JP2002288563A - Virtual store system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To increase the satisfaction of users who visit a virtual store Web site. SOLUTION: The virtual shop Web includes a user terminal having a telephone function and a business operator terminal, and a button for establishing communication between the user and the business operator.
A server that provides the site on the Internet. The server includes a first database for storing information of the user and a second database for storing telephone number information of the business clerk terminal, wherein the user accesses the website using the user terminal. In response to clicking the button, the server searches the second database for the telephone number information of the service clerk terminal and transmits it to the user terminal. The user terminal calls the transmitted telephone number using the Internet telephone function.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a system for providing a virtual shop on the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are many Web sites of virtual shops that develop various businesses on the Internet. However, all websites provide information unilaterally, and users who refer to it make purchases and contracts, and do not provide information that users really want to know about product quality, reliability, etc. Often. Also, many websites do not provide information on how to use purchased products or after-sales services. Therefore, user satisfaction is often lower than visiting an actual store and purchasing a product.

[0003] Also, those who are not familiar with computers
If you visit the website, even if you have the product you want,
Sometimes you don't know how to buy on the eb site, and you may miss out on product sales opportunities.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] A Web having a function of increasing the satisfaction of users who visit a Web site of a virtual store, and allowing a sales clerk to receive a user's question as if visiting a real store. Site demands exist in the industry.

[0005]

According to one aspect of the present invention, a user terminal having an Internet telephone function, a business clerk terminal having the Internet telephone function, and the user using the Internet telephone function are connected to the user. A server for providing a virtual shop Web site on the Internet, including a button for establishing communication between business operators, a first database for storing information of the user, and A system comprising a storage device including a second database for storing telephone number information, wherein the user accesses the website using the user terminal and clicks the button. The server searches the second database for telephone number information of the business clerk terminal,
Programming the transmitted telephone number information to the user terminal, wherein the user terminal is programmed to call the transmitted telephone number using the Internet telephone function, Provide a virtual store system.

[0006] According to this aspect, the user can receive an explanation by voice from the sales person while watching the product information displayed on the computer terminal, so that the user can understand the product provided in the virtual store more deeply. it can. Here, the displayed information is not limited to products. When the product is an agricultural machine as an example, information for utilizing the agricultural machine such as a method of cultivating a crop or information about insurance for repair of the agricultural machine can be displayed.

[0007] In another aspect of the present invention, the Web site includes a second telephone for re-calling the business operator who used the Internet telephone function when the user last accessed the Web site. Button, the first database stores the transmitted telephone number information in association with the user, and the user accesses the website using the terminal and clicks the second button. In response to the clicking, the server searches the first database for telephone number information of the business clerk terminal related to the user, and transmits the searched telephone number information to the user terminal. Configuration.

[0008] According to this embodiment, the user operates the virtual shop We
b When accessing the site, the same person in charge can always receive a response, so that the user can have a sense of security and can have a sense of satisfaction close to visiting the actual store.

[0009]

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. The server 10 is configured by a computer system and is connected to a storage device 15. The server 10 is installed in a virtual store operating company, and provides a virtual store Web site on the Internet 11 for providing information on products and services. The storage device 15 includes a user database that stores information about users who use the Web site, and a store database that stores information about stores.

[0010] A terminal 12 is provided for a user who accesses a Web site via the Internet. Web
A terminal 13 is installed in a call center for explaining a product in response to a user browsing the site. A terminal 14 is installed at a store where products are sold directly in person or after-sales service is provided. Although FIG. 1 shows one terminal 12, 13, and 14 for simplicity, a plurality of terminals 12, 13, and 14 may be provided depending on the embodiment. Terminal 12,
13, 14 are typically personal computers,
A device that can be connected to the Internet, such as a mobile terminal or a mobile phone, may be used. Terminals 12, 13, and 14 each have a keyboard,
Input means such as a mouse, display means such as a display, communication means such as a speaker and a microphone or a headset, a sound board, and a modem are provided. Terminals 12, 13,
Each is connected to the Internet 11 and is configured to be able to send and receive HTML documents to and from the server 10 using a browser.

