JP2022120099A - Information management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire, in accordance with a user picking up a commodity before purchase, a behavior of the user regarding the purchase of the commodity thereafter and grant a coupon to the user with prescribed timing, thereby enabling a real store and an on-line shop to coexist.

SOLUTION: A purchase probability calculation unit 107 calculates, upon detecting that an event regarding purchase of a prescribed commodity has been carried out, a purchase probability of the commodity, irrespective of whether being a real store or an on-line shop, in accordance with a type of the event, and increments or decrements the purchase probability of the commodity in accordance with each event. The purchase probability calculation unit 107 reduces the purchase probability by a numeric value obtained by multiplying a prescribed coefficient to elapsed time. An assessment unit 108, when having assessed that the purchase probability has exceeded a purchase threshold, outputs the assessment result to an information delivery unit 109 and when the purchase probability falls below a prescribed lower-limit value, outputs the assessment result to a control unit 101.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an information management system for managing information related to products in physical stores and online shops on networks.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, with the spread of networks such as the Internet, actions taken by users before purchasing products have diversified due to relationships between physical stores and online shops (websites) on networks.

When trying to purchase a product that is sold only at an online shop on the network, the User may, on the website of the online shop, check the image and description of the product, reviews (word-of-mouth) from users who have purchased the product, etc. You can check the appearance, quality, atmosphere, etc. of the product only through.

On the other hand, when a user wants to purchase a product that is sold not only at an online shop but also at a physical store, the user must actually pick up the product at the physical store in addition to acting on the website of the online shop. You can check the appearance of the product by looking at it, or looking at a magazine or electronic book in which the product is introduced.

In particular, as a method of detecting user behavior in a physical store, a method of detecting products picked up by a user using a plurality of types of sensors has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

US Patent Application Publication No. 2015-012396

By the way, users who acted as described above for products sold at both physical stores and online shops, when they finally decided to purchase the product, the sales price in the physical store and multiple Compare with online shop sales price. In addition to the selling price, the user often purchases the product at an online shop at a lower price than at a physical store, taking into consideration the delivery date of the product. Such user behavior is known as showrooming.

However, due to showrooming by the user, there is a possibility that the product may remain unsold at the physical store. In such a situation, the sales of the physical store as a whole will decline, so the physical store will reduce the number of products handled or the sales floor area, and in some cases, the physical store will be closed. It becomes an unavoidable situation.

The present invention has been made by focusing on the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose thereof is to provide some kind of benefits to a physical shop where a user who has purchased a product at an online shop has picked up or tried on the product before purchase. To provide an information management system capable of contributing to the coexistence of a real store and an online shop by giving

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the specification and the accompanying drawings.

A brief outline of typical inventions disclosed in the present application is as follows.

An information management system according to a representative embodiment of the present invention includes an event storage unit that stores a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product; an event detection unit that detects what is done in a user's terminal; a purchase probability increase/decrease unit that increases or decreases the purchase probability of the product by the user according to each event detected by the event detection unit; a purchase probability reduction unit that reduces the purchase probability increased or decreased by the increase/decrease unit according to elapsed time; a determination unit that determines whether the purchase probability of the product exceeds a predetermined threshold; and an information distribution unit that distributes information about the product to the terminal of the user when it is determined that the probability exceeds the predetermined threshold.

The present invention can also be applied to an information management method executed in the above information management system and an information management program that causes a computer to execute processing so as to function as the information management system.

Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, the effects obtained by representative ones are briefly described below.

That is, according to a representative embodiment of the present invention, when a user purchases a product at an online shop, by giving some benefit to the physical shop where the user has picked up or tried on the product, Even if the product picked up by the user remains unsold, it is possible to provide the real store with profits and benefits for the contribution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which showed the outline|summary about the structural example of the information management system in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the outline|summary about the structural example of the store server shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which a user passes through an entrance/exit of an actual store corresponding to the store server shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which a user picks up a product displayed in an actual store corresponding to the store server shown in FIG. 2; 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of an information management server and a portable terminal shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an overview of an example of the flow of product relationship processing executed by the store server shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an outline of an example of the flow of privilege provision processing executed by the information management server shown in FIG. 5; FIG. It is the figure which showed the outline|summary about the structural example of the information management server and portable terminal in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an overview of an example of the flow of information distribution processing executed by the information management server shown in FIG. 8; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which product purchase probability exceeds a purchase threshold and product-related information is delivered to a user's terminal; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which the product purchase probability falls below the lower limit value and detection of an event related to product purchase ends; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an overview of a configuration example of an information management server and a mobile terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention; 13 is a diagram for explaining a distribution example of categories of events classified by the event classification unit of FIG. 12; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In principle, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, parts that have been described with reference numerals in one drawing may be referred to with the same reference numerals, although they are not shown again in the description of other drawings.

<Overview>
An information management system, which is an embodiment of the present invention, measures the behavior of users in an online shop that opens a website on a network such as the Internet and sells products, and in a real store that sells the same products. Based on, when the user actually purchases the product at the online shop, it is possible to give a privilege to the actual store visited by the user before the purchase.

As described above, as physical stores become obsolete due to showrooming, users will no longer be able to directly confirm (check) products handled by online shops at actual stores. In addition, there is a problem that the user's willingness to purchase the product decreases due to the fact that the user cannot check the product. It seems that such a situation is not desired by the manufacturer of the goods. This system is intended to solve such problems.

User actions in the online shop include, for example, viewing the product, reviews, etc. on the website, and registering the product as a favorite. User actions in a physical store include, for example, picking up the product for a predetermined period of time or longer, checking the tag or label of the product, or checking the description of the product, and trying on clothes if the product is clothing. There are things to do.

According to a representative embodiment of the present invention, when a user purchases a product at an online shop, the user can purchase the product by giving some benefit to the physical store where the user has picked up or tried on the product. Even if the product picked up remains unsold, it is possible to provide the actual store with profits and benefits for the contribution. As a result, it is possible to prevent the physical store from going out of business due to a decrease in sales, thereby contributing to the coexistence of the physical store and the online shop. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the disadvantage that users will not be able to directly confirm (check) the products handled by the online shop at the actual store due to the obsolescence of the actual store.

In the embodiment described below, when a user picks up a predetermined product for a predetermined period of time at a physical store that sells clothes and accessories, the relationship between the product and the user (for example, user ID) is stored. , a case where, when the user purchases the product at the online shop, the user decides to give a privilege to the physical store where the user picked up the product will be described.

In addition, in the information management system, which is another embodiment of the present invention, for example, a user can register a product as a favorite on an online shop website, or pick up and try on the product at a physical store. Depending on the situation, the user's behavior regarding the product is acquired, and detailed information and performance of the product are sent to the user's mobile terminal or stationary computer (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "terminal") at a predetermined timing. It is a system that makes it possible to distribute coupons that can be used in stores or online shops.

If it is possible to detect the behavior of the user before purchasing the product, advertisements and coupons can be displayed at the optimal timing for the user who is considering purchasing the product, regardless of whether it is a physical store or an online shop. There is also a request to distribute. This system is intended to solve such problems.

In the information management system of this embodiment, a plurality of events related to the purchase of products are stored in advance, and each of the events detected by the user is detected. The purchase probability of the product is increased or decreased, and the purchase probability is decreased with the passage of time, and when the purchase probability of the product thus obtained exceeds a predetermined purchase threshold, the terminal of the user Distribute information about products to

In this case, the user registers the product as a favorite on the website of the online shop, or picks up or tries on the product at the physical store, and then conducts an event. When the purchase threshold is exceeded, detailed product information (including advertisements) and coupons, which are information related to the product, may be distributed to the terminal of the user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a user's behavior regarding a product is detected as an event, and the purchase probability of the product is calculated and estimated based on the detected event, thereby considering the purchase of the product. Advertisements and coupons for the product can be distributed to the user at the optimum timing.

In the embodiment described below, the purchase probability increases or decreases according to the user's behavior such as picking up a product or the passage of time from the detected event. , there is a possibility that the purchase probability of the product exceeds a predetermined purchase threshold.

Furthermore, the information management system, which is still another embodiment of the present invention, stores a plurality of events related to the purchase of a predetermined product, and when it detects that the user performs these events, the history (event history) ), calculates the degree of contribution of each event based on this event history, and classifies a plurality of events into several categories.

In particular, for online shops, it is expected to increase sales by grasping the relationship between user behavior in the real world and product purchases, and presenting product lineups that meet user needs on the website. It may be what you expect. This system is intended to solve such problems.

