JP7676136B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

In recent years, chatbot technology has become known that provides answers to questions entered by users. One example of such technology is one that, when a question about how to use a product is received, a video showing how to use the product is provided along with the answer to the question.

JP 2019-139508 A

However, the above conventional techniques leave room for improving the usability of chatbots.

For example, the above-mentioned conventional technology only provides answers and video images based on the content of the question entered by the user, so it is difficult to say that it can provide content that is appropriate for the user's situation. For this reason, there is room for improvement in the usability of chatbots in the above-mentioned conventional technology.

This application was made in consideration of the above, and aims to improve the usability of chatbots.

The information processing device according to the present application has a selection unit that selects content to be provided from among content related to the same transaction subject but with different contents in accordance with the access mode of the user, and a provision unit that provides the content selected by the selection unit to the user.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, the usability of the chatbot can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example (1) of information processing according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of screen control when a plurality of product contents are provided. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example (2) of information processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection target storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of content to be provided. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an information processing procedure according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a question candidate made up of a video and options. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration.

The present specification and accompanying drawings make clear at least the following:

An information processing device characterized by having a selection unit that selects content to be provided from among different contents related to the same transaction subject in accordance with the access mode of the user, and a provision unit that provides the content selected by the selection unit to the user.

According to such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected from among different contents related to the same transaction subject according to the user's access mode, and the selected content is provided to the user, so that content suitable for the user's access mode can be provided according to the mode in which the user accessed the information processing device. As a result, the information processing device can realize a chatbot with high usability.

The information processing device also selects the content to be provided from among the content related to the same transaction object, which, if the question received from the user is the same regardless of the difference in the access mode, displays the transaction object corresponding to the question as an answer, and whose content differs for each access mode.

According to such an information processing device, if the question received from the user is the same, the transaction object corresponding to the question is displayed as the answer regardless of the access mode, and the content to be provided is selected from the content whose content differs depending on the access mode, so that the content with the most suitable content according to the access response can be provided as the answer to the question.

The information processing device also selects the content to be provided according to the access mode when the terminal device used by the user accesses the information processing device.

With such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected according to the access mode when the terminal device used by the user accesses the information processing device, so that appropriate content can be provided according to the intended use of the terminal device.

The information processing device also selects the content to be provided according to location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device as the access mode.

With such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected according to location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device, so that the type of terminal device used by the user can be accurately determined, and as a result, appropriate content can be provided according to the intended use of the determined terminal device.

The information processing device selects the content to be provided according to the access mode, such as the type of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of operation system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device at the time of access.

According to such an information processing device, the content to be provided is selected according to the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device at the time of access, so that the type of terminal device used by the user can be accurately determined, and as a result, appropriate content can be provided according to the intended use of the determined terminal device.

The information processing device also determines, based on the access mode, whether the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the physical store, a store terminal installed in the physical store for use by visitors at the store, or a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store, and selects, from among the contents whose contents differ for each accessing terminal device, the content according to the determination result as the content to be provided.

According to such an information processing device, it is determined whether the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the physical store, a storefront terminal installed in the physical store for use by visitors at the storefront, or a clerk terminal used by a user who works as a clerk at the physical store, and content according to the determination result is selected as the content to be provided from among the content that differs depending on the terminal device from which the information processing device is accessed, making it possible to provide content with appropriate content depending on whether the terminal device being used by the user is a user terminal, a storefront terminal, or a clerk terminal.

In addition, when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, the information processing device selects, as the content to be provided, content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for the user who may become a visitor to the physical store, whereas when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the in-store terminal, the information processing device selects, as the content to be provided, content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for the user who has become a visitor by visiting the physical store.

According to such an information processing device, when it is determined that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a user terminal, content corresponding to the estimated context of the user who may become a visitor to the physical store is selected as the content to be provided, whereas when it is determined that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a storefront terminal, content corresponding to the estimated context of the user who has become a visitor by visiting the physical store is selected as the content to be provided. This makes it possible to provide content appropriate to each situation, such as whether the content is available for viewing in a personal device environment or whether the content is being viewed in a public device environment.

In addition, when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, it selects content that displays predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided, whereas when the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the in-store terminal, it selects content that does not display the predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided.

According to such an information processing device, when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a user terminal, content that displays predetermined information for customers is selected as the content to be provided, whereas when it is determined that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a storefront terminal, content that does not display predetermined information for customers is selected as the content to be provided. This makes it possible to provide personal information in a private environment and not provide personal information in a public environment, thereby improving the convenience of the chatbot.

When the information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is the user terminal, the information processing device selects, as the content to be provided, content having a memo function that allows any one of the transaction objects displayed as a response to the question received from the user to be added to a memorandum list.

When such an information processing device determines that the terminal device that has accessed the device is a user terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content that has a memo function that allows any of the transaction objects displayed as answers to the question received from the user to be added to a memo list. Therefore, when the user finds a product that they would like to purchase during a conversation with the chatbot, they can make a note of the product without forgetting. As a result, the information processing device can further improve the usability of the chatbot.

The information processing device further includes an output control unit that controls the user terminal to output information about the transaction object added to the memo list when it is detected that one of the users who has added a transaction object to the memo list using the memo function has visited a physical store.

According to such an information processing device, when a user who has used the memo function to add any transaction object to a memo list is detected as having visited a physical store, the device controls the user terminal to output information about the transaction object added to the memo list, thereby effectively preventing the user from forgetting to buy something.

In addition, when the transaction object added to the memo list by the memo function is a product used in combination with a specified item, and the specified item has not been added to the memo list, the information processing device further outputs proposal information proposing the specified item.

With such an information processing device, a user can know what other products they need to purchase in order to properly use the product they are currently purchasing.

In addition, when a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memorandum list using the memo function visits the physical store, the information processing device notifies a store clerk terminal used by the user who works as a store clerk at the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object.

According to such an information processing device, when a user who has used the memo function to add a transaction object to a memorandum list visits a physical store, the device notifies the store clerk terminal used by the user who acts as a store clerk in the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object, so that the store clerk can understand the customer's purpose and then approach the customer, thereby effectively increasing the opportunities for customer service.

In addition, when the information processing device determines, based on the access mode, that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device is a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store, the information processing device selects, as the content to be provided, a content that displays identification information that identifies the object of transaction and is displayed as a response to a question received from the user.

When such an information processing device determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk in a physical store, it selects as the content to be provided a content that displays identification information that identifies the object of transaction displayed as a response to a question received from the user, so that the store clerk can obtain an appropriate response to the customer's question. In this way, the information processing device 100 can effectively support the sales activities of store clerks.

In addition, the identification information is information that is uniquely linked to the inventory status or purchasing status of the transaction object at the physical store.

With this type of information processing device, the store clerk can directly listen to the customer's requests while searching for products together with the customer, and then provide customer service so that the customer can smoothly purchase the found products.

The information processing device also provides dialogue content in which questions about the transaction subject received from the user and answers to those questions are displayed in a dialogue format.

Such an information processing device provides interactive content in which questions about the object of transaction received from a user and answers to those questions are displayed in an interactive format, thereby improving the convenience of chatbots in product searches.
The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state.

This type of information processing device provides dialogue content that displays question candidates in a selectable state, guiding the user to input the most appropriate question.

The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which a question candidate is displayed that is a combination of a video showing the usage status of the transaction object and a predetermined set of options.

Such an information processing device provides dialogue content that displays question candidates that are a combination of video images showing the usage status of the transaction object and a predetermined set of options, allowing the user to concretely imagine the appearance and usage status of the product listed as a question candidate, and thus find a product that suits them through dialogue with the chatbot.

The moving image showing the usage status of the transaction object is a moving image with superimposed text showing the content of the question, or a moving image in which the content of the question is expressed as movement.

With this type of information processing device, users can concretely imagine the appearance and usage of products listed as question candidates, enabling them to find products that suit them through dialogue with the chatbot.

The information processing device also provides the dialogue content in which the entire page constituting the dialogue content and an area included in the page in which a trading object corresponding to a question received from the user is displayed as an answer can be scrolled in different directions.

Such an information processing device provides dialogue content in which the entire page constituting the dialogue content and an area included in the page in which trading objects corresponding to questions received from a user are displayed as answers can be scrolled in different directions, so that when multiple products are provided as answers, the user can easily compare the products.

The information processing device also provides the interactive content in which the entire page is controlled to be scrollable in the long dimension of the screen, and the area is controlled to be scrollable in the short dimension of the screen.

Such an information processing device provides dialogue content in which the entire page is controlled to be scrollable in the long dimension of the screen, and the area is controlled to be scrollable in the short dimension of the screen, so that when multiple products are provided as answers, the user can easily compare the products.

[Embodiment]
An example of a form for implementing an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program (hereinafter, referred to as an "embodiment") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, the information processing method, and the information processing program are not limited to this embodiment. Also, the same components in the following embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

1. Overview of information processing according to an embodiment
First, an overview of information processing according to the embodiment will be described. The information processing according to the embodiment is performed by an information processing device 100 shown in FIG.

According to the example of FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment includes a user terminal 10, a point-of-sale terminal 30, and an information processing device 100. The user terminal 10, the point-of-sale terminal 30, and the information processing device 100 are connected to each other via a network N (FIG. 4) so as to be able to communicate with each other via a wired or wireless connection. Note that the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 may include multiple user terminals 10, multiple point-of-sale terminals 30, and multiple information processing devices 100.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment may further include a store clerk terminal 50. For example, the information processing system 1 may include multiple store clerk terminals 50.

The user terminal 10 is an information processing terminal used by a user (end user) in a consumer position. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc. The user terminal 10 is also an example of a terminal device.

For example, when the user terminal 10 reads destination information such as a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in response to a user's operation, the user terminal 10 accesses the information processing device 100 via the destination corresponding to the destination information. In addition, the user terminal 10 displays a screen provided by the information processing device 100 in response to the access.

