered in the linked ID data 24b.

[0055] The linked ID update unit 25g is a processing unit that updates linked ID data by linking retail member IDs and manufacturer member IDs whose linked IDs match, based on the matching results of the linked ID matching unit 25f.

[0056] The ID-POS data acquisition unit 25h is a processing unit that acquires ID-POS data, including store code, date and time, register number, retail member ID, product code, JAN code, and product name, from the POS terminal 80. Specifically, when a customer presents their retail member ID and purchases a product at a retail store, the ID-POS data acquisition unit 25h acquires data, including the retail member ID and the purchased product, from the POS terminal 80 installed in the store 70.

[0057] The ID replacement unit 25i is a processing unit that matches the retail member IDs included in the ID-POS data with the retail member IDs included in the linked ID data, extracts the target data, replaces the retail member IDs in the extracted data with manufacturer member IDs, and generates POS data 24d with manufacturer member IDs.

[0058] The manufacturer member ID-attached POS data transmission unit 25j is a processing unit that transmits the manufacturer member ID-attached POS data 24d generated by the ID replacement unit 25i to the manufacturer server 60 together with the concatenated ID data 24b. The manufacturer server 60 can analyze the number of customers who applied for the campaign but did not purchase products, the number of customers who applied for the campaign and purchased products, etc., by analyzing the manufacturer member ID-attached POS data 24d and the concatenated ID data 24b.

[0059] <Updating Linked ID Data 24b> The update of linked ID data 24b on the management server 20 will be explained. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the update of linked ID data. As shown in Figure 9(a), when the management server 20 receives the retail company ID and retail member ID from the AP server 30 and generates a linked ID, the manufacturer company ID and manufacturer member ID have not yet been obtained, so the linked ID data 24b is generated with these fields blank.

[0060] This shows the situation where the update date and time "2024 / 10 / 15 15:30:55" is associated with the retail company ID "R0001", retail member ID "1234567890", consolidation ID "XYZ999", manufacturer company ID "-", and manufacturer member ID "-".

[0061] As shown in Figure 9(b), when the management server 20 receives user data from the SNS server 50, including a linked ID, a manufacturer company ID, and a manufacturer member ID, it associates the linked ID, the manufacturer company ID, and the manufacturer member ID, and searches for linked ID data 24b based on the linked ID. If the linked ID is found, the management server 20 updates the linked ID data 24b by adding the manufacturer company ID and the manufacturer member ID to the target data.

[0062] This shows that the update date and time "2024 / 10 / 15 15:33:43" is associated with the retail company ID "R0001", retail member ID "1234567890", consolidation ID "XYZ999", manufacturer company ID "M0001", and manufacturer member ID "1122334455".

[0063] <Configuration of AP Server 30> The configuration of the AP server 30 shown in Figure 1 will now be described. Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the AP server 30 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 10, the AP server 30 has a display unit 31, an input unit 32, a communication I / F unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a control unit 35. The display unit 31 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display device. The input unit 32 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The communication I / F unit 33 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the management server 20, customer terminals 40 and SNS server 50 via the network N. The storage unit 34 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory or non-volatile memory, etc.

[0064] The control unit 35 is a control unit that performs overall control of the AP server 30. The control unit 35 has an application processing unit 35a, a retail member ID transmission unit 35b, a linked ID acquisition unit 35c, a manufacturer company ID transmission unit 35d, an SNS login URL processing unit 35e, and an application completion processing unit 35f. In practice, these programs are loaded into memory and executed by the CPU, causing the application processing unit 35a, the retail member ID transmission unit 35b, the linked ID acquisition unit 35c, the manufacturer company ID transmission unit 35d, the SNS login URL processing unit 35e, and the application completion processing unit 35f to execute the processes corresponding to each of them.

[0065] The application processing unit 35a is a processing unit that, when a customer accesses the LP from the customer terminal 40 and enters a retail member ID, obtains the retail company ID included in the LP and the entered retail member ID. The retail member ID transmission unit 35b is a processing unit that transmits the obtained retail company ID and retail member ID to the management server 20.

