TWI901264B - Apparatus for providing information on items and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method for providing information is disclosed, which is performed in an electronic device and may include the following steps: obtaining a customer's item retrieval request; determining one or more items in response to the item retrieval request; and providing the customer with information about the one or more items; the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more items includes the following steps: when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets set conditions, providing the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item; and the one or more alternative options are different from the representative option for purchasing the first item.

Description

Device and method for providing information about items

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing item information. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic device and method for identifying one or more items in response to an item search request, providing information about the one or more items to a customer, and, if a first item among the one or more items meets a predetermined condition, providing the customer with information about one or more alternative purchase options for the first item.

With the development of electronic technology, e-commerce has become a major player in the shopping world. Customers can purchase items online without having to visit a store or market in person, and items purchased online will be delivered to the customer's desired location.

With the rapid development of e-commerce service delivery methods, a variety of options are available for selling goods. In addition, in order to improve customer satisfaction with service usage and service revenue, advanced pricing policies are being introduced, and the use of flexible pricing for various options is becoming increasingly common.

Advanced pricing policies offer an effective way to strike a balance between guiding customers toward purchases and ensuring service revenue. However, they suffer from a drawback: excessive price flexibility can make it difficult for customers to choose the purchase option that best suits them.

For related information, please refer to previous literature such as KR101627954B1 or KR102141139B1.

[Identify the problem you want to solve]

The problem to be solved by this embodiment is to provide an electronic device and method as follows to solve the above problem: obtain a customer's item retrieval request; determine one or more items in response to the item retrieval request; provide the customer with information about the one or more items; and more specifically, in order to provide the customer with information about the one or more items, provide an electronic device and method as follows: when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets the set conditions, provide the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item; and the one or more alternative options are different from the representative option for purchasing the first item.

The technical issues to be achieved by this embodiment are not limited to those described above; other technical issues can be derived based on the following embodiments. [Technical Solutions]

One embodiment of a method for providing information in an electronic device includes the following steps: obtaining a customer's item search request; determining one or more items corresponding to the item search request; and providing information about the one or more items to the customer; the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more items includes the following steps: when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets set conditions, providing the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item; and the one or more alternative options are different from the representative option for purchasing the first item.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more items may include the following steps: obtaining information about one or more representative options for purchasing the one or more items; and providing the customer with information about the one or more representative options.

According to one embodiment, the step of obtaining information of the one or more representative options may include the following steps: confirming the customer's item purchase history; and determining at least a portion of the one or more representative options based on the item purchase history.

According to one embodiment, the set conditions may include the following conditions, that is, the conditions of items that the customer has purchased before.

According to one embodiment, the set conditions may include the following condition: there is one or more options for purchasing the item, and the one or more options are cheaper per unit than the representative options for purchasing the item provided to the customer.

According to one embodiment, the one or more alternative options may include one or more of the following options: an option with a lower unit price than the representative option; and an option with different properties from the representative option.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options may include the following steps: confirming the differences between the one or more alternative options and the representative option; and providing the customer with information introducing the differences.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more items may include the following steps: providing an interface related to purchasing at least a portion of the one or more items; and the interface includes one or more of a function of adding items to a shopping cart and a function of purchasing items immediately.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options may include the following steps: confirming the customer's input on the interface associated with the first item; and providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options in response to the customer's input.

According to one embodiment, the method may further include the steps of: confirming the customer's selection input regarding the information of the one or more alternative options; and providing the customer with information about items reflecting the options selected by the customer in response to the customer's selection input.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the item reflecting the option selected by the customer may include one or more of the following steps: providing a detailed information page for the item including information about the item reflecting the option selected by the customer; and providing a page related to purchasing the item reflecting the option selected by the customer; and the page related to the purchase includes one or more of a shopping cart page and a buy now page.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options may include the following steps: confirming the customer's service usage history; obtaining the customer's preference information based on the customer's service usage history; and determining the one or more alternative options based on the customer's preference information.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options may include the following steps: confirming the conditions under which the customer will receive a discount when purchasing the first item; and determining the one or more alternative options based on the conditions for receiving the discount.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options may include the following steps: confirming the service usage history of a plurality of different customers; and determining the one or more alternative options based on the service usage history of the plurality of different customers.

According to one embodiment, the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more items may further include the following step: when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets the set conditions, providing the customer with information about one or more alternative options, wherein the information about the one or more alternative options is used to purchase a second item that meets the set criteria in relation to the first item.