The information management system of this embodiment detects user behavior at physical stores and online shops, product browsing on online shop websites and e-books in terminals, and detects predetermined conditions, for example, online shop When the product is browsed on the website, or when the product is picked up at a physical store, the memory of the event is started, and after a predetermined time has passed, or when the target user purchases the product or a similar product The memory of the event has ended at the time of purchase.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, when a user's behavior with respect to a product is detected, information on the user's purchasing activity can be obtained by detecting the user's behavior with respect to the product. In addition, by grasping the user's purchasing activities, it is possible to appropriately adjust the lineup of products in a physical store or an online shop. Furthermore, by using the acquired information on the user's purchasing activities, the physical store or online shop can, for example, distribute advertisements and coupons for the product to users who are likely to purchase the product.

When confirming the relationship of each event by calculation, for example, it may be achieved by machine learning information of event history, or artificial intelligence (AI) is used to calculate the relationship of each event. may be achieved by

(First embodiment)
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a configuration example of an information management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an information management system 1 includes an information management server 10, which are connected to each other via a network 2, and a plurality of store servers 20, 21, . . . 2M (M is an arbitrary positive integer), and mobile terminals 30, 31 to 3N (N is an arbitrary positive integer) of a plurality of users who visit these physical stores and online shops. The configuration of the information management system 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. There may be. Further, the configuration of the information management system 1 is such that the functions of all the store servers 20, 21 to 2M are realized by the information management server 10, and the actual store side transmits necessary information to the information management server 10 via the network 2. The configuration may be such that

The information management system 1 is not limited to the case where a plurality of store servers 20, 21 to 2M are provided corresponding to each physical store and online shop. It may be configured to implement those functions for the shop.

Although not shown, each of the portable terminals 30, 31 to 3N is connected to a network 2 such as the Internet by performing data communication with a base station managed by a telecommunications carrier through a wireless communication line. Each of the mobile terminals 30, 31 to 3N is composed of, for example, a mobile information processing terminal such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook computer.

The information management server 10 is composed of, for example, one or more server devices or a virtual server built on a cloud computing service. The information management server 10 is managed by an administrator of the information processing system 1, and various functions of the information management system 1, which will be described later, can be accessed from the store servers 20, 21 to 2M and the mobile terminals 30, 31 to 3N via the network 2. is configured to receive information/data necessary for realizing

In particular, the information management system 1 of the present embodiment, based on the behavior of users carrying mobile terminals 30, 31 to 3N in physical stores corresponding to the respective store servers 20, 21 to 2M, with respect to products, is specified, and when a predetermined granting condition is satisfied, it is decided to grant the benefit to the target physical store.

The predetermined granting condition is, for example, a condition that it is detected that the user for whom the relationship is specified has purchased the same product at the online shop as the product sold at the actual store. The online shop of the purchase destination does not have to correspond to any of the store servers 20, 21 to 2M as long as the user's purchase at the online shop is detected.

Examples of benefits given to a physical store include cash or electronic money at a predetermined ratio to the sales price of the product, points managed by the manufacturer of the product, and the like. Cash or electronic money may be provided by the online shop where the item was purchased, or may be provided by the manufacturer of the item. In addition, if the points managed by the manufacturer are used as benefits, even if the system allows the physical store to receive cash, etc. from the manufacturer or online shop when the points reach a certain level. good.

In the following, the information management system 1 is configured by taking as an example a case where a user carrying a mobile terminal 30 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "terminal 30") takes a predetermined action at a real store A corresponding to the store server 20. The configurations of the shop server 20 and the information management server 10 will be described. The other store servers 21 to 2M are assumed to have at least the same functions as the store server 20 as long as they are compatible with actual stores.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of a configuration example of the shop server 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which the user passes through the entrance of the actual store A corresponding to the store server 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which a user picks up a product (here, clothes) displayed in A; The store server 20 generates relationship information (described later) according to actions performed in the actual store A by the user carrying the terminal 30, and transmits the generated relationship information to the information management server 10 as necessary. Has the ability to send.

As shown in FIG. 2, the store server 20 includes a store entry/exit information acquisition unit 201, a video acquisition unit 202, a sound acquisition unit 203, a control unit 204, a relationship storage unit 205, and a transmission/reception unit 206. At least prepare. In this embodiment, under the control of the control unit 204, the acquisition units 201 to 203 acquire target information and the like from various sensors, and the control unit 204 determines, based on the acquired information, the relationship between the user and the product. It has a function of determining whether there is a relationship, generating relationship information if there is a relationship, and storing (saving) it in the relationship storage unit 205 . Then, if the user does not purchase the item before leaving the actual store, the control unit 204 has a function of transmitting the generated relationship information to the information management server 10 via the transmission/reception unit 206. have.

The entrance/exit information acquisition unit 201 acquires the user information and entrance/exit information read via the IC card reading unit 211 when the user enters or exits the actual store A through the entrance/exit gate 210 . It has the function of obtaining from the entrance/exit gate 210 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user touches or approaches the IC card to the IC card reader 211 of the entrance/exit gate 210, the IC card reader 211 is stored in the IC card. read the user information This user information is stored in a storage unit (not shown) along with the store entry or exit time, and the information is transmitted to the store server 20 via a wired or wireless network within the actual store A. FIG. The entrance/exit information acquisition unit 201 acquires user information and entrance/exit information from the entrance/exit gate 210 via the transmission/reception unit 206 . The user information includes the user ID used in the information management system 1 in addition to the user's name, date of birth, telephone number, etc. normally stored in the IC card.

In this embodiment, as a configuration for acquiring entrance/exit information at the entrance/exit gate 210, a case where an IC card possessed by a user is used is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the entrance/exit gate 210 has a bar code reader capable of reading a bar code or QR code (registered trademark) instead of the IC card reader 211. may be configured to display a bar code or the like generated by a dedicated application on the display screen of the terminal 30 and hold the displayed bar code or the like over a bar code reader. Also, the entry and exit of the user at the entrance/exit gate 210 may be detected, for example, by performing short-range wireless communication such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) with the terminal 30 possessed by the user.

The image acquisition unit 202 has a function of acquiring images captured by a plurality of cameras 220 installed at the entrance of the actual store A and inside the store as necessary. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user enters and exits the physical store A, the camera 220 that captures the vicinity of the IC card reader 211 of the entrance/exit gate 210 captures the image of the user at the timing of entering and leaving the store. is imaged. Video data captured by the camera 220 is stored in the storage device or storage unit of the store server 20 (not shown) via the network in the actual store A, for example.

The video acquisition unit 202 acquires the video data at the store entry time acquired by the store entry/exit information acquisition unit 201 from this storage device. The acquired video data is output to the control unit 204 . The control unit 204 controls the user ID of the user who entered the actual store A and the characteristics of the user's video or image extracted from the video data captured by the camera 220 at the entrance of the store (especially, the clothing, the stature, the skin, etc.). color, etc.) are associated with each other and stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the store server 20 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 , cameras 220 are installed in the physical store A in such a number that the users who have entered the actual store A can be tracked. The control unit 204 also stores the images captured by these cameras 220 in the storage unit (not shown) of the shop server 20 . The image acquisition unit 202 sequentially acquires images of the tracked user captured from the storage unit.

The sound acquisition unit 203 has a function of acquiring sounds picked up by a plurality of microphones 230 as shown in FIG. 4 from a storage unit (not shown). Specifically, a plurality of microphones 230 are installed in the actual store A, and these microphones 230 pick up, for example, the footsteps and voices of users moving within the actual store A, which are then collected by the store server. 20 is stored in a storage unit (not shown). Then, the sound acquisition unit 203 acquires collected sound data from the storage unit based on the user's footsteps, voice, and the like.

The plurality of cameras 220 and the plurality of microphones 230 together with the control unit 204 constitute an action detection unit that detects the user's actions regarding predetermined products in the physical store A. In addition to the camera 220 and the microphone 230, for example, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like may be provided as the action detection unit. In this case, detection information of various sensors is transmitted to the store server 20 via a wired or wireless network inside the actual store A. FIG.

The control unit 204 controls the operation of each unit of the shop server 20, and based on the information stored in the storage unit (not shown), the store entrance/exit information acquisition unit 201, the video acquisition unit 202, and the sound acquisition unit 203. has a function to acquire target information/data. Note that the entrance/exit gate 210, the plurality of cameras 220, the plurality of microphones 230, the acquisition units 201 to 203, and the control unit 204 that controls them also function as an event detection unit in this embodiment.

In addition, when the entry into the actual store A is detected and tracking is started, the control unit 204 captures images of the target user with the cameras 220 so that the user's images, footsteps, and the like can be tracked. It also has a function of acquiring from a storage unit (not shown) the video data captured by the microphones 230 and the sound data collected by the plurality of microphones 230 to identify the position of the user.

Furthermore, when the control unit 204 detects that the user is positioned in front of the product shelf on which products are displayed and picks up a predetermined product based on the video data and sound data, the control unit 204 picks up the predetermined product. It also has a function of specifying and acquiring product data of the product from a storage unit (not shown).

