JP7723707B2 - Server device, program and advertising support method - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a server device, a program, and an advertising support method.

Web advertising is known as an advertising method via the Internet. With web advertising, the use of technologies such as cookies makes it relatively easy to measure advertising effectiveness, such as click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate (CVR). Due to these characteristics, advertising space is actively traded, and technologies for trading advertising space through auction and reservation-based advertising have been proposed.

On the other hand, advertising methods using printed posters and signage terminals installed indoors or outdoors (hereinafter referred to as signage advertising) are viewed by an unspecified number of users, making it difficult to measure the effectiveness of the advertising. Furthermore, with web advertising, it is possible to advertise after establishing a path to purchase the sold product by setting the ad's link destination to an EC (electronic commerce) site, etc., but with signage advertising, there is a problem in that the advertisement must be carried out without it being clear whether the advertised product is for sale in the vicinity of the signage terminal's installation location. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of convenience when it comes to implementing signage advertising.

The problem that embodiments of the present invention aim to solve is to provide a server device, program, and advertising support method that can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertising.

The server device of the embodiment includes an extraction unit, a counting unit, and an output unit. The extraction unit extracts stores located in a different location from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal, based on the installation location of the signage terminal. The counting unit counts the number of sales of the product for each predetermined period of time during a counting period that includes at least the usage period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the stores extracted by the extraction unit. The output unit outputs the counting results compiled by the counting unit. The output unit also outputs information related to the counting period, the period, or the product, along with the counting results.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an advertisement support system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the advertisement support server according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a signage management DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a signage usage history DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a store management DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a product management DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a sales performance DB according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a store terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional configurations of the advertisement support server, the store terminal, and the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of advertising plan support processing performed by the advertisement support server according to the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an advertising effectiveness measurement process performed by the advertisement support server according to the embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an advertisement support system according to the first modification.

Embodiments of a server device, a program, and an advertising support method will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment illustrates an advertising support system that supports advertising using digital signage installed indoors or outdoors. Note that the embodiment described below is one embodiment of the server device, the program, and the advertising support method, and does not limit the configuration, specifications, etc.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the general configuration of an advertising support system 1 according to this embodiment. The advertising support system 1 includes an advertising support server 10, a store terminal 20, a signage terminal 30, and an advertiser terminal 40. Each device in the advertising support system 1 is configured to be able to communicate via a network N.

The network N may be the Internet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a public communication network, a mobile communication network, or the like, either alone or in appropriate combination. As an example, the network N may be a combination of the Internet and a mobile communication network. Note that the number of devices included in the advertising support system 1 is not limited to the example shown in the figure.

The advertising support server 10 is an example of a server device. By linking with the store terminal 20, the advertising support server 10 collects and manages sales records of products sold at each store. The store terminal 20 also manages the signage terminal 30, which is a digital signage, and provides the advertiser terminal 40 with services related to the implementation of advertisements using the signage terminal 30.

In this embodiment, the advertising support server 10 is implemented as a single device, but it may also be implemented as a cloud server (or cloud system) implemented as multiple devices connected via a network.

The store terminal 20 is a terminal device installed in each store. For example, the store terminal 20 may be a POS terminal or a store server installed within the store. The store terminal 20 provides sales records of products sold in the store to the advertising support server 10. In this embodiment, the type of store in which the store terminal 20 is installed is assumed to be a retail store, but this is not intended to be limiting.

The signage terminal 30 is a device or system for implementing digital signage. For example, the signage terminal 30 includes a computer configuration including a communication device, a storage device, and a display device, and stores advertising content received via the communication device in the storage device and displays the stored advertising content on the display device.

The display device of the signage terminal 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as the signage terminal 30) is installed outdoors, for example, on the wall or rooftop of a facility such as a building, or indoors, such as in a station, shopping mall, or retail store. When installed inside a store, the signage terminal 30 may be realized, for example, in the form of a terminal device (also referred to as a cart terminal) attached to a shopping cart installed in the store, or in the form of a customer-facing display attached to a POS terminal.

The advertiser terminal 40 is a terminal device operated by a company or user (hereinafter also referred to as an advertiser) who runs an advertisement using the signage terminal 30. The advertiser terminal 40 functions as a user interface terminal for the advertising support server 10, and provides support to the advertiser in running an advertisement using the signage terminal 30. For example, the advertiser terminal 40 is realized by an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer), smartphone, or tablet terminal.

Next, we will explain the configuration of the advertising support server 10, store terminal 20, and advertiser terminal 40 described above.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the advertisement support server 10. As shown in Figure 2, the advertisement support server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15.

The CPU 11 is an example of a processor and provides overall control over the operation of the advertising support server 10. The ROM 12 stores various programs. The RAM 13 is a workspace where programs and various data are deployed.

The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected via a bus or the like to form the computer-configured control unit 100. In the control unit 100, the CPU 11 operates in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 12 or memory unit 14 and loaded into the RAM 13, thereby executing various processes.

The memory unit 14 has a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when power is cut off. The memory unit 14 stores programs 141 that can be executed by the CPU 11 and various setting information. For example, the programs 141 include programs for realizing the functional configuration described below. The programs 141 also include a web server program related to providing a user interface screen described below.

The memory unit 14 also stores a signage management DB 142, a signage usage history DB 143, a store management DB 144, a product management DB 145, and a sales performance DB 146, etc.

The signage management DB 142 is a database for managing each signage terminal 30. The signage usage history DB 143 is a database for managing the usage history of the signage terminal 30. The store management DB 144 is a database for managing each store. The product management DB 145 is a database for managing products that are the subject of advertising and products sold at each store. The sales performance DB 146 is a database for managing the sales performance of products sold at each store.

The communication unit 15 is a wired or wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 15 communicates with external devices such as the store terminal 20, signage terminal 30, and advertiser terminal 40 via the network N.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the signage management DB 142. As shown in Figure 3, the signage management DB 142 stores signage terminal information such as name, installation location, fee, specifications, submission conditions, and reference images, in association with a signage ID for managing each signage terminal 30.

The signage ID is an identifier used to identify each signage terminal 30. The name is the name given to the signage terminal 30. The installation location registers information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed.

For example, in the case of a signage terminal 30 installed on the roof or wall of a facility such as a building, the installation location is registered with the address of the facility as well as information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed within the facility (for example, the roof of the building). For example, in the case of a signage terminal 30 installed within a facility such as a building or station, the installation location is registered with the address of the facility as well as information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed within the facility (for example, the north aisle). For example, in the case of a signage terminal 30 installed within a store, the installation location is registered with the address and name of the store as well as information indicating the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed within the store (for example, next to the cash register, cart terminal, etc.).