An electronic device in one embodiment includes a memory for storing commands and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: connect to the memory to obtain a customer's item retrieval request; identify one or more items in response to the item retrieval request; provide information about the one or more items to the customer; and to provide the customer with information about the one or more items, the processor is configured to: provide the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets set conditions; and the one or more alternative options are different from the representative option for purchasing the first item.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

According to the present invention, an electronic device for providing information and a method thereof can help customers choose the most suitable purchase option by allowing them to identify information about available options for purchasing items. This can provide customers with convenient shopping and increase product sales.

The effects of the invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above. A person skilled in the art can clearly understand other effects not mentioned based on the description of the invention patent application.

The terms used in the embodiments are selected from commonly used terms, as much as possible, taking into account the functions of the present invention. However, they may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, and so on. Furthermore, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms. In such cases, their meanings will be detailed in the corresponding description. Therefore, the terms used in this invention should be defined based on their meanings and the overall content of the invention, rather than simply based on their names.

Throughout this specification, when a section is described as "including" a certain component, this implies that other components may be included, and does not exclude other components, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, terms such as "unit" and "module" used in this specification refer to a unit that performs at least one function or action. Such a unit may be implemented by hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software.

The expression "at least one of a, b, and c" described throughout the specification may include "a alone," "b alone," "c alone," "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "all three of a, b, and c."

The "terminal" mentioned below can be implemented as a computer or portable terminal, which can be connected to a server or other terminal via a network. Here, computers include, for example, laptops, desktops, and the like equipped with a web browser. Portable terminals are wireless communication devices that ensure portability and mobility, and can include, for example, IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), and other communication terminals, as well as all types of handheld wireless communication devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

When describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical contents that are well known in the art and not directly related to the present invention are omitted. This is because by omitting redundant descriptions, the main purpose of the present invention is more clearly conveyed, thereby avoiding confusion.

For similar reasons, some components may be exaggerated, omitted, or shown schematically in the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions. Identical or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numbers in the drawings.

The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as methods for achieving these advantages and features, will become apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and the embodiments described in detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and can be implemented in a variety of different forms. These embodiments are provided solely to fully disclose the present invention and enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined solely by the scope of the patent application. Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals represent the same components.

At this point, it is understood that the combination of each block of the process flow chart and the flowchart can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be loaded into a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, these instructions, when executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, will produce a method for implementing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. In order to implement the functions in a specific manner, these computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory that is readable by the computer or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, the instructions stored in the computer-usable or computer-readable memory can also produce an article of manufacture that includes the instruction method for implementing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, so that a series of action steps are executed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to generate a process executed by the computer, so that the instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing device can also provide steps for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart.

Furthermore, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function. Furthermore, in some alternative implementations, the functions described in the blocks may not occur in the order in which they are described. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed simultaneously, or may occasionally be executed in the reverse order depending on the corresponding functions.

FIG1 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a system for providing information.

According to various embodiments, a system for providing information includes an electronic device 110. According to one embodiment, the system for providing information may further include a customer device 120. The system for providing information of one embodiment may further include a network that supports information transmission and reception between the electronic device 110, the customer device 120, and at least some of the external devices.

The electronic device 110 and the customer device 120 may include a memory and a processor, and may further include a transceiver. Furthermore, each of the electronic device 110 and the customer device 120 refers to a unit that processes at least one function or action, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

On the other hand, throughout the embodiments, the electronic device 110 and the customer device 120 are each referred to as separate devices or servers. However, they may be logically separate structures, and at least a portion of them may be implemented by functions separated from a single device or server. For example, throughout the invention, the electronic device 110 and the customer device 120 may be implemented by a single device. In this case, the process of sending and receiving information between the electronic device 110 and the customer device 120 can actually be understood as the process of exchanging data within a single device.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 and customer device 120 may include multiple computer systems or computer software implemented by a network server. For example, at least a portion of electronic device 110 and customer device 120 may refer to computer systems and computer software that connect to lower-level devices to accept requests for execution of tasks and provide results for executing the requested tasks. The lower-level devices communicate with other network servers via a computer network, such as an enterprise intranet or the Internet. Furthermore, at least a portion of electronic device 110 and customer device 120 may also be understood as a broad concept that includes a series of applications that can operate on the network server and various databases that can be built internally or on other connected nodes. For example, at least a portion of the electronic device 110 and the customer's device 120 may be implemented using a network server program provided in various forms based on an operating system such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, or MacOS.