The relationship storage unit 205 has a function as a storage area for storing relationship information obtained by associating user IDs of users who satisfy predetermined storage conditions with product data of predetermined products. When a predetermined storage condition is satisfied, the control unit 204 associates the user ID of the user with the product data of the predetermined product to create relationship information, and stores the created relationship information in the relationship storage unit 205. Memorize.

The transmitting/receiving unit 206 receives the store entry or exit information of the user from the entrance/exit gate 210, and sends the relationship information stored in the relationship storage unit 205 to the information management server 10 when a predetermined transmission condition is satisfied. Has the ability to send.

Here, as the predetermined storage condition, for example, there is a condition that the user picks up a predetermined product sold at the actual store A. This predetermined storage condition is not limited to the condition that the user simply picks up a predetermined product. At least one of conditions such as a condition that the user continues to look at a predetermined product for a predetermined time and a condition that the user looks at (confirms) a tag or label attached to the predetermined product.

Note that after the relationship information between the user and the predetermined product is stored in the relationship storage unit 205, the control unit 204 purchases the product at the actual store A before the user leaves the actual store A. When this is detected, the relationship information stored in the relationship storage unit 205 may be deleted. By adopting such a configuration, it becomes unnecessary to transmit substantially unnecessary relationship information to the information management server 10, thereby detecting an event performed by the user regarding the purchase of the product in the privilege granting process, which will be described later. can be effectively prevented.

Further, when the user whose relationship information is stored in the relationship storage unit 205 visits the actual store A again and the entrance gate 210 detects that the user has entered the store, the control unit 204 transmits the information to the actual store through the transmission/reception unit 206 . Information on re-entering store A (re-entering store information) is transmitted to the information management server 10 . This re-entering store information may include information that the user picked up the product associated with the relationship information again. These pieces of information constitute one type of event information in the privilege granting process (see FIG. 7), which will be described later.

Here, the method of detecting the purchase of a product is not particularly limited, but for example, the target is an application of a bank or credit card company installed on the user's terminal 30, or a dedicated application capable of acquiring their information. Any method may be used as long as it acquires different payment information.

On the other hand, when the user leaves the actual store A by holding the IC card over the IC card reading unit 211 of the entrance gate 210 without purchasing a predetermined product, the control unit 204 controls the transmission/reception unit 206 to Then, the relationship information stored in the relationship storage unit 205 is transmitted to the information management server 10 . Such behavior corresponds to a predetermined transmission condition.

Next, the arrangement of various sensors in the physical store A will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, inside the physical store A, a plurality of cameras 220 and a plurality of microphones 230 are installed so as to be able to track users moving in the store. By using not only the images captured by the multiple cameras 220 but also the sounds collected by the multiple microphones 230, the position of the user can be accurately tracked.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user picks up a coat hanging on a product shelf, the control unit 204 causes the image acquisition unit 202 to acquire an image captured by the camera 220 capturing the product shelf. , The product is specified by the arrangement, color, shape, etc. of the product picked up. When the user holds the product for a predetermined time, the control unit 204 causes the relationship storage unit 205 to store relationship information obtained by associating the user ID of the user with the product data of the product.

In this embodiment, the action of the user picking up the product is detected by the plurality of cameras 220, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a product shelf may be provided with a weight sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like so that each product can be specified.

Instead, an IC tag is attached to each product displayed on the product shelf, or to a hanger on which clothes, which are products, are hung. becomes shorter than a predetermined distance, relationship information obtained by associating the user ID of the user with the product data of the product may be stored in the relationship storage unit 205 .

Next, configurations of the information management server 10 and the mobile terminal 30 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overview of a configuration example of the information management server 10 and mobile terminals 30, 31 to 3N shown in FIG. Here, the terminal 30 will be described as a representative of the mobile terminals 30, 31 to 3N.

First, the configuration of the information management server 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5 , the information management server 10 includes at least a control unit 101 , a relationship information storage unit 102 , a transmission/reception unit 103 , a terminal information acquisition unit 104 and a privilege determination unit 105 .

The control unit 101 controls the operation of each unit of the information management server 10. For example, when the relationship information is transmitted from the store server 20, the control unit 101 receives the relationship information via the transmission/reception unit 103, It has a function of storing in the sexual information storage unit 102 .

Further, when various terminal information is transmitted from the user's terminal 30, the control section 101 receives the various terminal information via the transmitting/receiving section 103 and the terminal information acquiring section 104, and stores the various terminal information in a storage section (not shown). have.

In this embodiment, the various terminal information particularly means information regarding purchase of products associated with the user's user ID. As with the IC card, the terminal 30 stores the user ID used in the information management system 1 in addition to the user's name, date of birth, telephone number, etc., as user information. The various terminal information also includes payment information acquired by applications of banks and credit card companies.

Furthermore, various terminal information includes information that the product has been browsed in an electronic book downloaded to the terminal 30, and the website of an online shop that sells the product or similar products by the web browsing application of the terminal 30. It also includes information that you browsed the site, information that you purchased the product or similar products through so-called Internet banking or banking applications, or through payment information on the website of an online shop. These pieces of information form part of the event information in the privilege granting process, which will be described later.

The terminal information acquisition unit 104 has a function of receiving various types of terminal information transmitted from the terminal 30 via the transmission/reception unit 103, acquiring various types of terminal information in association with the user ID, and storing the information in a storage unit (not shown). In this embodiment, the terminal information acquisition unit 104 functions as a purchase detection unit that detects that the user has purchased a predetermined product from an online shop on the network.

When the terminal information acquisition unit 104 detects that the user has purchased a predetermined product from the online shop, the privilege determination unit 105 determines that the relationship information is generated by the user visiting and performing a predetermined action. It has a function of deciding to give a privilege to the actual store A corresponding to the store server 20 . Information on this privilege provision decision is provided not only to the administrator of the information management system 1, but also to the online shop where the user purchased the product, for example.

The information management system 1 of the present embodiment is not shown in the drawings, but the owner of the online shop who has received the information about the decision to give the privilege gives the owner of the physical shop A a fee or points according to a predetermined ratio. be configured to pay

Based on the event information acquired as described above, the privilege determining unit 105 determines how the behavior of the user at the physical store A, that is, the behavior of picking up the product, trying on the product, etc., will lead to the purchase of the product. It also has a function of calculating the degree of contribution, which indicates whether or not the contribution has been made. That is, the privilege determination unit 105 also functions as a contribution degree calculation unit.

Then, the privilege determination unit 105 has a function of calculating the above-mentioned fee and the percentage of points according to the calculated contribution. In this embodiment, the commissions and points paid to the physical store A may be determined in consideration of this ratio.

Next, the configuration of the mobile terminal 30 will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 , the mobile terminal 30 includes at least a viewing history storage unit 301 , a payment information acquisition unit 302 and a transmission/reception unit 303 .

The browsing history storage unit 301 has a function of storing, as browsing history information, information that a user has browsed a website on which target products are posted via the web browser of the terminal 30 . In this case, the browsing history information may include the date and time of the website visit, the browsing time of the product, and the like.

When the payment information acquisition unit 302 detects that the user has purchased the product or a similar product by electronic payment through a so-called Internet banking or bank application or on an online shop website via the terminal 30, the payment information acquisition unit 302 It has a function of acquiring payment information and storing it in a storage unit (not shown).

The browsing history storage unit 301 and the payment information acquisition unit 302 also function as an event detection unit that detects an event related to purchase of a predetermined product on the terminal 30 .

The terminal 30 transmits the browsing history information and the payment information obtained in this manner and stored in a storage unit (not shown) to the information management server 10 via the transmission/reception unit 303 at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be immediately after the information is obtained, or may be a fixed time such as midnight.

<Processing Flow (Product Relationship Processing by Store Server 20)>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart outlining an example of the flow of product relationship processing executed by the store server 20 shown in FIG. The product relationship processing is started when the store server 20 detects that the user has entered the actual store A. FIG. Here, an example will be described in which the store server 20 executes product relationship processing based on the user's behavior when entering the actual store A. FIG.

In the product relationship processing, first, when the entry/exit information acquisition unit 201 detects that the user has passed through the entrance/exit gate 210, the store server 20 detects that the user has entered the actual store A (step 1). S101), the camera 220 near the entrance/exit gate 210 acquires an image or video of the user (step S102). When entering the actual store A, the IC card reader 211 acquires user information including the user's user ID.

The control unit 204 of the store server 20 extracts the user's features (particularly, clothing, stature, skin color, etc.) from the user's image, associates them with the user ID acquired from the IC card at the time of entering the store, and stores them in a memory (not shown). store in the unit (step S103). After that, the control unit 204 uses the plurality of cameras 220 and the plurality of microphones 230 to track the behavior of the user inside the actual shop A (step S104).