[0011] Internet telephone software is installed in the terminals 12, 13 and 14. The Internet telephone software is configured so that it can be started by the user or by the server 10. When the Internet telephone software is activated and a telephone number is input, an indication that a call has been received is displayed on a display of a terminal connected to the corresponding telephone line. When the user speaks into the microphone connected to the terminal after the communication state is established, the sound is converted into a digital signal by the sound board, and the digital signal is transmitted via the modem. The signal transmitted from the other party is converted to an analog signal by a sound board, and is emitted as a sound from a speaker.

In another embodiment, a setting is made so that a call can be made from the user terminal 12 to a normal telephone set in a call center and a store. In this case, a gateway is installed at a provider used by a call center or a store, and performs conversion between a digital signal and an analog voice signal.

[0013] The user operates the virtual shop Web site U from the terminal 12.
When the RL is entered, the server 10 displays the home page on the user terminal
Send to 12. FIG. 2 shows an example of the homepage 20. The homepage 20 has a button 2 linked to a product introduction page where you can get product information and purchase products.
1, Button linked to a page where information on product utilization ideas can be obtained22, Button linked to a page where information on after-sales service and how to use the product can be obtained
23, and a button 24 linked to a store information page for receiving an introduction of the store. If the product handled by the virtual store website is an agricultural machine as an example,
The information on the idea of utilizing the product is information on the cultivation method of the agricultural products. The information on the after-sales service and how to use the product is information such as insurance for repair of the agricultural machine and usage of an attachment attached to the agricultural machine.

A pointer 25 is displayed on the homepage. In a page to be described later, a pointer (not shown) similar to the pointer 25 is displayed on the display. By moving a pointer such as the pointer 25 with a mouse or the like onto a button displayed on the browser and pressing the mouse button, the button displayed on the browser can be clicked. This button is described in HTML, and by clicking the button, a file of the linked page stored in the server is requested, an HTML document including the input information is transmitted to the server 10, Alternatively, a server program such as a CGI program can be started. By moving the pointer over an input field displayed on the browser and pressing a mouse button, a cursor for inputting characters can be displayed in the input field.

In the homepage 20 shown in FIG.
When is clicked, the server 10 transmits a product introduction page to the user terminal. Hereinafter, the operation of the system of the present invention will be described using a product introduction page as an example.
The basic operation is the same for the other pages linked to the buttons 22, 23, and 24. Although not shown in the drawing of each page described later, each page at a level lower than the home page can be returned to the home page at will.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the product introduction page 30. On the product introduction page 30, information on the product provided by the virtual shop is displayed in the field 31 together with the image of the product. The product introduction page 30 includes a button 32 for displaying a form for registering a call center user, a user ID
And a button 34 for displaying a form for inputting a call center to call a call center, and a button 34 for purchasing the displayed product.

For the first time use of the call center,
By clicking the button 32, the server 10 is requested to transmit a user registration form. Registered user ID
Is issued, the user clicks the button 33 to request the server 10 to transmit a user ID input form. By inputting the user ID into the form transmitted from the server 10 to the user terminal 12 in response to the request, the user can use the call center.

A user who wants to purchase the displayed product requests the server 10 to transmit a purchase input form by clicking the button 33. In response to this, the input form transmitted from the server 10 to the user terminal 12 includes:
A field for inputting a name, an address, a desired product number, and the like, and a send button are displayed. When the user inputs necessary items and clicks the send button, the input information is transmitted to the server 10, and the user can purchase a product.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the user registration form 40. A field 41 is a field for inputting a user name, a field 42 is an e-mail address, and a field 43 is a field for inputting a password desired by the user. The transmission button 44 is a button for transmitting the input information to the server 10. The cancel button 45 is a button for discarding the input information and returning to the product introduction page.