The in-store terminal 30 is an information processing terminal that is installed in front of a specific store and used by customers (end users) who visit the specific store. The in-store terminal 30 may also be used by a staff member of the specific store to serve customers who visit the specific store. Like the user terminal 10, the in-store terminal 30 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA, etc. In this embodiment, the in-store terminal 30 is installed in a store SH1 that is a chain that is deployed in various locations. The in-store terminal 30 is also an example of a terminal device.

The clerk terminal 50 is an information processing terminal used by a user in the position of a clerk in store SH1, which is a physical store. The clerk terminal 50 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a mobile phone, a PDA, etc. Similarly, the clerk terminal 50 is also an example of a terminal device.

The salesperson terminal 50 is used, for example, for sales activities (e.g., sales talks) to customers who visit the store SH1. For example, the salesperson may use the salesperson terminal 50 to demonstrate how to use the in-store terminal 30 to customers who are not familiar with it, or may use the salesperson terminal 50 as a communication support tool when approached by a visitor.

In addition, since the sales staff are not necessarily specialists in the products sold at store SH1, it may be difficult for them to respond appropriately to questions from customers (for example, questions about the usability or appropriate size of the products sold). In such cases, the sales staff can use the sales staff terminal 50 to obtain appropriate answers to customer questions.

The information processing device 100 provides a specific screen to a user in response to access from the user. The information processing device 100 also receives questions about products from the user in an interactive format within this specific screen, and outputs answers to the received questions in an interactive format. For this reason, the information processing device 100 can be considered as a so-called chatbot.

The information processing device 100 according to the embodiment is realized by a server device, a cloud system, or the like. In the present embodiment, the information processing device 100 is a server device.

In addition, the information processing device 100 selects product content to be provided from among product content related to the same product (an example of a trading object) but with different contents, depending on the user's access mode to the device (i.e., a specified screen). The information processing device 100 then provides the selected product content to the user within the specified screen as an answer to the user's question. In the following embodiment, the specified screen is referred to as a "Q&A screen SC."

That is, the information processing device 100 receives a question about a product, and provides an interactive content (Q&A screen SC) in which the received question and the answer to the question are displayed in an interactive format. The information processing device 100 also selects product content to be provided from among product content that can be an answer to a question and whose content differs depending on the access mode. For example, the information processing device 100 selects the content to be provided depending on the access mode when the terminal device used by the user (either the user terminal 10, the in-store terminal 30, or the store clerk terminal 50) accesses the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 then provides the selected product content to be provided within the interactive content as an answer to the question.

In addition, in this embodiment, the user terminal 10 and the in-store terminal 30 display the Q&A screen SC via a web browser. This allows the user to interact with the information processing device 100 (chatbot) and receive various contents during the interaction without needing a dedicated application. On the other hand, the Q&A screen SC may be a screen that can be displayed by installing a dedicated application on the user terminal 10 and the in-store terminal 30.

In addition, in this embodiment, the clerk terminal 50 displays the Q&A screen SC via a web browser. This allows the user acting as a clerk to enter questions from visitors in an interactive format with the information processing device 100 (chatbot) and receive answers, thereby enabling smooth communication between the user and the visitor. Of course, the Q&A screen SC may be a screen that can be displayed by installing a dedicated application on the clerk terminal 50.

The Q&A screen SC also accepts questions about products in a specific field in an interactive format, and outputs answers to the questions about products in the specific field. In the following embodiment, the products in the specific field are "pet products", but the Q&A screen SC can accommodate products in various fields. For example, products in the specific field are not limited to pet products, but may also be health care products, feminine products, and baby products.

The Q&A screen SC is configured to provide candidates for questions about products in a specified field in a selection and dialogue format, and accepts questions from users by having the user select one of them. On the other hand, the Q&A screen SC may also be configured to accept questions by direct input rather than in a selection format.

[2. Access Mode]
In this embodiment, the access mode is information (information indicating the access mode) indicating what kind of destination information (e.g., URL) was used to access the information processing device 100. That is, in this embodiment, the information indicating the access mode is the URL itself. In addition, in this example, the information indicating the access mode can be rephrased as location information indicating the location of the destination via which the terminal device accessed the information processing device 100.

Here, it is assumed that there are multiple types of URLs (URLs according to the embodiment), which are information indicating the access mode, as shown below. The URLs according to the embodiment include "URL1", "URL2", and "URL3". URL1, URL2, and URL3 are all different destination information.

URL1 is, for example, dedicated destination information delivered to the user terminal 10 of a user who is a member of the above-mentioned store SH1, and can be rephrased as a customer URL. On the other hand, URL2 is destination information that is posted in QR code (registered trademark) format on a storefront pop attached to a display shelf where a specific product is displayed in store SH1, or on a banner or the like installed in store SH1. URL3 is destination information that indicates the destination of the Q&A screen SC. In other words, URL3 is location information that indicates the location of the information processing device 100.

On the other hand, the information indicating the access mode does not necessarily have to be a URL. For example, the information indicating the access mode may be information indicating what device (e.g., information processing terminal) was used to access (terminal information), information indicating what operating system (OS) was used to access (OS information), information indicating what browser was used to access (browser information), information indicating what content was passed through (browsing history or operation history), information indicating what location was used to access (location information), information indicating what content was discussed on the Q&A screen SC (chat history), etc.

As will be described in detail below, the information processing device 100 provides, as answers to the user's questions, within the Q&A screen SC, product content whose contents differ depending on whether the user accesses the information processing device 100 via URL 1 or URL 2.

In more detail, when the information processing device 100 determines, based on information indicating the access mode, that a user who may be a visitor to store SH1 has accessed the store using his/her own user terminal 10 (e.g., from home), it provides different product content on the Q&A screen SC when it determines that the user has actually visited store SH1 and accessed the store using the in-store terminal 30. An example of information processing in this regard will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

Furthermore, when the information processing device 100 determines, based on the information indicating the access mode, that a store clerk at store SH1 has accessed using the store clerk terminal 50, it provides product content on the Q&A screen SC that is different from the content when the information processing device 100 is accessed from the user terminal 10 or the in-store terminal 30. An example of information processing in this regard will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3. Example of information processing according to the embodiment (1)
Next, an example of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example (1) of information processing according to the embodiment. Fig. 1 shows examples of information processing in each situation, such as a case where a user U1 uses his/her user terminal 10 to access the information processing device 100 via URL1 (information processing pattern a), and a case where a user U1 uses a storefront terminal 30 to access the information processing device 100 via URL2 (information processing pattern b).

First, we will explain information processing pattern a. In the case of information processing pattern a, user U1 is located at home H1. In addition, in information processing pattern a, user U1 is a member of store SH1 and has received URL1 in advance via push notification.

In this state, it is assumed that user U1 operates user terminal 10 and selects URL1. In this case, user terminal 10 reads URL1 and accesses information processing device 100 via URL1 (step S11a). Specifically, user terminal 10 reads URL1 and accesses the destination indicated by URL1, and finally accesses information processing device 100 in response to redirection by this destination.

In response to an access from the user terminal 10, the information processing device 100 acquires information indicating the access mode that led to this access (step S12). In this example, the information processing device 100 acquires information identifying the redirect source, such as from where the user terminal 10 was redirected, that is, URL1, as information indicating the access mode.

In addition, the information processing device 100 determines the type of terminal device that has accessed based on the information (URL1) indicating the access mode. For example, the information processing device 100 determines based on the information (URL1) indicating the access mode whether the accessing terminal device is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor to store SH1 (i.e., in-store terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk at store SH1 (i.e., clerk terminal 50).

The information processing device 100 may further acquire OS information, browser information, location information, and history information, and combine the acquired information to determine the type of the terminal device that has accessed the device. The information processing device 100 may also be able to determine the type of the terminal device from a terminal ID (identifier) associated with the terminal device that has accessed the device.

In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 100 will ultimately determine that the terminal device that has accessed is the user terminal 10, based on the information indicating the access mode.

Then, the information processing device 100 provides the Q&A screen SC to the user U1 by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the user terminal 10 (step S13a).

On the Q&A screen SC, candidate questions about products (pet products) are displayed in a multiple choice and dialogue format. For example, the Q&A screen SC displays the phrase "What kind of product are you looking for in doggie excretion care products?" followed by four candidate questions, such as "Toilet pet sheets" (question Q1), "Doggie diapers" (question Q2), "Manners care when going out" (question Q3), and "Goods for when I'm away" (question Q4).

In addition, to allow users to get closer to the question they want to ask, the candidate questions may be arranged in a hierarchical structure, allowing users to narrow down the list in stages.

In addition, in this state, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not a question about a product (pet supplies) has been received on the Q&A screen SC (step S14). For example, assume that user U1 selects question Q1 (Do you have any recommendations for pet sheets for the toilet?) from the four possible questions. In this case, the user terminal 10 transmits information indicating question Q1 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 determines that question Q1 has been received from user U1.

Next, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process to determine a product corresponding to the selected question Q1 from among the candidate products to be offered (step S15). For example, the information processing device 100 can determine a product by referring to the product information storage unit 121, which associates question information indicating a question with product information indicating a product to be offered in response to the question. In this example, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 has determined one product, "product PD11," as the product corresponding to question Q1. Product PD11 is the product to be traded.

Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection process to select the product content to be provided from among product content with different contents related to the same product (product to be traded) based on the access mode (step S16). In the present example in which "product PD11" has been determined as the product corresponding to question Q1, the information processing device 100 selects from among the candidates what kind of product content to provide as the product content related to product PD11, in accordance with the information indicating the access mode being "URL1".