The fee item is where the amount for using the signage terminal 30 is registered. For example, the usage item is where the amount per unit period (for example, per day or per hour) that serves as the basis for setting fees is registered. The specifications item is where the specifications of the signage terminal 30 are registered. For example, the screen size of the signage terminal 30, etc. are registered in the specifications item. The advertising conditions item is where the conditions for the advertising content to be displayed on the signage terminal 30 are registered. For example, the advertising conditions item is where the length of the advertising content, whether or not audio is included, the deadline for submitting the advertising content, etc. are registered. The reference image is where an image of the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed, etc. is registered.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the signage usage history DB 143. As shown in Figure 4, the signage usage history DB 143 stores a signage ID, usage period, advertiser ID, target product ID, etc. in association with a usage ID. The usage ID is a unique ID issued for each application to use the signage terminal 30.

The signage ID is registered with the signage ID of the signage terminal 30 for which use has been requested. The usage period is registered with information indicating the period for which the signage terminal 30 corresponding to the signage ID will be used, or the period during which it has been used. The advertiser ID is registered with an identifier for identifying the advertiser using the signage terminal 30. The target product ID is registered with a product ID (described below), which is an example of an identifier that can identify the product that is the subject of the advertisement.

The number of product IDs that can be registered to a target product ID is not limited to one, and may be multiple. For example, if there are multiple products of the same beverage but different sizes, the product IDs of each size may be registered as target product IDs for one signage ID. Similarly, for multiple products sold as one series, the product IDs of those multiple products may be registered as target product IDs for one signage ID.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of store management DB 144. As shown in Figure 5, store management DB 144 associates each store with an identifiable store ID and stores the store name, store type, location, etc.

In the store name field, information indicating the store name or trade name is registered. In the store type field, information indicating the type of store is registered. For example, the store type may include the operating format (direct store, franchise, etc.), and in the case of a franchise, the name of the operating company. In the location field, information regarding the address and location of the store is stored.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of product management DB 145. As shown in Figure 6, product management DB 145 associates each product with an identifiable product ID and stores product names, product information, etc. Here, the product ID may be, for example, a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code.

In the product name field, information indicating the name of the product is registered. In the product information field, information about the product is registered. For example, information indicating the product's volume and weight is registered in the product information. In addition, the name of the company that sells and manufactures the product (hereinafter also referred to as the brand name) is registered in the product information. In addition, information indicating the product's classification is registered in the product information. In addition, information indicating the product's price (such as the suggested retail price) is registered in the product information.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of sales history DB 146. As shown in Figure 7, sales history DB 146 stores store IDs, sales dates and times, transaction IDs, product IDs, sales quantities, prices, and additional information in association with each other.

The store ID is the store ID of the store that sold the product. The sales date and time is registered as date and time information indicating the date and time the product was sold. The transaction ID is registered as a transaction ID for identifying the transaction related to the sale of the product. For example, if multiple different products are sold (purchased) in one transaction, the same transaction ID will be assigned to each of those products.

The product ID is registered as the product ID of the product sold. The number of units sold is registered as the number of units sold in the transaction. The price is registered as the price (actual selling price) of the product sold in the transaction. The additional information is registered as additional information related to the transaction or sale of the product. For example, the attributes of the customer who purchased the product (age, gender, etc.) are registered as additional information. The additional information also registers the weather (weather, temperature, etc.) on the date and time the transaction was made. The additional information also registers information about events (festivals, sporting events, etc.) that took place in the vicinity of the store on the date or time the transaction was made. Note that sales performance DB146 may also include other items, such as the total amount for each transaction.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the store terminal 20. As shown in Figure 8, the store terminal 20 includes a CPU 21, ROM 22, RAM 23, a storage unit 24, a display unit 25, an operation unit 26, and a communication unit 27.

The CPU 21 is an example of a processor and provides overall control over the operation of the store terminal 20. The ROM 22 stores various programs. The RAM 23 is a workspace where programs and various data are deployed.

The CPU 21, ROM 22, and RAM 23 are connected via a bus or the like to form a computer-configured control unit 200. In the control unit 200, the CPU 21 operates in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 22 or memory unit 24 and loaded into the RAM 23, thereby executing various processes.

The memory unit 24 has a storage medium such as an HDD or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 24 stores programs 241 that can be executed by the CPU 21 and various setting information. For example, the memory unit 24 stores the store ID of its own store as setting information. The memory unit 24 may also store a product master that associates the product ID, product name, price, etc. of each product sold at its own store.

The display unit 25 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 25 displays various information under the control of the CPU 21. The operation unit 26 is an input device such as a keyboard or pointing device. The operation unit 26 outputs operation details input via the input device to the CPU 21. The operation unit 26 may also be a touch panel provided on the display unit 25.

The communication unit 27 is a wired or wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 27 communicates with external devices such as the advertising support server 10 via the network N.

Note that the hardware configuration of the store terminal 20 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 8. For example, if the store terminal 20 is a POS terminal, the store terminal 20 may be equipped with a code reader that reads the product ID of a product from a code symbol, such as a barcode or two-dimensional code, attached to the product.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the advertiser terminal 40. As shown in Figure 9, the advertiser terminal 40 includes a CPU 41, ROM 42, RAM 43, a memory unit 44, a display unit 45, an operation unit 46, and a communication unit 47.

The CPU 41 is an example of a processor and provides overall control over the operation of the advertiser terminal 40. The ROM 42 stores various programs. The RAM 43 is a workspace where programs and various data are deployed.

The CPU 41, ROM 42, and RAM 43 are connected via a bus or the like to form the computer-configured control unit 400. In the control unit 400, the CPU 41 operates in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 42 or memory unit 44 and loaded into the RAM 43, thereby executing various processes.

The memory unit 44 has a storage medium such as an HDD or flash memory, and maintains its stored contents even when the power is cut off. The memory unit 44 stores programs 441 that can be executed by the CPU 41 and various setting information. For example, the memory unit 44 stores the advertiser ID of its own advertiser as setting information. The program 441 also includes a web client program for displaying various user interface screens in cooperation with the advertising support server 10.

The display unit 45 is a display device such as an LCD. The display unit 45 displays various information under the control of the CPU 41. The operation unit 46 is an input device such as a keyboard or pointing device. The operation unit 46 outputs the operation content input via the input device to the CPU 41. Note that the operation unit 46 may also be a touch panel provided on the display unit 45.

The communication unit 47 is a wired or wireless communication interface that can be connected to the network N. The communication unit 47 communicates with external devices such as the advertising support server 10 via the network N.

Next, the functional configurations of the advertising support server 10, the store terminal 20, and the advertiser terminal 40 will be described. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configurations of the advertising support server 10, the store terminal 20, and the advertiser terminal 40.

As shown in FIG. 10, the advertising support server 10 has a sales performance collection unit 101, a user interface (UI) provision unit 102, an advertising support unit 103, and an advertising support unit 103 as functional components. The store terminal 20 has a sales performance transmission unit 201 as functional components. Furthermore, the advertiser terminal 40 has a display control unit 401 and an operation reception unit 402 as functional components.

The functional configuration of each of the advertising support server 10, store terminal 20, and advertiser terminal 40 is a software configuration realized by the processor of each device operating in accordance with a program stored in ROM or memory, but is not limited to this. For example, some or all of the functional configuration of each of the advertising support server 10, store terminal 20, and advertiser terminal 40 may be realized by hardware such as a dedicated circuit.

