JP2024159969A - Product sales data processing device and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To recommend a commodity which is a substitute of a predetermined commodity when the predetermined commodity is registered.SOLUTION: A POS terminal 1 includes: a registration processing unit that registers a commodity; and an input/output unit 11 that when there is a recommended commodity which is a substitute of a predetermined registered commodity, outputs the recommended commodity. The input/output unit 11 may output an operator that receives change registration from the predetermined registered commodity to the recommended commodity. The POS terminal may include: a receiving processing unit that after receiving the change registration from the predetermined registered commodity to the recommended commodity, receives input of commodity information about the predetermined commodity as commodity information about the recommended commodity; and a notification processing unit that when the commodity information whose input has been received is different from the commodity information about the recommended commodity, notifies a user of the fact.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a technology that recommends alternative products to a specified product when the specified product is registered.

Stores such as supermarkets and drugstores that handle a wide variety of products sometimes want to recommend certain products to customers.

In this regard, Patent Document 1 proposes a coupon issuing system that is made up of a POS system having a POS terminal that reads product identification information and issues a receipt for the transaction when the product checkout is complete, a controller that receives an inquiry message including the identification information read by the POS terminal and responds with product information including the price corresponding to the identification information, and a coupon server connected to the network of the POS system, in which the coupon server analyzes the inquiry message sent from the POS terminal to the controller and causes the POS terminal to issue a coupon according to the analysis results.

JP 2007-0108142 A

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a coupon is issued after a customer purchases a product, and this encourages the customer to purchase the specified product.
However, in such a system, the customer must wait until his or her next visit to purchase a particular product recommended by the store.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to recommend alternative products to a specified product when the specified product is registered.

To achieve the above object, the product sales data processing device according to the present invention includes a registration processing means for registering products, and a first output means for outputting a recommended product if there is a recommended product that can replace a specific registered product.

1 is a diagram showing a network configuration of a POS system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of a POS terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a recommendation master in the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a product master in the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram showing the flow of a process executed by the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. 5A and 5B show an example of a receipt issued by the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram showing another example of the flow of the process executed by the POS terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on an input/output unit of the POS terminal according to the embodiment.

Functional Configuration of Merchandise Sales Data Processing Device A merchandise sales data processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a network configuration diagram of a POS (Point Of Sales) system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The POS system shown in Fig. 1 includes three POS terminals, a first POS terminal 1-1, a second POS terminal 1-2, and a third POS terminal 1-3, and a store controller SC (also called a store computer or management device), each of which is connected to each other via a LAN so as to be able to communicate with each other.
In the following description, the first POS terminal 1-1, the second POS terminal 1-2, and the third POS terminal 1-3 will be collectively referred to as the POS terminal 1 unless otherwise specified.

Here, the POS system or POS terminal 1 constitutes the product sales data processing device according to the present invention. In other words, the POS system is a product sales data processing device realized as a system in which the functional units required to execute the functions of the product sales data processing device according to the present invention are distributed and stored in the store controller SC and the POS terminal 1, and the POS terminal 1 is a product sales data processing device realized as a device in which the functional units required to execute the functions of the product sales data processing device according to the present invention or the functions of the store controller SC are integrated into the POS terminal.

In addition, when the POS system has a store controller SC, for example, the store controller SC manages product master data and recommendation master data (described later), and the POS terminal 1 transmits sales data by referring to the master data of the store controller SC. The store controller SC also handles core operations such as inventory management and order management. The store controller SC may be composed of multiple server devices according to the respective operations.
Furthermore, in the case where there is no store controller SC, for example, one POS terminal 1-1 is provided with the functions of the store controller SC, and the POS terminal 1-1 that also functions as the store controller SC executes master management and links data with the other POS terminals 1-2 and 1-3. In another example, each POS terminal 1 may be operated to individually perform master management.

2 is a device that executes the registration process and the transaction process for products purchased by customers, and constitutes a product sales data processing device according to the present invention. When a specific product is registered as a product to be purchased by a customer (hereinafter, the registered product may be referred to as a "registered product"), if there is a recommended product to replace the registered product, the POS terminal 1 is a device that recommends changing the registration to the recommended product.
In addition, a recommended product is not necessarily a product that is treated as a substitute for a specified product, but is sold in a store on an equal basis with other products, and can be treated as a recommended product at the discretion of the store.

The POS terminal 1 has an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, and storage devices such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, and is connected to an input/output unit 11, a reading unit 12, a change and slip unit 13, a settlement unit 14, and a printing unit 15 via an interface circuit 104.