On the other hand, for ease of explanation, the various action entities are referred to as electronic devices 110 and customer devices 120, but they should be understood as comprehensive devices such as those that can correspond to various types of devices such as computer devices and mobile communication terminals, or include various types of devices, or be included in various types of devices.

Electronic device 110 is a device that obtains and processes or (or processes and) provides various types of information. Electronic device 110 can perform various operations for providing information. Specifically, electronic device 110 obtains a customer's item search request, identifies one or more items in response to the item search request, and provides the customer with information about the one or more items. In connection with the action of providing the customer with information about the one or more items, when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets the set conditions, electronic device 110 provides the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item. Here, the one or more alternative options are different from the representative option for purchasing the first item.

Customers can include various entities searching for items. Customers can include entities with the potential to purchase items. "Possibility of purchasing items" is sufficient at a potential level and does not necessarily require the customer to have a firm intention. Furthermore, "the action of obtaining a customer's item search request" can be broadly interpreted to include not only situations where the customer directly enters keywords to search for items, but also situations where the customer provides input corresponding to an advertisement (for example, clicking on an ad banner) and is directed to an item search results page.

Customer device 120 may be a device operated and managed by the customer. Customer device 120 may interact with the customer or with other devices, such as electronic device 110, and may also perform actions associated therewith. For example, customer device 120 may receive a customer's item retrieval request (e.g., by receiving input from the customer) and transmit it to electronic device 110. Furthermore, customer device 120 may receive information about one or more items from electronic device 110 and provide it to the customer (e.g., by displaying the information on a screen). According to an embodiment, the customer's device 120 may also provide the customer with an interface related to purchasing at least a portion of one or more items, receive the customer's input on the interface, and transmit it to the electronic device 110.

Below, more detailed matters related to the operation of the electronic device 110 and the customer's device 120 will be described in Figures 2 to 5.

Electronic device 110 and customer device 120 may include computers, mobile communication terminals, servers, and the like. They may include, or be connected to, input devices such as touch panels, mice, and keyboards for receiving input. Furthermore, they may include, or be connected to output devices such as screens, speakers, and interface devices for providing information to users. Furthermore, the input and output devices of electronic device 110 and customer device 120 may be integrated or interconnected. For example, at least one of electronic device 110 and customer device 120 may display an interface for receiving input.

The series of actions related to the information provision method of various embodiments can be implemented by a single physical device or by an organic combination of multiple physical devices. For example, a portion of the components included in the system for providing information can be implemented by a certain physical device, and the remaining portion can be implemented by another physical device. For example, a certain physical device can be implemented by a portion of the electronic device 110, and other physical devices can be implemented by a portion of the customer's device 120 or a portion of another external device. Depending on the circumstances, the various components included in the system for providing information can also be implemented in the following manner: they are separately distributed on different physical devices, and the distributed components are organically combined to implement the functions and actions of the system for providing information. For example, the electronic device 110 in this specification may also include at least one sub-device, and it may be described that a portion of the actions performed by the electronic device 110 is performed by a first sub-device, and another portion of the actions is performed by a second sub-device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic device providing information about an item according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an electronic device 110 of one embodiment receives a customer's item retrieval request ( 201 ). According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may receive the customer's item retrieval request from the customer's device 120 (see diagram 201 ). However, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, various embodiments may exist in which the electronic device 110 may directly receive the customer's item retrieval request via an input device such as a keyboard, receive the customer's item retrieval request information from an external device, or utilize pre-acquired customer item retrieval request information.

As described above, the "action of obtaining a customer's item search request" described in the present invention can be broadly interpreted as not only including situations where the customer directly enters keywords for searching for items, but also including situations where the customer provides input corresponding to an advertisement (for example, clicking on an advertisement banner) and is redirected to an item search result page.

The electronic device 110 identifies one or more items in response to the item search request (202). The electronic device 110 may identify one or more items based on the content of the item search request, but not solely based on the content of the item search request. For example, the electronic device 110 may consider various factors, such as items that the customer may prefer based on the customer's purchase history, items that are generally sold based on the purchase history of other customers, or items that other customers have purchased more frequently, where the other customers are determined to have similar preferences to the customer. Furthermore, electronic device 110 may consider the current remaining inventory of items, and may also consider factors related to inventory management, such as comparing the storage location of the remaining inventory with the customer's expected delivery location (e.g., the address where the customer previously received the item). Furthermore, various embodiments for determining more than one item are also within the scope of the present invention.

