JP6929826B2 - Transaction support equipment, transaction support methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

One aspect of the present invention relates to a transaction support device, a transaction support method, and a program that support a transaction for buying and selling a product.

In stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, when consumers try to purchase products, they may select the purchase target from the product group displayed on the product shelves. When a product has a deadline such as a best-by date, many consumers want to select a product with a long remaining period until the expiration date if the price is the same, and products with a short remaining period tend to remain unsold. be.

By the way, the loss caused by the disposal of unsold expired products, so-called "disposal loss", has become a problem. Disposal loss is not only a direct loss of profits, but also a loss of valuable resources, an increase in financial and work burdens associated with disposal and additional purchases, and environmental destruction. It's causing problems. Dealers want to start selling products that are nearing the deadline in order to reduce waste loss, which is contrary to the consumer's desires / behaviors mentioned above.

Therefore, depending on the store, discounts on products may be offered in order to encourage the purchase of products that are nearing the deadline. For example, in order to promote sales of products with an expiration date, there is known a method of discounting a countdown over time using a product display code that is used consistently from manufacturing to consumption (see Patent Document 1). ).

JP-A-2018-14072

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the countdown guideline is displayed using a single product display code from manufacturing to consumption, the consumer can only know the actual discount information at the time of payment.

In order to encourage consumers to purchase products that are nearing the deadline, when consumers select products from the shelves, they can see in real time the benefits of selecting products with a short remaining period. It is desirable to do.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to promote the purchase of a product having a short remaining period in a sales transaction of a product for which expiration date information such as a best-by date is set. To provide support, transaction support equipment, transaction support methods and programs.

In order to solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention is in a transaction support device that supports a product sales transaction, in which a product information acquisition unit that acquires product information associated with the product in advance and a product Calculates the remaining period related to the transaction of the product based on the deadline information acquisition unit that acquires the deadline information related to the transaction of the product, the current time information representing the current time, and the deadline information that are associated in advance. Based on the remaining period calculation unit, the product information, and the remaining period, the purchase encouragement point information is determined according to the product information and the remaining period according to the preset grant conditions. It is provided with a unit and a presentation information output unit that generates and outputs presentation information for presenting the determined purchase incentive point information to the user before the settlement process of the product.

In the second aspect of the present invention, in the transaction support device according to the first aspect, the purchase incentive point information determination unit is set as the purchase incentive point information according to the product information and the remaining period. The point award rate is determined.

In the third aspect of the present invention, in the transaction support device according to the first aspect, the product information acquisition unit acquires the product information including the product identification information and the selling price, and the purchase encouragement point information determination unit obtains the product information. , As the purchase incentive point information, the number of points to be granted is determined based on the point grant rate set according to the product identification information and the remaining period, and the selling price included in the acquired product information. It was made like this.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the transaction support device according to the first aspect, wherein the presentation information output unit transmits the presentation information to a display device installed at the sales floor of the product or a mobile terminal possessed by the user. It is intended to be transmitted and displayed.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the selling price and purchase incentive points of each product settled in a unit transaction at the time of settlement processing of the above products or after the settlement processing in the transaction support device according to the first to fourth aspects. It is further provided with a point adjustment unit that adjusts the number of purchase incentive points granted or the grant rate in a unit transaction according to a preset standard based on the settlement information including the information.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the number of the adjusted purchase incentive points granted or the number of the adjusted purchase incentive points granted in order to add the adjusted purchase incentive points to the user's point account in the transaction support device according to the fifth aspect. It is further provided with a point grant request information transmission unit that generates point grant request information including the grant rate and transmits it to the point management device that manages the point account.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is a program for a terminal used in a system that supports a transaction for buying and selling a product, wherein the step of acquiring the product information associated with the product in advance and the step associated with the product in advance. According to the step of acquiring the deadline information regarding the transaction of the product, the remaining period calculated based on the current time information indicating the current time and the above deadline information, and the grant condition set in advance based on the above product information. The step of outputting the presentation information for presenting the generated purchase incentive point information to the user before the settlement process of the product is executed by the processor of the terminal.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the product information and the expiration date information associated with the product in advance are acquired, and the transaction of the product is related based on the current time information representing the current time and the above-mentioned deadline information. The remaining period is calculated, the product information and the purchase incentive point information according to the remaining period are determined according to the preset grant conditions, and output to be presented to the user (for example, the consumer) before the settlement process of the product. NS.

Since the remaining period is calculated based on the current time information, the purchase incentive point information according to the remaining period is also determined as real-time information. Therefore, the consumer who wants to purchase the product can check the purchase incentive point information determined in real time before the settlement process, and considers the balance between the remaining period and the point information from the product display shelf. You can choose the product that suits your needs. As a result, it is possible to give consumers an incentive to give points according to the remaining period and encourage them to purchase products with a short remaining period.

By selectively purchasing products with a short remaining period, consumers can obtain the satisfaction of being able to contribute to the reduction of waste loss, in addition to the economic merit of earning points. Stores can actively promote the reduction of waste loss by encouraging the purchase of products with a short remaining period by utilizing the purchase incentive points. In addition, by giving points instead of simply discounting, it is expected to have the effect of attracting customers to use the same store or related stores in the next and subsequent transactions.

Furthermore, since the conditions for granting purchase incentive points depend on the remaining period, the manager of the transaction support device should set appropriate conditions to encourage the purchase of products without granting excessive points. Can be done. In addition, since the conditions for granting purchase incentive points are based on product information, the manager of the transaction support device can determine the nature of the product (type of fresh food, processed food, pharmaceutical or medical device, etc., strict deadline management, etc.) Appropriate conditions can be set according to sales, the number of stocks, etc.) and the nature of the store (form, scale, location, storage equipment, etc.).