In addition, the POS terminal 1 is configured with functional blocks consisting of at least a recommendation master, a member master, a product master, an extraction processing unit, a registration processing unit, a discrimination processing unit, a calculation processing unit, a reception processing unit, a judgment processing unit, a notification processing unit, an accounting processing unit, and an issuance processing unit as software resources executed by the control unit 100.
The computer program executed by the control unit 100 can be provided by downloading via a network such as the Internet, or can be provided by recording it on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.
In addition, this embodiment shows the functional configuration when the product sales data processing device of the present invention is realized as a POS terminal 1, but when it is realized as a POS system, each functional unit is distributed and provided in multiple hardware resources that make up the POS system.

The input/output unit 11 is a touch panel display or the like, and constitutes an input means for inputting various types of information and an output means for outputting various types of information.
In this embodiment, the input/output unit 11 is for the store clerk to refer to and operate. Regardless of this, however, a separate input/output unit may be provided for customers to input and output predetermined information.
Furthermore, regardless of this embodiment, the input/output unit 11 may also include input means such as physical mechanical keys or switches, or may be configured as separate input and output units, such as physical mechanical keys and an LCD display.

The number of keys provided by the touch panel or mechanical keys is about 80 to 90, at least about 20 to 40, similar to those provided in a general POS terminal. Such keys allow intuitive operation and are configured to prevent delays even if the operator has difficulty in operation. In detail, there are numeric keys (1 key, 2 key, ..., 9 key, 0 key, 00 key), subtotal key, current total key, clear key, individual key, product registration key, function key, preset key, etc. The numeric keys may have a relatively small keytop area to reduce the possibility of pressing two keys at the same time, while the other function keys may have a relatively large keytop area to display text information such as function names on the keytop.
The mechanical key may be configured to be detachable from the main body of the POS terminal 1 .

In this embodiment, when there is a recommended product that replaces a specified registered product, the input/output unit 11 outputs information related to the recommended product, such as the difference in selling price between the specified registered product and the recommended product and information on each of the benefits, and outputs an operator that accepts a change registration from the specified registered product to the recommended product. In addition, the input/output unit 11 outputs the recommended product that has been registered in place of the specified registered product in the product registration details.

The reading unit 12 is a functional unit for reading various types of data, and is realized by a scanner or the like.
The reading unit 12 reads the bar code or two-dimensional code attached to the product, and the coded product information can be obtained.

The change slip unit 13 is a functional unit that enables the accounting process of products using cash payments. This change slip unit 13 has physical mechanisms such as a coin slot, a coin outlet, a bill slot, and a bill outlet, and accepts monetary deposits, counts the deposited money, and dispenses change according to the bill amount.

The settlement unit 14 is a functional unit that enables settlement using a predetermined settlement medium.
Here, the payment medium is, for example, a credit card, an electronic money card, a debit card, etc., and the payment is made using a predetermined payment medium by appropriately executing a process of inquiry such as credit with an external server. Note that the payment unit 14 is not limited to these examples, and also supports services such as code payment as a functional unit for handling payment processes other than cash payment.

The printing unit 15 is a functional unit that prints receipts after the customer has processed the transaction for products, and prints coupons that can be used for specified products. This printing unit 15 is realized by a receipt printer or the like, and in this case, prints the transaction details and coupon information on a specified paper medium such as thermal paper, and ejects it from the receipt issuing port.
The receipt and coupon may be printed by a plurality of printing units 15 provided as physically separate units, or the receipt and coupon may be printed integrally by a single printing unit 15 .

The recommendation master is a storage unit that stores recommended products that are recommended in place of a predetermined product.
As shown in FIG. 3, the recommendation master stores at least a recommended product that is recommended in place of each predetermined product in association with the predetermined product.
The number of recommended products to replace the predetermined product is not particularly limited, and may be one or more. Also, it is not necessary to set the recommended products for all products, and the recommended products may be set for any product.
In addition, a store code for identifying a store may be set in the recommendation master so that different recommended products are recommended for each store, or recommendations may be made only at specified stores.

The member master is a storage unit that stores information on member customers, etc.
This member master stores the name and attribute information of the member customer, the purchase history of the member customer, the number of visits to the store, monthly and yearly purchase amounts, etc., and also manages points awarded for product purchases. In addition, setting information regarding the necessity of recommending recommended products for each member customer may be stored. Furthermore, recommended products may be set and recommended according to the information stored in this member master or according to the rank of the member.