The sales performance sending unit 201 of the store terminal 20 sends sales performance data indicating the sales performance of products sold at its own store to the advertising support server 10. Here, the sales performance data includes information related to each item in the data configuration of the sales performance DB 146. The sales performance data may also include other information indicating the breakdown of the transaction (total amount, payment amount, etc.).

For example, if the store terminal 20 is a store server, the store terminal 20 collects sales performance data for each transaction processed at each POS terminal installed in the store, and transmits the sales performance data for multiple transactions to the advertising support server 10. Also, for example, if the store terminal 20 is a POS terminal, the store terminal 20 transmits sales performance data for each transaction processed at the store terminal to the advertising support server 10.

When a transaction is made at a POS terminal, customer attributes are input, for example, manually by an operator or through automatic recognition processing based on an image of the customer, and the input attributes are recorded as additional information. When a transaction is made at a POS terminal, weather information at the time is recorded as additional information, for example, based on a weather information service provided by an external organization such as the Japan Meteorological Agency. Furthermore, on the day a predetermined event is held, information related to that event is recorded as additional information at the POS terminal.

The sales performance collection unit 101 of the advertising support server 10 collects sales performance data for products sold at each store from that store. Specifically, the sales performance collection unit 101 acquires sales performance data from each store terminal 20 installed in each store. Here, the sales performance data includes each item that makes up the data in the sales performance DB 146. After collecting (acquiring) sales performance data from each store terminal 20, the sales performance collection unit 101 registers the acquired sales performance data in the sales performance DB 146.

The timing at which the sales performance collection unit 101 acquires sales performance data from each store is not particularly important, and the data may be acquired at any time, such as at a predetermined time. The method by which the sales performance collection unit 101 acquires sales performance data from each store is also not particularly important. For example, the sales performance collection unit 101 may acquire information in a push-type manner, in which the sales performance data transmitted from each store terminal 20 is passively acquired. The sales performance collection unit 101 may also acquire information in a pull-type manner, in which the sales performance data is actively acquired by making a request to each store terminal 20.

The user interface providing unit 102 of the advertising support server 10 provides a user interface (hereinafter also referred to as an operation screen) to an advertiser terminal 40 that has accessed the advertising support server 10 to support the implementation of advertising using the signage terminal 30. The user interface providing unit 102 also works in cooperation with other functional components to provide various operation screens, which will be described later.

The advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 is an example of an extraction means, a counting means, an output means, and a reception means. The advertising support unit 103 works in cooperation with the user interface providing unit 102 to perform various processes to support advertising activities (signage advertising) using the signage terminal 30. The operation of the advertising support unit 103 will be described later. Specifically, the advertising support unit 103 receives operations from the advertiser via the advertiser terminal 40, and in response to the operations, selects a signage terminal 30 to be used for the advertising activity and supports the measurement of advertising effectiveness using the signage terminal 30.

The display control unit 401 of the advertiser terminal 40 displays various information on the display unit 45. Specifically, the display control unit 401 cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 of the advertising support server 10 to display various operation screens on the display unit 45. The operation accepting unit 402 of the advertiser terminal 40 accepts operations from the advertiser via the operation unit 46. For example, the operation accepting unit 402 accepts operations on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 45.

Below, we will explain an example of the operation related to support for signage advertising performed by the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10, while referring to an example operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40. When the advertiser terminal 40 accesses the advertisement support server 10, the display control unit 401 displays the operation screen shown in Figure 11 (hereinafter also referred to as list screen A) on the display unit 45 based on data provided by the user interface providing unit 102.

List screen A is an operation screen for displaying a list of available signage terminals 30. List screen A has a first display area Aa and a second display area Ab.

Operators for setting extraction conditions for the signage terminal 30 are provided in the first display area Aa. An input field Aaa is provided in the first display area Aa, for example, where the area in which the advertisement will be performed can be entered. An input field Aab is also provided in the first display area Aa, for example, where the price range of the fee can be entered. An input field Aac is also provided in the first display area Aa, for example, where the product to be advertised and the classification of that product can be entered. An OK button Aad is also provided in the first display area Aa, which confirms the extraction conditions. The initial state of the list screen A is assumed to be a state in which none of the extraction conditions have been entered.

The second display area Ab is an area for displaying a list of available signage terminals 30. The second display area Ab displays items such as the ID (signage ID), name, installation location, specifications, and price for each signage terminal 30.

Here, when the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 receives instructions from the advertiser terminal 40 regarding extraction conditions for signage terminals 30, it extracts signage terminals 30 that meet the extraction conditions from the signage management DB 142.

Specifically, after the extraction conditions are entered in the first display area Aa, when the OK button Aad is operated, the advertising support unit 103 accepts the extraction conditions specified from the advertiser terminal 40 via the user interface providing unit 102. The advertising support unit 103 then reads out the signage information of the signage terminal 30 that matches the extraction conditions from the signage management DB 142, and works in cooperation with the user interface providing unit 102 to display the read signage information in the second display area Ab.

For example, when an area in which advertising will be carried out is specified as an extraction condition, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 that meet the conditions of the specified area from the signage management DB 142 and reads out the signage information of those signage terminals 30. As an example, when a wide area such as a ward, city, town, or village is specified, the advertising support unit 103 reads out the signage information of signage terminals 30 whose installation locations belonging to that area are registered from the signage management DB 142. Furthermore, when a specific facility, address, etc. is specified as an area, the advertising support unit 103 extracts from the signage management DB 142 signage terminals 30 whose installation locations are set in the specified area, or signage terminals 30 in stores located in facilities in that area, and reads out the signage information of those signage terminals 30.

Furthermore, for example, when a price range is specified as an extraction condition, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 that meet the specified price range conditions from the signage management DB 142 and reads out the signage information of those signage terminals 30.

Furthermore, for example, when information that can identify a product or product category is specified as an extraction condition, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 that meet the conditions from the signage management DB 142 based on the locations of stores that sell the specified product or product category, and reads out the signage information of those signage terminals 30.

Specifically, the advertising support unit 103 references the sales performance DB 146 and extracts store IDs associated with the products and product categories specified in the extraction conditions. Next, the advertising support unit 103 reads the location of the extracted store ID from the store management DB 144, extracts from the signage management DB 142 signage terminals 30 whose installation locations have a predetermined geographical relationship with the location, and reads the signage information of the signage terminals 30. For example, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 whose installation locations include the address of the location of the extracted store ID. Furthermore, for example, the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage terminals 30 whose installation locations include areas within a predetermined distance from the location of the extracted store ID. Here, the predetermined distance can be set arbitrarily, for example, to 500 m, 1 km, or the like.

In addition, if multiple extraction conditions are specified, the advertising support unit 103 combines the multiple extraction conditions using AND or OR to read signage information of the signage terminals 30 that match the specified extraction conditions from the signage management DB 142.