According to the second aspect of the present invention, as the purchase incentive point information, the point award rate according to the product information and the remaining period is determined and presented to the user before the settlement process. As a result, the purchase of the product near the deadline is explicitly encouraged by the point award rate, and the user can select the product by confirming the point award rate according to the remaining period in real time before the settlement process. Since the setting of the point award rate does not depend on the selling price of the product, it is not necessary to modify it each time the selling price is changed or the price is reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, as the purchase incentive point information, the number of points to be given is determined based on the point giving rate according to the product identification information and the remaining period, and the selling price, and before the settlement process. Presented to the user. As a result, the purchase of products that are nearing the deadline is explicitly encouraged by the number of points awarded, and the user can confirm the specific number of points awarded according to the remaining period in real time and select the product before the settlement process. Can be done.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the presentation information generated and output by the presentation information output unit is transmitted and displayed to a display device installed in the sales floor of the product or a mobile terminal owned by the user. As a result, the user can confirm the purchase incentive point information according to the remaining period without leaving the sales floor of the product, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the number or grant of purchase incentive points in a unit transaction is based on the settlement information including the selling price and the purchase incentive point information in the unit transaction at the time of the settlement process of the product or after the settlement process. The rate is adjusted appropriately according to preset criteria. As a result, even if the product subject to purchase incentive points is accompanied by price changes due to discounts or benefits such as point services other than purchase incentive points, by adjusting the final points granted according to the standard, laws and regulations are required for each unit transaction. And can provide appropriate services in compliance with industry rules. For example, even if there is a revision of the tax rate or taxation system such as consumption tax, liquor tax, tobacco tax, etc., and the Unfair Gifts and Unfair Labeling Prevention Law (hereinafter referred to as the "Premium Labeling Law"), complicated work is required. It can be dealt with by making modifications to the set criteria without needing to.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, point grant request information is generated and transmitted to the point account management device in order to add the adjusted purchase incentive points to the point account of the target user. As a result, appropriately adjusted purchase incentive points can be provided to the user through the points account, and the user can obtain the consideration for purchasing the product near the deadline as points.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the remaining period and the above-mentioned product information are determined based on the acquired product information and the expiration date information by the terminal used in the system for supporting the sale and purchase of the product. The purchase encouragement point information of the based product can be presented to the user before the settlement process. As a result, consumers who intend to purchase products can check purchase incentive point information based on the remaining period determined in real time on the terminal before the settlement process, and products that meet their needs from the product display shelf. You can choose. In addition, by giving an incentive to give points according to the remaining period, it is possible to encourage consumers to purchase products with a short remaining period.

That is, according to each aspect of the present invention, a transaction support device, a transaction support method, which supports a transaction so as to encourage the purchase of a product having a short remaining period in a transaction for sale of a product for which expiration date information such as an expiration date is set. And programs can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a transaction support system including a transaction support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a server device as a transaction support device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining purchase incentive point information by the server device shown in FIG. 2 and an example of the processing content. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for adjusting purchase incentive point information by the server device shown in FIG. 2 and an example of the processing content. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a price tag sticker including a barcode. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of a price tag sticker that does not include a barcode. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a point award rate table for designating the award rate of purchase incentive points. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a selling price table. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of presentation to a user on a tablet terminal. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the purchase incentive point adjustment process. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of presentation to a user on a POS terminal.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[One Embodiment]
(composition)
(1) Overall Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a transaction support system 100 including a transaction support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The transaction support system 100 is provided in, for example, a store such as a supermarket or a convenience store that sells a product, and is a product or service for which a deadline information regarding the transaction of the product, particularly the transaction, is set (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "product"). It plays a role in supporting sales transactions including (say.). The deadline information related to a transaction refers to all deadline information that may be related to a transaction, and includes not only deadline information for stores such as sales deadlines but also information for consumers, such as expiration dates.

The transaction support system 100 includes, for example, a server device 1 connected to each other via a wireless or wired LAN (Local Area Network), a reader RD and a display terminal DT installed in a sales floor DS in a store, and a settlement area CS. It is equipped with a POS (Point of Sale) terminal PT provided in. However, not all of these are essential components of the transaction support system 100, and some elements may be omitted, replaced, or combined.

In one embodiment, the server device 1 has the function of a transaction support device. The server device 1 is, for example, a store server provided in each store, but may be a center server that centrally manages a plurality of store servers, a cloud server managed by a point management company, or the like.

The sales floor DS includes a product group IM displayed on a product shelf or the like in the store, and includes a reader RD and a display terminal DT.

The product group IM may include a wide variety of products. In FIG. 1, for convenience, a packaged beef product to which a price tag sticker PL is attached is illustrated. On the price tag sticker PL, for example, a bar code for product identification including various product information as well as a product name and an expiration date is printed.

A JAN (Japan Article Number) code is known as a product identification barcode associated with a product. The JAN code enables the settlement process to be performed by a simple operation of reading the code with a code reader, a scanner, or the like in the POS system. The JAN code is printed directly on the packaging and containers of the product by the manufacturer at the manufacturing stage (source marking), and is also printed on the product in the form of a sticker as a store-specific code (in-store code) that includes sales price and deadline information. It may be affixed (in-store marking).

The reader RD reads product information associated with a product, such as a code reader that reads a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code including a JAN code, an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) reader, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) tag reader, a camera, and a scanner. It may include any possible terminal. The reader RD can also transmit the read information to the server device 1 by wireless communication.