The product master is a storage unit that stores product-specific information to be provided as information on recommended products when the information on recommended products is displayed on the input/output unit 11 and provided to a store clerk.
In this product master, for example, as shown in Fig. 4, information such as a target product code that is information that can identify a product for which a recommended product is recommended, a catchphrase of the recommended product, etc. may be stored in association with a product code that can identify the recommended product, etc. In addition, for example, information related to benefits that are given when a registered product is changed to a recommended product, such as the award of a predetermined number of points, an increase in the point award rate, and the provision of promotional items, etc. may be stored.
In addition, product information also includes data such as product name, price, and point allocation rate. Such information may be stored separately in a product information storage unit, and the product information storage unit may be referred to as appropriate when providing information about recommended products to store clerks, etc., or the product information storage unit may contain information stored in the product master.

The extraction processing unit extracts necessary information from a storage unit such as a product master or a recommendation master in accordance with the processing in each functional unit.
In this embodiment, for example, the recommendation master is referenced to extract information related to a recommended product for a specific product, and the product master is referenced to extract detailed information of the recommended products.

The registration processing unit registers products purchased by a customer as products subject to transaction processing. The registration process involves identifying and registering products by reading information about the products to be purchased using the reading unit 12 and/or receiving information about the products to be purchased from the input/output unit 11.
Moreover, when a recommended product is registered in place of a predetermined registered product, the registration of the predetermined registered product is cancelled and the recommended product is registered in its place.

The discrimination processing unit discriminates whether or not there is a recommended product that can replace a specific registered product. That is, based on the information of the specific registered product, the discrimination processing unit refers to the recommendation master and discriminates whether or not there is a product that is registered as a recommended product that can replace the specific registered product.

The calculation processing unit calculates the difference in price between a specific registered product and a recommended product for the specific registered product, as well as the difference in bonus points or point allocation rate.
By calculating the difference in selling price and the difference in points as a privilege and providing such information, the advantage of changing a given registered product to a recommended product becomes clear, and the customer can be strongly encouraged to change and register the product to the recommended product.

The reception processing unit receives input of product information of a product to be registered as a purchased product and product information of a recommended product to be registered in place of the registered product, via the input/output unit 11 and the reading unit 12 .
It is advisable to prepare the recommended products in advance at the cash register or on the counter, so that when a predetermined registered product is changed to a recommended product, the store clerk can quickly pick up the recommended product and register the change. The quantity of the recommended products at the cash register or on the counter may be managed, and when a predetermined quantity is reached, a notification such as a replenishment instruction may be issued.
In addition, when accepting input of product information for a recommended product that does not have a barcode and is assigned a preset key, a selection screen for the recommended product to be changed may be displayed and input may be accepted according to the selection. In this case, the selection screen may change the selection area of multiple recommended products each time, to make the store clerk aware of the selection of recommended products and to urge him/her to select the appropriate recommended product.

The determination processing unit judges whether or not the recommended product selected on the input/output unit 11 matches the product related to the product information received by the reception processing unit. That is, when a specified recommended product is specified as a recommended product to replace a specified registered product, the determination unit judges whether or not the product that the sales clerk actually holds and is to be changed and registered is the specified specified recommended product. In the judgment, the reception processing unit receives product information of the product to be changed and compared with the product information of the specified specified recommended product. As a result, if the product information matches, it is judged that the product held by the sales clerk and to be changed and registered is the specified recommended product, and if the product information does not match, it is judged that the product held by the sales clerk and to be changed and registered is not the specified recommended product.
This makes it possible to prevent a product other than the designated recommended product from being mistakenly registered as a recommended product in place of a specific registered product, which is particularly effective when there are multiple recommended products for a specific registered product.

The notification processing unit is a functional unit for notifying store clerks, etc. of specified situations, such as the execution of specified data processing or the occurrence of an error, and notifies, for example, by outputting via the input/output unit 11 that an error has occurred and the contents of the error.
In this embodiment, after accepting a change registration from a specific registered product to a recommended product, if the product information accepted as the product information of the recommended product differs from the product information of the recommended product, the notification processing unit notifies that fact.

The accounting processing unit executes accounting for the registered products. That is, it calculates the total price of the registered products, and executes accounting for cash using the change unit 13, and accounting for payment media using the settlement unit 14.

The issuing processing unit causes the printing unit 15 to issue receipts, coupons that can be used when purchasing products, etc., at the time of payment for the product.
In particular, in this embodiment, when a recommended product that replaces a predetermined registered product is presented to a customer, but the recommended product is not registered in place of the predetermined registered product, the issuing unit causes the printing unit 15 to issue a coupon for the recommended product. This makes it possible to encourage the customer to purchase the recommended product the next time they visit the store or later.