[0066] The linked ID acquisition unit 35c is a processing unit that acquires the linked ID transmitted from the management server 20. The manufacturer company ID transmission unit 35d is a processing unit that transmits the manufacturer company ID and campaign ID containing LP, along with the linked ID acquired from the management server 20, to the management server 20.

[0067] The SNS login URL processing unit 35e is a processing unit that receives the SNS login URL from the management server 20 and forwards it to the SNS server 50. The application completion processing unit 35f is a processing unit that, upon receiving a request from the management server 20 to display the application completion screen, instructs the customer terminal 40 to display the application completion screen.

[0068] <Configuration of Customer Terminal 40> The configuration of the customer terminal 40 shown in Figure 1 will now be explained. Figure 11 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the customer terminal 40 shown in Figure 1. The customer terminal 40 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the customer, and is a terminal device that can access the AP server 30 and the SNS server 50. The customer terminal 40 has the customer terminal application provided by the SNS server 50 to customers who subscribe to the information processing system installed.

[0069] When a customer launches the customer terminal application on the customer terminal 40, the SNS server 50 notifies the customer of a landing page (LP) related to the campaign. If the customer clicks on the LP URL, they can access the LP operated by the AP server 30. Subsequently, if the customer enters their retail member ID on the LP and clicks the campaign application button, the retail company ID and retail member ID are notified to the management server 20.

[0070] As shown in Figure 11, the customer terminal 40 includes an operation display unit 41, a communication interface unit 42, a storage unit 44, and a control unit 45. The operation display unit 41 is an input / output device consisting of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display, etc. The communication interface unit 42 is an interface unit that communicates with the AP server 30, SNS server 50, etc. via the network N. The storage unit 44 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, etc.

[0071] The control unit 45 is a control unit that performs overall control of the customer terminal 40. The control unit 45 has a browser 45a. In practice, a program corresponding to the customer terminal application that corresponds to the browser is stored in the storage unit 44, and by loading this customer terminal application into memory and executing it on the CPU, the process corresponding to the browser 45a is executed.

[0072] Browser 45a is a browser for accessing various web pages. When the URL of an LP related to CP is clicked, this browser 45a is launched, and access to the corresponding LP on AP server 30 becomes possible. If a retail member ID is entered on such LP and a CP application is made, the retail company ID included in the LP and the entered retail member ID are notified from AP server 30 to management server 20.

[0073] <Configuration of SNS Server 50> The configuration of the SNS server 50 shown in Figure 1 will be explained below. Figure 12 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the SNS server 50 shown in Figure 1. The SNS server 50 is a server that provides social networking services to customers. The SNS server 50 performs processing such as customer login to the SNS service, authorization processing related to the provision of SNS account IDs, and provision of user data.

[0074] As shown in Figure 12, the SNS server 50 includes a display unit 51, an input unit 52, a communication interface unit 53, a storage unit 54, and a control unit 55. The display unit 51 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display device, or a display device. The input unit 52 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The communication interface unit 53 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the management server 20, the AP server 30, and the customer terminal 40 via the network N.

[0075] The storage unit 54 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory, and stores manufacturer member ID data 54a. The manufacturer member ID data 54a is data of a member ID on a manufacturer's official SNS on the SNS server 50.

[0076] The control unit 55 is a control unit that performs overall control of the SNS server 50. The control unit 55 has a login processing unit 55a, an authorization processing unit 55b, and a manufacturer member ID transmission unit 55c. In practice, these programs are loaded into memory and executed by the CPU, causing the login processing unit 55a, the authorization processing unit 55b, and the manufacturer member ID transmission unit 55c to execute processes corresponding to each other.

[0077] The login processing unit 55a is the processing unit that handles cases when a customer logs in to the SNS server 50. Specifically, the login processing unit 55a sends a login screen to the customer terminal 40, and once the customer has entered the necessary login data such as a user ID and password, it determines whether the login is permitted. If the entered data matches the registered data, it allows the customer to log in to the SNS server 50.

[0078] The authorization processing unit 55b is a processing unit that processes whether or not to authorize the provision of user data stored on the SNS server 50. Specifically, the authorization processing unit 55b sends a screen to the customer terminal 40 asking for authorization, and displays the authorization / authorization screen on the customer terminal 40. If the customer clicks "authorize" on the authorization / authorization screen, it sends an access permission code to the management server 20 to provide the user data to the management server 20. The access permission code is provided with the manufacturer company ID and the linked ID as parameters.