The display terminal DT includes, for example, an electronic price tag, an electronic shelf tag, a liquid crystal monitor, a handy terminal, a tablet terminal, etc., which are installed on a wall surface, a product shelf, a passage, or the like in a sales floor. Then, the information is received from the server device 1 by wireless communication, and the information is presented to the user. Here, the "user" includes not only a consumer (or a customer) who wants to purchase a product, but also a store staff, a system administrator, and the like.

The reader RD and the display terminal DT do not have to be separate terminals, and may be integrated into a handy terminal, a tablet terminal, or the like having both a reader function and a display function. Furthermore, the reader RD and the display terminal DT may be mobile terminals such as smartphones owned by the user himself / herself.

Hereinafter, the display terminal DT will be described as being a terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone having both a reader function and a display function. The display terminal DT includes a processor and a memory, and further includes an input display device such as a touch panel. The display terminal DT also has a function of acquiring product information, a function of acquiring expiration date information, and the acquired product information and expiration date information to the server device 1 as processing functions necessary for implementing this embodiment. It has a function of transmitting, a function of receiving various information from the server device 1, and a function of generating presentation information for presenting various information to the user and outputting it to an input display device or the like. These functions are realized by causing the processor to execute the application program stored in the memory.

(2) Functional Configuration of Server Device FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of server device 1 as a transaction support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The server device 1 acquires the product identification information (product ID) associated with the product in advance and the expiration date information set for the product, and obtains the remaining period until the expiration date (hereinafter, also referred to as "remaining period"). The purchase incentive point information is determined according to the above, adjusted as necessary, and output.

Here, the points generally refer to points (points) given to a customer under certain conditions with respect to the purchase price of a product or service. The customer can use the points granted for a part of the price at the next transaction or exchange them for goods or giveaways. Granting points has the advantage of attracting and retaining customers not only for customers but also for stores, and for point service providers, it has the advantage that purchase history can be used for marketing.

In this embodiment, purchase incentive points are newly defined as one of the above points. Purchase incentive points refer to points given to customers according to the remaining period until the expiration date, for example, in order to encourage the purchase of products near the expiration date, and purchase incentive point information is the purchase incentive points. Includes grant rate or number of grants. The purchase incentive points may be points on the service managed and operated for each store, or may be common points used among a plurality of partner companies.

The server device 1 as the transaction support device according to the embodiment includes an input / output interface unit 10, a control unit 20, and a storage unit 30.

The input / output interface unit 10 includes, for example, one or more wired or wireless communication interface units, and enables information to be transmitted / received to / from an external device. As the wired interface, for example, a wired LAN is used, and as the wireless interface, for example, an interface adopting a low power wireless data communication standard such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) is used.

For example, the input / output interface unit 10 receives the product information and the expiration date information of the product IM read via the reader RD or the display terminal DT under the control of the control unit 20, and performs a process of passing the product information and the expiration date information to the control unit 20. Further, the input / output interface unit 10 outputs the purchase incentive point information output from the control unit 20 to the display terminal DT or the like in order to present the user, and the information for requesting the point grant is transmitted via a communication network such as the Internet. It is possible to perform a process of transmitting to a point management device or the like.

The storage unit 30 uses, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that can be written and read at any time as a storage medium, and in order to realize this embodiment. In addition to the program storage unit, the product information storage unit 31, the point granting condition storage section 32, and the maximum granting reference storage section 33 are provided as the storage areas required for the above.

The product information storage unit 31 is used to store various information associated with each product. For example, the product information storage unit 31 can store the product information and the expiration date information acquired via the input / output interface unit 10. The product information storage unit 31 can also store a selling price table that stores the selling price associated with the product ID.

The point granting condition storage unit 32 is used to store preset conditions for granting purchase incentive points. For example, the point award condition storage unit 32 can store a point award rate table that stores a point award rate associated with a product ID and a remaining period.

The maximum grant standard storage unit 33 is used to store a standard regarding the maximum points that can be granted for each unit transaction. For example, the maximum grant standard storage unit 33 can store the maximum point grant rate that can be finally granted to the total price for each unit transaction as the upper limit threshold value in order to comply with the law. The upper threshold can be set, for example, as a value of 20% or less of the total value of the unit transaction.

The storage units 31 to 33 are not indispensable. The server device 1 may request the center server at any time to acquire the information necessary for determining or adjusting the purchase incentive point information from the center server. Alternatively, the storage units 31 to 33 do not have to be built in the server device 1, and are provided in, for example, an external storage medium such as a USB memory or a storage device such as a database server arranged in the cloud. It may be a new one. Furthermore, the information stored in the storage units 31 to 33 can be configured so that it can be modified or updated at any time by the administrator of the server device 1 or the like.

The control unit 20 has a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) (not shown) and a memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The processing functions required to implement this embodiment include a product information acquisition unit 21, a deadline information acquisition unit 22, a remaining period calculation unit 23, a scheduled point determination unit 24, a presentation information control unit 25, and points. It includes an adjustment unit 26, a point giving information generation unit 27, and an output control unit 28. All of these processing functions are realized by causing the processor to execute the program stored in the storage unit 30. The control unit 20 may also be implemented in a variety of other forms, including integrated circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays).

The product information acquisition unit 21 acquires product information associated with each product in advance via the input / output interface unit 10 and stores the product information in the product information storage unit 31. The product information is received by the server device 1, for example, when the reader RD, the scanner of the POS terminal PT, or the display terminal DT reads the JAN code attached to the product and transmits the read information by wireless communication. ..

The deadline information acquisition unit 22 acquires the deadline information related to the transaction of the product associated with each product in advance via the input / output interface unit 10, and also performs a process of storing the deadline information in the product information storage unit 31. The deadline information is received by the server device 1 by, for example, the scanner of the reader RD or the POS terminal PT or the display terminal DT acquires the character information from the characters printed on the product by the OCR function and transmits it by wireless communication. Will be done.