In addition to these functional units, the POS terminal 1 appropriately includes functional units for product registration processing, accounting processing, and management of these processes, such as a product information memory unit that stores data such as product prices and point allocation rates, a clerk information memory unit that stores clerk information such as clerk identification information, a history memory unit that stores processing history, and an accounting processing unit that executes accounting for registered products.
Furthermore, these functional units may be provided externally or in a higher-level server, and the POS terminal 1 may be configured to refer to and display the data and processing results stored in these functional units.

Processing Flow by the POS Terminal 1 Next, the processing flow executed by the POS terminal 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Note that FIG. 5 shows the process executed when one product is registered, and when multiple products are purchased, the process is executed for each product.

When a specific product is registered as a product to be processed by the registration processing unit of the POS terminal 1, the discrimination processing unit reads the recommendation master (S101) and determines whether there is a recommended product that can replace the specific registered product (S102). If there is no recommended product, the process for the specific registered product ends, and if there is a next product, the process moves to the registration process for the next product, and if there is no next product, the process moves to the accounting unit for accounting.

On the other hand, if there is a recommended product that can replace the specific registered product, a mark indicating that there is a recommended product is displayed on the specific registered product displayed in the registration details (S103).
Then, if a setting has been made to display a recommendation screen showing recommended products (S104), the recommendation screen is displayed as a pop-up on the input/output unit 11 (S105), and the store clerk refers to the recommendation screen and recommends the recommended products to the customer as appropriate.

The setting to display the recommendation screen showing recommended products can be done in the system initial settings, or can be switched by a touch key or mechanical key that enables or disables the recommendations depending on the status of the cash register waiting line, or can be scheduled during business hours. If it is possible to switch, as shown in the registration screen examples of Figures 5 to 9, a display G14 may be provided that allows visual confirmation that the recommendation function is running, or the appearance of a specific area of the screen may be changed. Also, when a store clerk logs in, a notification of whether the recommendation function is enabled or disabled may be displayed.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a recommendation screen displayed on the input/output unit 11. As shown in FIG.
The recommendation screen G10 is displayed superimposed on the product registration screen by a pop-up window, and displays a recommended product list G11 that lists recommended products that can replace specified registered products. The recommended product list G11 displays information such as the product name, catch phrase, selling price, and point multiplier for each recommended product. The difference displayed together with the selling price is the difference from the specified registered product, and is calculated by a calculation processing unit. Note that the difference from the specified registered product in terms of the point multiplier may also be calculated and displayed.

The recommendation screen G10 also has a "Register product change" button G12 for specifying a recommended product on the recommended product list G11 and requesting a change to a specified registered product, and a "Do not change product" button G13 for exiting without registering the change.

In addition, it may be possible to specify one recommended product from the recommended product list G11 on the recommendation screen G10 and check the details of the one recommended product.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen that provides detailed information about such recommended products.
On the details screen G20, detailed information about the recommended product is displayed, such as an image of the recommended product, its capacity, and product contents.
In addition, the details screen G20 also has a "Change" button G21 for requesting a change to the recommended product whose details are being displayed, a "Do not change" button G22 for exiting without making any changes to the recommended product, and a "Back" button G23 for returning to the recommended product list G11.

FIG. 8 shows another example of a screen that provides detailed information about a recommended product.
On the details screen G30, detailed information of the recommended product is displayed, such as an image of the recommended product, the product name, the volume, the selling price, the points acquired, the product contents, and the in-store stock.
Of these, the volume, selling price, and earned points are displayed in a comparative manner by calculating the difference with a predetermined registered product by a calculation processing unit. Also, the in-store inventory is displayed by referring to the information stored in a predetermined product information storage unit, and reflects the current inventory quantity.

The details screen G30 also includes a "Return to List" button G31 for returning to the recommended product list G11, a "Change with this product" button G32 for requesting a change to the recommended product whose details are being displayed, and a "Do not change" button G33 for exiting without making any changes to the recommended product.

Regardless of the examples shown in Figures 6 to 8, the screens recommending recommended products and the screens showing details of the recommended products can be configured in various ways as long as they enable the user to grasp recommended products that are alternatives to specified registered products.
In addition, when there is only one recommended product for a given registered product, the recommended products may not be displayed as a list, but detailed information on one recommended product may be displayed. Even when there are multiple recommended products, detailed information on a recommended product with a higher priority may be displayed first based on a preset priority, and information on other recommended products with lower priority may be displayed by appropriate operation.