[0079] The manufacturer member ID transmission unit 55c is a processing unit that, when a user data request is sent from the management server 20 with an access permission code attached, transmits user data (manufacturer member ID) to the management server 20.

[0080] <Configuration of Manufacturer Server 60> The configuration of the manufacturer server 60 shown in Figure 2 will be explained below. Figure 13 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturer server 60 shown in Figure 1. The manufacturer server 60 is a server device owned by a manufacturer that produces goods. The manufacturer server 60 receives linked ID data 24b and manufacturer member ID-attached POS data 24d from the management server 20. The manufacturer server 60 may analyze the purchase status of the manufacturer's products based on the received data.

[0081] As shown in Figure 13, the maker server 60 includes a display unit 61, an input unit 62, a communication interface unit 63, a storage unit 64, and a control unit 65. The display unit 61 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display device, etc. The input unit 62 is an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The communication interface unit 63 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the management server 20 via the network N.

[0082] The storage unit 64 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory. The storage unit 64 stores manufacturer member ID data 64a, manufacturer member ID-attached POS data 64b, and member ID conversion data 64c. Manufacturer member ID data 64a is data of a member ID on a manufacturer's official SNS on the SNS server 50. Manufacturer member ID-attached POS data 64b is data of the manufacturer member ID received from the management server 20 and the products purchased by the customer. Member ID conversion data 64c is data that converts the manufacturer member ID managed on the SNS obtained from the management server 20 with the customer ID managed by the manufacturer. By using the member ID conversion data 64c, it is possible to link information such as the customer's name, gender, and attributes by converting the manufacturer member ID in the manufacturer member ID-attached POS data to a customer ID.

[0083] The control unit 65 is a control unit that performs overall control of the manufacturer server 60. The control unit 65 has a manufacturer member ID-attached POS data receiving unit 65a. In practice, these programs are loaded into memory and executed by the CPU, thereby executing the process corresponding to the manufacturer member ID-attached POS data receiving unit 65a.

[0084] The manufacturer member ID-attached POS data receiving unit 65a processes the linked ID data 24b and manufacturer member ID-attached POS data 24d transmitted from the management server 20. The manufacturer server 60 may also analyze the market purchasing status of the manufacturer's products based on the received data.

[0085] <Configuration of POS Terminal 80> The configuration of the POS terminal 80 shown in Figure 1 will be explained below. Figure 14 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the POS terminal 80 shown in Figure 1. The POS terminal 80 is installed in stores 70 of retail businesses, etc., and is a terminal device that collects and records the retail member ID presented by the customer and information about the product (product name, price, time of sale, etc.) on an item-by-item basis at the point of sale where the product is sold and payment is made.

[0086] The POS terminal 80 uses a barcode reader to read the customer's retail member ID and also reads the barcode attached to the product to identify the JAN code. This JAN code allows the terminal to identify the product type, price, etc. Subsequently, the POS terminal 80 processes the payment using a credit card or the like and transmits the ID-POS data to the management server 20.

[0087] As shown in Figure 14, the POS terminal 80 includes an operation display unit 81, a barcode reader 82, a communication interface unit 83, a storage unit 85, and a control unit 86. The operation display unit 81 is an input / output device consisting of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescent) display, etc. The barcode reader 82 is a reading unit that reads the retail member ID displayed on the customer terminal 40 and the barcode attached to the product. The communication interface unit 83 is an interface unit that communicates with the management server 20 via the network N.

[0088] The storage unit 85 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory. The storage unit 85 stores POS data 85a, retail member ID data 85b, and product data 85c. The POS data 85a is information about products purchased by customers (product name, price, time of sale, etc.).

[0089] Retail member ID data 85b is data obtained by reading the barcode indicating the retail member ID displayed on the customer terminal 40 using the barcode reader 82. Product data 85c is data that associates the JAN code, product name, price, etc., of products displayed in the store 70.