The remaining period calculation unit 23 performs a process of calculating the remaining period related to the transaction of the product in real time based on the deadline information acquired by the deadline information acquisition unit 22 and the current time information representing the current time. .. The "current time" here is "March 30, 2019", "March 30, 2019 10:00", "March 30, 2019 10:10", "March 30, 2019". It may be in units of days, hours, minutes, or seconds, such as "10:10:05".

The scheduled point determination unit 24 acquires the remaining period calculated by the remaining period calculation unit 23 and the product ID of the target product, and stores the remaining period and the product ID as keys in the point granting condition storage unit 32. The corresponding condition is extracted from the point award rate table, and the purchase incentive point information (point award rate, etc.) to be presented is determined.

The presentation information control unit 25 receives the purchase incentive point information determined by the scheduled point determination unit 24, generates presentation information to be presented to the user before the settlement process, and outputs the presentation information.

The point adjustment unit 26 reads out a preset standard stored in the maximum grant standard storage unit 33, determines whether or not the points given in each transaction meet the standard, and purchase incentive points as necessary. Performs the process of adjusting.

The point giving information generation unit 27 generates point giving information including the final number of points given, which is adjusted by the point adjusting unit 26 or confirmed to meet the criteria by the point adjusting unit 26, and is an output control unit. The process of passing to 28 is performed. The point award information is information to be presented to a customer or a clerk on the display of the POS terminal PT, information to be output as a paper receipt from a printer connected to the POS terminal PT, or a mobile terminal owned by the customer. It can include information and the like to be transmitted as an electronic receipt. The point granting information can further include request information for requesting the management server that manages the point account to add the determined final points to the point account of the target user.

The output control unit 28 performs a process of outputting the point grant information generated by the point grant information generation unit 27 to the external device. For example, the output control unit 28 outputs the point-giving information to the display (not shown) provided in the server device 1 via the input / output interface unit 10 for presentation to the user, and outputs the point-giving information to the display terminal DT or the display terminal DT. It can be transmitted to the POS terminal PT or to the mobile terminal owned by the customer. The output control unit 28 can also transmit request information requesting the addition of the determined final points to the point account of the target user to the point management server via the input / output interface unit 10.

(motion)
Next, the operation by the server device 1 configured as described above will be described.

(1) Presentation of Purchase Encouragement Point Information at the Sales Floor FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure and processing contents for determining purchase incentive point information by the server device 1.

The server device 1 monitors the presence or absence of reception of various types of information under the control of the control unit 20. In this state, for example, when the user operates the reader RD or the display terminal DT to read various information from the product and the read information is sent from the reader RD or the display terminal DT to the server device 1, the server device 1 receives the read information. Detecting that information has been received via the input / output interface unit 10, the following processing is started.

That is, first, in step S101, the server device 1 receives product information including the product ID among the information received from the reader RD or the display terminal DT via the input / output interface unit 10 under the control of the product information acquisition unit 21. Is taken in and stored in the product information storage unit 31. The product information storage unit 31 can store, for example, linking other product information to the product ID.

The product information may be obtained, for example, by reading the barcode printed on the product itself or the sticker attached to the product with the reader RD or the display terminal DT, or from the RFID tag attached to the product. It may be obtained well or from other electronic media such as wireless tags associated with the goods. Further, the product information may be acquired as character information using an OCR function of a handy terminal, a mobile terminal, or the like, may be acquired as image information using a camera function, or an input device such as an input key or a touch panel. It may be information input by a user or the like through. The product information includes at least the product ID. The product ID may be uniquely set for each product, or may be collectively set for a group of products of the same type having the same manufacturing date or processing date.

Similarly, in step S102, the server device 1 takes in the deadline information among the information received from the reader RD via the input / output interface unit 10 under the control of the deadline information acquisition unit 22, and the remaining period calculation unit 23. Pass to. Step S102 may be performed before step S101, or may be performed at the same time as step S101.

The expiration date information may be obtained, for example, by reading the barcode printed on the product itself or the sticker attached to the product with a reader RD, may be obtained from the RFID tag attached to the product, or the product. It may be obtained from other electronic media such as a wireless tag associated with. Further, the deadline information may be acquired as character information using an OCR function of a handy terminal, a mobile terminal, or the like, may be acquired as image information using a camera function, or an input device such as an input key or a touch panel. It may be information input by a user or the like through. Alternatively, the deadline information acquisition unit 22 associates the product master (not shown) stored in the storage unit 30 in advance with the product ID based on the product ID included in the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 21. The deadline information may be read out. The expiration date information can include any expiration date information related to the transaction, such as the expiration date, the expiration date, the expiration date, the expiration date, the sales expiration date, and the quality guarantee expiration date.

FIG. 5A shows a price tag sticker PL1 with a barcode as an example of the price tag sticker PL attached to each product. A barcode created as an in-store code is printed on the price tag sticker PL1 so as to include selling price information in addition to the product ID (the barcode configuration and numerical information shown in FIG. 5A are merely examples. It has no special intention). The price tag sticker PL1 is also printed with textual information indicating the product name, the store name, the processing date, the expiration date, and the selling price. In this case, the server device 1 can acquire the product ID and the selling price from the received information by reading and transmitting the in-store code as the reader RD by a handy terminal having a code reader function, a mobile terminal, or the like. On the other hand, since the code of FIG. 5A does not include the expiration date information, a handy terminal or a mobile terminal having an OCR function reads and transmits the expiration date information "expiration date 18.09.02" as text information as a reader RD. The server device 1 can acquire the deadline information from the received information.