If the change to a recommended product in place of the specified registered product is not accepted (S106), the recommendation screen is closed (S107), and the process for the specified registered product ends.
On the other hand, if a change to a recommended product in place of the predetermined registered product is accepted (S106), a registration screen for registering the recommended product in place of the predetermined registered product is displayed (S108).

FIG. 9 shows an example of a registration screen for recommended products displayed on the input/output unit 11. As shown in FIG.
The registration screen G40 has a product information display field G41 for the recommended product entered by the store clerk, an "Execute" button G42 for executing the change registration to the product displayed in the product information display field G41, and a "Cancel" button G43 for canceling the change registration.
Product information can be input to the product information display field G41 by reading a barcode or the like attached to the recommended product, by a store clerk directly inputting the information, or the like.

In response to this, the store clerk picks up a recommended product that has been placed in advance on a display shelf near the checkout area such as a POS counter, and inputs the product information by reading the barcode of the recommended product using the reading unit 12 or by directly inputting the product information (S109). The information input as the product information of the recommended product through the reading unit 12 or the input/output unit 11 is received by the reception processing unit.
The determination processing section determines whether or not the recommended product selected on the recommendation screen matches the product related to the product information received by the reception processing section (S110).

As a result, if the products do not match, the notification processing unit displays an error message to that effect on the input/output unit 11, and requests re-input of the correct recommended products (S111).
On the other hand, if the products match, the recommendation screen is cleared (S112), and the registration processing unit changes the registered product to a recommended product and registers it (S113). In other words, the product that was once registered is automatically deleted from the registration data, and the recommended product is registered. This makes it possible to omit the deletion process.

FIG. 10 shows an example of registered product details when a registered product is changed.
On the registration screen G50 for registering products, a registration detail G51 showing details of the registered product is displayed.
The registration details G51 in the example of Fig. 10 shows a case where a recommended product has been registered in place of a specific registered product. The individual product display G511, which displays a specific registered product that was once registered, displays a message indicating that the registration has been cancelled because a recommended product has been registered in its place. In this embodiment, a strikethrough is drawn through the information of the cancelled specific registered product.
The changed and registered recommended product is displayed in the registered product display G52 that displays the immediately previous registered product, and is also displayed in the registration details G51 in association with the changed and registered registered product in the individual product display G512. Note that the individual product display G512 is provided with a display that allows the user to recognize that the product is a recommended product, such as the display of <recommended product> in the example of FIG. 10.

In another embodiment, the information of the specified registered product whose registration has been cancelled can be deleted from the registration details G51. On the other hand, by making it possible to know the history of changing the specified registered product to a recommended product as shown in FIG. 9, the store can know whether the recommendation of the recommended product was successful, and the customer can know which product was purchased in place of which other product after purchasing the product.

The above process ends the process for one product. That is, if there is no recommended product for a specific registered product or if the product is not changed to a recommended product, the specific registered product remains registered as is, and if a change registration from the specific registered product to a recommended product is executed, the recommended product is registered in place of the specific registered product.
The above-mentioned process is carried out sequentially for each item purchased by the customer, and when the process has been completed for all items, the bill amount is calculated and settled, receipts and coupons are issued, and the entire process from registering the purchased items to settling is completed.

Note that there are cases where a registered product is purchased and a recommended product is also purchased. In that case, by once exiting the recommendation screen without making any changes and then registering the recommended product again, both products can be registered in the registration data. Note that, to simplify the operation, as shown in the example of FIG. 11, an "Add" button G14 may be further provided, and additional registration may be performed by touching the "Add" button G15, or a transition to the screen of FIG. 9 may be made to check for incorrect products. As a result, sales can be further increased. Note that, in FIG. 11, the "Add" button G15 is provided using the example of FIG. 6, but a similar "Add" button may be provided in the examples of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

In addition, instead of using the "Do not change product" button G13, G22, G33 or the "Back" button G23, G31 on the screens of Figures 6 to 8 and Figure 11, the barcode of another product may be read to return to the registration screen and register that product. In the case of the same product, a notification of multiple registrations may be issued. In addition, when purchasing multiple products, there are generally two methods: entering the quantity and then scanning the product's barcode to register it, or simply scanning the barcodes the number of times as many times as the quantity to register it. In the example of Figure 6, the counter quantity of the product may be displayed on the recommendation screen G10.

In this embodiment, if a recommended product is found for a specific registered product but a change to the registration of the recommended product is not made, the issuance processing unit will cause the printing unit 15 to issue a coupon or the like that is applicable to the recommended product at the time of payment.
Such coupons may be issued for all recommended products related to the registered products purchased by the customer, or may be set as necessary. Also, coupons may be issued only for the recommended products with the highest priority. Also, coupons may be provided to so-called app members as electronic coupons.
This makes it possible to give the customer an incentive to purchase the recommended product the next time he or she visits the store.