[0090] In this first embodiment, we will describe the case in which a barcode indicating a retail member ID displayed on the customer terminal 40 is read, but a barcode printed on a plastic card-shaped retail member card may also be read.

[0091] The control unit 86 is a control unit that performs overall control of the POS terminal 80. The control unit 86 has a barcode reading unit 86a, a payment processing unit 86b, and an ID-POS data transmission unit 86c. In practice, these programs are loaded into memory and executed by the CPU, causing the barcode reading unit 86a, the payment processing unit 86b, and the ID-POS data transmission unit 86c to execute the processes corresponding to them.

[0092] The barcode reading unit 86a is a processing unit that reads the barcode indicating the retail member ID displayed on the customer terminal 40 and the barcode attached to the product purchased by the customer, and identifies the JAN code and other information contained in the barcode. Once the JAN code and other information have been identified, the product name and price can be identified by referring to the product data 85c.

[0093] The payment processing unit 86b is a processing unit that handles payment for goods using the customer's credit card, smartphone payment, transportation IC card, etc. The product name and price are identified based on the product data 85c and JAN code. Once the payment processing is complete, it is stored in the storage unit 85 as POS data 85a. This explanation describes the case of cashless payment, but payment with cash is also possible.

[0094] The ID-POS data transmission unit 86c is a processing unit that transmits the customer's retail member ID and the POS data (ID-POS data) of the products purchased by the customer to the management server 20.

[0095] <Processing Procedure for ID Linking in the Information Processing System> The processing procedure for ID linking in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 will be described below. Figures 15 and 16 are sequence diagrams showing the processing procedure for ID linking in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 15, the SNS server 50 notifies the customer terminal 40 of the LP regarding the application for CP (Step S101).

[0096] When the customer terminal 40 receives a notification from the LP, it displays the notification. When the customer accesses the LP on the AP server using the customer terminal 40 (step S102) and enters a retail member ID, the AP server 30 sends the retail company ID and retail member ID included in the LP to the management server 20 (step S103). The AP server 30 sends customer terminal identification information along with the retail company ID and retail member ID to the management server 20.

[0097] When the management server 20 receives the retail company ID and the retail member ID, it generates a linked ID (step S104) and sends the linked ID to the AP server 30 (step S105). When the AP server 30 receives the linked ID, it sends the manufacturer company ID included in the LP, the linked ID, and the campaign ID included in the LP to the management server 20 (step S106).

[0098] When the management server 20 receives the manufacturer company ID, linking ID, and campaign ID, it generates an SNS login URL for logging into the SNS server 50 (step S107). Here, the SNS login URL is generated by adding the manufacturer company ID and linking ID as parameters. The management server 20 notifies the AP server 30 of the SNS login URL (step S108).

[0099] When the AP server 30 receives notification of the SNS login URL, it forwards the SNS login URL to the SNS server 50 (step S109) and makes a login request. When the SNS server 50 receives the login request, it sends a login screen to the customer terminal 40 (step S110). When the customer terminal 40 receives the login screen, it displays the login screen on the operation display unit 41 (step S111).

[0100] If the customer enters the login data (user ID and password) required for login into the customer terminal 40, the customer terminal 40 sends the login data to the SNS server 50 (step S112). If the customer's login is successful, the SNS server 50 sends a notification to the customer terminal 40 indicating whether or not it authorizes the provision of the customer's manufacturer member ID (step S113). If the customer approves the authorization, the customer terminal 40 sends an authorization notification to the SNS server 50 (step S114).

[0101] When the SNS server 50 receives an authorization notification from the customer terminal 40, it sends an access permission code to the management server 20 to receive user data (step S115). The access permission code is accompanied by the manufacturer company ID and linked ID as parameters. When the management server 20 receives the access permission code, it sends a user data request to the SNS server 50 using the access permission code (step S116). When the SNS server 50 receives the user data request, it sends the user data (manufacturer member ID) to the management server 20 (step S117).

[0102] When the management server 20 receives user data, it links the manufacturer company ID and linked ID obtained as parameters of the access permission code received from the SNS server 50 with the manufacturer member ID included in the user data, searches for linked ID data 24b, links the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID and retail member ID based on the linked ID (step S118), and updates linked ID data 24b. After that, the management server 20 notifies the AP server 30 that the application has been completed (step S119). When the AP server 30 receives the notification of application completion, it sends an application completion screen to the customer terminal 40 (S120), the customer terminal 40 displays the application completion screen (step S121), and the series of processes ends.