In more detail, upon determining that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., user terminal 10) used by a customer user, the information processing device 100 can select product content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for user U1 as the product content to be provided. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that user U1 is in a situation where he or she can view content in a personal device environment. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the information processing device 100 can select product content that includes customer information, which is personal information of user U1, as the product content to be provided.

For example, in a specified storage unit, when the information indicating the access mode is "URL1", it is specified that "promotional information specialized for individual users" is to be included in the product content to be provided. On the other hand, when the information indicating the access mode is "URL2", it is specified that "promotional information specialized for individual users" is not to be included in the product content to be provided.

In this case, the information processing device 100 selects, from among product content with different contents, such as product content that includes "promotional information specialized for individual users" and product content that does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users," the former content as the product content to be provided. Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content related to product PD11 that includes "promotional information specialized for individual users."

Next, the information processing device 100 generates product content related to the product PD11, including "promotional information tailored to the individual user," and provides the product content to the user U1 by displaying the product content as an answer on the Q&A screen SC (step S17a). In this example, the information processing device 100 generates product content C11 as such product content.

Now, with reference to FIG. 1(a), an example of a Q&A screen SC when product content C11 is displayed will be described. First, a character CH, which is a character corresponding to a chatbot, is displayed on the Q&A screen SC. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1(a), candidate questions and answers to questions are displayed as if the character CH were speaking to the user.

The Q&A screen SC is displayed so that it can be scrolled up and down in accordance with the top and bottom of the display screen of the information processing terminal (user terminal 10, in-store terminal 30), and includes an area AR1 in which product content related to the product to be traded (the product determined in step S14) is displayed. While the Q&A screen SC can be scrolled up and down, the area AR1 is displayed so that it can be scrolled left and right in accordance with the left and right of the display screen to make it easy to compare multiple products.

Furthermore, when there are multiple products to be traded in this way, area AR1 is divided into areas AR11, AR12, ... and AR1x, as many as the number of products to be traded, so that the products to be traded are displayed individually. Details of this configuration will be explained in FIG. 2, but in the example of FIG. 1(a), since the product to be traded is the single product PD11, area AR1 is not divided and only area AR11 corresponding to product PD11 is included. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 1(a), product content C11 is displayed in area AR11.

Area AR11 also includes area AR11-1, in which a product image of the product to be traded is displayed, area AR11-2, in which detailed information (e.g., specifications, etc.) of the product to be traded is displayed, and area AR11-3, in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode. In the example of FIG. 1(a), area AR11-1 displays a product image of product PD11, and area AR11-2 displays detailed information about product PD11. Also, in the example of FIG. 1(a), of the product contents with different contents, product content including "promotional information specialized for the individual user" is selected, and as a result, "promotional information specialized for the individual user" is displayed in area AR11-3.

In the example of FIG. 1(a), the "sales promotion information tailored to individual users" includes guidance information that guides the user to apply for a service that allows the user to receive a cashback in points if the user purchases product PD11, and guidance information that guides the user to an EC site that corresponds to store SH1 and where product PD11 can be purchased.

To summarize the explanation in FIG. 1(a), areas AR1 and AR1x are areas where product content is displayed, and are areas that are generated in the Q&A screen SC only when a user asks a question about a product. Furthermore, the content of the product content, specifically the content displayed in area AR11-3, differs depending on the information indicating the access mode. To make this point clearer, information processing pattern b will be explained below in the same manner, using FIG. 1.

Information processing pattern b is similar to information processing pattern a in overall information processing, except that the content of the product content differs from that in information processing pattern a. Therefore, explanations common to information processing pattern a will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

In the case of information processing pattern b, user U1 visits store SH1 and operates the in-store terminal 30 at store SH1. For example, user U1 causes the in-store terminal 30 to read URL2, which is posted in QR code format on an in-store pop attached to a display shelf where a specific product is displayed in store SH1. In this case, the in-store terminal 30 reads URL2 and accesses the information processing device 100 via URL2 (step S11b). Specifically, the in-store terminal 30 reads URL2 and accesses the destination indicated by URL2, and finally accesses the information processing device 100 in response to a redirection by this destination.

In response to an access from the in-store terminal 30, the information processing device 100 acquires information indicating the access mode that led to this access (step S12). In this example, the information processing device 100 acquires information identifying the redirect source, such as from where the in-store terminal 30 was redirected, that is, URL2, as information indicating the access mode.

In addition, the information processing device 100 determines the type of terminal device that has accessed based on the information (URL2) indicating the access mode. For example, based on the information (URL2) indicating the access mode, the information processing device 100 determines whether the accessing terminal device is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor to store SH1 (i.e., in-store terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk at store SH1 (i.e., clerk terminal 50).

In the example of FIG. 1, the information processing device 100 will ultimately determine that the accessing terminal device is the in-store terminal 30 based on the information indicating the access mode.

Then, the information processing device 100 provides the Q&A screen SC to the in-store terminal 30 (step S13b).

In addition, in this state, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not a question about the product (pet supplies) has been received on the Q&A screen SC (step S14). For example, assume that user U1 selects question Q1 (Do you have any recommendations for pet sheets for the toilet?), as in the example of information processing pattern a. In this case, the in-store terminal 30 transmits information indicating question Q1 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 determines that question Q1 has been received from user U1.

Next, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process to determine a product corresponding to the selected question Q1 from among the candidate products to be offered (step S15). As in the example of information processing pattern a, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 determines one product, "product PD11," as the product corresponding to question Q1.

Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection process to select the product content to be provided from among the product content related to the same product (the product to be traded) but with different content, based on the access mode (step S16). Depending on the fact that the information indicating the access mode is "URL2", the information processing device 100 selects from among the candidates the product content related to the product PD11 and the type of product content to be provided.

In more detail, the information processing device 100, upon determining that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., user terminal 10) used by a visitor to store SH1, can select product content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for user U1 as the product content to be provided. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that user U1 is in a situation where he or she is viewing content in a public device environment. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the information processing device 100 can select product content that does not include customer information, which is personal information of user U1, as the product content to be provided.

In this example, the information processing device 100 selects, from among product content with different contents, such as product content that includes "promotional information specialized for individual users" and product content that does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users," the latter content as the product content to be provided. Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, product content related to product PD11 that does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users."

Next, the information processing device 100 generates product content related to the product PD11, which does not include "promotional information specific to the individual user," and provides the product content to the user U1 by displaying the product content as an answer on the Q&A screen SC (step S17b). In this example, the information processing device 100 generates product content C12 as such product content.

Now, with reference to FIG. 1(b), an example of the Q&A screen SC when the product content C12 is displayed will be described. In the example of FIG. 1(a), the product content C11 includes "promotional information specialized for the individual user." Specifically, the "promotional information specialized for the individual user" is displayed in area AR11-3, which is included in area AR11 corresponding to the product content C11, so that the product content C11 includes "promotional information specialized for the individual user."

On the other hand, in FIG. 1(b), since the information indicating the access mode is URL2, product content C12 does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users." In such a case, as shown in FIG. 1(b), area AR11-3 included in area AR11 corresponding to product content C12 does not display "promotional information specialized for individual users," but displays information other than "promotional information specialized for individual users." For example, as shown in FIG. 1(b), area AR11-3 may be left blank, or may display inventory information for product content C11 at store SH1 visited by user U1.

As described above, when the question received from the user is the same, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment selects which product content to provide from among the product contents that display the trading object (product PD11 in the example of FIG. 1) corresponding to the question as an answer regardless of the access mode, and whose content other than the trading object differs depending on the access mode. Then, the information processing device 100 provides the selected product content.

As described above, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment provides the user with product content whose contents vary depending on the user's context (user's situation). In a situation where the user is likely to have accessed the information processing device using a private information processing terminal such as a personal terminal device (i.e., a situation where the user has accessed the information processing device via URL1), the information processing device 100 provides the user with product content including "promotional information tailored to the individual user" as a response to the user's question.

On the other hand, in a situation where there is a high possibility that the user accessed the site using a public information processing terminal such as a terminal device in a store (i.e., accessing the site via URL2), it is unlikely that the user would use the public information processing terminal for private purposes (e.g., applying for a cashback or purchasing a product on an EC site). Therefore, in a situation where there is a high possibility that the user accessed the site using a public information processing terminal, the information processing device 100 provides product content that does not include content such as "promotional information tailored to the individual user" as a response to the user's question.

In this way, since the purposes for which a personal terminal device and a terminal device in a store are used may differ, the information processing device 100 controls so that the most suitable information according to the purpose is provided. For example, the information processing device 100 controls so that for each situation, only the information required by the user in that situation is provided. In other words, the information processing device 100 controls so that for each user's context, only the information required according to that context is provided.

As a result of the above, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment can improve the usability of the chatbot.

4. Screen control when providing multiple product contents
1, one product is determined for transaction, and product content related to the product (product PD11) is displayed as an answer on the Q&A screen SC. However, the information processing device 100 may determine multiple products for transaction, and in such a case, product content related to each product is displayed on the Q&A screen SC.

As explained in FIG. 1, the long dimension of the Q&A screen SC is longer than the long dimension of the display screen of the information processing terminal (user terminal 10, in-store terminal 30), and so the screen is displayed so that it can be scrolled up and down (vertical scrolling) in accordance with the up and down directions corresponding to the long dimension of the display screen. In such a case, if each of the product contents relating to each product is arranged, for example, in a vertical line along the long dimension of the Q&A screen SC, these product contents are moved in response to vertical scrolling of the Q&A screen SC. Thus, the greater the number of product contents, the more vertical scrolling is required for the user, making it cumbersome to re-view product content that has been moved off the display screen.