In addition, the receipt or electronic receipt issued at the time of payment may be written or displayed with information indicating that the specified registered product has been changed to a recommended product, so that the information can be checked later. Also, information such as the amount saved, benefits obtained, and additional points obtained by changing the specified registered product to a recommended product may be written or displayed together.
An example of such a receipt is shown in Figure 12. On the receipt, it is clearly shown that product C is the recommended product (the character "O" indicating "recommended product" is added), that product C has been replaced with product Z, and that the points have been tripled by changing to product C.

In addition, even if the user proceeds to register another product without changing the specified product to a recommended product when registering a specific product, the user may be able to select the specified registered product from the registration details and change it to a recommended product up until the subtotal operation.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, for registered products on the registration details that can be changed to recommended products, a "recommended product available" display 511a is displayed indicating that the product can be changed to a recommended product, and an instruction to proceed to the process of changing and registering the product to the recommended product is made available. For example, the individual product display 511 with the "recommended product available" display 511a attached is pressable, and an instruction to change and register the product to the recommended product is accepted in response to the press. When an instruction to change and register the product to the recommended product is accepted, for example, a pop-up recommendation screen is displayed as in the process of S105 described above to accept the designation of the recommended product, or the designation of the recommended product is accepted by pressing the shortcut buttons G53-1, G53-2, and G53-3 for designating the recommended product. When the designation of the recommended product is accepted, the process up to S113 is executed in the same manner as described above, and the specified registered product is changed and registered as a recommended product.
Even if the user proceeds to the subtotal operation, the user may be able to return to the registration screen by performing a specified operation, select a specified registered product from the registration details, and change it to a recommended product.

In addition, in this embodiment, when changing a specific registered product to a recommended product, the product information of the product to be changed is obtained and it is determined whether or not it is a recommended product to be changed. Regardless of this, it is also possible to register the product without determining whether or not it is a recommended product to be changed.

In the above embodiment, each time a specific product is registered, a determination is made as to whether or not there is a recommended product that can replace the specific product, and if there is a recommended product, the recommended product is recommended. However, after the product is registered, a recommended product may be recommended for the specific product from the product registration details.
The flow of such processing is shown in Fig. 14. In Fig. 14, the same processes as those described with reference to Fig. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this process, for example, a store clerk selects a specific product from the registered details and presses a pre-defined recommendation key (S201). In response, the POS terminal 1 determines whether an operation is being performed on the registration screen (S202), whether a change to the product has been made (S203), and further whether there is a recommended product (S204).
As a result, if an operation is performed on the registration screen, no changes have been made to the recommended products, and there are recommended products, the processing subsequent to the display of the recommendation screen in S105 described with reference to Figure 5 is executed for the specific product selected by the store clerk.
On the other hand, if the specific product selected by the store clerk has already been changed to a recommended product, or if there is no recommended product to which the product can be changed, an error is displayed (S205) and the process ends.

In the process of S201 described above, for products that are recommended products that can be changed on the registration details, an icon or the like indicating this may be provided. In addition, such an icon or the like may be displayed in response to pressing of the recommendation key, and when a specified consumption is selected, the operation to change to the recommended product may be proceeded with, and various types of screen configurations may be adopted for accepting the change of a product to a recommended product on the registration details.

In this example, too, when changing a specific registered product to a recommended product, it is possible to register the product without determining whether it is the recommended product to be changed.

In addition, even after the subtotal operation, the screen may return to the product registration screen and allow a specific product to be changed to a recommended product from the registration details. In this case, if there is no recommended product that can be changed from the registered products in the registration details, a message to that effect may be output to prompt the user to proceed to the checkout process, or the checkout process may automatically proceed.
In addition, if there are any recommended products that can be changed, a list of products with changeable recommended products may be displayed, and changes to the recommended products may be accepted for each product.

Note that the processes described above, such as the process described with reference to FIG. 5, the process described with reference to FIG. 14, and the return to the registration screen after the subtotal operation, can be executed in part or in whole, either alone or in any suitable combination.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the history of change registration from a specific registered product to a recommended product may be managed for each store clerk, and the store clerk may be evaluated. In this case, for example, in order to record in the transaction data that the customer purchased the recommended product based on the recommendation of the store clerk, an operation for flag management of the change to the recommended product may be performed before or after acquiring the product information of the recommended product. This makes it possible to record which store clerk recommended which recommended product and which product the customer purchased.
Also, incentives may be given to store clerks who recommend recommended products. For example, evaluation points may be given to store clerks depending on whether or not they have been successful in recommending a recommended product, and the number of times they have been successful. More specifically, the points added may be changed depending on whether or not they have been successful in recommending a newly released recommended product or a more expensive recommended product, and points may be deducted if they are unable to recommend a product for a certain period of time. For example, evaluation points may be deducted if they have not recommended a product for 36 consecutive hours during working hours.