Next, the control unit 204 determines whether or not the store entry/exit information acquisition unit 201 has detected that the user has left the store (step S105). If the control unit 204 determines that the user's leaving the store has been detected, the control unit 204 ends the product relationship processing as it is.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the user has not left the store yet, the control unit 204 determines that the user has taken a predetermined action based on the images of the user acquired from the plurality of cameras 220 via the image acquisition unit 202. It is determined whether or not (step S106). Here, it is determined from the image of the user whether or not the user has picked up the product from the product shelf. Note that when it is determined that the user has picked up the product, the control unit 204 acquires product data stored in a storage unit (not shown) based on the image of the product captured by the camera 220 . The control unit 204 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S104 to S106 until the user takes a predetermined action.

When determining that the user has taken the predetermined action, the control unit 204 subsequently determines whether or not the action has continued for a predetermined time or longer (step S107). If it is determined that the behavior has not continued for the predetermined time, the control unit 204 returns to the process of step S104, and continues until the user takes the predetermined behavior again or leaves the physical store A. The process of S106 is repeatedly executed.

When it is determined that the user has taken a predetermined action and the action has continued for a predetermined period of time or longer, the control unit 204 associates the user ID obtained when entering the store with the product data of the product, and generates relationship information. The relationship information is stored in the relationship storage unit 205 (step S108).

When the relationship information is stored in the relationship storage unit 205, the control unit 204 determines whether or not the user purchased the product at the physical store A by using a bank application or the like downloaded to the terminal 30 ( step S109). If it is determined that the user purchased the product before leaving the actual store A, the control unit 204 deletes the relationship information stored in the relationship storage unit 205 (step S110), Returning to the process of step S104, the processes of steps S104 to S106 are repeatedly executed until the user takes a predetermined action again or leaves the physical store A.

On the other hand, if the purchase of the product cannot be detected, the control unit 204 determines whether or not the exiting of the store by the user has been detected by the entrance/exit information acquisition unit 201 (step S111). If the user's exit is not detected, the control unit 204 returns to the process of step S104, and repeats the processes of steps S104 to S106 until the user takes a predetermined action again or leaves the physical store A. Run.

When determining that the user's leaving the store has been detected, the control unit 204 determines whether or not relationship information between the user and the predetermined product is stored in the relationship storage unit 205 (step S112). If the relationship information is not stored in the relationship storage unit 205, the control unit 204 ends the product relationship processing as it is.

On the other hand, when relationship information is stored in the relationship storage unit 205, the control unit 204 transmits the stored relationship information to the information management server 10, and terminates this product relationship processing.

Here, a case has been described in which relationship information regarding one product is stored based on the behavior of the user at the actual store A. FIG. However, after the relationship information is stored in the relationship storage unit 205 in step S108, if the user takes a predetermined action with respect to another product, the control unit 204 also The relationship information may be generated and stored in the relationship storage unit 205 . In this case, if the user leaves the physical store A without purchasing any product, the control unit 204 transmits to the information management server 10 the relationship information of all the products associated with the user ID. good.

<Processing flow (privilege granting process by information management server 10)>
FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an overview of an example of the flow of privilege provision processing executed by the information management server 10 shown in FIG. This privilege granting process is started when the information management server 10 receives relationship information between a certain user and a predetermined product from one of the store servers 20, 21 to 2M. Here, a case where the information management server 10 receives relationship information from the store server 20 will be described as an example.

In the privilege giving process, first, the information management server 10 receives from the store server 20 relationship information indicating the relationship between the user and a predetermined product sold at the actual store A, and uses the received relationship information as the relationship information. It is stored in the information storage unit 102 (step S201). Thereafter, the information management server 10 appropriately acquires event information regarding the purchase of the product from the terminal 30 of the user and the store servers 20, 21 to 2M (step S202), and stores this event information in a storage unit (not shown). .

Here, the event information includes an event that triggers (opportunity) the user to purchase a predetermined product, an event that triggers the user not to purchase the predetermined product, and the like. Examples of “events that trigger purchases” include the behavior of re-entering the physical store A, picking up a predetermined product again, and dealing with products similar to those sold at the physical store A. Entering another physical store B, viewing e-books with specified products, browsing websites of online shops or similar online shops that carry specified products (check product reviews, etc.) activity), favorite registration of the relevant or similar products on these websites, increase in the user's bank account balance due to payment of salary or the like. Further, examples of "events that trigger non-purchasing" include, for example, purchasing a product similar to a predetermined product at a physical store or an online shop, moving away from the physical store A, and the like. The user's "moving to a distant place" is included because the user's move to a distant place not only almost eliminates the possibility of purchasing a predetermined product at the actual store A, but also changes the user's behavior at the actual store A. This is because it is thought that it will not contribute much to the purchase of

Next, the information management server 10 acquires bank account or credit card settlement information from the user's terminal 30 by means of the terminal information acquisition unit 104, thereby allowing the user to purchase the specified product from the online shop on the network. It is detected whether or not the product has been purchased (step S203). If the purchase of the prescribed product at the online shop is not detected, the information management server 10 uses the payment information to purchase a product similar to the prescribed product at the relevant or another online shop or physical store. It is detected whether or not the user has moved away from the actual store A based on the user information of the user's terminal 30 and the position information of the terminal 30 (step S204).

If the purchase of a similar product cannot be detected and the user has not moved far away, the information management server 10 returns to the process of step S202, and purchases the predetermined product at the online shop or confirms that the user has purchased a similar product. The process of steps S202 to S204 is repeatedly executed until it is detected that the user has purchased the product at an online shop or a physical store, or that the user has moved to a distant place.

On the other hand, when the purchase of a predetermined product is detected at the online shop, the information management server 10 calculates the degree of contribution of the physical store A to the purchase of the product based on the event information stored in the memory (step S206). Specifically, the privilege determination unit 105 determines the number of actions of the user stored in the event information, that is, the number of actions related to the purchase of the product performed by the user before purchasing the predetermined product at the online shop. , the contribution of the actual store A is calculated. For example, if five events are stored in the event information, the contribution of the physical store A is calculated as 1/5 (=0.2).

Next, the privilege determination unit 105 determines the ratio of the privilege to be given to the actual store A according to the calculated contribution of the actual store A, and decides to give the benefit according to the calculated ratio to the actual store. (step S207). It is considered that it is no longer necessary to obtain the event information for the user after it is decided to give the privilege according to the ratio. is deleted (step S205), and the privilege giving process is terminated.

Further, in step S204, if it is determined that a product similar to the predetermined product was purchased at the relevant or another online shop or actual store, or if it is determined that the user has moved away from the actual store A, It is considered that the degree of contribution of the physical store A to the purchase of the predetermined product has substantially disappeared, and the control unit 101 determines the relationship between the user and the predetermined product stored in the relationship information storage unit 102. The sex information is deleted (step S205), and this privilege provision processing is terminated.

As described above, according to the information management system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the behavior of the user with respect to a predetermined product in the physical store A is detected, and the behavior of the user in the detected physical store A ( In particular, when the user picks up a product sold at the actual store A, keeps looking at the product placed on a product shelf or product case for a predetermined period of time, or looks at the tag or label attached to the product. based on the user's behavior), and after that, when it is detected that the user has purchased this predetermined product from an online shop on the network, the actual store A It was configured to decide to grant benefits by In this way, when a user purchases an item at an online shop, the item picked up by the user can be purchased at the actual store A by giving some benefit to the actual store A where the user picked up or tried on the item. Even if the product remains unsold at A, the actual store A can be given profits and benefits for its contribution. As a result, it is possible to prevent the physical store from going out of business due to a decrease in sales, thereby contributing to the coexistence of the physical store and the online shop. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the disadvantage that users will not be able to directly confirm (check) the products handled by the online shop at the actual store due to the obsolescence of the actual store.

In addition, in the privilege granting process, the degree of contribution of the actual store A is calculated according to the number of events stored in the event information, and the proportion of the privilege to be granted is adjusted based on the degree of contribution. However, the invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the privilege determination unit 105 may be configured to determine that a predetermined privilege is given to the actual store A without calculating the contribution of the actual store A. Instead, the privilege determination unit 105 presets the contribution of each event instead of the number of events, and uses the contribution corresponding to the event stored in the event information to calculate the contribution of the actual store A. may be configured to calculate For example, in the event information, in addition to picking up the product at the physical store A (eg, 0.5), registering the product as a favorite at the online shop (eg, 0.2), similar products (e.g., 0.3), viewed an e-book containing the product (e.g., 0.2), and If it is stored that the product was picked up at the store A (0.5), the contribution of the physical store A is 1.0, which is the addition of the contribution of the behavior at the actual store A twice. Using the total contribution of 1.7, it becomes 1.0/1.7 (≈0.588).