For this reason, when multiple products to be traded are determined, the information processing device 100 displays the area AR1 on the Q&A screen SC in which the product contents are displayed so that they can be scrolled left and right (horizontal scrolling) in accordance with the left and right corresponding to the short dimension of the display screen. The information processing device 100 also divides the area AR1 into areas AR11, AR12, ... and AR1x, the number of areas corresponding to the number of products to be traded, so that each product to be traded is displayed individually lined up left and right in accordance with the short dimension of the display screen. Through this processing, the product contents can be displayed in the Q&A screen SC in such a way that they can be moved up and down together with the Q&A screen SC in accordance with the vertical scrolling of the Q&A screen SC, while also being compatible with horizontal scrolling separately from the Q&A screen SC. This point will be explained using FIG. 2.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of screen control when providing multiple product contents. In the example of Figure 1, the information processing device 100 determines product PD11 as the product to be traded, but in the example of Figure 2, the information processing device 100 determines two products, product PD11 and product PD12, as the products to be traded. Note that there is no limit to the number of products to be traded that the information processing device 100 determines.

In this example, the information processing device 100 divides the horizontally scrollable area AR1 into two areas, area AR11 and area AR12, in which product content is displayed, in accordance with the fact that the number of products to be traded is two. Specifically, the information processing device 100 divides the area AR1 into areas AR11 and AR12 by making the width of area AR1 longer than the length in the short dimension of the display screen so that product PD11 and product PD12 are displayed individually side-by-side in the short dimension of the display screen. In other words, the information processing device 100 generates the horizontally scrollable areas AR11 and AR12 and displays them adjacent to each other on the Q&A screen SC.

In addition, the information processing device 100 displays a product image of product PD11 in area AR11-1 included in area AR11, displays detailed information about product PD11 in area AR11-2, and displays "promotional information specialized for individual users" in area AR11-3. In addition, the information processing device 100 displays a product image of product PD12 in area AR12-1 included in area AR12, displays detailed information about product PD12 in area AR12-2, and displays "promotional information specialized for individual users" in area AR12-3. Area AR12-3 is an area corresponding to area AR11-3, and is an area in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode.

Then, in the initial stage where each product content is displayed as an answer on the Q&A screen SC through this processing, as shown in FIG. 2(a), only the product content corresponding to product PD11 among the various product contents is exposed on the display screen. Also, a scroll button SL1 is displayed on the Q&A screen SC for horizontally scrolling the area AR1 so that each product content can be moved left and right at once. Also, a scroll button SL2 is displayed on the Q&A screen SC for vertically scrolling the Q&A screen SC so that the Q&A screen SC itself can be moved up and down while including each product content.

Note that scroll buttons SL1 and SL2 do not necessarily need to be displayed, and a configuration may be adopted that accepts direct scrolling operations by the user on the product content or Q&A screen SC.

Let us also assume that, from the state shown in FIG. 2(a), user U1 performs a scroll operation to move the product content in area AR1 to the left. In this case, with product content corresponding to product PD11 displayed in area AR11 and product content C corresponding to product PD12 displayed in area AR12, area AR1 itself is moved to the left in response to the scroll operation. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the product content corresponding to product PD11 moves off the display screen, and instead the product content corresponding to product PD12, which had previously been off the display screen, is exposed on the display screen.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, when there are multiple products to be traded, the information processing device 100 displays the product content arranged in a horizontal row, and the product content corresponding to each of the products to be traded can be scrolled left and right at once, separate from the scrolling of the Q&A screen SC. Such an information processing device 100 can eliminate the hassle of browsing the product content and improve the ease of comparing the products to be traded, thereby improving the usability of the chatbot.

In particular, for products such as pet products, health care products, feminine care products, and baby products, the user must select a product with appropriate functions. However, since the product is purchased based on the user's preferences, desired price, and other user intentions, it is necessary to present the functions and features of each product to the user to allow the user to make a selection. However, when a product is determined by repeating questions while transitioning between screens in one direction on the screen (vertical direction in this embodiment) like a chatbot, if the product content is displayed in the same direction as the screen transition direction of the chatbot in the product comparison (the direction in which the chatbot's messages are displayed, vertical direction in this embodiment), there is a problem that the display of the message exchange history in the chatbot and the operation method for product comparison are the same, making it difficult for the user to perform the intended operation. Therefore, by adopting the above-mentioned display method, the complexity of browsing the product content can be eliminated and the ease of comparing products to be traded can be improved, thereby improving the usability of the chatbot.

5. Example of information processing according to the embodiment (2)
Next, an example (2) of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example (2) of information processing according to the embodiment. In FIG. 3, a scene is assumed in which a salesperson of a store SH1 uses his/her salesperson terminal 50 to sell products to a visiting customer. As will be described below, when the information processing device 100 determines that the salesperson terminal 50 has accessed based on information indicating the access mode, it provides product content on the Q&A screen SC that is different in content from when the information processing device 100 is accessed from the user terminal 10 or the in-store terminal 30. A specific example of such information processing will be described below as information processing pattern c.

In the example of FIG. 3, a sales clerk CL1 of store SH1 is operating the sales clerk terminal 50. Here, it is assumed that sales clerk CL1 knows that the location of the information processing device 100 (Q&A screen SC) is URL3, and has operated the sales clerk terminal 50 to select URL3. In this case, the sales clerk terminal 50 directly accesses the information processing device 100 (step S11c).

In response to an access from the store clerk terminal 50, the information processing device 100 acquires information indicating the access mode that led to this access (step S12). In this example, since the store clerk terminal 50 accessed directly without going through an intermediate service, the information processing device 100 acquires URL3 as information indicating the access mode.

In addition, the information processing device 100 determines the type of terminal device that has accessed based on the information (URL3) indicating the access mode. For example, based on the information (URL3) indicating the access mode, the information processing device 100 determines whether the accessing terminal device is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor to store SH1 (i.e., in-store terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a clerk at store SH1 (i.e., clerk terminal 50).

In addition, the information processing device 100 may further acquire OS information, browser information, location information, and history information, and combine the acquired information to determine the type of terminal device that has accessed. In addition, the information processing device 100 may be able to determine the type of terminal device from a terminal ID (identifier) associated with the terminal device that has accessed.

In the example of FIG. 3, the information processing device 100 will ultimately determine that the terminal device that has accessed is the store clerk terminal 50, based on the information indicating the access mode.

Then, the information processing device 100 provides the Q&A screen SC to the store clerk CL1 by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the store clerk terminal 50 (step S13c).

As in the previous examples, the Q&A screen SC displays candidate questions about products (pet products) in a multiple choice and dialogue format. Specifically, the Q&A screen SC displays the phrase "What kind of product are you looking for in doggie excretion care products?" followed by four candidate questions: "Toilet pet sheets" (question Q1), "Doggie diapers" (question Q2), "Manners care when going out" (question Q3), and "Goods for when I'm away" (question Q4).

In addition, in this state, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not a question about a product (pet supplies) has been accepted on the Q&A screen SC (step S14). For example, assume that the store clerk CL1 selects question Q1 (Do you have any recommendations for pet sheets for the toilet?) from among four possible questions in response to instructions from a customer. In this case, the store clerk terminal 50 transmits information indicating question Q1 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 determines that question Q1 has been accepted from user U1.

Next, the information processing device 100 performs a determination process to determine a product corresponding to the selected question Q1 from among the candidate products to be offered (step S15). As in the previous examples, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 has determined one product, "product PD11."

Next, the information processing device 100 performs a selection process to select the product content to be provided from among the product content related to the same product (the product to be traded) but with different contents based on the access mode (step S16). Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects from among the candidates the product content related to the product PD11 and the type of product content to be provided, in accordance with the information indicating the access mode being "URL3".

In more detail, upon determining that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device used by a store clerk (i.e., store clerk terminal 50), the information processing device 100 can select product content whose content corresponds to the context estimated for store clerk CL1 as the product content to be provided. For example, the information processing device 100 can estimate that store clerk CL1 is currently serving a customer. Furthermore, by making such an estimation, the information processing device 100 can select product content that includes a product identification code, which is identification information that can identify the inventory status or purchasing status of product PD11, as the product content to be provided. The product identification code may be, for example, code information such as a JAN code.

For example, in addition to the examples given above, it is assumed that when the information indicating the access mode is "URL3" in a specific storage unit, it is specified that a "product identification code" is to be included in the product content to be provided.

Then, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content including the "product identification code" from among product content with different contents, such as product content including "promotional information specialized for an individual user", product content not including "promotional information specialized for an individual user", and product content including the "product identification code". Specifically, the information processing device 100 selects, as the product content to be provided, the product content related to the product PD11 and including a "product identification code" linked to the inventory status or purchasing status of the product PD11.

Next, the information processing device 100 generates product content related to the product PD11, which includes a "product identification code" linked to the status of the product PD11. The information processing device 100 then provides the product content to the store clerk CL1 by displaying the product content as an answer on the Q&A screen SC (step S17c). For example, it is assumed that the information processing device 100 generates product content C13 as such product content.

Here, an example of the Q&A screen SC when product content C13 is displayed will be described with reference to FIG. 3(c). The basic configuration of the Q&A screen SC shown in FIG. 3(c) is the same as that described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Therefore, the following description will focus on points related to information processing pattern c.

As shown in FIG. 3(c), area AR11 includes area AR11-1 in which a product image of the product to be traded is displayed, area AR11-2 in which detailed information about the product to be traded (e.g., specifications, etc.) is displayed, and area AR11-3 in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode. Thus, in the example of FIG. 3(c), area AR11-1 displays a product image of product PD11, and area AR11-2 displays detailed information about product PD11.

In the example of FIG. 3(c), the "product identification code" is displayed in area AR11-3 because product content including a "product identification code" linked to the status of product PD11 is selected in accordance with the access mode. FIG. 3(c) shows an example in which product identification code CD1 is displayed in area AR11-3.