The initial state of list screen A is one in which none of the extraction conditions have been entered. In this case, the advertising support unit 103 may display the signage information of all signage terminals 30 registered in the signage management DB 142 in the second display area Ab, or may hide the signage information.

In this way, the advertising support server 10 presents the advertiser with a list of applicable signage terminals 30 according to the extraction conditions specified by the advertiser. This allows the advertiser to easily confirm the signage terminals 30 that meet the desired extraction conditions by looking at list screen A. Therefore, the advertising support server 10 can support advertisers who advertise using signage terminals 30.

Note that Figure 11 shows an example in which extraction conditions have not been entered and signage information related to four signage terminals 30 is displayed in the second display area Ab.

The list of signage terminals 30 displayed in the second display area Ab is configured to be selectable, allowing the advertiser to specify the desired signage terminal 30 via the advertiser terminal 40. When the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 accepts a selection operation to specify one signage terminal 30 from the list of signage terminals 30 displayed in the second display area Ab, it cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 to provide the advertiser terminal 40 with a details screen related to the specified signage terminal 30.

Figure 12 shows an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40, showing an example of the display of details screen B.

As shown in FIG. 12, the details screen B has a first display area Ba and a second display area Bb. The first display area Ba displays the name, installation location, and price of the signage terminal 30, as well as specifications, advertising conditions, reference images, etc.

Specifically, when the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 receives the signage ID of the specified signage terminal 30 via the user interface providing unit 102, it reads the signage information for that signage ID from the signage management DB 142 and displays it in the first display area Ba.

The advertising support unit 103 also extracts stores that have a predetermined geographical relationship with the location where the specified signage terminal 30 is set, and displays the first purchase data Bba derived from the sales performance data of the stores in the second display area Bb. Here, the first purchase data Bba represents the number of items sold for each product in chronological order, as shown in FIG. 12.

Specifically, when a signage terminal 30 (signage ID) is specified, the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 reads the installation location of the signage ID from the signage management DB 142. Next, based on the read installation location and the addresses of each store registered in the store management DB 144, the advertising support unit 103 extracts from the store management DB 144 the store IDs of stores that have a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the selected signage terminal 30.

For example, if the installation location indicates that the location is not inside a store, such as on the roof of a building or inside a facility such as a station, the advertising support unit 103 extracts from the store management DB 144 the store IDs of stores whose locations belong to an area within a specified distance from the location of the installation location. Here, the specified distance can be set arbitrarily, for example, to 500 m or 1 km.

Furthermore, for example, if the installation location indicates that the device is located within a specific store, such as by including the address or name of the specific store, the advertising support unit 103 extracts the store ID of the corresponding store from the store management DB 144.

Next, the advertising support unit 103 reads the sales performance data corresponding to the extracted store ID from the sales performance DB 146, and generates first purchase data based on the sales performance data.

Specifically, for each product ID included in the sales performance data, the advertising support unit 103 tallyes the number of sales units of the product corresponding to that product ID for each transaction day. Next, the advertising support unit 103 generates data as first purchase data that associates the number of sales units for each product ID tallyed for each transaction day with the product name of that product ID, etc. Then, the advertising support unit 103 works in cooperation with the user interface providing unit 102 to display the generated sales performance data in the second display area Bb.

Figure 12 shows the sales volume trends for five products from February 12th to February 18th as first purchase data Bba. In the second display area Bb, hidden products can be displayed by operating the scroll bar up and down.

In this way, when an advertiser specifies a signage terminal 30, the advertising support server 10 presents the advertiser with details of the signage terminal 30, as well as first purchase data for products sold at stores that are geographically related to the signage terminal 30. This allows the advertising support server 10 to present the advertiser with first purchase data for stores that are likely to be used by customers viewing the signage terminal 30.

On the other hand, by viewing the first purchase data displayed on the details screen B, the advertiser can confirm whether the advertised target product is sold in stores near the signage terminal 30 and check the purchasing status of the target product. This allows the advertiser to easily predict the advertising effectiveness when advertising the target product using the selected signage terminal 30. Furthermore, the advertiser can also check the existence and purchasing status of products similar to the target product (hereinafter also referred to as similar products) and products correlated with the target product (hereinafter also referred to as correlated products). This allows the advertiser to make a multifaceted judgment about the advertising effectiveness when advertising the target product using the signage terminal 30. Therefore, the advertising support server 10 can support advertisers who advertise using the signage terminal 30.

The period displayed in the first purchasing data Bba is not limited to a particular period, and any period can be displayed. For example, the advertising support unit 103 may extract first purchasing data limited to the most recent one month period, or may extract first purchasing data for the period desired by the advertiser by accepting an input operation for the period to be displayed.

In addition, in the above explanation, all stores registered in the store management DB 144 are processed, but this is not limiting, and the input of conditions for narrowing down the stores (hereinafter also referred to as narrowing down conditions) may be accepted. For example, the second display area Bb may be provided with an input field into which narrowing down conditions related to store types registered in the store management DB 144 can be entered, and the stores may be narrowed down based on the narrowing down conditions entered in the input field. In this case, when extracting store IDs related to the installation locations of the specified signage terminals 30 from the store management DB 144, the advertising support unit 103 may perform processing to narrow down the store IDs to those that meet (or do not meet) the narrowing down conditions for store type.

In addition, in the above explanation, all sales performance data registered in the sales performance DB 146 is processed, but this is not limited to this. It is also possible to accept the input of filtering conditions for narrowing down the sales performance data. For example, the second display area Bb may be provided with an input field into which filtering conditions related to additional information registered in the store management DB 144 can be entered, and the stores may be narrowed down based on the filtering conditions entered in the input field. As an example, it may be provided with a configuration in which input fields into which customer attributes, weather, events, etc. can be entered as filtering conditions. In this case, when reading out sales performance data from the sales performance DB 146, the advertising support unit 103 may perform processing to narrow down the sales performance data to those that meet (or do not meet) the filtering conditions based on the additional information.

The second display area Bb also has a back button Bbb and a confirm use button Bbc. The back button Bbb is an operator for clearing the details screen B and returning to the list screen A. The confirm use button Bbc is an operator for confirming use of the signage terminal 30.

When the Use Confirmation button Bbc is operated, the advertising support unit 103 provides the advertiser terminal 40 with a screen for entering information necessary for using the signage terminal 30. The operator of the advertiser terminal 40 then applies to use the selected signage terminal 30 by sending the entered data (hereinafter, "usage data") to the advertising support server 10.

Here, the usage data includes the advertiser ID of the advertiser, the signage ID of the selected signage terminal 30, as well as information such as the product ID of the target product advertised using the signage terminal 30 and the usage period. The user may also include the product name, product classification, price (suggested retail price), etc. of the target product in the usage data and send it. The user may also include advertising content to be displayed and played on the signage terminal 30 in the usage data and send it.