[0103] Through the above series of processing steps, the management server 20 can link the customer's retail member ID and the manufacturer's member ID on the official SNS using a linked ID.

[0104] <Processing Procedure for POS Data Transmission by Information Processing System> The processing procedure for POS data transmission by the information processing system according to Embodiment 1 will be described below. Figure 17 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure for POS data transmission by the information processing system according to Embodiment 1. Here, it is assumed that a barcode indicating the customer's retail member ID is already displayed on the operation display unit 41 of the customer terminal 40.

[0105] As shown in Figure 17, the POS terminal 80 reads the retail member ID by reading the barcode displayed on the customer terminal 40 (step S201). The POS terminal 80 reads the barcode of the product the customer is purchasing and processes the payment (step S202). The POS terminal 80 transmits the ID-POS data (retail member ID and product data) to the management server 20 (step S203).

[0106] When the management server 20 receives ID-POS data, it searches the linked data using the retail member ID included in the ID-POS data and extracts the target data (step S204). The management server 20 replaces the retail member ID in the target data with the manufacturer member ID (step S205) and stores it in the storage unit as POS data with manufacturer member ID. The management server 20 transmits the linked ID data and the POS data with manufacturer member ID to the manufacturer server 60 (step S206). The manufacturer server 60 receives the linked ID data and the POS data with manufacturer member ID (step S207) and terminates the series of processes.

[0107] Through the above series of processing steps, the manufacturer server 60 can obtain information on customers who applied for the CP and information on customers who purchased the manufacturer's products. By analyzing this information, the server can analyze data such as what percentage of customers who applied for the CP purchased the manufacturer's products.

[0108] As described above, in this embodiment 1, the SNS server 50 notifies the customer of the LP, and if the customer applies for the CP based on the LP, the management server 20 obtains the retail member ID from the AP server 30, generates a linked ID, and transmits it to the SNS server 50 via the AP server 30. The management server 20 then obtains the manufacturer member ID and linked ID from the SNS server 50 and can link the retail member ID and the manufacturer member ID based on the linked ID. Furthermore, the management server 20 is configured to obtain ID-POS data including the retail member ID from the POS terminal 80 when a customer purchases a product using the retail member ID, and transmit POS data with the manufacturer member ID (where the retail member ID is replaced with the manufacturer member ID) to the manufacturer server 60. This allows the manufacturer to efficiently track customers who receive products.

[0109] In the above embodiment 1, the management server 20 was described as individually acquiring linked ID data and user data (manufacturer member ID) from the SNS server 50. However, the management server 20 may also acquire the linked ID and user data (manufacturer member ID) as an SNS set from the server 50.

[0110] [Embodiment 2] In Embodiment 1 described above, the case in which the management server 20 obtains the manufacturer member ID from the SNS server 50 was explained. In Embodiment 2, the case in which the manufacturer server 60 obtains the manufacturer member ID from the SNS server 50 and the management server 20 obtains the manufacturer member ID via the manufacturer server 60 will be explained.

[0111] Figure 18 shows an overview of the information processing system according to Embodiment 2 (when IDs are linked). As shown in Figure 18, in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2, the SNS server 50 sends an LP notification to the customer terminal 40 (S31). The LP is assumed to contain data for the retail company ID, manufacturer company ID, and campaign ID.

[0112] When a customer accesses the LP (S32) and enters their retail member ID to apply for a CP listed on the LP, the AP server 30 notifies the management server 20 of customer terminal identification information that identifies the customer terminal 40, along with the retail company ID and retail member ID (S33). Upon receiving the retail company ID and retail member ID, the management server 20 registers the retail member ID and generates a linked ID (S34). The management server 20 then notifies the AP server 30 of the linked ID (S35).