Here, let us assume that store SH1 has introduced a system that associates and manages product identification codes with the stock status and purchasing status of the product identified by the product identification code. In such a case, sales clerk CL1 will be able to know the status of product PD11, for example, by reading the product identification code with a reader that he carries with him. As a result, sales clerk CL1 will be able to quickly guide the customer to the location where product PD11 is located, and if product PD11 is out of stock, will be able to suggest to the customer another store that has product PD11 in stock.

As explained above, when the accessing terminal device is a store clerk terminal 50, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment displays questions and answers in an interactive format in the dialogue content (Q&A screen SC), just as it does when the accessing terminal device is a customer user terminal device (user terminal 10 and in-store terminal 30), while displaying product content provided as an answer that is not intended for customers but is intended for store clerks (e.g., product identification codes). With such an information processing device 100, the store clerk can search for products together with the customer while directly listening to their requests, and can provide customer service so that the customer can smoothly purchase the found product.

6. Configuration of information processing device
Next, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the information processing device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

(Regarding communication unit 110)
The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a network interface card (NIC) or the like. The communication unit 110 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information between, for example, the user terminal 10 and the in-store terminal 30. The communication unit 110 also transmits and receives information between the store clerk terminal 50.

(Regarding the storage unit 120)
The storage unit 120 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 120 has a product information storage unit 121. The product information storage unit 121 stores question information indicating a question and product information indicating a product to be provided as an answer to the question in association with each other. The storage unit 120 also has a user information storage unit 122 and a selection target storage unit 123.

(Regarding the product information storage unit 121)
The product information storage unit 121 stores candidate questions and product information indicating products to be provided as answers when the candidate question is officially selected as a question, in association with each other. An example of the product information storage unit 121 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 5. In the example of Fig. 5, the product information storage unit 121 has items such as "major question", "product genre 1", "medium question candidate", "product genre 2", "minor question candidate", and "product information".

The "big question" refers to a question that the chatbot first provides to the user so that the user can properly arrive at the question that they wish to ask the chatbot. As in the examples of Figures 1 to 3, if the chatbot according to the embodiment mainly engages in dialogue regarding "pet supplies", when the user accesses the Q&A screen SC, the chatbot first asks a question in accordance with the "big question" on the Q&A screen SC. In the example of Figure 5, the chatbot asks the user a question such as "What type of pet supplies are you looking for?".

"Product genre 1" is information indicating the genre classification for "pet supplies." In the example of Figure 5, "pet supplies" includes products that belong to "excretion care," products that belong to "pet food," and products that belong to "health equipment."

"Medium question candidate" is a question candidate provided to the user, and indicates a question candidate that asks whether or not the user wants to ask a question about a product belonging to "product category 1". According to the example of FIG. 5, the chatbot provides the user with three question candidates, such as medium question #11 (e.g., "Are you looking for excretion support products?"), medium question #12 (e.g., "Are you looking for pet food?"), and medium question #13 (e.g., "Are you looking for fitness equipment?"), following the main question "What category of pet products are you looking for?". More specifically, in the example of FIG. 5, the chatbot provides these three question candidates in a state in which the user can select them. For example, if the user wants to find recommendations among excretion support products, the user can select medium question #11 to essentially ask the chatbot a question such as "Are there any recommendations among excretion support products?".

"Product category 2" is a category that further subdivides products belonging to "Product category 1." In the example of Figure 5, "Excretion support products" includes products belonging to "Toilet sheets," "Manners care diapers," and "Toilets."

The "small question candidate" indicates a question candidate provided to the user, which asks whether or not the user wants to ask a question about a product belonging to "product category 2". According to the example of FIG. 5, when medium question #11 (for example, "Are you looking for an excretion care product?") is selected, the chatbot provides the user with three question candidates, such as small question #111 (for example, "Are you looking for a toilet pet sheet?"), medium question #112 (for example, "Are you looking for a manners care diaper?"), and small question #113 (for example, "Are you looking for a toilet body?"). More specifically, in the example of FIG. 5, the chatbot provides these three question candidates in a state in which the user can select them. For example, if the user wants to search for recommendations among excretion care products, the user selects the most suitable question candidate among the three question candidates provided following the selection of medium question #11. For example, by selecting small question #111 following medium question #11, the user can essentially ask the chatbot a question such as "Do you have any recommendations among toilet sheets?".

"Product information" refers to information about a product that is an answer to a question received from a user. "Product information" includes an image showing the product that is an answer to a question received from a user, a product identification code, detailed information, price information, etc.

(Regarding the user information storage unit 122)
The user information storage unit 122 stores information indicating the access mode. For example, the user information storage unit 122 stores information (information indicating the access mode) used to determine the terminal type of the accessing terminal device, whether the terminal device is a user terminal 10, a storefront terminal 30, or a store clerk terminal 50. Here, Fig. 6 shows an example of the user information storage unit 122 according to the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 6, the user information storage unit 122 has items such as "Terminal ID", "Via URL", "OS Information", "Browser Information", "Location Information", "History Information", and "Terminal Information".

"Terminal ID" indicates identification information that identifies the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100.

"Transit URL" indicates the location information (URL) through which the accessing terminal device reached the information processing device 100. In other words, "transit URL" indicates location information that indicates the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device 100.

"OS information" indicates information about the operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 (e.g., the type of operating system).

"Browser information" indicates information about the browser installed on the terminal device that accessed the information processing device 100 (e.g., the type of browser).

"Location information" is information that indicates the location information of the terminal device that accessed the information processing device 100 at the time of access.

"History information" is history information linked to a terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100. Examples of "history information" include browsing history, operation history, chat history with a chatbot, etc.

"Terminal information" is information about the type of terminal device identified by the "terminal ID". For example, the "terminal information" is associated with a terminal type, such as a user terminal 10, a storefront terminal 30, or a store clerk terminal 50. In addition, the "terminal information" is determined based on at least one of the information indicating the access mode, such as the "terminal ID", "via URL", "OS information", "browser information", "location information", and "history information".

(Regarding the selection target storage unit 123)
The selection target storage unit 123 specifies which of the product contents provided as answers to questions, which product contents should be selected as the content to be provided according to the access mode. An example of the selection target storage unit 123 according to the embodiment is shown in Fig. 7. In the example of Fig. 7, the selection target storage unit 123 has items such as "terminal type" and "content to be provided".

"Terminal type" indicates the terminal type determined for the accessing terminal device based on information indicating the access mode. "Content to be provided" is product content provided as an answer to a question, and indicates the content that specifies the content to be provided according to the determination result (terminal type) based on the access mode among different product contents.

In the example of Figure 7, when the terminal type is determined to be "user terminal 10," the system is conditioned to provide product content that includes information for the customer (in a specified area) from three different types of product content: product content that includes information for the customer, product content that does not include information for the customer and is left blank, and product content that includes information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code).

In the example of Figure 7, when the terminal type is determined to be "in-store terminal 30," the condition is set to provide product content that does not include information for customers (with a specified area left blank) out of three different types of product content: product content that includes information for customers, product content that does not include information for customers and is left blank, and product content that includes information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code).

In the example of Figure 7, when the terminal type is determined to be "store clerk terminal 50," the condition is set to provide product content that includes information for store clerks (in a specified area) out of three different types of product content: product content that includes information for customers, product content that does not include information for customers and is left blank, and product content that includes information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code).

(Regarding the control unit 130)
The control unit 130 is realized by a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), or the like executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the information processing device 100 using a RAM as a working area. The control unit 130 is also realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 130 has a reception unit 131, an acquisition unit 132, a determination unit 133, a selection unit 134, a provision unit 135, and an output control unit 136, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below. Also, the connection relationship between each processing unit of the control unit 130 is not limited to the connection relationship shown in FIG. 2, and may be other connection relationships.

(Regarding the Reception Unit 131)
The reception unit 131 receives access from a user (terminal device). In the example of Fig. 1, the reception unit 131 receives access via URL 1 and access via URL 2. In the example of Fig. 4, the reception unit 131 receives direct access from a terminal device.

(Regarding the Acquisition Unit 132)
When the receiving unit 131 receives an access, the acquiring unit 132 acquires information indicating the access mode, such as the mode in which the user has accessed. For example, when user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL1 by clicking on URL1, the acquiring unit 132 acquires URL1 as information indicating the access mode by tracing the redirect source corresponding to the access. Also, for example, when user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL2 by clicking on URL2, the acquiring unit 132 acquires URL2 as information indicating the access mode by tracing the redirect source corresponding to the access.

In other words, when access from a terminal device is accepted, the acquisition unit 132 acquires location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device 100.

The acquisition unit 132 may also acquire information regarding the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, information regarding the operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, information regarding the browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, and location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 at the time of access.

(Regarding the determination unit 133)
The determination unit 133 determines whether a question about a product (e.g., pet supplies) has been received on the Q&A screen SC. When the determination unit 133 determines that a question about a product has been received, the determination unit 133 determines a product corresponding to the received question from among the candidate products to be provided. For example, the determination unit 133 determines a product corresponding to the received question from among the candidate products to be provided registered in the product information storage unit 121, and extracts the determined product from the product information storage unit 121 as a product to be traded.

(Regarding the selection unit 134)
The selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided from among the contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents according to the access mode of the user. For example, the selection unit 134 selects the content according to the information indicating the access mode from among the contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents based on the information indicating the access mode acquired by the acquisition unit 132.

For example, the selection unit 134 selects from among candidates what kind of product content is to be provided as product content related to the product corresponding to the received question, based on the information indicating the access mode. For example, the selection unit 134 selects the product content to be provided by comparing a predetermined rule base with the information indicating the access mode.

In addition, according to the examples of Figures 1 to 3, when the question received from the user is the same, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided from among the content related to the same transaction object, in which the transaction object corresponding to the question is displayed as an answer regardless of the access mode (e.g., the type of terminal device), and in which the content other than the transaction object (e.g., the information displayed in area AR11-3) differs depending on the access mode. In addition, for this reason, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided according to the access mode when the terminal device used by the user accesses the information processing device 100.