When the advertising support unit 103 receives usage data from the advertiser terminal 40, it registers each item included in the usage data in the signage usage history DB 143, thereby accepting the usage application. Specifically, the advertising support unit 103 issues a unique usage ID for each piece of usage data, and associates with the usage ID and registers information included in the usage data, such as the advertiser ID, signage ID, product ID (target product ID), and usage period, in the signage usage history DB 143. The advertising support unit 103 then notifies the advertiser terminal 40 that sent the usage data of the issued usage ID, thereby notifying it that the usage application has been accepted.

If the target product ID specified in the usage data is not registered in the product management DB 145, the advertising support unit 103 may register the target product ID in the product management DB 145 along with the product name, product category, price, etc.

In addition, if the usage data includes advertising content, the advertising support unit 103 prepares to display and play the advertising content during the usage period by transmitting the usage period and advertising content specified in the usage data to the signage terminal 30 of the signage ID. When the signage terminal 30 receives the usage period and advertising content from the advertising support unit 103, it registers them in a timetable or the like, thereby displaying and playing the advertising content during the specified usage period.

The timing of receiving advertising content from the advertiser is not limited to the time of application for use, and can be any time before the submission deadline specified in the advertising conditions for the selected signage terminal 30. In this case, when the advertising support unit 103 receives the usage ID and advertising content from the advertiser terminal 40, it searches the signage usage history DB 143 for usage data corresponding to the usage ID. The advertising support unit 103 then sends the usage period and advertising content specified in the usage data to the signage terminal 30 of the signage ID, thereby making preparations to display and play the advertising content during the usage period.

In this embodiment, the advertising support server 10 delivers the advertising content to the signage terminal 30, but this is not limiting; a third party such as an advertising agency may deliver the advertising content to the signage terminal 30.

In addition, the advertising support unit 103 provides second purchase data indicating the advertising effectiveness of the signage terminal 30 to the advertiser who has applied to use the signage terminal 30.

Specifically, when a usage ID is specified from the advertiser terminal 40, the advertising support unit 103 reads out usage data related to that usage ID from the signage usage history DB 143. Next, the advertising support unit 103 extracts from the store management DB 144 the store ID of a store that has a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the signage ID (signage terminal 30) included in the usage data. Here, the method of extracting the store related to the installation location of the signage terminal 30 is the same as when generating the second purchase data described above.

The advertising support unit 103 then reads out sales performance data including the target product ID specified in the usage data from the sales performance data in the sales performance DB 146 corresponding to the extracted store ID. Then, based on the read sales performance data, the advertising support unit 103 tallies the number of sales units of the product corresponding to the target product ID for each transaction date. Here, the tallying period includes at least the usage period specified in the usage data, and preferably includes the period before and after the usage period. Next, the advertising support unit 103 generates second purchase data that associates the product name, etc. of the target product ID with the number of sales units of the target product ID tallied for each transaction date.

Note that the products processed by the advertising support unit 103 are not limited to the advertised product (target product ID). For example, the advertising support unit 103 may similarly tally the number of sales for other products of the same product type as the product with the target product ID, i.e., similar products. Furthermore, for example, the advertising support unit 103 may similarly tally the number of sales for correlated products that are correlated with the product with the target product ID. In this case, if the usage data indicates a product ID such as a correlated product, the advertising support unit 103 need only tally the number of sales for the indicated product ID. Furthermore, the advertising support unit 103 may be configured to identify products that are correlated with the product with the target product ID by analyzing the sales performance data in the sales performance DB 146 that corresponds to the extracted store ID using known correlation analysis techniques.

Then, the advertising support unit 103 cooperates with the user interface providing unit 102 to provide the generated second purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40. For example, the advertising support unit 103 presents the advertising effectiveness measurement screen shown in FIG. 13 to the advertiser terminal 40.

Figure 13 shows an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40, and shows an example of the advertising effectiveness measurement screen.

As shown in FIG. 13, the advertising effectiveness measurement screen C has a first display area Ca and a second display area Cb. The first display area Ca displays the content of the usage data and various information related to the usage data. For example, the first display area Ca displays the name of the signage terminal 30 for which usage has been requested, its installation location, usage period, fee, and the name of the product being advertised.

Specifically, the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 references the signage management DB 142, store management DB 144, and product management DB 145 based on the usage data of the usage ID specified by the user, and reads information related to each item in the first display area Ca. The advertising support unit 103 then displays the read information in the first display area Ca.

The second display area Cb also displays the second purchase data Cba generated by the advertising support unit 103. The example in Figure 13 shows an example in which the aggregation results for product AB, which is the target product, as well as the aggregation results for similar products MN, OP, and QR that are similar to product AB are displayed as the second purchase data Cba. As shown in Figure 13, for example, the period of the aggregation period for the target product that corresponds to the usage period may be highlighted. In other words, the period before this highlighted period is the period before advertising is carried out by the signage terminal 30. The period after this highlighted period is the period after advertising is carried out by the signage terminal 30.

Note that the advertising effectiveness measurement screen is not limited to the example shown in Figure 13. For example, the advertising support unit 103 may display additional information about each day of the aggregation period on the advertising effectiveness measurement screen based on additional information included in the sales performance data.

Here, Figure 14 shows an example of an operation screen displayed on the advertiser terminal 40, and shows another display example of the advertising effectiveness measurement screen.

As shown in FIG. 14, the advertising effect measurement screen D has a first display area Ca and a second display area Cb, similar to the advertising effect measurement screen C in FIG. 13. Here, the second display area Cb of the advertising effect measurement screen D displays information Da representing the weather associated with each day of the aggregation period. This information Da is based on additional information included in the sales performance data for the corresponding date, and a symbol representing the weather recorded as additional information is displayed as information Da. Note that if the weather recorded as additional information differs in the sales performance data for each transaction date read from the sales performance DB 146, the weather may be represented using a statistical value, such as showing the weather that accounts for the highest proportion of the total.

The additional information displayed on the advertising effectiveness measurement screen D is not limited to weather, and other information may also be displayed. For example, if the additional information records temperature, the minimum and maximum temperatures, or the average temperature for a specific time period, may be displayed in association with the relevant date. For example, if the additional information records information about an event, the information may be displayed in association with the relevant date. For example, if the additional information registers customer attributes, the number of sales points may be displayed for each attribute. The advertising support unit 103 may display all of this additional information at once, or may switch the content of the additional information to be displayed in response to the advertiser's operation.

Furthermore, the display format of the additional information is not limited to the example in FIG. 14, and the display format may be varied depending on the characteristics of the information to be displayed. For example, the advertising support unit 103 may provide a screen based on the additional information of the sales performance data related to the selected product, on the condition that one of the target products (similar products, correlated products) displayed in the second display area Cb is selected.

In this way, when an advertiser specifies a usage ID for which advertising has been carried out, i.e., a signage terminal 30, the advertising support server 10 presents the advertiser with the trend in the number of units sold of the target product sold at the store associated with that signage terminal 30. This allows the advertising support server 10 to present the advertiser with the sales status of the target product at stores within the range covered by the advertising effect of the signage terminal 30.