[0113] When the AP server 30 receives notification of the linked ID, it adds the linked ID as a parameter to the URL of the manufacturer's CP screen and sends a display request to the manufacturer server 90 (S36). When the manufacturer server 90 receives the display request from the AP server 30, it generates an SNS login URL (S37). The manufacturer server 90 sends the SNS login URL to the SNS server 50 (S38).

[0114] When the SNS server 50 receives the SNS login URL, it sends a login screen to the customer terminal 40 (S39). When the customer terminal 40 has entered the login data (user ID and password) required for login, it sends the login data to the SNS server 50 (S40). If the login is successful, the SNS server 50 sends an authorization or denial to the customer terminal 40 regarding whether or not to authorize the provision of the customer's manufacturer member ID (S41). If the customer terminal 40 authorizes the provision of the manufacturer member ID, it notifies the SNS server 50 of the authorization (S42).

[0115] If the SNS server 50 receives a permission notification, it sends an access permission code to the manufacturer server 60 to access the SNS server 50 (S43). The manufacturer server 60 sends a user data request to the SNS server 50 with the access permission code attached (S44). The SNS server 50 sends user data (manufacturer member ID) to the manufacturer server 60 (S45).

[0116] When the manufacturer server 60 receives user data, it sends the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID to the management server 20 (S46). When the management server 20 receives the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID from the manufacturer server 60, it links the manufacturer member ID and retail member ID based on the linked ID (S47). The management server 20 sends a request to the manufacturer server 60 to display the application completion screen (S48). The manufacturer server 60 sends an instruction to the customer terminal 40 to display the application completion screen (S49).

[0117] <Processing Procedure for ID Linking in the Information Processing System According to Embodiment 2> The processing procedure for ID linking in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2 will now be described. Figures 19 and 20 are sequence diagrams showing the processing procedure for ID linking in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 19, the SNS server 50 notifies the customer terminal 40 of the LP regarding the application for CP (step S301). The AP server 30 transmits customer terminal identification information along with the retail company ID and retail member ID to the management server 20.

[0118] When the customer terminal 40 receives a notification from the LP, it displays the notification. When the customer accesses the LP on the AP server using the customer terminal 40 (step S302) and enters a retail member ID, the AP server 30 sends the retail company ID and retail member ID included in the LP to the management server 20 (step S303).

[0119] When the management server 20 receives the retail company ID and the retail member ID, it generates a linked ID (step S304) and sends the linked ID to the AP server 30 (step S305). When the AP server 30 receives notification of the linked ID, it adds the linked ID to the URL of the manufacturer's CP screen and sends a display request to the manufacturer server 90 (step S306).

[0120] When the manufacturer server 90 receives a display request, it generates an SNS login URL for logging into the SNS server 50 (step S307). The SNS login URL is generated by adding the manufacturer company ID and linked ID as parameters. The manufacturer server 90 notifies the SNS server 50 of the SNS login URL (step S308).

[0121] When the SNS server 50 receives notification of the SNS login URL, it sends a login screen to the customer terminal 40 (step S309). When the customer terminal 40 receives the login screen, it displays the login screen on the operation display unit 41 (step S310). When the customer terminal 40 has entered the login data required for login (user ID and password), it sends the login data to the SNS server 50 (step S311).

[0122] If the customer's login is successful, the SNS server 50 sends a notification to the customer terminal 40 indicating whether or not to authorize the provision of the customer's manufacturer member ID (step S312). If the customer terminal 40 approves the authorization, it sends an authorization notification to the SNS server 50 (step S313). If the SNS server 50 receives the authorization notification from the customer terminal 40, it sends an access permission code with the manufacturer company ID and linked ID as parameters so that the manufacturer server 90 can receive the user data (step S314).

[0123] If the manufacturer server 90 receives an access permission code, it sends a user data request to the SNS server 50 using the access permission code (step S315). If the SNS server 50 receives the user data request, it sends the user data (manufacturer member ID) to the manufacturer server 90 (step S316). If the manufacturer server 90 receives the user data, it sends the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID to the management server 20 (step S317).

[0124] When the management server 20 receives the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID, it searches for linked ID data 24b using the linked ID, links the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and retail member ID based on the linked ID (step S318), and updates the linked ID data 24b. The management server 20 notifies the manufacturer server 90 that the application has been completed (step S319). When the manufacturer server 90 receives the notification of application completion, it sends an application completion screen to the customer terminal 40 (step S320), the customer terminal 40 displays the application completion screen (step S321), and the series of processes ends.