Also, for example, the selection unit 134 selects the content to be provided according to the access mode, which is location information indicating the location of the destination through which the terminal device accessed the information processing device.

The selection unit 134 may also select the content to be provided according to the access mode, such as the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, the type of operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 at the time of access.

We will now explain in more detail the method for selecting the content to be provided depending on the access mode.

The selection unit 134 determines, based on the access mode, whether the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is a user terminal 10 used by an individual user (user U1 in the example of FIG. 1) who may be a visitor to the physical store, a storefront terminal 30 installed in the physical store (store SH1 in the example of FIG. 1) for use by visitors at the storefront, or a clerk terminal 50 used by a user who is a clerk at the physical store (clerk CL1 in the example of FIG. 3). In the examples of FIGS. 1 and 3, the selection unit 134 performs this determination process in step S12. Note that this determination process may be performed by a processing unit other than the selection unit 134 (for example, a determination unit not shown).

The selection unit 134 also selects, as the content to be provided, the content corresponding to the determination result from among the content whose contents differ for each accessing terminal device (the product content defined for each terminal device in the selection target storage unit 123).

According to the example in FIG. 1 (information processing pattern a), when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is a user terminal 10, it estimates that user U1 (an example of a user who may be a visitor to store SH1) is in a situation (context) where he or she is viewing content in a personal device environment. Furthermore, by making this estimation, the selection unit 134 selects product content that includes customer information, which is personal information of user U1, as the product content to be provided.

In addition, according to the example of FIG. 1 (information processing pattern b), when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is the in-store terminal 30, it estimates that user U1 (an example of a user who has become a visitor by visiting store SH1) is in a situation (context) where he or she is viewing content in a public device environment. Furthermore, by making this estimation, the selection unit 134 selects product content that does not include customer information, which is personal information of user U1, as the product content to be provided.

In addition, according to the example of FIG. 3 (information processing pattern c), when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is a store clerk terminal 50, it infers that the store clerk CL1 (an example of a user who works as a store clerk at store SH1) is in a customer service situation (need to be identified). In addition, by making this inference, the selection unit 134 selects, as the content to be provided, content that displays identification information (product identification code) that identifies product PD11, which is the answer to the question received from user U1.

(Variations Related to the Selection Unit 134)
In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the selection unit 134 selects, as the content to be provided, the product content corresponding to the access mode from among three types of product content with different contents, such as product content including information for customers, product content that does not include information for customers and is left blank, and product content including information for store clerks (e.g., product identification code), and causes the product content to be provided. However, the selection unit 134 may select product content with further different contents as the content to be provided depending on the access mode.

For example, when the selection unit 134 determines that the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device 100 is a user terminal 10, the selection unit 134 may select, as the content to be provided, content that displays a memo function for adding any transaction object to a memo list among the transaction objects displayed as answers to the question received from the user. As a result, the provision unit 135, which will be described later, provides content that displays (in a specified area) a memo function for adding any transaction object to a memo list. This point will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing another example of content to be provided. For example, in the case of information processing pattern a in Figure 1, the information processing device 100 can provide product content C111 as shown in Figure 8 as an answer on the Q&A screen SC, instead of product content C11 shown in Figure 1(a).

To explain more specifically, assume that when access from user U1 is accepted, the selection unit 134 determines, based on information (URL1) indicating the access mode at that time, that the terminal device of user U1 who has accessed is a terminal device (i.e., user terminal 10) used by a customer user.

In the example of FIG. 1, the selection unit 134 selected the product content including the information for the customer as the content to be provided in accordance with the determination result. As a result, the provision unit 135 generated product content C11 as the content to be provided, which is the product content including the information for the customer in area AR11-3, and provided this as an answer on the Q&A screen SC.

However, the selection unit 134 may select, as the content to be provided, a product content in which a memo function is displayed (in a specified area) for adding a product displayed as an answer to a question to a memo list. In such a case, the provision unit 135 generates product content C111 in which a memo function is displayed in area AR11-3 for leaving a product PD11 that is an answer to a question Q1 received from user U1 as a shopping memo (i.e., for adding to a shopping memo list), as shown in FIG. 8, and provides this on the Q&A screen SC.

In the example of Figure 8, area AR11-3 of product content C111 (an area in which different content is displayed depending on the access mode) does not display promotional information (information for customers) specific to the individual user as in Figure 1(a), but introduces an add button BT11 for adding product PD11 to a specified memo list as a shopping memo.

In this state, for example, if user U1 is interested in product PD11 and wants to make a note of it so as not to forget, he or she presses the add button BT11 to add product PD11 to the shopping memo list.

The shopping memo list referred to here may correspond to a memo app that is installed as standard in the user terminal 10, or may correspond to a memo app that is installed voluntarily by the user U1. Furthermore, when the Add button BT11 is pressed, the user terminal 10 adds the product PD11 to a memo database deployed within the device as a shopping memo list. For example, when the Add button BT11 is pressed, the user terminal 10 stores various product information such as the product name and product identification code indicating the product PD11 in the memo database as a single shopping memo.

In addition, when multiple products are provided as answers, as in the example of Figure 2, a memo function (add button) will be introduced for each product content corresponding to each product.

In this way, when the information processing device 100 determines that the accessing terminal device is a user terminal 10, it provides content with a memo function that allows the transaction object displayed as an answer to be added to a memo list. With such an information processing device 100, for example, when a user finds a product that they would like to purchase during a conversation with a chatbot, they can make a note of the product without forgetting. In this way, the information processing device 100 can further improve the usability of the chatbot.

(Regarding the providing unit 135)
The providing unit 135 provides information to a user who has accessed the site. For example, when a user operates a user terminal 10 and accesses the site by clicking on a specific URL, the providing unit 135 provides the Q&A screen SC to the user by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the user terminal 10. Also, for example, when a user operates a storefront terminal 30 and accesses the site by clicking on a specific URL, the providing unit 135 provides the Q&A screen SC to the user by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the storefront terminal 30.

In addition, when a question from a user is received, the providing unit 135 generates an answer to the received question and displays the generated answer in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC.

In addition, when a question about a product is received from a user, the providing unit 135 generates product content about the product corresponding to the question based on the information selected by the selecting unit 134 in response to the information indicating the access mode acquired by the acquiring unit 132.

For example, assume that, of two different product contents, namely, product content including "promotional information specialized for individual users" and product content not including "promotional information specialized for individual users," the former is selected as the product content to be provided. In such a case, the providing unit 135 generates product content related to the product corresponding to the question, which includes "promotional information specialized for individual users," and displays this in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC as a response to the question.

For example, assume that, of two different product contents, namely, product content including "promotional information specialized for individual users" and product content not including "promotional information specialized for individual users," the latter is selected as the product content to be provided. In such a case, the providing unit 135 generates product content related to the product corresponding to the question, which does not include "promotional information specialized for individual users," and displays this in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC as a response to the question.

Specifically, the providing unit 135 provides a Q&A screen SC as dialogue content on which questions about the transaction subject received from the user and answers to the questions are displayed in a dialogue format. For example, when a question is received from the user via the Q&A screen SC, the providing unit 135 provides an answer corresponding to the received question via the Q&A screen. As a result, the providing unit 135 realizes a dialogue between the question and the answer within the Q&A screen SC.

The providing unit 135 may also provide dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state so that the user can input an appropriate question regarding the subject of the transaction. For example, the providing unit 135 may guide the user to an appropriate question by providing hierarchical question candidates (major question, medium question candidate, and medium question candidate) stored in the product information storage unit 121 in stages on the Q&A screen.

As described in FIG. 2, the providing unit 135 provides dialogue content in which the entire page constituting the dialogue content and an area included in the page in which a transaction object corresponding to a question received from a user is displayed as an answer are controlled to be scrollable in different directions. According to the example of FIG. 2, the providing unit 135 provides dialogue content in which the entire page constituting the dialogue content is controlled to be scrollable in the long dimension direction of the screen, and the area in which the transaction object is displayed as an answer is controlled to be scrollable in the short dimension direction of the screen.

(Regarding the output control unit 136)
As described above, when the information processing device 100 determines that the accessing terminal device is the user terminal 10, the information processing device 100 may provide content having a memo function that allows the user to add the transaction object displayed as the answer to the memo list. In this case, when the output control unit 136 detects that a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to the memo list using the memo function has visited a physical store, the output control unit 136 can control the user terminal 10 of the user to output information about the transaction object added to the memo list. As an example of this, a case will be described in which a user U1 who added a product PD11 to the shopping memo list by pressing the add button BT11 actually visits a store SH1.

For example, if store SH1 is equipped with equipment (e.g., a beacon) for short-range wireless communication with the user terminal 10, the information processing device 100 can detect the arrival of user U1 based on information obtained from the beacon.

For example, store SH1 may be equipped with equipment at its front for accepting check-ins from customers. In such a case, user U1 can check in by, for example, having this equipment read a specific QR code displayed on user terminal 10, or by operating the equipment itself. Furthermore, information processing device 100 can detect the arrival of user U1 by managing check-ins by customers.

Here, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that user U1 has visited store SH1, it controls the user terminal 10 of user U1 to output information about product PD11 that has been added to the shopping memo list. For example, the output control unit 136 controls the user terminal 10 to output a notification encouraging the purchase of product PD11. For example, the output control unit 136 can control the output via a browser, or, if a dedicated application is installed on the user terminal 10, can control the output via this app.

By using this type of output control, the information processing device 100 can effectively prevent users from forgetting to buy something.

In addition, if the transaction object added to the memo list by the memo function is a product to be used in combination with a specific item, and the specific item has not been added to the memo list, the output control unit 136 further outputs proposal information suggesting the specific item. This point will also be explained using the example of user U1 who adds product PD11 to the shopping memo list by pressing the add button BT11.