Meanwhile, by looking at the second purchase data displayed on the advertising effectiveness measurement screens C and D, the advertiser can see how the number of units sold of the target product has changed as a result of advertising via the signage terminal 30. This allows the advertiser to easily understand the effectiveness of advertising the target product using the signage terminal 30.

The advertising support server 10 also presents the advertiser with the trend in sales of similar products and correlated products related to the target product in a form that allows comparison with the trend in sales of the target product. This allows the advertiser to check how the sales of similar products and correlated products have changed as a result of advertising the target product by looking at the second purchase data Cba displayed on the advertising effectiveness measurement screens C and D. This allows the advertiser to analyze the advertising effectiveness of the target product using the signage terminal 30 from multiple angles.

The advertising support server 10 also presents the advertiser with additional information, such as the weather for each day before and after the period during which the advertisement was run, along with changes in sales units. This allows the advertiser to check factors other than advertising that affect increases or decreases in sales units by viewing the second purchase data Cba and information Da displayed on the advertising effectiveness measurement screen D. This allows the advertiser to analyze the advertising effectiveness of the target product using the signage terminal 30 from multiple angles.

An example of the operation of the advertising support server 10 is described below. Note that the various processes described below are merely examples, and it is possible to change the order of some of the processes, omit some of the processes, or add other processes as appropriate. For example, in the following explanation, in order to clearly explain the characteristic operations of this embodiment, explanation of some of the processes is omitted. For example, if an error occurs, processing may be performed to deal with the error, but a description of such processing is omitted.

Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of advertising plan support processing performed by the advertising support server 10. Note that this processing is premised on the assumption that sales performance data collected from each store terminal 20 has already been stored in the sales performance DB 146.

First, the advertising support unit 103 waits until it receives access from the advertiser terminal 40 (Step S11; No). When it receives access from the advertiser terminal 40 (Step S11; Yes), the advertising support unit 103 provides list screen A to the accessing advertiser terminal 40 based on the signage management DB 142 (Step S12).

The advertising support unit 103 then determines whether an instruction to change the extraction conditions has been received from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S13). If it is determined that an instruction to change the extraction conditions has been received (step S13; Yes), the advertising support unit 103 extracts signage information from the signage management DB 142 based on the changed extraction conditions (step S14). Next, the advertising support unit 103 returns the process to step S12, thereby providing the advertiser terminal 40 with list screen A based on the signage information extracted in step S14.

Also, if it is determined in step S13 that no extraction conditions have been specified (step S13; No), the advertising support unit 103 determines whether a signage terminal 30 has been specified from the list screen A (step S15). If it is determined that a signage terminal 30 has been specified (step S15; Yes), the advertising support unit 103 extracts the store ID of a store that has a predetermined geographic relationship with the selected signage terminal 30 based on the installation location of the specified signage terminal 30 and the addresses of each store registered in the store management DB 144 (step S16). Next, the advertising support unit 103 generates first purchase data representing the products sold at the store ID and the number of items sold based on the sales performance data of the extracted store ID (step S17). Next, the advertising support unit 103 provides a details screen B including the generated first purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40 (step S18), and proceeds to step S19. If the designation of the signage terminal 30 is not accepted in step S15 (step S15; No), the advertising support unit 103 returns the process to step S12.

In the following step S19, the advertising support unit 103 determines whether an instruction to decide on use has been issued from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S19). If an instruction to decide on use has been received (step S19; Yes), the advertising support unit 103 acquires usage data from the advertiser terminal 40, associates it with the newly issued usage ID, and registers it in the signage usage history DB 143 (step S20). Next, the advertising support unit 103 transmits a notification that the acceptance of the usage application, including the issued usage ID, has been completed, and proceeds to step S21. Note that even if it is determined in step S19 that an instruction to decide on use has not been issued (step S19; No), the advertising support unit 103 proceeds to step S21.

In addition, if there is an individual or company (hereinafter referred to as a media owner) that manages the signage terminal 30, the advertising support unit 103 may perform the processing of step S20 after obtaining approval from the media owner.

In this case, for example, the advertising support unit 103 requests use of the signage terminal 30 by sending the usage data acquired from the advertiser terminal 40 to the terminal of the media owner that manages the signage terminal 30 with the signage ID included in the usage data. The advertising support unit 103 then performs the processing of step S20 on the condition that an approval response is received from the media owner's terminal. Note that if an approval response is not received, the advertising support unit 103 will send a response to the advertiser terminal 40 indicating that use is not permitted without performing step S20.

In the following step S21, the advertising support unit 103 determines whether an instruction to return to list screen A has been given (step S21). If an instruction to return to list screen A has been given (step S21; Yes), the advertising support unit 103 returns the process to step S12, thereby returning to the display of list screen A.

Also, if an instruction to return to list screen A is not given in step S21 (step S21; No), the advertising support unit 103 returns the process to step S18, thereby continuing to display the details screen.

It should be noted that the operator of the advertiser terminal 40 can instruct the end of the advertising plan support process at any time on the list screen A or the details screen B. The advertising support unit 103 ends the advertising plan support process of FIG. 15 when an end instruction is received from the advertiser terminal 40.

Figure 16 is a flowchart showing an example of advertising effectiveness measurement processing performed by the advertising support server 10. Note that this processing is premised on the fact that the signage terminal 30 for which use was requested in the advertising plan support processing described above is in the middle of or has passed its usage period.

First, the advertising support unit 103 waits until a usage ID is specified from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S31). When the usage ID is received from the advertiser terminal 40 (step S31; Yes), the advertising support unit 103 reads usage data related to the specified usage ID from the signage usage history DB 143 (step S32).

The advertising support unit 103 then references the signage management DB 142 to identify the installation location of the signage terminal 30 specified in the usage data (step S33). Next, the advertising support unit 103 extracts from the store management DB 144 the store ID of a store that has a predetermined geographic relationship with the installation location of the signage terminal 30 (step S34).

Next, the advertising support unit 103 reads the sales performance data including the target product ID indicated in the usage data from the sales performance data in the sales performance DB 146 corresponding to the extracted store ID, and generates second purchase data based on the sales performance data, which aggregates the number of items sold corresponding to the target product ID for each transaction date (step S35).

Then, the advertising support unit 103 provides the advertising effectiveness measurement screen C including the generated second purchase data to the advertiser terminal 40 (step S36), and ends this process.

As described above, the advertising support server 10 according to this embodiment extracts stores that have a predetermined geographical relationship with the installation location of the signage terminal 30 that displays the advertisement, based on the installation location of the signage terminal 30. The advertising support server 10 then generates first purchase data that aggregates the number of items sold at the extracted store for each product from the sales performance data that indicates the sales performance of the store, and outputs this data to the advertiser terminal 40.