The electronic device 110 provides the customer with information about one or more items (203). According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can transmit the information about one or more items to the customer's device 120, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device 110 can also provide the information about one or more items via an output device (e.g., by displaying it on a screen) so that the customer can confirm the information.

In connection with the action shown in diagram 203 , the electronic device 110 of one embodiment may obtain information regarding one or more representative options for purchasing one or more items. The electronic device 110 may then provide the obtained information regarding the one or more representative options to the customer (see diagram 205 ). In a more specific example of obtaining information regarding the one or more representative options, the electronic device 110 may confirm the customer's purchase history and determine at least a portion of the one or more representative options based on the confirmed purchase history. For example, if the customer previously purchased "Company A's Eco-Friendly Kitchen Dishwasher with Grapefruit Scent, 750 ml, 1 bottle," and if more than one item includes "Company A's Eco-Friendly Kitchen Dishwasher with Grapefruit Scent," the representative option may be "750 ml, 1 bottle."

On the other hand, according to an embodiment, if the attribute "grapefruit scent" can also be classified as part of the options, in this case, in the above example, when one or more items include "Company A's eco-friendly kitchen detergent", the representative option can also be determined as "grapefruit scent, 750 ml, 1 bottle".

In connection with the action of diagram 203 , when a first item among the at least one item satisfies the set conditions, the electronic device 110 provides the customer with information regarding one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item (see diagram 204 ). The at least one alternative option is different from the representative option for purchasing the first item.

Regarding "set conditions," various embodiments may fall within the scope of the present invention. In one embodiment, the set conditions may include conditions related to items previously purchased by the customer. In another embodiment, the set conditions may include conditions related to items previously purchased by the customer (e.g., other items in the same category as the item, other items that can serve as substitutes for the item, other items produced in the same place as the item, etc.). This embodiment can be understood as an example of determining whether the set conditions are met based on the customer's purchase history.

In one embodiment, the set conditions may include the following: there is one or more options for purchasing the item, and the one or more options have a lower unit price than the representative option offered to the customer. "Unit price" can be broadly interpreted to include various concepts such as price per unit quantity, price per unit usage, and price per unit weight. This embodiment can be understood as an example of determining whether the set conditions are met based on the sales price set for each option of the item.

In addition, there may be various embodiments related to the set conditions as follows: the set conditions of one embodiment may include the existence of one or more options with different properties from the representative option (for example, different taste, different fragrance, different color, etc.), and may also include the existence of one or more options that can actually be provided to customers (for example, a distribution center located in a position that can deliver items to the customer's expected delivery location ensures that there is inventory above a critical quantity).

According to a specific example to help understand the above description, for an item that a customer has purchased before and that has one or more options with a lower unit price than the representative option, the electronic device 110 may determine that the item is the first item that meets the set conditions.

On the other hand, for ease of explanation, the term "a first article that satisfies the specified conditions" is used. However, there may not be only one article that satisfies the specified conditions among the one or more articles. In other words, there may be multiple articles that satisfy the specified conditions. (If there are multiple articles that satisfy the specified conditions), the description of the first article of the present invention should be understood to apply to multiple articles that satisfy the specified conditions.

The one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item may include one or more of the following: an option with a lower unit price than the representative option; and an option with different attributes than the representative option. As described above, the unit price may include a price per unit quantity, a price per unit volume, a price per unit weight, etc. Other attributes may include a different color, a different flavor, a different fragrance, etc.

Various embodiments may exist regarding the electronic device 110 providing information about one or more alternative options. According to one embodiment, providing information about one or more alternative options may include identifying differences between one or more alternative options (relative to the representative option) and providing information describing the differences to the customer. The differences may include, but are not limited to, a monetary advantage resulting from selecting the alternative option. For example, the differences may include the following factors that may lead customers to choose the alternative option: the alternative option usually has higher sales volume, the alternative option is only sold within a limited period of time, the alternative option is often sold out, the alternative option is more advantageous than the representative option in specific environments (for example, the tires of the representative option are suitable for general road driving, but the tires of the alternative option are more suitable for driving on rough terrain), the alternative option has functions different from the representative option (for example, the representative option only provides a fragrance function, but the alternative option can provide insect repellent and deodorizing functions), etc.