Such information regarding incentives and evaluations for store clerks may be provided at a predetermined timing, such as when the store clerk logs in to the POS terminal 1.
Fig. 15 shows an example of such an information providing screen. This screen displays the number of successful recommendations of recommended products and points for the logged-in store clerk during a specified period. In addition, this screen may be configured to allow the user to check information on currently recommended products, and when there are multiple recommended products, they may be displayed in the order of ordered products or in the order of newly set products.

In addition, a shortcut button may be provided to request a process to change a specific registered product to a recommended product, and pressing the shortcut button may instantly change the specific registered product to the recommended product. Specifically, touch keys or mechanical keys such as Recommendations 1, 2, and 3 may be provided, and when a specific registered product is selected from the product details on a registration screen or the like and the shortcut key is pressed, the recommended product assigned to the shortcut key is registered in place of the registered product.

The operation to request a change in registration from a specified registered product to a recommended product may be performed by a store clerk, or may be performed by the customer via an input/output unit such as a touch panel provided separately for the customer. Also, the customer may be requested to perform an operation to confirm his/her intention to confirm the change in registration via an input/output unit such as a touch panel provided separately for the customer.

In addition to managing the in-store inventory of recommended products, a minimum inventory quantity for recommended products in the store may be set, and the inventory may be automatically checked in real time or in response to pressing an "update inventory" key or the like, so that recommended products that have reached a predetermined set quantity are not recommended. Also, the display mode of recommended products may be changed to display the inventory quantity or to notify that there are only a few products left. Also, the display order or priority of recommended products on the recommendation screen may be changed to order from most in stock to least in stock.
In addition, the number of times that a recommended product can be recommended may be set according to the number of items in stock, or the number of times that a recommended product can be recommended per day may be set.

For a given product, the recommendation of recommended products may be temporarily suspended or the recommended products may be hidden on the screen depending on the decrease in stock or sales status. In this case, the recommended products may be recommended again when the stock exceeds a predetermined threshold due to the addition of stock, or when a recommended product is set to replace a recommended product whose stock has decreased. In an actual store, the store clerk can tell when a recommended product is not available on a display location such as a shelf in the store, so the store clerk can quickly take action according to conditions by notifying the store clerk to return a product reserved for recommendation to the designated display location.

In addition, customers may be identified by membership registration or the like, and the number of times a recommended product has been recommended, the recommendation history, and the like may be managed for each customer.
This makes it possible to set a limit on the number of times a recommended product can be recommended to a customer, for example, to prevent the recommended product from being recommended persistently, causing the customer to feel uncomfortable. The limit on the number of times can also be set for each registered product or each recommended product.
It is also possible to analyze customer purchasing trends, such as the number of times each customer has purchased a recommended product and whether or not they changed to a recommended product in response to a recommendation.

In the above embodiment, the system is based on the premise that the sales clerk performs the process from registering the product to the settlement, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a so-called semi-self-service POS register in which the sales clerk performs the registration process of the product purchased by the customer at the registration machine and the customer performs the settlement process at the settlement machine. In this case, the registered product can be changed to a recommended product until the product registration is completed at the registration machine and the product registration information is transmitted from the registration machine to the settlement machine in response to pressing the transmission key. When a recommended product is recommended at the timing of registering each product, the process is performed according to the process flow of FIG. 5 described above, and when a recommended product is recommended at the timing of registering a product, the process is performed according to the process flow of FIG. 14 described above in response to the operation of transmitting the product registration information to the settlement machine.
Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to fully self-service POS registers. In this case, when a customer registers a product at the POS register, a store clerk can check the product on a monitoring monitor or notify the customer by flashing or lighting a sign light, thereby recommending recommended products.

In addition, with regard to the POS terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the software resources can be distributed or consolidated into any of the hardware resources by appropriate design, and the hardware resources can also be configured as a physically integrated device or separate device or system. This allows, for example, a centralized higher-level device or system to perform centralized processing. The POS terminal 1 can also be configured as separate devices, a registration device and a settlement device, which are connected via a specified communications network and work together.

Overview of the embodiment The present invention relates to a technique for recommending an alternative product to a given product when the given product is registered.