In this way, the advertising support server 10 presents the advertiser with first purchase data for stores that are likely to be used by customers viewing advertisements on the signage terminals 30. This allows the advertising support server 10 to provide the advertiser with information that enables the advertiser to determine whether or not there are products they want to sell in the vicinity of the location where the signage terminal 30 is installed. This allows the advertiser to easily select signage terminals 30 that are expected to have more effective advertising effects, thereby improving advertising effectiveness. Furthermore, it is possible to efficiently increase opportunities for customers viewing the signage terminals 30 to view advertisements for target products, thereby improving sales numbers. Therefore, the advertising support server 10 can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertisements.

Furthermore, if the installation location of the signage terminal 30 specified by the advertiser indicates a specific facility or the interior of a facility, the advertising support server 10 identifies from the store management DB 144 stores whose locations are set within that facility or the interior of that facility. Further, if the installation location of the signage terminal specified by the advertiser indicates an outdoor location, the advertising support server 10 identifies from the store management DB 144 stores whose locations are within a specified distance from the installation location. This allows the advertising support server 10 to efficiently extract stores that are likely to be used by customers who view advertisements on the signage terminal 30.

Furthermore, when a target product is specified by the advertiser, the advertising support server 10 generates second purchase data that tally the number of sales of the specified product based on the sales performance data of the identified store from the store management DB 144, and provides this data to the advertiser. In this way, the advertising support server 10 can present the advertising effectiveness of the signage terminal 30 to the advertiser by aggregating the sales status of the target product at stores that are likely to be used by customers who view the advertisement on the signage terminal 30 as second purchase data. Therefore, the advertising support server 10 can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertisements.

The advertising support server 10 also tallyes the number of sales of similar or correlated products in addition to the target product, and provides this data to the advertiser as second purchase data. This allows the advertising support server 10 to present to the advertiser how the number of sales of similar or correlated products has changed as a result of advertising the target product, enabling multifaceted analysis. Therefore, the advertising support server 10 can improve the convenience of implementing signage advertising.

The above-described embodiments can be modified as needed by changing some of the configurations or functions of the above-described devices. Therefore, below, several modifications of the above-described embodiments will be described as other embodiments. Below, differences from the above-described embodiments will be mainly described, and detailed descriptions of commonalities with the contents already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combinations.

(Variation 1)
In the above embodiment, the advertisement support server 10 is configured to acquire sales performance data from the store terminal 20 installed in each store, but the source of the sales performance data is not limited to this. For example, if there is an electronic receipt server that collectively manages sales performance data of transactions performed in each store and provides the sales performance data to customers in the form of electronic receipts, the advertisement support server 10 may be configured to acquire the sales performance data from the electronic receipt server.

Here, Figure 17 is a diagram showing the general configuration of the advertising support system 1 according to this modified example. As shown in Figure 17, the advertising support system 1 according to this modified example further includes an electronic receipt server 50 in addition to the advertising support server 10, store terminal 20, signage terminal 30, and advertiser terminal 40 described above.

The electronic receipt server 50 receives sales performance data for each transaction sent from the store terminal 20 of each store via the network N. The electronic receipt server 50 also registers and manages the received electronic receipt information in a database (not shown) (hereinafter also referred to as the electronic receipt DB). Note that the sales performance data in this modified example functions as receipt data showing the breakdown of one transaction, including information such as the total price of the products, the amount paid by the customer, and the amount of change, in addition to the items described in FIG. 7. The sales performance data also includes a customer ID that can identify the customer who made the transaction.

The electronic receipt server 50 also stores a database (not shown) (hereinafter also referred to as the customer DB) that associates each customer's customer ID with destination information (e.g., email address) of the terminal device to which the electronic receipt is to be sent.

When the electronic receipt server 50 stores sales performance data in the electronic receipt DB, it references the destination information associated with the customer ID included in this sales performance data from the customer DB to identify the destination terminal device. The electronic receipt server 50 then transmits the sales performance data stored in the electronic receipt DB as an electronic receipt to the destination terminal device via the network N. Furthermore, when the electronic receipt server 50 receives an electronic receipt inquiry specifying a customer ID from a customer terminal device connected via the network N, it reads out sales performance data including the customer ID from the electronic receipt DB and transmits it to the terminal device.

The electronic receipt server 50 may generate an electronic receipt by extracting or excluding some data from the sales performance data. For example, the electronic receipt server 50 may generate an electronic receipt by excluding additional information from the sales performance data.

The advertising support server 10 according to this modification generates the first purchase data and the second purchase data by working in cooperation with the electronic receipt server 50 described above. For example, the sales record collection unit 101 of the advertising support server 10 may be configured to acquire sales record data from the electronic receipt DB of the electronic receipt server 50 and register it in the sales record DB 146.

Furthermore, for example, the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 may refer to the electronic receipt DB of the electronic receipt server 50 to generate the first purchase data and the second purchase data based on the sales performance data registered in the electronic receipt DB. In this case, the electronic receipt DB of the electronic receipt server 50 serves as a substitute for the sales performance DB 146, so the sales performance DB 146 may be unnecessary.

The electronic receipt server 50 may also be configured to generate the first purchase data and the second purchase data based on the electronic receipt DB. In this case, the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 can be configured to notify the electronic receipt server 50 of the conditions for generating the first purchase data and the second purchase data, thereby acquiring the first purchase data and the second purchase data generated by the electronic receipt server 50 and providing it to the advertiser terminal 40.

Specifically, the advertising support unit 103 can cause the electronic receipt server 50 to generate the first purchasing data by notifying the electronic receipt server 50 of the store ID of a store that is in a predetermined geographical relationship with the signage terminal 30 specified by the advertiser as a condition for generating the first purchasing data. Furthermore, the advertising support unit 103 can cause the electronic receipt server 50 to generate the second purchasing data by notifying the electronic receipt server 50 of the store ID of a store that is in a predetermined geographical relationship with the signage terminal 30 specified by the advertiser, the product ID of the target product (similar product, correlated product), and the usage period as a condition for generating the second purchasing data.

As described above, the advertising support system 1 of this modified example makes effective use of existing electronic receipt systems to provide advertising support using the signage terminal 30, thereby enabling efficient support of activities from advertising planning to measuring advertising effectiveness. Note that if the advertising support server 10 is implemented as a cloud system, the advertising support server 10 may also include the functions of the electronic receipt server 50.

(Variation 2)
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the signage terminal 30 installed outdoors or indoors is used as the advertising medium, but the target advertising medium is not limited to this. For example, advertising media such as billboards installed outdoors or indoors can also be handled in the same way.

In addition, for web advertisements posted on the Internet, the advertising space for web advertisements can be treated in the same way as for signage terminals 30 by restricting the area in which the web advertisements can be viewed.

Specifically, if the distribution system for distributing web advertisements is configured to acquire location information from the user's terminal and distribute web advertisements according to that location information, the area where the web advertisements are distributed can be set as the installation location, and the advertising space for the web advertisements can be treated as a signage terminal 30. In this case, the advertising support unit 103 can extract stores that have a locational relationship with the advertising space for the web advertisements by extracting from the store management DB 144 the store IDs of stores whose addresses are included in the area where the web advertisements are distributed.