According to one embodiment, the act of providing information about one or more alternative options may include the following: confirming a customer's service usage history and determining one or more alternative options based on the customer's service usage history. In a more specific example, electronic device 110 may obtain customer preference information based on the customer's service usage history and determine one or more alternative options based on the customer's preference information. Here, "service usage history" is not limited to a customer's purchase history but should be understood to include various histories of a customer's use of shopping services related to the provision of product information and product purchases. For example, a history of specific options previously offered to a customer and a history of the customer not selecting such options may be included in the service usage history. As described above, options that the customer has not previously selected can be judged to have a low customer preference. Furthermore, when determining whether to include an option in the "one or more alternative options," various embodiments exist for determining one or more alternative options based on service usage history, such as: Options for which the customer has actually purchased items can be judged to have a high customer preference; options for which the customer has a history of adding items to their shopping cart (although the preference may be lower than the actual purchase) can also be judged to have a high customer preference.

Furthermore, the result of providing the customer with information about one or more items this time also becomes part of the "service usage history", which can be taken into account when providing the customer with information about items again in the future.

According to one embodiment, the act of providing information about one or more alternative options may include the following: confirming the conditions for the customer to receive a discount when purchasing the first item; and determining one or more alternative options based on the conditions for receiving the discount. The conditions for the customer to receive the discount may include one or more of the following: conditions for receiving a free shipping offer, conditions for receiving a discount offer, and conditions for receiving a (supplementary) points accumulation offer. As a specific example, if the customer pays 20,000 Korean Won or more to enjoy the free shipping offer, the electronic device 110 may prioritize offering the customer options corresponding to the additional amount of 20,000 Korean Won or more. As another example, if a customer pays 20,000 Korean Won or more and is eligible for free shipping, and the customer has already added items worth 12,000 Korean Won to their shopping cart, the electronic device 110 may prioritize offering the customer an option corresponding to an additional amount of 8,000 Korean Won or more. In addition, various embodiments may include prioritizing the customer with the option to apply a specific additional discount, and in this regard, further consideration may be given to determining whether to apply the additional discount to the customer (for example, when offering a discount when paying with a credit card from a specific company, whether the customer has a history of using that company's credit card or has already registered for the service).

According to one embodiment, providing information about one or more alternative options may include the following: determining the service usage history of a plurality of different customers; and determining one or more alternative options based on the service usage history of the plurality of different customers. For example, the electronic device 110 may prioritize providing the customer with options that are frequently purchased by other customers with similar preferences to the target customer (e.g., with a substantially similar purchase history), or prioritize providing the customer with options that have a higher overall purchase rate among other customers.

Furthermore, the result of providing information about one or more items to a customer this time also becomes part of the "service usage history", which can be taken into account when providing information about items to other customers in the future.

In addition to the embodiments described above, there may be various examples for determining one or more alternative options, and specific examples do not limit the scope of the present invention.

According to an embodiment related to the action shown in FIG. 203 , when a first item among one or more items satisfies a set condition, the electronic device 110 may also provide the customer with information on one or more alternative options for purchasing a second item that satisfies the set criteria relative to the first item. "Second items that satisfy the set criteria" may include, for example, other items in the same category as the first item, other items that can serve as substitutes for the first item, and other items produced in the same place as the first item, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these. According to a specific example, if the first item is detergent from Company A and the detergent from Company B meets a predetermined standard in relation to the first item, electronic device 110 can also provide the customer with information regarding one or more alternative options for purchasing the detergent from Company B. To further clarify, electronic device 110 can provide the customer with information regarding "one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item," but it can also provide the customer with alternative options for purchasing other items that have a certain relationship with the first item.

According to an embodiment related to the action illustrated in FIG. 203 , electronic device 110 may provide an interface related to purchasing at least a portion of one or more items. The interface may include one or more of a function for adding items to a shopping cart and a function for purchasing items immediately. Furthermore, the interface may include various other functions depending on the embodiment. According to the embodiment, electronic device 110 may also provide information that serves as the basis for constructing the interface. The interface is constructed based on this information on user device 120 and presented to the customer (e.g., displayed on a screen).

In one embodiment, electronic device 110 can confirm a customer's input on an interface associated with a first item and, in response to the customer's input, provide the customer with information about one or more alternative options. For example, when a customer clicks an "add to cart" icon or a "buy now" icon, electronic device 110 can provide information about one or more alternative options in response.