FIG. 5B shows a price tag sticker PL2 that does not include a barcode as another example of the price tag sticker PL attached to each product. Since the price tag sticker PL2 does not include a barcode, a handy terminal or mobile terminal having an OCR function can read and transmit the product information "Western confectionery" and the expiration date information "expiration date 18.09.01" as text information as a reader RD. , The server device 1 can acquire the product information and the expiration date information from the received information. Alternatively, as described above, the user may input information via the input device of the reader RD or the display terminal DT. Although the expiration date and the expiration date are not distinguished in this embodiment, they may be treated separately, for example, by setting different point award rate curves. The same applies to other expiration dates such as expiration date, expiration date, sales expiration date, and quality guarantee expiration date.

Next, in step S103, the server device 1 calculates the remaining period until the deadline based on the acquired deadline information and the current time information representing the current time under the control of the remaining period calculation unit 23. Pass it to the scheduled point determination unit 24. The current time information may be read from the system clock of the server device 1, or may be accessed via a network to a center server or an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server to acquire more accurate time data. The current time information may be in units of year, month, day, morning or afternoon, or may include hours, minutes, and seconds. Similarly, the calculated remaining period may be any unit such as hourly unit, daily unit, weekly unit, monthly unit, and year unit. Hereinafter, the remaining period will be described as being calculated on a daily basis.

Next, in step S104, the server device 1 uses the acquired product ID and the calculated remaining period as keys under the control of the scheduled point determination unit 24 to store the point grant rate table stored in the point grant condition storage unit 32. Extract the corresponding point award rate from. However, the calculation is not limited to extraction from the point award rate table, and may be calculated by substituting the remaining period as a variable into a preset relational expression. The scheduled point determination unit 24 may directly receive the acquired product ID from the product information acquisition unit 21, or may read it from the product information storage unit 31 together with other information.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an grant rate table that stores the grant rate of purchase incentive points according to the product ID and the remaining period, which is stored in the point grant condition storage unit 32. In FIG. 6, the product name and the point award rate for each of the remaining 4 days to 1 day are associated with the product ID. Therefore, the scheduled point determination unit 24 can extract the corresponding point grant rate from the grant rate table by acquiring the product ID and the number of remaining days as the remaining period. For example, in the case of "remaining days 1" for the product ID "00xx00" (beef XX), the point award rate is extracted as 10%. In FIG. 6, the grant rate is set to increase as the number of remaining days decreases, but the present invention is not limited to this. The point award rate for the remaining period may be set based on any criterion that indicates a linear or non-linear change.

Next, in step S105, the server device 1 acquires a preset selling price from the selling price table stored in the product information storage unit 31 under the control of the scheduled point determination unit 24, using the product ID as a key. ..

FIG. 7 shows an example of a selling price table that stores a preset selling price for each product stored in the product information storage unit 31. In FIG. 7, the product name and the selling price are associated with the product ID. Therefore, the scheduled point determination unit 24 can extract the corresponding selling price from the selling price table by acquiring the product ID. For example, for the product ID "00xx00" (beef XX), the selling price is extracted as 2,000 yen.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as described above, the selling price may be acquired as a part of the product information as bar code information or character information via the reader RD or the display terminal DT. Alternatively, the selling price may be input by the user via an input device such as a keyboard.

Next, in step S106, the server device 1 calculates the planned number of points to be granted by multiplying the point grant rate extracted in step S104 by the selling price extracted in step S105 under the control of the scheduled point determination unit 24. do. When the point award rate is 10% and the selling price is 2,000 yen, the planned purchase incentive points are calculated as 2,000 yen x 0.1 = 200P (points).

In step S107, the server device 1 generates and outputs the presentation information in order to present the purchase encouragement point information to the user under the control of the presentation information control unit 25. For example, the presented information includes product ID, product type or name, selling price, current time, deadline information (deadline date and its type), remaining period, purchase incentive point information (extracted point grant rate or planned points). The number of grants) can be included. In addition, in the presented information, the purchased incentive points to be presented are calculated based only on the selling price and the remaining period, and depending on the conditions of the final transaction unit such as discounts and combined use of other point services. It is also possible to include a wording that calls attention to the fact that it can be adjusted.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the presentation information displayed on the display unit of the display terminal DT installed in the sales floor DS. In addition to the product name, current date information, and expiration date information, the planned purchase incentive points are shown as "200P present!". In addition, in order to note that purchase incentive points can be adjusted at the time of final settlement processing, the phrase "However, 20% including other points is the maximum number of points granted." Is also written.

In addition, instead of the point award rate table, the point award condition storage unit 32 may store a point award number table for storing a point award number that does not depend on the selling price. In this case, steps S104 to S105 may be omitted, and the scheduled point determination unit 24 may directly extract the number of points awarded from the point granting number table using the product ID and the remaining period as keys in step S106.

Alternatively, the display terminal DT identifies the product information and the expiration date information based on the information read from the product via the input display device or input by the user or the like, and the identified product information and the expiration date information are transmitted to the server device 1. It may be configured to transmit. In this case, for example, the display terminal DT extracts text information from an image taken by using the camera function by the OCR function, and uses the extracted text information as a server device using a communication standard such as wireless LAN or Bluetooth. Can be sent to 1. At this time, the user may add information for distinguishing the product information or the deadline information to each of the extracted text information via the input display device. Next, the display terminal DT receives from the server device 1 the presentation information including the purchase incentive point information determined according to the remaining period calculated based on the deadline information and the current time information and the product information. .. The display terminal DT generates information to be presented to the user based on the received presentation information, and outputs the information to the touch panel display or the like. The audio output function of the display terminal DT may be used for presentation to the user.