When the user inputs predetermined items in the fields 41, 42 and 43 and clicks the send button 44, the input information is sent to the server 10. The server 10 determines a different user ID for each user accordingly. The determined ID and the name, e-mail address, and password input by the user are recorded in the user database of the storage device 15. Further, the server 10 transmits the determined ID to the user terminal 12. The transmitted user ID is displayed on the user terminal 12 when a new page is opened in the browser. Alternatively, the notification may be made as a mail to the mail address of the user stored in the user database.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a form 50 for a user who has already completed user registration to input a user ID. Field 51 is a field for inputting a user ID, and field 52 is a field for inputting a password. Submit button
Reference numeral 53 denotes a button for transmitting the input information to the server 10. The cancel button 54 discards the entered information,
A button for returning to the product introduction page.

When the user inputs predetermined items in the fields 51 and 52 and clicks the transmission button 53, the input information is transmitted to the server 10. The server 10 determines whether or not the input user ID and password pair matches one of the registered user ID and password pairs by searching the user database. If they do not match, a message instructing to re-enter the input is displayed on the browser of the user terminal 12. If there is a matching set, the server 10 activates the Internet telephone software installed in the user terminal 12 and transmits the telephone number information of the call center to the user terminal 12.

The Internet telephony software provides the user terminal 12 with a window 60 such as shown in FIG.
Will be displayed. The window 60 includes an area 61 in which a communication state is displayed, a number button 62, a start button 63 for starting a call, and an end button 64 for ending the call.

Internet telephone software, like a normal touch-tone telephone, sequentially clicks a number button 62 of a telephone number, and finally clicks a start button 63 to connect to a telephone line having a corresponding telephone number. It is configured to be able to talk with a connected terminal using a microphone and a speaker. In addition, the Internet telephone software is configured to use the transmitted telephone number information to automatically call that number. The Internet telephone software is configured so that when an incoming call is received, the fact is displayed in the area 61. At this time, when the call start button 63 is clicked, communication is established and a call can be made.

In the call center, a plurality of terminals 13 on which Internet telephone software is installed are installed, and a staff member is assigned to each terminal.

In this embodiment, the Internet telephone software automatically makes a call to the call center number transmitted from the server 10 via a modem. The call center staff responds using the terminal 13. In this way, the user receives an explanation of the product from the staff while viewing the product displayed on the display of the terminal 12,
You can ask how to use the website or have them make a purchase. As a result, the user can select a product with a sense similar to when visiting an actual store.

In another embodiment, when a call is made to a person in charge of the call center, a call is always made to the terminal 13 of the person who made the last call. In this case, a separate telephone number is assigned to the terminal 13 of each person in charge of the call center. When issuing the user ID, the server 10 randomly selects the telephone number of the person in charge, stores the number in association with the user ID in the user database, and transmits the number to the user terminal 12. Next time the user
When calling the call center by entering the ID, the server 10
Searches the user database and transmits to the user terminal 12 the telephone number of the terminal 13 of the person in charge associated with the user ID. As a result, the user always comes into contact with the same person in charge when accessing the Web site of the virtual store, and can use the Web site with psychological security.

As described above, since each page and home page are configured to be freely movable, the contents of the call with the person in charge not only about the product, but also the idea of utilizing the purchased product and the after-sales service. May be information on In any case, the staff can receive explanations by voice while looking at the information displayed on the screen, so that the user's understanding is deepened and the user can have a high degree of satisfaction.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the system is configured to use Internet telephony software to talk to a sales person at a physical store. In this case, the store database includes the area in charge of the store, the location, the name and telephone number of the salesman belonging to the store, the sales talk of the store, and the like. In addition, the image file of the appearance of the store and the image file of the photograph of the salesman are associated with each other and stored in the store database.

In this embodiment, the salesmen belonging to the store are individually provided with the terminals 14,
14 are connected to individual telephone lines.

In this embodiment, a user registration form transmitted from the server 10 by clicking the user registration button is as shown in FIG. 7 as an example. The user registration form 70 has a pull-down menu 71 for selecting the area where the user lives, a field 72 for entering a name, a field 73 for entering an e-mail address, a field 74 for entering a desired password, and information entered. A send button 75 for sending to the server 10 and a cancel button for discarding the entered information and returning to the original page
75 is included.