A specific example of confirming a customer's input on an interface associated with the first item and providing one or more alternative options in response to the customer's input is shown in FIG3 . Referring further to FIG3 , in response to the customer's search request for "kitchen detergent," an interface 311 including an add-to-cart function is provided for the item "Company A Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent, 750 ml, 1 bottle." When the customer inputs to the interface 311, the electronic device 110 may provide information of one or more alternative options in response to the customer input. This example may be the same as icon number 410 and icon number 420 in FIG. 4 (detailed description related to FIG. 4 is described below).

On the other hand, the embodiment of confirming the customer's input on the interface associated with the first item and providing information about one or more alternative options in response to the customer's input is merely a specific example of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, referring to diagram 320 in FIG3 , in response to the customer's search request for "kitchen detergent," the item "Company A Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent, 750 ml, 1 bottle" can be provided immediately with information about one or more alternative options on the item search results page, as shown in diagram 321 .

Furthermore, according to an embodiment, as shown in diagram 321, information about one or more alternative options can also serve as an interface associated with the first item. For example, upon confirming that the customer has input a specific alternative option, the electronic device 110 can provide information about one or more alternative options in response to the customer's input. In this regard, in one embodiment, the electronic device 110 can highlight the specific option selected by the customer. This example can be similar to diagram 420 (in the case where the customer selects the option "2 750 ml bottles").

In addition, it can be confirmed that FIG3 exemplifies the specific embodiment of the various contents described in connection with the present invention. In the example of FIG3 , "Company A's Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent" is an item pre-purchased in January 2024, which can be understood as an example of the aforementioned "electronic device 110 determining one or more items based on the customer's purchase history." In the example of FIG3 , the representative option "750 ml, 1 bottle" related to "Company A's Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent" and the representative option "750 ml, 1 bottle" related to "Company B's Baking Soda Kitchen Detergent Lemon" can be provided to the customer (as previously described, "Grapefruit Scent" can also be classified as part of the options). In the example of Figure 3 , since "Company A Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent" is a pre-purchased item in January 2024, it meets the condition of being a previously purchased item by the customer and therefore can be classified as "Item 1." Therefore, an add-to-cart interface 311 can be provided, or one or more alternative options can be provided (see figure number 321).

An example of providing information of more than one alternative option is shown in FIG4. According to one embodiment, the information of FIG4 can be provided in response to a customer input to the interface (e.g., icon number 311 in FIG3), but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to the example of Figure 410 , the items that a customer has added to their shopping cart are displayed at the top, and one or more alternative items may be displayed below them. While Figure 410 illustrates a situation where a customer has added a specific item to their shopping cart, a similar screen may also be provided when a customer requests immediate purchase of a specific item.

Referring to the example of icon number 420, information about the option selected by the customer is provided in a highlighted form, while information about the remaining options is provided in a less highlighted form. The example of icon number 420 can be understood as indicating that as the customer selects the option "2 bottles of 750 ml," the option is displayed in a highlighted form. However, the selection of the option can be completed before the information of icon number 420 is provided (for example, the user selects the option "2 bottles of 750 ml" shown in icon number 321 in FIG. 3). Alternatively, the selected option can be highlighted in real time based on the user's input while the information of icon number 420 is provided.

In addition, it can be confirmed that the various contents described in connection with the present invention are exemplarily shown in Figure 4. In the example of Figure 4, information describing the differences between one or more alternative options can be provided, such as: "Save 5,550 won if you buy 2 bottles," "Save 9,710 won if you buy 3 bottles," and "Save 16,610 won if you buy 4 bottles." On the other hand, information such as "550 won per 100 ml," "440 won per 100 ml," and "344 won per 100 ml" does not directly compare the options, but the differences between them are intuitive and easy to identify, so they can also be understood as a type of information that introduces differences.

On the other hand, the example in FIG. 4 shows a case where information about one or more alternative options is included in a bottom action bar at the bottom of the page, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, various embodiments are possible in which a page is configured to include information about one or more alternative options, and furthermore, information about one or more alternative options may be provided on a separate page.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the electronic device 110 of one embodiment can confirm a customer's selection input of information about one or more alternative options, and in response to the customer's selection input, provide the customer with information about items reflecting the options selected by the customer.