As described above, when selecting a product in the sales floor DS, the user does not go to the settlement area CS, but uses the reader RD and the display terminal DT (or his / her own mobile terminal) installed in the sales floor DS until the deadline. You can check the purchase incentive points given based on the remaining period.

(2) Adjustment of purchase incentive points Even if the sales transaction includes only a single product, the transaction includes conditions that were not considered when presenting the planned points at the sales floor DS during the settlement process. Sometimes. For example, such conditions may include discounts from the selling price, coupons and cash vouchers presented by the user for the first time during the settlement process, and other benefits given together with purchase incentive points. Here, if the points given are common points that can be used for transactions other than the issuing company, the points may be subject to regulations under the prize labeling law as being applicable to prizes. In such cases, the points awarded must meet certain criteria for the total price per unit transaction. However, as described above, the purchase incentive points determined by the scheduled point determination unit 24 may not meet the standards stipulated by laws and industry rules at the time of final settlement processing. This is even more likely if the transaction involves multiple commodities.

Therefore, in order to comply with laws and industry rules, the server device 1 adjusts the purchase incentive points to be finally granted at the time of the settlement process related to the purchase of the product or after that.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure and processing contents of purchase incentive point adjustment by the server device 1. Of the steps shown in FIG. 4, steps S201 to S206 are the same as steps S101 to S106 shown in FIG. 3, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The user brings the product to be purchased selected at the sales floor DS to the settlement area CS equipped with the POS terminal PT for settlement processing, and the store staff or the consumer himself / herself brings the scanner, code reader, etc. provided in the POS terminal PT. It is assumed that various information is read from the above-mentioned product by using. Then, the read product information is transmitted from the POS terminal PT to the server device 1. The server device 1 detects that the above information has been received via the input / output interface unit 10 and starts the following processing.

That is, in step S201, the server device 1 first takes in the product information including the product ID among the information received from the POS terminal PT via the input / output interface unit 10 under the control of the product information acquisition unit 21. It is stored in the product information storage unit 31. The product information storage unit 31 can store, for example, linking other product information to the product ID.

In step S202, the server device 1 takes in the deadline information from the information received from the POS terminal PT via the input / output interface unit 10 under the control of the deadline information acquisition unit 22, and passes it to the remaining period calculation unit 23. .. As described with respect to FIG. 3, step S202 may be performed before step S201 or at the same time as step S201. Alternatively, based on the product ID included in the product information acquired by the product information acquisition unit 21, the expiration date information associated with the product ID may be read from the product master stored in the storage unit 30 in advance.

Next, in step S203, the server device 1 calculates the remaining period until the deadline based on the acquired deadline information and the current time information representing the current time under the control of the remaining period calculation unit 23. Pass it to the scheduled point determination unit 24. Here, the remaining period will be described as being calculated on a daily basis, but it may be calculated on an arbitrary unit.

Next, in step S204, the server device 1 uses the acquired product ID and the calculated remaining period as keys under the control of the scheduled point determination unit 24 to store the point grant rate table stored in the point grant condition storage unit 32. Extract the corresponding point award rate from. However, the calculation is not limited to extraction from the point award rate table, and may be calculated by substituting the remaining period as a variable into a preset relational expression. The scheduled point determination unit 24 may directly receive the acquired product ID from the product information acquisition unit 21, or may read it from the product information storage unit 31 together with other information.

Next, in step S205, the server device 1 acquires a preset selling price from the selling price table stored in the product information storage unit 31 under the control of the scheduled point determination unit 24, using the product ID as a key. .. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as described above, the selling price may be acquired as a part of the product information as bar code information or character information via the reader RD. Alternatively, the selling price may be input by the user via an input device such as a keyboard.

Next, in step S206, the server device 1 calculates the planned number of points to be granted by multiplying the point grant rate extracted in step S204 by the selling price extracted in step S205 under the control of the scheduled point determination unit 24. do. When the point award rate is 10% and the selling price is 2,000 yen, the planned purchase incentive points are calculated as 2,000 yen x 0.1 = 200P (points).

Alternatively, if the purchase incentive points to be granted have already been calculated via the reader RD or the like installed in the sales floor DS, the calculated points are linked to the product ID and stored in the product information storage unit 31 for a certain period of time. The information may be read from the product information storage unit 31 using the product ID as a key (for example, to be maintained for several hours or to be erased when the date is changed).

When a plurality of products are included in the transaction, the server device 1 repeatedly executes the processes according to steps S201 to S206 for each product subject to the purchase incentive points. The product information and the expiration date information may be sequentially transmitted from the POS terminal PT to the server device 1 each time they are read by the POS terminal PT, or they may be temporarily stored in the POS terminal PT and collectively after the settlement process. It may be transmitted from the terminal PT to the server device 1.

Next, in step S207, the server device 1 adds up various information in transaction units under the control of the point adjustment unit 26. For example, the point adjustment unit 26 calculates the final total price of the transaction in consideration of discounts, coupons, etc., adds up the purchase incentive points to be granted for each product, and further benefits other than the purchase incentive points. To add up. What kind of benefits should be taken into consideration can be set in advance, and information on the benefits is acquired as needed via the POS terminal.

Next, in step S208, the server device 1 determines whether or not the total number of points granted in the unit transaction satisfies the criteria according to the criteria stored in advance in the maximum grant reference storage unit 33 under the control of the point adjusting unit 26. Is determined. As an example, a standard can be set so that the total number of points to be awarded is 20% or less with respect to the total price of unit transactions, and it can be determined whether or not this standard is satisfied. If it is determined in step S208 that the criteria are satisfied, the process proceeds to step S210 for output processing. If it is determined in step S208 that the criteria are not met, the process proceeds to step S209 in order to adjust the purchase incentive points to be granted.