For example, since an add button is included for each product content, in this example where the add button BT11 of the product content C111 corresponding to product PD11 is pressed, the output control unit 136 can recognize that user U1 has added product PD11 to the shopping memo list. For example, the output control unit 136 can manage the history of addition operations to the shopping memo list for each user, and thereby recognize that user U1 has added product PD11 to the shopping memo list.

Then, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that user U1 has visited store SH1, it determines whether or not product PD11 is a product that should be used in combination with a specified item. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that product PD11 is an adult diaper. Here, there is a combination type of adult diaper that combines an outer pair of pants (called an outer) with an inner urination pad (called an inner) for use, and it is assumed that product PD11 is the outer pair of pants. In such a case, the output control unit 136 refers to the memory unit and determines whether or not a urination pad that can be combined with product PD11 has also been added to the shopping memo list.

For example, if the output control unit 136 determines that a urine pad that can be combined with the product PD11 has not been added to the shopping memo list, it controls the user terminal 10 to further output suggestion information suggesting the purchase of a urine pad.

This type of output control allows users to know what other products they need to purchase in order to properly use the product they are currently purchasing.

In particular, when using a chatbot on a terminal device to display and compare products, it can be difficult to understand products that are used in combination with multiple products, such as innerwear and outerwear, as the products to be compared are mixed together. For example, when displaying a total of four products, two types of innerwear and two types of outerwear, users may have difficulty determining whether the products are to be used in combination or whether four products that can be used together are being proposed, and may think that they only need to purchase the outerwear, which may result in the outerwear not providing sufficient functionality on its own (leading to, for example, excretion leakage), and it may not be possible to encourage users to purchase and use the correct product.

Therefore, when presenting products, it is important to make it clear that they are to be used in combination (for example, when presenting product content, always display information regarding combinations, present product content that combines products (for example, one product content includes information on multiple types of products to be combined) rather than presenting product content for each product), and in the unlikely event that only some of the products to be used in combination are registered on the list, the purchase of a product that is not registered on the list to be used in combination can be suggested, encouraging the user to purchase and use the correct product.

In addition, when a user who has added a transaction object to a memo list using the memo function visits a physical store, the output control unit 136 may notify the clerk terminal 50 used by the user who works as a clerk at the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object. One example of this will be described using the case where user U1, who added product PD11 to his shopping memo list by pressing the add button BT11, actually visits store SH1.

For example, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that user U1 has visited store SH1, it notifies the store clerk terminal 50 held by the store clerk of the visit of a customer (i.e., user U1) who intends to purchase product PD11 that has been added to the shopping memo list. For example, when the output control unit 136 actually detects that user U1 has visited store SH1, it identifies what products user U1 has added to the shopping memo list from the history of addition operations to the shopping memo list. In this example, the output control unit 136 identifies that user U1 has added product PD11 to the shopping memo list.

The output control unit 136 then notifies the store clerk terminal 50 held by the store clerk of store SH1 that a customer has come to the store with the intention of purchasing product PD11. This type of output control allows the store clerk to understand the customer's purpose before speaking to the customer, thereby effectively increasing the opportunities for customer service.

7. Processing Procedure
Next, the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of information processing according to the embodiment.

First, the reception unit 131 determines whether or not access from a user has been received. For example, the reception unit 131 determines whether or not access via URL1 or URL2 has been received (step S101). While the reception unit 131 determines that access from the user has not been received (step S101; No), it waits until it can determine that access from the user has been received.

On the other hand, when the reception unit 131 determines that access from a user has been received (step S101; Yes), the acquisition unit 132 acquires information indicating the access mode, such as the mode in which the user accessed (step S102). For example, when user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL1 by clicking on URL1, the acquisition unit 132 acquires URL1 as information indicating the access mode. Also, when user U1 accesses via the destination indicated by URL2 by clicking on URL2, the acquisition unit 132 acquires URL2 as information indicating the access mode.

The selection unit 134 also determines the type of the terminal device that has accessed based on the information indicating the access mode. For example, the selection unit 134 determines based on the information indicating the access mode whether the accessing terminal device is a terminal device used by a customer user (i.e., a user terminal 10), a terminal device used by a visitor who visits a physical store (i.e., a storefront terminal 30), or a terminal device used by a store clerk at the physical store (i.e., a store clerk terminal 50).

In addition, although not shown, the providing unit 135 provides the Q&A screen SC to the accessing user by transmitting the Q&A screen SC to the terminal device of the accessing user (step S103).

In addition, in this state, the determination unit 133 determines whether or not a question about a product (e.g., pet supplies) has been received on the Q&A screen SC (step S104). While the determination unit 133 determines that a question about the product has not been received (step S104; No), it waits until it can determine that a question about the product has been received.

On the other hand, when the determination unit 133 determines that a question about a product has been received (step S104; Yes), the determination unit 133 determines a product that corresponds to the received question from among the candidate products to be offered. For example, the determination unit 133 determines a product that corresponds to the received question from among the candidate products to be offered registered in the product information storage unit 121 (step S105).

When the product to be traded is determined by the determination unit 133, the selection unit 134 selects product content to be provided from among product content related to the product to be traded and having different contents, in accordance with the access mode of the access source user (step S106). For example, based on information indicating the access mode acquired by the acquisition unit 132, the selection unit 134 selects product content corresponding to the information indicating the access mode from among product content related to the product to be traded and having different contents.

For example, when the selection unit 134 determines that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., a user terminal 10) used by a customer user, it can infer that the accessing user is in a situation where he or she can view the content in a personal device environment. In addition, in such a case, the selection unit 134 selects the product content including the customer information as the product content to be provided.

On the other hand, if the selection unit 134 determines that the accessing terminal device is a terminal device (i.e., the in-store terminal 30) used by a customer visiting a physical store, it can infer that the accessing user is viewing content in a public device environment. In this case, the selection unit 134 selects product content that does not include customer information as the product content to be provided.

Furthermore, on the other hand, when the selection unit 134 determines that the accessed terminal device is a terminal device used by a store clerk (i.e., the store clerk terminal 50), it can infer that the store clerk is currently serving a customer. In this case, the selection unit 134 selects, as the product content to be provided, product content that includes a product identification code, which is identification information that can specify the inventory status or purchasing status of the product.

When the selection unit 134 selects from among the candidates what kind of product content is to be provided as the product content to be provided, the provision unit 135 generates the product content to be provided based on the selected information. Then, the provision unit 135 provides the generated product content to the accessing user by displaying it in an interactive format on the Q&A screen SC as an answer to a question (step S107).

8. Modifications
The above-described information processing device 100 may be implemented in various different forms other than the above-described embodiment. Therefore, modifications of the embodiment will be described below.

[8-1. Guidance to related parties]
In the above embodiment, the information processing device 100 selects the product content to be provided according to the access mode of the user, and provides the selected product content to the user. Here, the providing unit 135 may generate product content with a link to the introduction content in which a product in the same field as the product indicated by the selected product content (the product to be traded) or a product similar to the product indicated by the selected product content is introduced as a recommended product, and display the product content as an answer.

In addition, the providing unit 135 may generate product content with a link to a question board regarding the target for which the product indicated by the selected product content is used (in the case of a pet product, the pet for which the pet product is used) and display this as an answer.

The providing unit 135 may also control whether or not to attach such a link depending on the access mode of the user. For example, the providing unit 135 may attach the relevant link when the information indicating the access mode is URL1, and may not attach the relevant link when the information indicating the access mode is URL2. This can improve usability for users who wish to carefully consider whether or not to purchase a product, taking into account related products and product reputations, etc.

[8-2. Product introduction using AR technology]
For example, among the products to be traded, those handled by store SH1 can be answered in the form of product content on the Q&A screen SC, thereby enhancing the advertising effect. Here, as a measure to further enhance the advertising effect at the store, among the products to be traded, those handled by store SH1 may be arranged so that various information is superimposed on the captured image of the product by AR technology via the store terminal 30 (which may be the user terminal 10).

For this reason, when the product shown in the selected product content is compatible with AR technology, the providing unit 135 may display, within the product content, a button for launching a predetermined application that superimposes various information on a captured image of the product. For example, when the information indicating the access mode is URL1, the providing unit 135 generates product content in which the relevant button is not displayed, and when the information indicating the access mode is URL2, the providing unit 135 generates product content in which the relevant button is displayed. This allows, for example, users who have actually visited a store and are interested in the product to virtually experience the product, thereby creating a high advertising effect.

[8-3. Providing information using location information]
In addition, the information processing device 100 may select the content to be provided, depending on the location of the access source, such as the location from which the user accessed, as the access mode of the user. Specifically, the information processing device 100 may select the content to be provided depending on information indicating the location from which the user accessed (i.e., the user's location information), as information indicating the access mode. For example, when the location information indicates that the user is accessing from a specific store, the information processing device 100 selects the content to be provided, which includes information on products handled at the specific store. This point will be described using the example of FIG. 1.

For example, when the reception unit 131 receives access from user U1, the acquisition unit 132 acquires location information indicating the user's current location as information indicating the access mode of user U1. For example, when the reception unit 131 receives access from user U1, the acquisition unit 132 acquires location information detected by a GPS sensor included in the user terminal 10 of user U1.

In this state, the determination unit 133 receives a question about the product from the user U1 and determines that the product PD11 is the product that corresponds to the question. The selection unit 134 then determines whether the user U1 is accessing the store from store SH1 (an example of a specified store) based on the location information from the acquisition unit 132. For example, when the selection unit 134 determines that the user U1 is accessing the store from store SH1, it selects product content that includes location information indicating the location of the product PD11 within store SH1 as the product content to be provided. Examples of such location information include an in-store map of store SH1 showing the location of the product PD11, and a captured image showing an object (e.g., a signboard or advertisement) that serves as a landmark for the location where PD11 is placed.