Stores such as supermarkets and drugstores that handle a wide variety of products sometimes want to recommend certain products to customers.

In this regard, a coupon issuing system has been proposed that is comprised of a POS system having a POS terminal that reads product identification information and issues a receipt for the transaction when the product checkout is complete, a controller that receives an inquiry message including the identification information read by the POS terminal and responds with product information including the price corresponding to the identification information, and a coupon server connected to the network of the POS system. The coupon server analyzes the inquiry message sent from the POS terminal to the controller and causes the POS terminal to issue a coupon according to the analysis results (see Patent Document 1: JP 2007-0108142 A).

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a coupon is issued after a customer purchases a product, and this encourages the customer to purchase the specified product.
However, in such a system, the customer must wait until the next time they visit the store to purchase the specific product recommended by the store. Also, the customer may forget about the coupon by the next time they visit the store, or may make do with the product they have already purchased.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to recommend alternative products to a specified product when the specified product is registered.

To achieve the above object, a product sales data processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a registration processing means for registering products, and a first output means for outputting a recommended product if there is a recommended product that can replace a specific registered product.

The device may further include a second output means for outputting an operator for accepting a change in registration from the specified registered product to the recommended product.

The device may further include a reception processing means for receiving input of product information of a specified product as product information of the recommended product after receiving a change registration from the specified registered product to the recommended product, and a notification processing means for notifying the user when the received product information differs from the product information of the recommended product.

The device may further include a third output means for outputting the recommended product registered in place of the specified registered product in the product registration details in association with the changed specified registered product.

The device may further include a fourth output means for outputting a price difference between the specified registered product and the recommended product if there is such a price difference.

The system may further include a fifth output means for outputting bonus information for each of the specified registered products and the recommended products.

The device may further include an issuing processing means for issuing a coupon for the recommended product if the recommended product is not registered in place of the specified registered product.

In addition, a product sales data processing method according to another aspect of the present invention executes, by a computer, a registration process for registering a product, and a process for outputting a recommended product if there is a recommended product that can replace a specified registered product.

In addition, a computer program according to yet another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute a registration process for registering a product, and, if there is a recommended product that can replace a specific registered product, a process for outputting the recommended product.

According to the present invention, when a specific product is registered, that is, at the time when a customer is about to purchase the product, a product that can replace the specific product can be recommended, so that the product can be easily changed to a recommended product.
In addition, store clerks can instantly understand detailed information about recommended products and the benefits of changing the recommended products on the recommendation screen, and can recommend recommended products to customers. Even if the customer does not purchase the recommended product as a result of the recommendation, it will serve as an advertisement for the recommended small product.
In addition, when a recommended product is changed and registered in place of a specified registered product, information on the product to be actually replaced is acquired and it is determined whether the recommended product should be replaced, thereby preventing the product from being changed to a different product by mistake.
In more practical situations, private brand products can be recommended to customers as alternatives to national brand products, thereby contributing to store management.
Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented in various retail stores such as supermarkets, drug stores, and convenience stores.

1: POS terminal 11: Input/output unit 12: Reading unit 13: Change/ticket unit 14: Settlement unit 15: Printing unit 100: Control unit 104: Interface circuit

Claims (9)

A registration processing means for registering products;
a first output means for outputting a recommended product that is an alternative to the predetermined registered product when the recommended product is available;
Product sales data processing device. a second output unit that outputs an operator for accepting a change in registration from the predetermined registered product to the recommended product;
The product sales data processing device according to claim 1 . a reception processing means for receiving, after receiving a change registration from the predetermined registered product to the recommended product, an input of product information of the predetermined product as product information of the recommended product;
and a notification processing means for notifying the user, when the inputted product information is different from the product information of the recommended product,
The product sales data processing device according to claim 2 . a third output means for outputting the recommended product registered in place of the specified registered product in the product registration details in association with the changed specified registered product;
4. A product sales data processing device according to claim 2 or 3. a fourth output means for outputting a price difference between the predetermined registered product and the recommended product if there is such a price difference;
5. A product sales data processing device according to claim 1. A fifth output means for outputting bonus information of the predetermined registered product and the recommended product,
6. A product sales data processing device according to claim 1. and an issuing processing means for issuing a coupon for the recommended product when the recommended product is not registered in place of the predetermined registered product.
A product sales data processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. By computer,
A registration process for registering products;
If there is a recommended product that can replace the predetermined registered product, a process of outputting the recommended product is executed.
How product sales data is processed. For computers,
A registration process for registering products;
If there is a recommended product that can replace the predetermined registered product, a process of outputting the recommended product is executed.
Computer program.

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