In step S209, the server device 1 adjusts the purchase incentive points under the control of the point adjusting unit 26 so that the above criteria are satisfied on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a calculation processing image used for point adjustment. In this example, the transaction includes regular points and bonus points as benefits other than purchase incentive points. Normal points are points given at a fixed rate (here, 1% of the total price) for the purchase of products at the store, and bonus points are, for example, depending on a specific period, day of the week, weather, etc. (Here, 50P uniformly). Further, in this example, the purchase incentive point grant rate of 19% is acquired in step S204, the product price of 2,000 yen is acquired in step S205, and the planned number of points granted is 380P (= 2,000 yen × 0) in step S206. It is calculated as .19), and it is assumed that the transaction includes only the relevant product.

Here, since the total price of the unit transaction is 2,000 yen, the number of points granted is as follows.
Normal points = 2,000 yen x 0.01 = 20P
Bonus points = 50P
Purchase encouragement points = 380P

According to the standard stored in the maximum grant standard storage unit 33, the maximum point given to the total value of transactions is 20% or less, and in this example, the upper limit is 2,000 yen x 0.2 = 400P. It becomes. Since the total of normal points, bonus points and purchase incentive points is 20 + 50 + 380 = 450P, it exceeds the upper limit of 400P by 50P. Therefore, by subtracting 50P of purchase incentive points to 330P, the total number of points per unit transaction can be matched with the standard. Since the final number of points awarded has been adjusted to meet the criteria, the adjustment operation proceeds to step S210.

Next, in step S210, the server device 1 determines the final number of points to be granted, which is adjusted to meet the criteria by the point adjusting section 26 or determined to meet the criteria under the control of the point granting information generation unit 27. The point-giving information including the points is generated, and the point-giving information is output to the external device under the control of the output control unit 28.

For example, the point granting information can be transmitted to the POS terminal PT and presented to the customer and the clerk on the display of the POS terminal PT. The point-giving information can also include information for being output as a paper receipt from a printer associated with the POS terminal PT, or information for being transmitted as an electronic receipt to a mobile terminal owned by a customer. Further, the point award information determines the final number of points to be given to the point management server that manages the point account based on the point account information of the target user acquired via the POS terminal PT at the time of settlement processing. It can include request information for requesting to be added to the point account of the target user. When the purchase incentive points are points issued and managed for each store, the point management server may be provided as a part of the server device 1.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a display presented to a user (customer or clerk) on the display of the POS terminal PT. Along with the product name "Beef XX", the breakdown of the final number of points awarded (normal points 20P, bonus points 50P, purchase incentive points 330P) is displayed. Note that the above adjustment process is only an example, and the award rate may be adjusted instead of the number of points awarded, and the adjusted award rate may be output.

(effect)
As described in detail above, in one embodiment of the present invention, the server device 1 acquires the product information and the expiration date information associated with the product in advance, and the remaining period is determined in real time based on the expiration date information and the current time. Based on the calculated remaining period and the above-mentioned product information, the purchase incentive point information according to the remaining period is determined and output for presentation to the user before the settlement process of the product. As a result, when the user selects a product from the product group IM in the sales floor DS, the reader RD and the display terminal DT (or his / her own mobile terminal, etc.) installed in the sales floor DS do not go to the settlement area CS. Can be used to confirm various information about the product as well as purchase incentive point information given based on the remaining period until the deadline. Consumers who want to purchase a product will check the purchase incentive point information and select a more attractive product that suits their lifestyle.

That is, when the consumer finds the purchase incentive points attractive, it is expected that the product with the shorter remaining period is selected from the product group IM on the product shelf. If more consumers choose products with a short remaining period, only products that are nearing the deadline will remain on the product shelves, greatly reducing the problem of increasing waste loss. In this way, when selecting products from the product shelves, by making it possible to check purchase incentive points according to the remaining period until the deadline, products with a shorter remaining period can be actively promoted, and consumers can remain. It can give an incentive to choose a product with a short period.

By selectively purchasing products with a short remaining period, consumers can use the points granted according to the remaining period as part of the price in subsequent transactions, or exchange them for products or giveaways. Not only can you get economic benefits, but you can also get the satisfaction of being able to contribute environmentally and socially by reducing the disposal of expired products. Stores can reduce the disposal of expired products, reduce the direct loss of sales profit, and also reduce the loss caused by wasteful purchasing and disposal.

Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the server device 1 is finally assigned so as to satisfy a preset standard for each unit transaction based on the settlement information in the unit transaction at the time of the settlement process of the product or after the settlement process. I try to adjust the purchase incentive points.

In this way, even if it is found that a wide variety of benefits or giveaways are included in the transaction during the settlement process of the product, it is determined whether or not the criteria set in advance for each transaction are met, and necessary adjustments are made. The final number of points to be awarded is determined after the above. As a result, it is possible to appropriately give consumers an incentive to purchase products that are about to expire in compliance with laws and industry rules. Even if the laws and rules are changed, or if the applicable point service is no longer subject to regulation, the criteria used for adjustment can be changed, and there is no need to modify the product information associated with each product.

Furthermore, by setting an appropriate standard in advance, it is not necessary for the store or the point issuer to give an excessively large number of points, and unnecessary loss can be suppressed.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the example of issuing points based on the remaining period has been described, but it is also possible to give other benefits such as coupons based on the remaining period.

In addition, an example of installing a display terminal DT as a means of presenting purchase incentive point information to the user has been described. Any presentation means can be included, such as projection on a wall or wall, printing on paper such as receipts, and output of synthetic speech.

Similarly, although various information is acquired through the POS terminal installed in the settlement area CS and the information is presented to the user, the above embodiment may be applied to an unmanned payment system without a POS terminal. It is possible. In this case, the server device 1 executes the process according to the above embodiment by accessing, for example, a store server or the like that performs payment processing (from settlement processing to payment of payment) and acquiring various information from the store server. can do.