The method for obtaining location information from a user terminal is not particularly limited, and any known technology can be used, such as a location determination method based on an IP address or a location determination method using the GPS (Global Positioning System) function installed in the user terminal.

(Variation 3)
In the above-described embodiment, tangible products sold at retail stores are the targets of advertising, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, intangible products such as movies and music may also be the targets of advertising. In this case, by registering a store that trades intangible products in the store management DB and tallying the number of visitors and viewers as sales points from the store terminal 20 of the store, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the above-described embodiment.

(Variation 4)
In the above-described embodiment, the second purchase data is presented to the advertiser as a measurement result of the advertising effectiveness, but this is not limited to this, and it may also be provided as the first purchase data provided when selecting a signage terminal 30.

In this case, the advertising support unit 103 may be configured to provide an input field on the details screen B where the advertised target product can be entered as a filtering condition, and to provide second purchase data when the product ID or product name of the target product is entered via the input field. For example, the advertising support unit 103 may read usage data of advertisements that have been previously run for the input target product from the signage usage history DB 143, and provide second purchase data based on that usage data to the user via the details screen B, etc. The advertising support unit 103 may also read usage data of advertisements that have been previously run for similar products or correlated products to the input target product from the signage usage history DB 143, and provide second purchase data based on that usage data to the user via the details screen B, etc.

As a result, advertisers planning to advertise using the signage terminal 30 can check the effectiveness of advertisements previously run using that signage terminal 30 and decide whether or not to use the signage terminal 30. Therefore, the advertising support server 10 of this modified example can further improve convenience for advertisers who use the signage terminal 30 to conduct advertising activities.

When this modified example is adopted, the advertising support unit 103 may generate second purchase data limited to usage data that includes the same advertiser ID as the accessing advertiser. This allows the advertising support unit 103 to prevent the accessing advertiser's second purchase data from being used by other advertisers, thereby ensuring the independence of each advertiser.

The advertising support unit 103 may also generate second purchase data that includes usage data for an advertiser ID different from that of the accessing advertiser. In this case, for second purchase data other than that of the accessing advertiser, the product name may be anonymized by changing it to a product type or an abstract name, etc., rather than displaying the product name as is. This allows the advertising support unit 103 to prevent the second purchase data of advertisers other than the accessing advertiser from being directly referenced, thereby ensuring the independence of each advertiser.

(Variation 5)
Although the above-described embodiment does not specifically mention payment of fees related to the use of the signage terminal 30, for example, the advertisement support server 10 may execute a settlement process related to payment of fees.

For example, when the advertising support unit 103 accepts an application to use the signage terminal 30, it may obtain accounting data for electronic money payment from the advertiser terminal 40 and perform payment processing for the fee for the signage terminal 30 specified in the application based on the accounting data.

(Variation 6)
In the above embodiment, the fee for using the signage terminal 30 is fixed, but this is not limiting, and the fee may be variable depending on, for example, the advertising effectiveness derived from the second purchase data. In this case, the advertising effectiveness may be evaluated automatically by the advertising support server 10, or may be evaluated by the advertiser using the signage terminal 30.

In the former case, for example, the advertising support unit 103 may derive an evaluation value of the advertising effectiveness of the signage terminal 30 for each product or product category based on the change in the number of sales units of the target product during the usage period and the period before and after. This allows the advertising support unit 103 to derive an evaluation value of the advertising effectiveness for each product or product category for each signage terminal 30, making it possible to vary the fee depending on the target product of the advertisement.

In the latter case, a mechanism for determining the usage fees for signage terminals 30 through an auction may be incorporated into the advertising support system 1, allowing advertisers to compete on price. In this case, the advertising support unit 103 can use the above-mentioned pairs of products and evaluation values of advertising effectiveness as indicators for determining fees by presenting them in association with each signage terminal 30.

(Variation 7)
In the above-described embodiment, the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 dynamically extracts stores that have a geographical relationship with the signage terminal 30 when the signage terminal 30 is specified from the advertiser terminal 40, but this is not limited to this, and the relationship between the signage terminal 30 and the store may be set in advance.

In this case, the advertising support server 10 may store in the storage unit 14 a database (hereinafter also referred to as a geographical relationship DB) that pre-associates the signage IDs of signage terminals 30 that are in a specified geographical relationship with store IDs. Furthermore, in this case, when the advertising support unit 103 of the advertising support server 10 receives a designation of a signage terminal 30 or store from the advertiser terminal 40, it references the geographical relationship DB and extracts stores or signage terminals 30 that are in a specified geographical relationship with the designated signage terminal 30 or store.

As a result, the advertising support server 10 according to this modified example can uniquely identify (extract) signage terminals 30 or stores that are in a specific geographical relationship by referencing the geographical relationship DB, thereby speeding up processing.

The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments are provided in a state where they are pre-installed in ROM, a storage unit, etc. The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may also be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading via the network. Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments and their modifications can be embodied in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 advertisement support system 10 advertisement support server 20 store terminal 30 signage terminal 40 advertiser terminal 50 electronic receipt server 101 sales record collection unit 102 user interface providing unit 103 advertisement support unit 201 sales record transmission unit 401 display control unit 402 operation reception unit

Patent No. 7164743

Claims (7)

an extraction means for extracting stores located in a different location from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal ;
a counting means for counting the number of units of the product sold for each predetermined period of time during a counting period that includes at least the period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on the sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted by the extraction means;
an output means for outputting the counted result calculated by the counting means;
Equipped with
The output means outputs information about the aggregation period, the period unit, or the product together with the aggregation result. The server device according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs the aggregation results in a manner that allows the aggregation results to be distinguished between the usage period and periods other than the usage period. The server device described in claim 1, wherein the output means outputs the aggregation results for each period in association with information about the weather around the store or events taking place around the store during that period. The tallying means tally the number of sales of other products related to the product during the tallying period for each period based on the sales performance data,
The server device according to claim 1 , wherein the output means outputs the tabulation result for the product and the tabulation results for the other products in association with each other for each period. The server device described in claim 4, wherein the tallying means tally the sales numbers of similar products of a similar type to the product and/or correlated products that are correlated with the sales performance of the product as the other products. The computer of the server device,
an extraction means for extracting stores located in a different location from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal ;
a counting means for counting the number of units of the product sold for each predetermined period of time during a counting period that includes at least the period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on the sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted by the extraction means;
an output means for outputting the counted result calculated by the counting means;
and make it work,
The output means outputs information about the aggregation period, the period unit, or the product together with the aggregation result. An advertising support method executed by a server device,
an extraction step of extracting stores located in a location different from the installation location of a signage terminal displaying a product advertisement and included in an area within a predetermined distance from the installation location of the signage terminal ;
a counting step of counting the number of units of the product sold for a counting period that includes at least the usage period during which the advertisement was displayed on the signage terminal, based on sales performance data indicating the sales performance of the store extracted in the extraction step, for each predetermined period;
an output step of outputting the aggregation result obtained in the aggregation step;
Including,
In the output step, information relating to the aggregation period, the period unit, or the product is output together with the aggregation result.