[0125] The processing procedure for POS data transmission in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2 is the same as the processing procedure for POS data transmission in the information processing system according to Embodiment 1, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0126] As described above, in this embodiment 2, the SNS server 50 notifies the customer of the LP, and if the customer applies to the CP based on the LP, the management server 20 obtains customer terminal identification information and retail member ID from the AP server 30, generates a linked ID, and sends it to the AP server 30. The AP server 30 then sends a request to the manufacturer server 90 to generate an SNS login URL, attaching the customer terminal identification information and linked ID. Subsequently, the manufacturer server 90 obtains the manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID from the SNS server 50 and sends the obtained manufacturer company ID, manufacturer member ID, and linked ID to the management server 20. The management server 20 can then link the retail member ID and the manufacturer member ID based on the linked ID. Furthermore, the management server 20 is configured to acquire ID-POS data including the retail member ID from the POS terminal 80 when a customer purchases a product using their retail member ID, and to transmit POS data with the manufacturer member ID (where the retail member ID is replaced with the manufacturer member ID) to the manufacturer server 60. This allows manufacturers to efficiently track which customers are receiving their products.

[0127] Furthermore, an access permission code is required to obtain user data from the SNS server 50. If this access permission code is made public, it could be possible to obtain the target manufacturer's user data without authorization, which could pose a problem from the perspective of information leakage. Therefore, if a manufacturer does not want to disclose this access permission code to a third party, they will request that they generate the login URL and obtain the user data themselves. The mechanism of this embodiment 2 can fulfill this request.

[0128] In the above embodiment 2, the case in which the manufacturer server 90 individually obtains linked ID data and user data (manufacturer member ID) from the SNS server 50 was described. However, the manufacturer server 90 may also obtain the linked ID and user data (manufacturer member ID) as a set from the SNS server 50.

[0129] <Relationship with Hardware> The correspondence between the management server 20 of the information processing system according to this embodiment 1 and the main hardware configuration of the computer will be explained. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration.

[0130] Generally, a computer has a configuration in which a CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, and non-volatile memory 104 are connected by a bus 105. A hard disk drive may be provided instead of the non-volatile memory 104. For the sake of explanation, only the basic hardware configuration is shown in Figure 21.

[0131] The ROM 102 or non-volatile memory 104 stores programs necessary for starting the operating system (hereinafter simply referred to as "OS"), and the CPU 101 reads and executes the OS program from the ROM 102 or non-volatile memory 104 when the power is turned on.

[0132] On the other hand, various application programs executed on the OS are stored in non-volatile memory 104, and the CPU 101 executes the application programs using RAM 103 as main memory, thereby executing the processes corresponding to the applications.

[0133] The information processing program for the management server 20 of the information processing system according to this embodiment 1 is stored in non-volatile memory 104 or the like, just like other application programs, and the CPU 101 loads and executes the management program. In the case of the management server 20 of the information processing system according to this embodiment 1, the linked ID program, which includes routines corresponding to the retail member ID acquisition unit 25a, linked ID generation unit 25b, linked ID registration unit 25c, SNS login URL generation unit 25d, manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e, linked ID verification unit 25f, linked ID update unit 25g, ID-POS data acquisition unit 25h, ID replacement unit 25i, and manufacturer member ID-attached POS data transmission unit 25j shown in Figure 4, is stored in non-volatile memory 104 or the like. When the CPU 101 loads and executes the information processing program, information processing processes corresponding to the retail member ID acquisition unit 25a, linked ID generation unit 25b, linked ID registration unit 25c, SNS login URL generation unit 25d, manufacturer member ID acquisition unit 25e, linked ID verification unit 25f, linked ID update unit 25g, ID-POS data acquisition unit 25h, ID replacement unit 25i, and manufacturer member ID-attached POS data transmission unit 25j are generated.