(Second embodiment)
<System configuration>
The information management system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention has the overall configuration shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, and the configuration of the store server 20 is also similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. . Therefore, the configuration of the entire system and the configuration of the shop server 20 will be omitted from the drawings, and will be referred to with the same reference numerals as necessary.

In addition, in the information management system 1 of the present embodiment, when the user picks up a product at the physical store A, the user's behavior regarding the subsequent purchase of the product is acquired, and the user's behavior is acquired at a predetermined timing. A case will be described in which detailed information on the product and coupons that can be used at the physical store A or online shop are distributed to the portable terminal 30A (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "terminal 30A").

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an overview of configuration examples of the information management server 10A and the mobile terminal 30A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the information management server 10A includes a control unit 101, a transmission/reception unit 103, a terminal information acquisition unit 104, an event storage unit 106, a purchase probability calculation unit 107, a determination unit 108, and an information distribution unit. 109 at least. A detailed description of each part denoted by the same reference numeral will be omitted.

The event storage unit 106 has a function of storing a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product. The "multiple events" include the user picking up a product sold at the first physical store A, and the user continuing to look at the product placed on the product shelf or product case of the physical store A for a predetermined period of time. and viewing a tag or label attached to the product by the user. Further, the "plurality of events" include re-entering the first physical store A (in this case, it is preferable to take any of the actions of the user inside the first physical store A); Entering the second physical store B (in this case, the user can pick up a product similar to the predetermined product, keep looking at it, or look at the tag etc. in the second actual store B). preferred), browsing the websites of online shops or similar online shops that sell products similar to those sold at the first physical store A, and prescribed registration of such or similar products on these websites (ie, favorite registration). The events that can be stored in the event storage unit 106 are not limited to these, and may further include actions that the user can take and actions that affect the user regarding the purchase of a predetermined product.

The control unit 101 is stored in the event storage unit 106 based on terminal information acquired via the terminal information acquisition unit 104 functioning as an event detection unit, relationship information received from the store server 20, store entry information, and the like. It functions to detect that any event is performed by the user or executed by an application stored in the terminal 30 of the user.

The "events performed by the user" include picking up and trying on predetermined products at the physical store A, and purchasing similar products at one or more other physical stores that sell similar products to the physical store A. visiting the website of an online shop that sells the specified product, registering the product as a favorite on the website, and downloading an e-book containing the specified product. , viewing the product, and the like.

On the other hand, the "events executed by the application of the terminal 30" include acquisition of transaction history by the application of the bank (especially payment to the bank account), settlement of the bank account, credit card, etc. by the application of the information management system 1. Acquisition of information, etc.

When the control unit 101 detects that an event related to the purchase of a predetermined product has occurred, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 determines whether the user purchases the product at a physical store or an online shop according to the type of the event. It has a function of calculating the probability of purchase, that is, the purchase probability. Specifically, each event is assigned a numerical value set in advance so as to increase or decrease the purchase probability of that product, and when an event is detected, the purchase probability at that time is increased or decreased by that numerical value. ing. Here, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 functions as a purchase probability increase/decrease unit of the information management system 1 of this embodiment.

On the other hand, it is thought that the user's interest in the product will fade with the passage of time, and the purchase probability will decrease. Therefore, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 also has a function of decreasing the purchase probability by a numerical value obtained by multiplying the elapsed time by a predetermined coefficient. Here, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 functions as a purchase probability reduction unit of the information management system 1 of this embodiment. The method of decreasing the purchase probability is not particularly limited, but there are a method of decreasing at a constant rate according to time as a linear function of time, a method of decreasing using a delay using calculus and the like, and the like.

The determination unit 108 has a function of determining whether or not the purchase probability calculated by the purchase probability calculation unit 107 exceeds a predetermined threshold (purchase threshold). The purchase threshold may be appropriately determined by the administrator of the information management system 1 in consideration of the numerical value set for each event. When the determination unit 108 determines that the purchase probability exceeds the purchase threshold value, the determination unit 108 outputs the determination result to the information distribution unit 109 .

The determination unit 108 also has a function of determining whether or not the product purchase probability calculated by the purchase probability calculation unit 107 is below a predetermined lower limit. In this case, the determination unit 108 functions as a lower limit value determination unit in the information management system 1 of this embodiment. This determination result is output to the control unit 101, and the control unit 101 determines whether or not to continue the information distribution process, which will be described later, based on the determination result.

The information distribution unit 109 has a function of distributing product information to the terminal 30A of the user upon receiving the determination result that the purchase probability exceeds the purchase threshold. "Information about a product" includes, for example, a product review including detailed information and recommended points of the product in order to motivate the user to purchase the product.

Furthermore, the "information on the product" includes coupons that can be used when purchasing the product at the actual store A visited by the user, coupons that can be used at the online shop where the product is registered as a favorite, and the like. In particular, when the information distribution unit 109 distributes a coupon that can be used at the actual store A, the user can be encouraged to purchase the product at the actual store A. Thereby, the disadvantage of the actual store A due to showrooming can be suppressed.

The store server shown in FIG. 2 described in detail in the first embodiment and shown in FIG. are provided, and an entrance gate 210, a plurality of cameras 220, a plurality of microphones 230, etc., as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, are installed in each physical store.

Each unit of the camera 220, the microphone 230, and the store server 20 for detecting a predetermined action of the user in the physical store A, that is, an action such as picking up a product, is the first action detection in the information management system 1 of the present embodiment. functions as a department. Moreover, each similar unit that detects the user's upset behavior in the other actual shop B functions as a second behavior detection unit in the information management system 1 of the present embodiment. Information on the user's behavior (including entering the physical store) detected by the first behavior detection unit and the second behavior detection unit is sent to the information management server via the transmission/reception unit 206 of the store servers 20, 21 to 2M. 10A.

Next, the configuration of the terminal 30A of this embodiment will be described. The terminal 30A includes at least a transmission/reception unit 303, a registration detection unit 304, and a browsing detection unit 305, as shown in FIG. Note that the terminal 30A may include the viewing history storage unit 301 and the payment information acquisition unit 302, like the mobile terminal 30 of the first embodiment.

The registration detection unit 304 has a function of detecting that a user has made a predetermined registration regarding a predetermined product on the website of the online shop. Specifically, the registration detection unit 304 detects that a predetermined product has been registered as "favorites" on the website. When the registration detection unit 304 detects that the product has been registered as a favorite, the registration detection unit 304 associates the online shop with the registered product, and stores the registered product in a storage unit (not shown) as registration information.

The browsing detection unit 305 has a function of detecting that a user has browsed a page on which a specific product is posted on the website of an online shop that sells the product. The browsing detection unit 305 also has a function of detecting that the user has browsed a corresponding page of an electronic book in which a predetermined product is posted among the electronic books downloaded to the user's terminal 30A. When detecting browsing of a website or an electronic book, the browsing detection unit 305 associates the URL of the website or the title of the electronic book with the product, and stores them as browsing information in a storage unit (not shown).

Although not shown, the terminal 30A is installed with an application of a bank or a credit card company or an application capable of acquiring information thereof. When these applications detect that money has been deposited into the user's bank account, this deposit information is also stored in a storage unit (not shown).

The registration detection unit 304, the browsing detection unit 305, and an application capable of detecting bank deposit also function as an event detection unit in the information management system 1 of this embodiment.

The transmission/reception unit 303 has a function of transmitting registration information, browsing information, and deposit information stored in the storage unit to the information management server 10 at a predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be immediately after the information is acquired, or may be a fixed time such as midnight.

<Processing Flow (Information Distribution Processing by Information Management Server 10A)>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart outlining an example of the flow of information distribution processing executed by the information management server 10A shown in FIG. In this information distribution process, the event information detected by the event detection unit is always received, and when there is a predetermined action of the user in the event information, the distribution of the information regarding the predetermined product is started. be. Here, an example will be described in which the information management server 10A receives event information about a user's predetermined behavior from the store server 20. FIG.

In the information distribution process, first, the information management server 10A receives event information detected by each event detection unit from the user's terminal 30A and the store servers 20, 21 to 2M (step S301). The control unit 101 of the information management server 10A determines whether or not the received event information includes information about a user's predetermined behavior (step S302). If the control unit 101 determines that the information regarding the predetermined action is not included in the event information, the control unit 101 returns to the process of step S301, and repeats the processing of steps S301 and S302 until the information regarding the predetermined action is included. Run.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the event information includes the information about the predetermined action, the control unit 101 starts detecting and storing the event regarding the purchase of the product by the user (step S303). In this embodiment, after the detection and storage of this event is started, the control unit 101 distributes the information about the product to the user's terminal 30A, or until the detection of the event ends due to the satisfaction of a predetermined condition. Execution of information distribution processing is continued.