According to one example, in response to a customer's selection input, as exemplarily shown in diagram 420 of FIG. 4 , electronic device 110 can provide the customer with option information in a manner that highlights the option selected by the customer. According to another example, in response to the customer's selection input, electronic device 110 can provide one or more of the following pages: an item detail page including information about the item reflecting the option selected by the customer, and a page related to purchasing the item reflecting the option selected by the customer. In this regard, the purchase-related page can include one or more of a shopping cart page and a buy now page. In addition, there may be various embodiments related to providing customers with information about items that reflect the options selected by the customers.

On the other hand, for ease of explanation, the present invention primarily describes an embodiment of "confirming a customer's selection input regarding information about one or more alternative options and, in response to the customer's selection input, providing the customer with information about items reflecting the customer's selections." However, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Various embodiments of providing a customer with information about items reflecting the customer's input may fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, electronic device 110 may confirm a customer's input into an interface associated with a first item and, in response to the customer's input, provide the customer with information about items reflecting the customer's input. As a more specific example, when a customer requests to add an item representing a representative option to their shopping cart, electronic device 110 may provide the customer with information reflecting the item representing the representative option. Furthermore, related to this embodiment, the description of the present invention related to the embodiment of "confirming a customer's selection input of information regarding one or more alternative options and, in response to the customer's selection input, providing the customer with information reflecting the item selected as the option."

A specific example of providing information about an item reflecting the customer's selected option to a customer is shown in Figure 5. Further referring to Figure 5, a detailed information page of an item including information about an item reflecting the customer's selected option is shown in figure 510.

The example in Figure 5 can be understood as a situation where a customer selects the option "750 ml, 2 bottles" for the item "Company A Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent." The item image in icon number 511 may include an image of two buckets of kitchen detergent. The item information in icon number 512 may include not only information about the item "Company A Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent" but also information about the option "750 ml, 2 bottles." Furthermore, referring to figure number 513, the detailed information page of one embodiment may further include information on one or more options for purchasing the item "Company A Eco-Friendly Kitchen Detergent Grapefruit Scent," and the option previously selected by the customer may be displayed in a highlighted (or pre-selected) form.

In addition to providing customers with a detailed information page for an item, various embodiments for providing customers with information about an item that reflects the options selected by the customer may also be applied to the diagram of FIG. 5 and the associated descriptions.

In Figures 3 to 5 , one or more alternative options are exemplarily presented as options with a lower unit price than the representative option. However, these are merely examples to facilitate understanding. As previously mentioned, various types of options, such as options with different properties from the representative option, may be included in the one or more alternative options.

In addition, FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 are merely examples to help understand the description and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Various embodiments described in FIG. 2 may fall within the scope of the present invention.

FIG6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

6 , the electronic device 110 may include a processor 610 and a memory 620, and according to an embodiment, may further include a transceiver 630. The electronic device 110 may connect to and exchange data with a customer's device 120 and external devices via the transceiver 630.

The processor 610 may include at least one of the devices described in Figures 1 to 5 or implement at least one of the methods described in Figures 1 to 5. The memory 620 may store information for implementing at least one of the methods described in Figures 1 to 5. The memory 620 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

The processor 610 may execute a program to control the electronic device 110 for providing information. The program code executed by the processor 610 may be stored in the memory 620.

Furthermore, the electronic device 110 of the embodiment may further include an interface that can provide information to users (e.g., customers).

On the other hand, this specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention. Although specific terms are used, these terms are used in their ordinary sense to facilitate explanation of the technical content of the present invention and to facilitate understanding of the invention. They are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, other variations based on the technical concepts of the present invention may be implemented.

The server or terminal of the above embodiment may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, a permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with external devices, and a user interface device such as a touch panel, keys, or buttons. The method implemented by the software module or algorithm may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable code or program commands that can be executed on the processor. Here, computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random-access memory), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical readable media (e.g., CD-ROMs, DVDs). Computer-readable recording media are distributed across computer systems connected via a network, enabling the storage and execution of computer-readable code in a distributed manner. The media can be read by the computer, stored in memory, and executed by the processor.

The present embodiment may be represented by a functional block structure and various processing steps. These functional blocks may be implemented by different numbers of hardware and/or software components that perform specific functions. For example, the embodiment may be implemented using an integrated circuit structure that can perform various functions, such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, etc., under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. The components may be implemented by software programming or software components. Similarly, the present embodiment includes algorithms implemented by a combination of data structures, procedures, routines, or other programming structures, and thus may be implemented by programming or scripting languages such as C, C++, Java, assemblers, Python, etc. Functionally, this can be achieved through algorithms executed on one or more processors. Furthermore, this embodiment can utilize existing technologies for electronic environment configuration, signal processing, and/or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "mechanism," and "configuration" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical configurations. These terms can be associated with processors and the like and include software routines.