Then, the providing unit 135 generates product content C11 in which the location information is displayed in area AR11-3, and displays the product content C11 including the location information as an answer on the Q&A screen SC.

With such an information processing device 100, in a situation where a user has a question about a product in a specific store, i.e., in a situation where the user is likely to be searching for a product in a specific store, the location of the product can be notified, thereby guiding the user to the product and, as a result, encouraging the user to make a purchase.

[8-4. Advertising]
Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may provide advertisements related to products based on the user's degree of interest in each product corresponding to each product content provided as an answer. For example, the selection unit 134 can analyze the user's degree of interest in each product for each product based on the tendency of the user's behavior (e.g., the selection behavior of selecting the product content) for each product provided as an answer. As an example, the selection unit 134 calculates a higher degree of interest in a product content that is selected more frequently by users, and analyzes the product with a higher degree of interest as a product that is more likely to attract attention (a popular product).

For example, the selection unit 134 calculates that, among the products corresponding to each product content provided as an answer, the product PD11 has the highest degree of interest. In this case, the selection unit 134 determines that the product PD11 is a popular product compared to other products, and selects advertising content related to the product PD11 from among the advertising content candidates to be provided. Furthermore, the provision unit 135 displays the advertising content selected by the selection unit 134 on the in-store terminal 30, but does not display it on the user terminal 10.

With such an information processing device 100, it is possible to advertise products that have attracted the interest of many users to users who are more likely to make a purchase (for example, users who visit store SH1 and operate the in-store terminal 30), thereby improving the effectiveness of advertising. In addition, with such an information processing device 100, it is possible to control so that advertisements more than necessary are not provided to users who do not need advertisements (for example, users who operate the user terminal 10).

[8-5. Question selection using video]
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the providing unit 135 provides dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed in a selectable state. Specifically, an example has been described in which the providing unit 135 provides question candidates (e.g., question candidates in a hierarchical relationship) in the dialogue content to guide the user to an appropriate question.

However, if the candidate questions are simply provided in text, it may be difficult for users to specifically imagine how the transaction object (product) targeted by the candidate questions is used, and users may be unsure which candidate question to select. For example, suppose two candidate questions are provided, "Is your pet's food wet?" or "Is your pet's food dry?" In such a case, a user who is not familiar with pet food will not know what wet and dry food are, and will not be able to specifically imagine how the pet is used, and may be unsure which of the two candidate questions to select.

For this reason, the providing unit 135 may provide dialogue content in which question candidates are displayed that are configured by combining a moving image that specifically evokes the usage situation of the transaction target with a predetermined option. Specifically, the providing unit 135 provides question candidates that are configured by combining a moving image that specifically evokes the usage situation of the product with a predetermined option on the Q&A screen SC. In addition, such moving images may be moving images with text showing the content of the question superimposed thereon, or moving images in which the content of the question is expressed as movement (for example, in the form of a quiz). This point will be explained with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of question candidates configured with a moving image and option.

Figure 10(a) shows an example in which the provision unit 135 provides, within the Q&A screen SC, a video VD1 on which a question such as "Is the food you are using wet type?" is superimposed and which shows the appearance of wet type food and the usage status of wet type food. The playback time of the video VD1 is not limited, but a playback time of about a few seconds is preferable so that the user does not abandon it. Then, as playback of the video VD1 progresses, two options are displayed in the form of buttons, as shown in Figure 10(a). Specifically, a selection button CBT11 for selecting "Yes" and a selection button CBT12 for selecting "No" are displayed.

In this example, if the user wants to ask about what kinds of wet food products are available, they can press selection button CBT11, and if they are not interested in wet food (and want to ask about what kinds of dry food products are available), they can press selection button CBT12. By providing question candidates using videos in this way, users can easily imagine the appearance and usage of the products targeted by the question candidates, enabling them to ask the chatbot appropriate questions.

Meanwhile, FIG. 10(b) shows another example of a question candidate that is configured by combining a moving image that evokes the usage of a product with a selection option. FIG. 10(b) shows an example in which the providing unit 135 provides a moving image VD2 on the Q&A screen SC that combines two types of moving images, a moving image VD21 that shows the appearance of wet food and the usage of wet food, and a moving image VD22 that shows the appearance of dry food and the usage of dry food. Also, according to the example of FIG. 10(b), an example is shown in which a question such as "The food you are using is wet type, right?" is superimposed on the moving image VD2.

In this state, as the playback of the video image VD1 progresses, two options are displayed in button form, as shown in FIG. 10(b). In the example of FIG. 10(b), a selection button CBT21 for selecting "Yes" is displayed first, and then the display switches to a selection button CBT22 for selecting "No."

As playback continues, both selection button CBT21 and selection button CBT22 are displayed. At this point, each selection button is activated so that either selection button CBT21 or selection button CBT22 can be pressed.

In this example, the user can compare the differences between wet food and dry food in terms of appearance and usage, carefully consider which product to ask about, and then press either selection button CBT21 or selection button CBT22. As a result, the user can ask the chatbot appropriate questions.

[9. Other]
Among the above-mentioned processes, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically may be performed manually. Also, all or part of the processes described as being performed manually may be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings may be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

The components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual and functional, and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure. Furthermore, each component may be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit, in whole or in part, depending on various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, each process described above may be executed in an appropriate combination as long as there are no contradictions.

10. Hardware Configuration
The information processing device 100 according to the embodiment described above is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 11, for example. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and a calculation device 1030, a cache 1040, a memory 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in the cache 1040 or memory 1050, or programs read from the input device 1020, and executes various processes. The cache 1040 is a cache such as a RAM that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The memory 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is a memory realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, etc.

The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 such as a monitor or printer, which outputs various types of information, and may be realized, for example, by a connector conforming to a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), or HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). On the other hand, the input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020 such as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, etc., and may be realized, for example, by a USB.

For example, the input device 1020 may be realized by a device that reads information from an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The input device 1020 may also be realized by an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

The network IF 1080 has the function of receiving data from other devices via the network N and sending it to the computing device 1030, and also transmitting data generated by the computing device 1030 to other devices via the network N.

Here, the arithmetic device 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic device 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the memory 1050 onto the cache 1040 and executes the loaded program. For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100, the arithmetic device 1030 of the computer 1000 realizes the functions of the control unit 130 by executing the program loaded onto the cache 1040.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Information processing system 10 User terminal 30 Storefront terminal 50 Store clerk terminal 100 Information processing device 120 Storage unit 121 Product information storage unit 130 Control unit 131 Reception unit 132 Acquisition unit 133 Decision unit 134 Selection unit 135 Provision unit 136 Output control unit

Claims (14)

a selection unit that selects, when the accessing terminal device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, a content including predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided from among contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents, and selects, when the accessing terminal device is a storefront terminal installed in the brick-and-mortar store for use by visitors at the storefront, a content not including the predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided;
a providing unit that provides the content selected by the selection unit to the terminal device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selection unit selects the content to be provided from among contents including information on a transaction object corresponding to the received question. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the selection unit selects the content to be provided in accordance with location information indicating a location of a destination via which the information processing apparatus is accessed. The information processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the selection unit selects the content to be provided depending on the type of terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of operating system installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, the type of browser installed in the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, history information linked to the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device, or location information of the terminal device that has accessed the information processing device at the time of access. The information processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the selection unit determines whether the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the physical store, a store terminal installed in the physical store for use by visitors at the store, or a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store, and selects content according to the determination result as the content to be provided. The information processing device according to claim 5, characterized in that when the selection unit determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is the user terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content whose content corresponds to a context estimated for a user who may become a visitor to a physical store, while when the selection unit determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is the in-store terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content whose content corresponds to a context estimated for a user who has become a visitor by visiting the physical store . The information processing device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that when the selection unit determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is the user terminal, it selects as the content to be provided content having a memo function for adding any transaction object to a memo list from among the transaction objects displayed as answers to the questions received from the user . The information processing device according to claim 7, further comprising an output control unit that controls the user terminal to output information regarding the transaction object added to the memo list when it is detected that one of the users who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memo list using the memo function has visited a physical store. The information processing device according to claim 8, characterized in that the output control unit further outputs proposal information proposing a specified item when the trading object added to the memo list by the memo function is a product to be used in combination with a specified item and when the specified item has not been added to the memo list . The information processing device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, when a user who has added an arbitrary transaction object to a memo list using the memo function visits the physical store, the output control unit notifies a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk at the physical store of the presence of a visitor who intends to purchase the transaction object. The information processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that when the selection unit determines that the terminal device accessing the information processing device is a store clerk terminal used by a user who works as a store clerk in a physical store, it selects as the content to be provided content that includes identification information that identifies the object of transaction displayed as an answer to a question received from the user . The information processing device according to claim 11 , characterized in that the identification information is information that is uniquely linked to the inventory status or purchasing status of the transaction object in the physical store. An information processing method executed by an information processing device,
a selection step of selecting, when the accessing terminal device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, a content including predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided from among the contents related to the same transaction object but with different contents, and selecting, when the accessing terminal device is a storefront terminal installed in the brick-and-mortar store for use by visitors at the storefront, a content not including the predetermined information for the customer as the content to be provided;
a providing step of providing the content selected in the selection step to the terminal device. a selection step of selecting, as the content to be provided, content including predetermined information for customers among content related to the same transaction object but with different contents, when the accessing terminal device is a user terminal used by an individual user who may be a visitor to the brick-and-mortar store, and selecting, as the content to be provided, content not including the predetermined information for customers, when the accessing terminal device is a storefront terminal installed in the brick-and-mortar store for use by visitors at the storefront;
a providing step of providing the content selected by the selection step to the terminal device.

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