It should be noted that the purchase probability of the product is set to a predetermined value, for example, 50%, by the user's predetermined action, that is, by the user picking up a predetermined product at the actual store A. However, if the user purchases the product before leaving the actual store A, the information management server 10A acquires payment information for the product from the terminal 30A. In such a case, the control unit 101 may end this information distribution process without performing the processes after step S303 of the information distribution process.

After the start of event detection and storage, when the control unit 101 further receives event information from the user's terminal 30A or the store servers 20, 21 to 2M via the transmission/reception unit 103, an event related to the purchase of a predetermined product is generated. It is determined whether or not it is included (step S304). When it is determined that an event related to the purchase of a product is not included, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 gradually decreases the purchase probability set to the predetermined value according to the elapse of time from the detection of the event of the predetermined action. (step S306).

On the other hand, when it is determined that an event related to the purchase of a predetermined product is included, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 calculates the purchase probability of the product according to the type of the event (step S305). Specifically, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 calculates the purchase probability of the product by adding a value corresponding to the type of event to the current purchase probability. After that, the purchase probability calculation unit 107 gradually decreases the calculated purchase probability according to the lapse of time from the calculation of the purchase probability of the product (step S306).

Next, the determination unit 108 determines whether or not the product purchase probability exceeds a predetermined purchase threshold (step S307). When the determination unit 108 determines that the purchase probability exceeds the purchase threshold, the information distribution unit 109 distributes information about the product (for example, a coupon for the product at the physical store A) to the user terminal 30A ( Step S308), this information distribution process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination unit 108 determines that the purchase probability does not exceed the purchase threshold value, the determination unit 108 subsequently determines whether the product purchase probability is below a predetermined lower limit (step S309). When the determination unit 108 determines that the product purchase probability is below the lower limit, the control unit 101 terminates this information distribution process.

If the determination unit 108 determines that the product purchase probability is not below the lower limit, the control unit 101 returns to the process of step S304 and repeats the processes of steps S304 to S309. That is, in the information distribution process of the present embodiment, once detection of an event related to product purchase is started (step S303), information related to the product is distributed to the user's terminal 30A (step S308), or the purchase probability is set to the lower limit value. The control unit 101 continues detecting the event and increasing or decreasing the purchase probability of the product until the detection of the event is completed (“Yes” in step S309).

Here, an example of change in purchase probability in the case of distributing information on products will be briefly described. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which the product purchase probability exceeds the purchase threshold and product information is delivered to the user's terminal. When the information management server 10A detects that the user picked up the product at the actual store A, the information distribution process is started.

First, when a user picks up a predetermined product at the actual store A, the purchase probability of the product is increased. After that, the purchase probability decreases at a predetermined rate. Then, when the user registers the product as a favorite via the terminal 30A on the website of the online shop, the purchase probability of the product increases again. In this example, since priority is given to information distribution (coupon distribution) from the actual store A, a value that does not reach the purchase threshold value is assigned to "favorite registration".

On the other hand, if a user registers a product similar to that product as a favorite on the website of the same or another online shop that sells products similar to that product, the possibility of purchasing that product may decrease. Therefore, the purchase probability of the product is slightly reduced.

After that, for example, when the payment to the user's bank account is detected on the user's payday, the purchase probability of the product is further increased. In this example, after that, the user visits the physical store A again and picks up the product or checks the product tag, thereby further increasing the purchase probability of the product. Then, at this timing, the purchase probability of the product exceeds the purchase threshold, and information on the product, that is, coupons that can be used to purchase the product at the physical store A are delivered to the user's terminal 30A.

Note that the information about the product to be distributed is not limited to the coupon for the product at the physical store A. For example, it may be the coupon for the online shop that the user has browsed. (including reviews, etc.). Furthermore, the information about the product to be distributed may be appropriately determined according to the behavior that triggered the distribution. For example, when the purchase probability of a product exceeds the purchase threshold by re-browsing the online shop, a coupon that can be used to purchase the product at the online shop may be delivered to the user's terminal 30A.

Next, the case of ending the information distribution process without distributing the information on the product will be briefly described. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a situation in which the product purchase probability falls below the lower limit and detection of an event related to product purchase ends. Also in this case, when the information management server 10A detects that the user picked up the product at the actual store A, the information distribution process is started.

Unlike the case of FIG. 10, on the website of an online shop that sells the same or similar products, after the user has registered a product similar to the product as a favorite and then purchases the similar product at the online shop, the product purchase probability drops to practically zero. As a result, the purchase probability of the item falls below the lower limit, and the increase management server 10A terminates the information distribution process without distributing the information on the item. That is, the information management server 10A terminates the detection and acquisition of the event regarding the purchase of the predetermined product.

As described above, according to the information management system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of events related to the purchase of a predetermined product are stored, and each of the plurality of events is performed or performed by the user. When it is detected that the user's terminal 30A has done so, the user's purchase probability of the product is increased or decreased, and the purchase probability of the product is decreased according to the elapsed time from the timing when the first event is acquired. It is determined whether or not the purchase probability of has exceeded a predetermined purchase threshold, and when it is determined that the purchase probability of the product has exceeded the purchase threshold, information on the product is distributed to the user's terminal 30A. In this manner, by varying the purchase probability of a product by the user according to an event by the user or the user's terminal 30A, and by distributing information on the product when the purchase probability exceeds the purchase threshold, Advertisements and coupons for products can be distributed to users who are considering purchasing the product at the optimum timing.

In particular, when a coupon for a physical store A visited by a user is distributed as information about a product, the user can expect to purchase the product at the actual store A. Thereby, the sales of the actual store A can be contributed.

Further, even when a coupon for an online shop is distributed as product information, by giving the benefits described above in the first embodiment to the actual store A, the actual store A that has contributed to the purchase of the product can also benefit. Benefits can be given. As a result, it is possible to prevent the physical store from going out of business due to a decrease in sales, thereby contributing to the coexistence of the physical store and the online shop.

(Third Embodiment)
<System configuration>
The information management system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the overall configuration shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, and the configuration of the store server 20 is also similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment. . Therefore, the configuration of the entire system and the configuration of the shop server 20 will be omitted from the drawings, and will be referred to with the same reference numerals as necessary. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which event information is acquired from a plurality of form terminals 30, 31 to 3N in order to detect actions by a plurality of users. Shown and described.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an overview of a configuration example of an information management server 10B and a mobile terminal 30B (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "terminal 30B") according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the information management server 10B includes a control unit 101, a transmission/reception unit 103, a terminal information acquisition unit 104, an event storage unit 106, an event history storage unit 110, a contribution degree calculation unit 111, and an event classification unit 112 .

When the event history storage unit 110 acquires event information about an event performed by each user from the event detection unit described above in the second embodiment or from the user terminals 30, 31 to 3N, the event history storage unit 110 stores at least the user and event type. are associated and stored as an event history. As this event history, events performed by the user before and after the occurrence of the event and on the day of the event are also stored in association with each other. It should be noted that the weather and temperature at the time the event occurred, the place where the event occurred, etc. may also be stored as appropriate.

For example, if the target event (hereinafter referred to as "target event") is the purchase of beer sold at a baseball stadium, the user purchases a light meal (hot dog, etc.) at the baseball stadium, or The fact that the user has purchased sweets, snacks, or the like at the actual store before arriving at the venue may be stored in association with the purchase of beer, which is the target event.

In addition, each event associated with the target event has a probability indicating the possibility of execution of the target event (here, the probability of purchasing beer) and a timing that contributes to the execution of the target event (immediate effect (immediateness)). delayed-acting), etc. may be associated.

Further, when the event history storage unit 110 acquires event information including a plurality of events related to the purchase of the product stored in the event storage unit 106 when the purchase of a predetermined product is the target event, the event history storage unit 110 obtains the event information for each of the acquired events. and the target event.

Note that the event history storage unit 110, when each action detection unit detects a predetermined action of each user (for example, a user's action of picking up or trying on the product at the actual store A), It may be configured to initiate storage of events associated with the user's purchase of the item. Instead, when the browsing detection unit 305 of the terminal 30B, which will be described later, detects each user's browsing of the website of the online shop, the event history storage unit 110 stores an event associated with the user's purchase of a predetermined product. may be configured to start storing the

In addition, after the event history storage unit 110 starts storing the event related to the purchase of the predetermined product by the user as described above, the event detection unit detects that the user purchased the predetermined product or a similar product. is detected, the storage of an event related to the purchase of a predetermined product by the user may be terminated, or when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of recording the event, the event is stored. You may terminate the memory.

The contribution calculation unit 111 is a function of calculating the contribution of each event to the purchase of a predetermined product, that is, the target event, based on the event history related to the purchase of the predetermined product stored in the event history storage unit 110. have The degree of contribution of each event may be defined as a positive integer in % according to the type and number of events, or the degree of contribution of an event may be divided into several categories and defined by category numbers, etc. good.