When the user clicks the triangle at the right end of the pull-down menu 71, a window displaying the name of the prefecture is opened at the bottom of the pull-down menu 71. This area is not limited to the prefecture name, but is consistent with the classification of the area in charge of the store stored in the store database. Further, when a predetermined item is entered in the fields 72, 73 and 74 and the transmission button 75 is clicked, the input information is transmitted to the server 10.

The server 10 stores the transmitted information in the user database, issues a user ID, and transmits it to the user terminal 12. This procedure is the same as described above. Also,
The server 10 searches the store database for information on the store in charge of the area input by the user. The searched information is transmitted to the user terminal 12. The transmitted information is displayed on the display of the user terminal 12 as a store introduction page.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the store introduction page 80. As shown in the figure, the store information includes an image of the store appearance, an image and name of a photograph of the salesman, a sales talk of the store, and the like. FIG. 8 shows only information of one store,
When there are a plurality of stores searched, the pointer is moved over the scroll bar 81 displayed at the right end of the page, and all the store information is referred to by dragging while holding down the mouse button. be able to.

[0035] The user reads the displayed information and selects a desired salesman at the store where he wants to make a transaction. A link is set to the image of the salesman, and information on which salesman is selected is transmitted to the server 10 by moving the pointer over the image and clicking.

The server 10 searches the store database for telephone number information corresponding to the transmitted salesman information, and transmits the searched telephone number information to the user terminal 12. Thereafter, communication is established between the user terminal 12 and the terminal 14 of the salesman at the store in the same manner as in the above-described procedure for the call center. The user can talk with the salesman while watching the information displayed on the display of the terminal 12.

At this time, an image of the office worker who is talking may be displayed on the display, or an aesthetic character that performs an animation operation may be displayed. In this case, the server 10 transmits the JAVA to the user terminal 12.
Send a program such as A (registered trademark) applet. The browser of the user terminal 12 processes the transmitted program and performs animation display. In yet another embodiment, Internet telephony software is not limited to voice communications only. The present invention can also be configured so that a CCD camera is provided in each of the user, the call center, and the terminal of the store, and a call is made while transmitting a moving image in real time.

In the same manner as in the above-described embodiment of the call center, the terminal of the salesman who made the last call
It is also possible to configure so that 14 is always called. This way, when you access the website of the virtual store,
Since the same salesman can always be talked to, the user feels close to the salesman and can select a product with peace of mind. Further, even when the user visits an actual store, a salesman who has made a call on the Web site can respond, so that the user can have a sense of security.

[0039]

According to the present invention, the user can receive an explanation by voice from the person in charge at the call center or the salesman at the store while watching the product information displayed on the computer terminal. Deeper understanding of the products offered in the, you can get a high degree of satisfaction.

Further, when the user accesses the Web site of the virtual store, the same person in charge can always cope with the situation, thereby giving the user a sense of security.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual store homepage.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a product introduction page.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user registration form.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a user ID input form.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display of Internet telephone software.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user registration form according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a store introduction page.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Server 11 Internet 12 User terminal 13 Call center terminal 14 Retailer terminal

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A user terminal having an Internet telephone function, a business person terminal having the Internet telephone function, and a communication terminal for establishing communication between the user and the business person using the Internet telephone function. A server for providing a virtual shop Web site on the Internet, including a button, a first database for storing the user information, and a second database for storing the telephone number information of the business operator terminal A system comprising a storage device including a database, wherein the user accesses the website using the user terminal and clicks the button.
The server is programmed to search the second database for telephone number information of the business clerk terminal, and to transmit the searched telephone number information to the user terminal. A virtual store system that is programmed to call the submitted phone number using Noh. 2. The user is provided with the last Web site
A second button for re-calling the business person who called using the Internet telephone function when accessing the site; and the first database provides the transmitted telephone number information to the user. In response to the user accessing the website using the terminal and clicking the second button,
The server is programmed to search the first database for telephone number information of the business clerk terminal related to the user, and transmit the searched telephone number information to the user terminal. Virtual store system described in.