The above embodiment is merely an example, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the invention application described below.

110: Electronic device 120: Customer device 201: Action 202: Action 203: Action 204: Action 205: Action 310: Icon number 311: Interface 320: Icon number 321: Icon number 410: Icon number 420: Icon number 510: Icon number 511: Icon number 512: Icon number 513: Icon number 610: Processor 620: Memory 630: Transceiver

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a system for providing information. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic device providing product information according to one embodiment. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing information about one or more products to a customer according to one embodiment. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of providing information about one or more alternative options to a customer according to one embodiment. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page providing detailed product information to a customer according to one embodiment. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

110: Electronic devices

120: Customer Devices

201:Action

202:Action

203:Action

204:Action

205:Action

Claims (16)

A method for providing information, performed in an electronic device, comprises the following steps: obtaining a customer's item search request; identifying one or more items corresponding to the item search request; and providing the customer with information about the one or more items. The step of providing the customer with information about the one or more items comprises the following steps: when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets a set condition, providing the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item; and the one or more alternative options are different from a representative option for purchasing the first item. The step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options comprises the following steps: Confirm the conditions under which the above-mentioned customer will receive the discount when purchasing the above-mentioned item (1); and Determine the above-mentioned one or more alternative options based on the conditions under which the above-mentioned discount is received. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing information about the one or more items to the customer comprises the following steps: obtaining information about one or more representative options for purchasing the one or more items; and providing the information about the one or more representative options to the customer. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of obtaining information about the one or more representative options comprises the following steps: confirming the customer's item purchase history; and determining at least a portion of the one or more representative options based on the item purchase history. The method for providing information as recited in claim 1, wherein the conditions set include the condition that the item is previously purchased by the customer. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set conditions include the following condition: there is one or more options for purchasing the item, and the one or more options are cheaper per unit than the representative options for purchasing the item provided to the customer. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more alternative options include one or more of the following options: an option with a lower unit price than the representative option; and an option with different properties from the representative option. The method of providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options further comprises the steps of: identifying differences between the one or more alternative options and the representative option; and providing the customer with information introducing the differences. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing information about the one or more items to the customer comprises the following steps: providing an interface related to purchasing at least a portion of the one or more items; and the interface includes one or more of a function of adding items to a shopping cart and a function of purchasing items immediately. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options further includes the following steps: confirming the customer's input on the interface associated with the first item; and providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options in response to the customer's input. The method for providing information of claim 1 further comprises the steps of: confirming the customer's selection input regarding information of the one or more alternative options; and providing the customer with information about an item reflecting the option selected by the customer in response to the customer's selection input. The method of providing information as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of providing the customer with information about the item reflecting the option selected by the customer includes one or more of the following steps: providing a detailed information page for the item including information about the item reflecting the option selected by the customer; and providing a page related to purchasing the item reflecting the option selected by the customer; and the page related to the purchase includes one or more of a shopping cart page and a buy now page. The method for providing information as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options further comprises the following steps: confirming the customer's service usage history; obtaining customer preference information based on the customer's service usage history; and determining the one or more alternative options based on the customer's preference information. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the customer with information about the one or more alternative options further comprises the steps of: confirming the service usage history of a plurality of different customers; and determining the one or more alternative options based on the service usage history of the plurality of different customers. The method for providing information as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing information about the one or more items to the above-mentioned customer further includes the following steps: when there is a first item among the one or more items that meets the set conditions, providing the above-mentioned customer with information about one or more alternative options, wherein the one or more alternative options are used to purchase a second item that meets the set criteria in relation to the first item. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium records a program for executing the method of claim 1 on a computer. An electronic device providing information includes a memory storing commands and a processor. The processor is configured to: receive a customer's item search request; identify one or more items in response to the item search request; and provide information about the one or more items to the customer. To provide the customer with information about the one or more items, the processor is configured to: provide the customer with information about one or more alternative options for purchasing the first item when a first item among the one or more items satisfies a predetermined condition; and the one or more alternative options are different from a representative option for purchasing the first item. The processor is configured to provide the customer with information about the one or more alternative options by: confirming the conditions under which the customer receives a discount when purchasing the first item; and determining the one or more alternative options based on the conditions for receiving the discount.