The event classification unit 112 has a function of classifying each event stored in the event history storage unit 110 into multiple categories based on the contribution calculated by the contribution calculation unit 111 . The event classification unit 112 may classify each event into a plurality of categories based on the relationship between the target event stored in the event history storage unit 110 and other events.

There are multiple categories: Category 1, which includes events that are directly linked to the target event, that is, events that have a high probability of purchasing a product and that have an immediate effect; Category 2 is classified into events that have a reasonable probability of purchase and the target event can occur, although not immediately, and Category 2, which is an event with a low (low) possibility of reaching the target event, that is, a low probability of purchasing the product. , Category 3 to which the target event is unlikely to occur, and Category 4 to which the target event is unlikely to occur, that is, the event with no purchase probability of the product.

In order to classify events in which the target event cannot occur, events are classified under the condition that the product has not been purchased for a predetermined period of time from a predetermined timing (for example, when an event of Category 1 first occurs). method can be considered.

By classifying each event in this way, it is possible for the user to ascertain the timing leading to the purchase of the product. As a result, as in the second embodiment, it is possible to effectively motivate the user to purchase the product by distributing detailed product information and coupons.

As an event detection unit for detecting these events, an action detection unit for detecting the action of the user in the physical store A described in the first and second embodiments, or the user terminal 30B , a registration detection unit that detects that a product has been registered as a favorite (predetermined registration) on the website of an online shop that sells a predetermined product, or via the user's terminal 30B, a predetermined product is posted. A browsing detection unit or the like may be provided to detect that the user has browsed the website of the online shop or the electronic book downloaded to the terminal 30B.

Here, by performing machine learning using a known engine for machine learning on all data of all events (events) by many users stored in the event history storage unit 110, based on the relationship with the purchase of the product Then, the degree of contribution to product purchase may be calculated, and each event may be classified into a plurality of categories according to the degree of contribution. Alternatively, artificial intelligence (AI) may be used to perform similar processing. That is, the information management server 10B may be provided with a machine learning unit or an artificial intelligence driving unit instead of the contribution calculation unit 111 and the event classification unit 112 shown in FIG.

As an example of artificial intelligence, for example, a neural network (neural network) is applied, each event is regarded as an artificial neuron (node), a network is formed by synaptic connections, and purchase of a predetermined product and each event You may let it learn the relationship of. In this case, the event of the node directly connected to the node corresponding to the purchase of the predetermined product (the node located in the center) is classified into category 1 or 4 based on the increase or decrease of the purchase probability of the predetermined product. do it. Further, among the events of nodes indirectly connected to the node corresponding to the purchase of a predetermined product, events that can increase the purchase probability of the product may be classified into category 2 or 3 above.

A mobile terminal 30B of this embodiment includes at least a transmission/reception unit 303, a registration detection unit 304, and a browsing detection unit 305, as in the second embodiment. Note that the terminal 30B may include a viewing history storage unit 301 and a payment information acquisition unit 302, like the mobile terminal 30 of the first embodiment. Since these configurations are substantially the same as those of the terminal 30A of the second embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted from the viewpoint of avoiding redundant description.

<Category distribution example>
FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a distribution example of categories of events classified by the event classification unit 112 of the information management server 10B shown in FIG. As described above, the information management system 1 of this embodiment is configured to classify a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product into four categories.

As shown in FIG. 13, an event that has a high probability of purchasing a product and has an immediate effect in terms of timing of purchase is classified into category 1 . In this example, category 1 includes, for example, an event of picking up a product at physical store A, an event of receiving a coupon for the product, an event of detecting payment to the user's bank account, an event of An event such as an approaching anniversary registered in the terminal 30B is included.

The information management server 10B may be configured such that acquisition of events relating to the user by the event history storage unit 110 is started in response to occurrence of an event belonging to category 1, for example. However, even if an event belonging to category 1 occurs, if it is detected that the user has actually purchased the product at an early timing after the event has occurred, the information management system 1 does not detect the event related to the user. should be terminated.

Category 2, in which the purchase probability of the product is not so high but the user may still purchase the product, includes, for example, the event of registering the product as a favorite on the website of an online shop, Examples include an event in which similar products are similarly registered in favorites, and an event in which the user visits the physical store A where he/she has picked up the product once.

As in the second embodiment, if such an event occurs at the timing, it is highly possible that the user will purchase the product. In consideration of this point, the information management server 10B may be configured to deliver detailed information on the product, coupons, and the like to the terminal 30B of the user.

In addition, category 3, which is considered to correspond to the stage where the user is carefully examining, includes, for example, an event of confirming or browsing the product or similar products by the electronic book downloaded to the user's terminal 30B, and similar products. An event of visiting another physical store B that sells goods, an event of picking up a similar product at the actual store B, and the like are included. At the timing when such an event occurs, the user may be interested in a similar product instead of the product in question. Therefore, unlike Category 2, even if a coupon that can be used at the physical store A is distributed, the user is unlikely to purchase the product. Therefore, the information management server 10B may be configured not to distribute information such as a coupon for the product even if an event of category 3 occurs. Instead, the information management server 10B may be configured to distribute a coupon with a higher discount rate than in the case of category 2, thereby changing the sales promotion method for the product.

Category 4, in which the purchase probability of the product is almost zero, includes, for example, an event that the user actually purchased a product similar to the product, an event that the user moved away from the actual store A, and the like. be At the occurrence timing of the event of category 4, the information management system 1 may end the detection of the event regarding the user in the same way as when the event that the user purchased the product is detected.

As described above, according to the information management system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product are stored, and for each of the plurality of events, each of a plurality of users events detected by each of a plurality of users are sequentially stored as an event history; A contribution is calculated, and a plurality of events are classified into a plurality of categories based on the calculated contribution. By configuring in this way, it is possible to acquire information on the user's purchase activity for a predetermined product. In addition, by grasping the user's purchasing activities, it is possible to appropriately adjust the lineup of products in a real store or an online shop. Furthermore, in a physical store or online shop, for example, it is possible to distribute advertisements and coupons for the product to users who are likely to purchase the product at the optimum timing.

Although illustration and description are omitted, in the information management system of the present embodiment as well, when a target event is detected, it is decided to give a privilege to the actual store actually visited by the user. good too. As a result, it is possible to give profits and benefits to the actual store that contributed to the purchase of the product. As a result, it is possible to prevent the physical store from going out of business due to a decrease in sales, thereby contributing to the coexistence of the physical store and the online shop.

The invention made by the inventor of the present application has been specifically described above based on the embodiment, but the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the invention. It goes without saying that For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Moreover, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of the above-described embodiments with other configurations. Further, it is also possible to appropriately combine the features of the first to third embodiments.

<Appendix>
The above description of the embodiments is provided so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the invention pertains (that is, a person skilled in the art) can implement at least the following invention.

[1]
an action detection unit that detects a user's action with respect to a predetermined product in the physical store;
a relationship storage unit that stores a relationship between the predetermined product and the user based on the user's behavior in the physical store detected by the behavior detection unit;
a purchase detection unit that detects that the user has purchased the predetermined product from an online shop on the network;
a benefit determination unit that determines to give a benefit to the physical store when the purchase detection unit detects the purchase of the predetermined product by the user;
Information management system with

[2]
In the information management system described in [1],
The action detection unit includes at least a camera,
User actions detected by the action detection unit include the user picking up a product sold at the physical store, and the user continuing to look at the product placed on the product shelf or product case for a predetermined period of time. and the user viewing a tag or label attached to the product.

[3]
In the information management system according to [1] or [2],
an event detection unit that detects that a user has performed one of a plurality of events related to the purchase of the predetermined product;
When the purchase detection unit detects the purchase of the predetermined product by the user, the behavior of the user detected by the behavior detection unit and the type or number of events detected by the event detection unit a contribution calculation unit that calculates the contribution of the user's behavior at the physical store to the purchase of the predetermined product based on the
further comprising
The information management system, wherein the privilege determining unit calculates a ratio of the privilege based on the degree of contribution, and determines to give the physical store a privilege corresponding to the calculated ratio.

[4]
In the information management system according to any one of [1] to [3],
The plurality of events include re-entering the physical store, entering another physical store that sells products similar to those sold at the physical store, and selling products at the physical store. Information that includes at least one of browsing e-books posted, browsing the websites of the online shop or similar online shops, and predetermined registration (favorite registration) of the relevant or similar products on these websites management system.