[0134] In the embodiments 1 and 2 described above, the case where the customer has a manufacturer member ID was explained. However, if the customer does not have a manufacturer member ID, after the customer logs in to the SNS server 50, the SNS server 50 may send a screen for the procedure to obtain a new manufacturer member ID, and the customer may register for a new manufacturer member ID.

[0135] Furthermore, while embodiments 1 and 2 described above explain the case in which customers apply to the campaign through notification distribution from the SNS server 50, it is also possible to display a two-dimensional barcode created based on the URL of the landing page in the store, and customers can scan the two-dimensional barcode to access the landing page and apply. Alternatively, retailers and manufacturers may distribute the URL in email newsletters or other media operated by their company to encourage applications.

[0136] While embodiments 1 and 2 described above illustrate the linking of retail member IDs for supermarkets and other retailers with manufacturer member IDs, the disclosure is not limited to these examples. For instance, it can be applied to various other cases, such as linking member IDs for restaurants with manufacturer member IDs for manufacturers that supply prepared meals to restaurants, linking member IDs for automobile dealers with manufacturer member IDs for automobile manufacturers, or linking member IDs for medical institutions with manufacturer member IDs for manufacturers that supply medical-related products to medical institutions.

[0137] The configurations illustrated in each of the above embodiments are functional schematics and do not necessarily have to be physically represented as shown. In other words, the distributed and integrated forms of each device are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads and usage conditions.

Claims

1. An information processing system having a management device for managing a link between first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer and second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the management device comprises: a first acquisition unit that acquires the first identification information from a customer terminal owned by the customer; an issuing unit that issues linked identification information for linking the first identification information and the second identification information; a storage unit that stores first combined data including the first identification information and the linked identification information; a second acquisition unit that notifies a predetermined external device of the linked identification information and acquires the second identification information and the linked identification information from the external device; and an update processing unit that performs an update process to update the first combined data stored in the storage unit to second combined data including the first identification information and the second identification information based on the linked identification information acquired by the second acquisition unit.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first identification information is identification information issued by a seller who sells the goods, and the second identification information is identification information issued by a manufacturer who manufactures the goods.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the update processing unit identifies a first combined data having the linked identification information from among one or more combined data stored in the storage unit, and updates the identified first combined data to a second combined data including the first combined data and the second identification information, and stores it in the storage unit.

4. The information processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that the management device comprises a third acquisition unit for acquiring the first identification information and POS data of products purchased by the customer, and a notification means for identifying the second identification information from one or more of the second combined data stored in the storage unit based on the first identification information acquired by the third acquisition unit, and notifying the manufacturer's server device of the identified second identification information and the POS data.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first acquisition unit displays application information on the input screen of the customer terminal in which the customer applies for the granting of a predetermined benefit, and the customer inputs the first identification information on the input screen and makes an application for the granting of the benefit in accordance with the application information, thereby acquiring the first identification information.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the external device is an SNS server of a business operator providing social networking services.

7. The information processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that the external device is a manufacturer's server device operated by the manufacturer.

8. An information processing method in an information processing system having a management device that manages a link between a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer and a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, the method comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring the first identification information from a customer terminal owned by the customer; an issuance step of issuing linked identification information for linking the first identification information and the second identification information; a storage step of storing first combined data including the first identification information and the linked identification information in a predetermined storage unit; a second acquisition step of notifying a predetermined external device of the linked identification information and acquiring the second identification information and the linked identification information from the external device; and an update processing step of performing an update process to update the first combined data stored in the storage unit to second combined data including the first identification information and the second identification information based on the linked identification information acquired in the second acquisition step.

9. An information processing program executed by a management device that manages a link between a first identification information that uniquely identifies a customer and a second identification information that uniquely identifies the customer, wherein the management device causes a computer to execute the following steps: a first acquisition step of acquiring the first identification information from a customer terminal owned by the customer; an issuance step of issuing linked identification information for linking the first identification information and the second identification information; a storage step of storing first combined data including the first identification information and the linked identification information in a predetermined storage unit; a second acquisition step of notifying a predetermined external device of the linked identification information and acquiring the second identification information and the linked identification information from the external device; and an update step of performing an update process to update the first combined data stored in the storage unit to second combined data including the first identification information and the second identification information based on the linked identification information acquired by the second acquisition step.

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