In addition, the selling price and expiration date information of the product may be acquired by extracting from the product master using the product ID as a key, or coded as an in-store code in advance and reading the code information associated with each product. May be obtained by. The code is not limited to the JAN code, and any code such as another one-dimensional code or two-dimensional code can be used.

In addition, products having deadline information are not limited to food products. It can include a wide variety of products with expiration dates, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices such as contact lenses, cosmetics, and daily necessities. Further, the present invention can be applied to services having expiration dates such as event tickets, usage tickets for various facilities, and coupon tickets. That is, the present invention is applicable to all goods and services for which some time limit for transactions is set.

Further, a sticker or the like clearly indicating that the product is a target product for which purchase incentive points are given may be attached to the product. In addition, some information on the grant rate table (for example, "10% points will be given if the purchase date is 3 days before the deadline" and 15% points will be given if the purchase date is 1 day before the deadline) will be attached to the product or product shelf. You may.

The purchase incentive points may not depend on the product ID. For example, it is possible to set common grant conditions among products that meet certain criteria. For example, a uniform grant rate table may be provided for meat products or fresh foods.

In the above embodiment, the server device 1 has been described as acting as a transaction support device by itself, but the present invention is not limited to this. The transaction support device may be, for example, a tablet terminal having a reader function and a display function, a POS terminal PT, or a mobile information terminal owned by a user.

As an example, each function unit 21 to 28 included in the transaction support device may be realized as an extension function of a dedicated application program pre-installed on a tablet terminal or a mobile information terminal. As a result, the tablet terminal or the mobile information terminal can independently determine the planned number of points to be awarded and present it to the user without accessing the store server or the like. At that time, a reader RD may be separately provided in the sales floor DS to read the information via the reader RD, or the information associated with the product (product ID, selling price, etc.) may be read by using the camera shooting function of the tablet terminal or the like. (Deadline information, etc.) may be acquired.

Alternatively, the functional units 21 to 28 included in the server device 1 described above are distributed and arranged in a tablet terminal, a handy terminal, a server device 1, a cloud computer, etc., and these devices cooperate with each other to provide the above transaction support. You may do it. As a result, the processing load of each device can be reduced, and the battery consumption of the portable terminal can be suppressed.

In addition, the information acquisition method and the like can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by an appropriate combination of the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments. In addition, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

1 ... Server device, 10 ... Input / output interface unit, 20 ... Control unit, 21 ... Product information acquisition unit, 22 ... Deadline information acquisition unit, 23 ... Remaining period calculation unit, 24 ... Scheduled point determination unit, 25 ... Presentation information control Unit, 26 ... Point adjustment unit, 27 ... Point grant information generation section, 28 ... Output control section, 30 ... Storage unit, 31 ... Product information storage section, 32 ... Point grant condition storage section, 33 ... Maximum grant reference storage section, 100 ... Transaction support system.

Claims (7)

A transaction support device that supports transaction sales of products, in which deadline information and product information related to transactions set for each product are readablely associated with each product.
The product information acquisition department that acquires the product information read from the product,
A deadline information acquisition unit that acquires the deadline information read from the product, and
A remaining period calculation unit that calculates the remaining period related to the transaction of the product based on the current time information representing the current time and the deadline information.
A purchase incentive point information determination unit that determines purchase incentive point information according to the product information and the remaining period of the product according to the granting conditions based on the product information and the remaining period.
A presentation information output unit that generates and outputs presentation information for presenting the determined purchase encouragement point information to the user before the settlement process of the product .
The number or rate of purchase incentive points granted in the unit transaction is determined in advance based on the selling price of each product settled in the unit transaction and the settlement information including the purchase incentive point information at the time of the settlement process or after the settlement process. A transaction support device including a point adjustment unit that adjusts according to a set standard. The transaction support device according to claim 1, wherein the purchase incentive point information determination unit determines a point award rate set according to the product information and the remaining period as the purchase incentive point information. The product information acquisition unit acquires product information including product identification information and selling price, and obtains product information.
The purchase incentive point information determination unit is based on the point award rate set according to the product identification information and the remaining period and the selling price included in the acquired product information as the purchase incentive point information. To determine the number of points awarded,
The transaction support device according to claim 1. The transaction support device according to claim 1, wherein the presentation information output unit transmits and displays the presentation information to a display device installed in the sales floor of the product or a mobile terminal owned by the user. Point management that manages the point account by generating point grant request information including the number or rate of grant of the adjusted purchase encouragement points for adding the adjusted purchase encouragement points to the user's point account. and transmits to the device further includes a point giving request information transmitting unit, transaction support apparatus according to claim 1. It is a transaction support method executed by a transaction support device that supports a transaction to buy or sell a product, in which the deadline information and the product information related to the transaction set for each product are readablely associated with each product.
The process of acquiring the product information read from the product and
The process of acquiring the deadline information read from the product and
The process of calculating the remaining period related to the transaction of the product based on the current time information representing the current time and the deadline information, and
The process of determining the purchase incentive point information according to the product information and the remaining period of the product according to the grant conditions based on the product information and the remaining period, and
The process of generating and outputting the presented information for presenting the determined purchase incentive point information to the user before the settlement process of the product , and
The number or rate of purchase incentive points granted in the unit transaction is determined in advance based on the selling price of each product settled in the unit transaction and the settlement information including the purchase incentive point information at the time of the settlement process or after the settlement process. The process of adjusting according to the set criteria and
A transaction support method that includes. A program that causes a processor to execute processing by each part of the transaction support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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