[5]
an event storage unit that stores a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product;
an event detection unit that detects that each of the plurality of events has been performed by a user or has been performed at a terminal of the user;
a purchase probability increase/decrease unit that increases or decreases the purchase probability of the product by the user according to each event detected by the event detection unit;
a purchase probability decreasing unit that decreases the purchase probability increased or decreased by the purchase probability increasing/decreasing unit according to elapsed time;
a determination unit that determines whether the purchase probability of the product exceeds a predetermined threshold;
an information distribution unit that distributes information about the product to the terminal of the user when the determination unit determines that the purchase probability exceeds the predetermined threshold;
Information management system with

[6]
In the information management system described in [5],
The event detection unit
a first behavior detection unit that detects the behavior of the user in the first physical store;
a second behavior detection unit that detects behavior of the user at each of one or more second physical stores that sell products similar to products sold at the first physical store;
a registration detection unit that detects that the user has made a predetermined registration regarding the product via the terminal;
a browsing detection unit that detects that the user has browsed an electronic book or website on which the product is posted via the terminal;
Information management system, including

[7]
In the information management system described in [6],
The plurality of events include, at the first physical store, the user picking up a product sold at the physical store, and the user looking at the product placed on the product shelf or product case for a predetermined period of time. at least one of continuing, viewing a tag or label attached to the product by the user, re-entering the first physical store, and entering the second physical store. , browsing the website of an online shop that sells products similar to those sold at the first physical store or similar online shops, and predetermined registration (favorite registration) and an information management system.

[8]
In the information management system according to any one of [5] to [7],
The information management system, wherein the information about the product includes at least one of a coupon for the physical store or online shop where the product can be purchased, and detailed information about the product.

[9]
In the information management system according to any one of [5] to [8],
further comprising a lower limit determination unit that determines whether the purchase probability of the product is below a predetermined lower limit;
The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when the lower limit value determination means determines that the purchase probability of the product is lower than the predetermined lower limit value, the event detection unit terminates detection of the event related to the purchase of the product.

[10]
In the information management system according to any one of [6] to [9],
an action detection unit that detects a user's action on a predetermined product in the first and second physical stores;
a purchase detection unit that detects that the user has purchased the predetermined product from an online shop on the network;
When the purchase detection unit detects the purchase of the predetermined product by the user, and when the behavior detection unit detects the predetermined behavior of the user in the first or second physical store , a privilege determination unit that determines to give a privilege to the actual store;
An information management system, further comprising:

[11]
an event storage unit that stores a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product;
an event detection unit that detects what each of the plurality of users has done for each of the plurality of events;
an event history storage unit that sequentially stores the event performed by each of the plurality of users as an event history;
a contribution degree calculation unit that calculates the degree of contribution of each event to the purchase of the predetermined product based on the event history related to the purchase of the predetermined product stored in the event history storage unit;
an event classification unit that classifies the plurality of events into a plurality of categories based on the degree of contribution calculated by the contribution degree calculation unit;
Information management system with

[12]
In the information management system described in [11],
The event detection unit
an action detection unit that detects actions of each of the plurality of users with respect to the predetermined product in one or more actual stores that sell the predetermined product;
a browsing detection unit that detects that the user has browsed a website on which the predetermined product is posted via the terminal of each of the plurality of users;
including
When the behavior detection unit detects a predetermined behavior of each user, or when the browsing detection unit detects browsing of the website by each user, the event history storage unit stores the An information management system that initiates storage of events associated with a user's purchase of the given product.

[13]
In the information management system described in [12],
The event history storage unit stores an event associated with the purchase of the predetermined product by the user when a predetermined time elapses after the user starts to store the event related to the purchase of the predetermined product. an information management system that terminates the storage of the event when it is detected that a product for the event has been purchased.

[14]
In the information management system according to any one of [11] to [13],
The information management system, wherein the contribution degree calculation unit and the event classification unit are realized by performing machine learning or by using artificial intelligence.

[15]
In the information management system according to any one of [11] to [14],
The plurality of events include entering each of one or more physical stores that sell the predetermined product or products similar to the predetermined product, and selling the predetermined product or products similar to the predetermined product. Browsing websites of one or more online shops for sale, prescribed registration of the prescribed product or the similar product on each of the websites, depositing money into accounts of each of the plurality of users, and the prescribed product. Alternatively, the information management system includes at least a plurality of distribution of information on the similar product to each of the plurality of users, and viewing of an electronic book in which the predetermined product or the similar product is posted.

[16]
In the information management system according to any one of [12] to [15],
The event detection unit
further comprising a purchase detection unit that detects that the user has purchased the predetermined product from an online shop on the network;
The information management system is
When the purchase detection unit detects the purchase of the predetermined product by each of the plurality of users, and when the behavior detection unit detects the predetermined behavior of the user in any of the physical stores is an information management system, further comprising a privilege determination unit that determines to give a privilege to the actual shop;
[17]
In the information management system according to any one of [12] to [16],
When the behavior detection unit detects a predetermined behavior of a specific user among the plurality of users in any of the physical stores, each event by the specific user detected by the event detection unit a purchase probability increase/decrease unit that increases or decreases the purchase probability of the product by the specific user according to
a purchase probability decreasing unit that decreases the purchase probability increased or decreased by the purchase probability increasing/decreasing unit according to elapsed time;
a determination unit that determines whether the purchase probability of the predetermined product exceeds a predetermined threshold;
an information distribution unit that distributes information about the product to the terminal of the specific user when the determination unit determines that the purchase probability exceeds the predetermined threshold;
An information management system, further comprising:

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used in an information management system that gives benefits to physical stores and distributes coupons for physical stores and online shops based on the purchase history of products sold in both physical stores and online shops. It is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Information management system, 2... Network, 10, 10A, 10B... Information management server, 20, 21, 2M... Store server, 30, 31, 3N, 30A, 30B... Portable terminal,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101... Control part 102... Relationship information storage part 103... Transmission/reception part 104... Terminal information acquisition part 105... Privilege determination part 106... Event storage part 107... Purchase probability calculation part 108... Judgment part 109 ... information distribution unit, 110 ... event history storage unit, 111 ... contribution calculation unit, 112 ... event classification unit,
201... Store entrance/exit information acquisition unit 202... Video acquisition unit 203... Sound acquisition unit 204... Control unit 205... Relationship storage unit 206... Transmission/reception unit,
210... entrance gate, 220... camera, 230... microphone,
301... Browsing history storage unit, 302... Payment information acquisition unit, 303... Transmission/reception unit, 304... Registration detection unit, 305... Browsing detection unit.

Claims (6)

an event storage unit that stores a plurality of events related to purchase of a predetermined product;
an event detection unit that detects that each of the plurality of events has been performed by the user in the physical store or has been performed on the terminal of the user;
a purchase probability increase/decrease unit that increases or decreases the purchase probability of the product by the user according to each event detected by the event detection unit;
a purchase probability decreasing unit that decreases the purchase probability increased or decreased by the purchase probability increasing/decreasing unit according to elapsed time;
a determination unit that determines whether the purchase probability of the product exceeds a predetermined threshold;
an information distribution unit that distributes information about the product to the terminal of the user when the determination unit determines that the purchase probability exceeds the predetermined threshold;
Information management system with In the information management system according to claim 1,
The event detection unit
a first behavior detection unit that detects the behavior of the user in the first physical store;
a second behavior detection unit that detects behavior of the user at each of one or more second physical stores that sell products similar to products sold at the first physical store;
a registration detection unit that detects that the user has made a predetermined registration regarding the product via the terminal;
a browsing detection unit that detects that the user has browsed an electronic book or website on which the product is posted via the terminal;
Information management system, including In the information management system according to claim 2,
The plurality of events include, at the first physical store, the user picking up a product sold at the first physical store, and the user picking up the product placed on the product shelf or product case. At least one of continuing to look for a predetermined time, looking at the tag or label attached to the product by the user, re-entering the first physical store, and visiting the second physical store. Entering the store, browsing the website of an online shop that sells products similar to those sold at the first physical store or a similar online shop website, and registering the relevant or similar product as a favorite on these websites an information management system comprising at least a plurality of predetermined registrations comprising: In the information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The information management system, wherein the information about the product includes at least one of a coupon for the physical store or online shop where the product can be purchased, and detailed information about the product. In the information management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
further comprising a lower limit determination unit that determines whether the purchase probability of the product is below a predetermined lower limit;
The information management system according to claim 1, wherein, when the lower limit value determination means determines that the purchase probability of the product is lower than the predetermined lower limit value, the event detection unit terminates detection of the event related to the purchase of the product. In the information management system according to claim 2 or claim 3,
an action detection unit that detects a user's action on a predetermined product in the first and second physical stores;
a purchase detection unit that detects that the user has purchased the predetermined product from an online shop on the network;
When the purchase detection unit detects the purchase of the predetermined product by the user, and when the behavior detection unit detects the predetermined behavior of the user in the first or second physical store , a privilege determination unit that determines to give a privilege to the actual store;
An information management system, further comprising:

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