JP2003085447A - Method and system for providing product information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide service with high utility values for a customer who attempts to purchase merchandise the production and sale of which are already completed. SOLUTION: This product information providing method for providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal is constituted so that the server computer provides product information about the product the sale of which is already completed and link information for providing the information of an alternative product in addition to the product information to be provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for providing product information online using a network such as the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A company that manufactures and sells products opens a homepage and introduces its products using the Internet. Each company has created a homepage with various ideas in order to have them understand the features of the product.

[0003]

However, many homepages only introduce products currently manufactured and sold. Also, although there are websites that publish past catalogs, etc. of products that have already been manufactured and sold, detailed introductions have hardly been made.

Therefore, there is no home page available when trying to purchase a product which has already been manufactured and sold at a used shop or an auction. An object of the present invention is to provide a service of high utility value to a customer who wants to purchase a product which has already been manufactured and sold.

[0005]

According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, in a product information providing method for providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal, the server computer is for a product already sold. Product information is provided, and link information for providing alternative product information of the product is provided in addition to the provided product information. This makes it easy to identify a substitute product for a product that has already been sold.

According to the invention of claim 2, claim 1
In the method for providing product information according to [4], the substitute product is a successor product. According to the invention described in claim 3, in the method for providing product information according to claim 1, the substitute product is a successor product currently on sale.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in the product information providing method of providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal, the server computer provides product information of a product which has already been sold, A link for jumping to a site where the product can be purchased is provided in addition to the provided product information, and alternative product information of the product is provided before jumping to the site where the product can be purchased.

According to the invention of claim 5, claim 4
In the method for providing product information according to [4], the substitute product is a successor product. According to the invention described in claim 6, in the product information providing method according to claim 4, the substitute product is a successor product that is currently sold.

According to the invention described in claim 7, in the product information providing system for providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal, the server computer provides product information of a product which has already been sold as a web page. The providing means and the providing means are configured to provide the web page with link information for providing alternative product information of the product in addition to the product information.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a personal computer 1 is a terminal used by a customer.
The terminal does not have to be a personal computer as long as it has a function of browsing a page distributed from the server computer 2 via the Internet 3. The server computer 2 is a computer that provides product information services, shop services, and the like described below. On the Internet 3, signals are exchanged between the server computer 2 and the personal computer 3. Further, the present invention is not limited to the Internet,
It can be realized using a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or an intranet.

The services executed by the server computer 2 will be described below. For example, devices such as film cameras have a long lifespan, and some customers continue to use them for decades even after they are finished manufacturing. Support is required even for products that have been discontinued. There are also customers who buy new products as second-hand goods at auctions, second-hand shops, etc.
Therefore, it is desirable that the product information site operated by the camera maker also post the product information about the products that are already sold and the past products that have been discontinued. Further, in the product information, it is necessary to inform the customer of the current support status such as whether the product can be repaired. If you can know the support status at the present moment, make sure that you will not be able to receive support by purchasing at a second-hand shop, auction, etc. without knowing that the product has not been supported and cannot be repaired. To do.

[0012] Further, the online shop page and the store information page can be easily viewed from the product information page so that the customer who is browsing the product information page can easily purchase the product when he or she wants to purchase the product. It is desirable that the cooperation be done as follows. If the product information page and the shop page are not linked, you may have to search through the site to browse the product information page for the target product, and then find the target product again on the online shop site. Absent.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a product information page of a product that is currently manufactured and sold. In FIG. 2, in addition to the text information column 105 in which the product image data 100, product specifications, etc. are described, a plurality of buttons and a plurality of links for jumping to another page are provided.

Shop button 101, bulletin board button 103, accessory button 1 for each product information page of each product
04 are provided. Also, below the shop button 101, links 1 for online shops, affiliated shops, etc.
02 is provided. The shop button 101 provided on the product information page is a button for jumping to a page where the user can purchase the product introduced. The links 102 are classified according to the type of shop, and the page to jump to differs depending on the clicked link. Here, the online shop is an online shop directly managed by a company that operates web sites such as product information and bulletin boards. The affiliated shop refers to a shop that sells a new product in the product information and is an online shop or a shop that has a real shop. The second-hand shop refers to a second-hand shop that sells second-hand goods and that has an online shop or a real shop. An auction is an online auction in which a seller sells a product among multiple buyers.
It is a directly managed or affiliated auction site where the products introduced in the product information are exhibited.

The bulletin board button 103 is a button for jumping to a page where articles related to the products introduced on the product information page are extracted from articles written on the bulletin board site. The accessory button 104 is a button for jumping to a page in which accessory information that can be used for the product introduced on the product information page is described. These, shop button 104, link 10
2, specific processing performed when the bulletin board button 103 and the accessory button 104 are clicked will be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, instead of displaying all the links 102 of online shops, affiliated shops, etc. in the page, by pulling the cursor on the shop button 101 with a mouse or the like, a pull-down menu is displayed. Links 102 for online shops, affiliated shops, etc. may be displayed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a product information page of a product which has already been sold. In the product information page on sale shown in FIG. 2, a link 102 provides a link to an online shop and a tie-up store that handles new products. There is no link. The reason for not providing a link is that online shops that deal only with new products and affiliated retailers do not handle products that have been sold.

Further, on the sale completed product information page, a succeeding product button 116 for jumping to the succeeding product information page is attached. The successor product button 116 is a button for jumping to a page in which the same information as the page illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the product information of the successor product currently being sold is described is described. This makes it possible to know the successor product of the sold-completed product.

Further, the sales completion product information page is provided with a support information button 115 for jumping to a page describing support information for the sales completion product.
The support information page will be described later. In addition, the image data 110 and the text information column 1 are included in the sales completion product information page.
17, a shop button 111 is provided. Since these are the same as the description on the page shown in FIG. 2, description thereof will be omitted.

The support information page will be described below. The support information page is opened by clicking the support information button 115 provided on the sales completed product information page shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the support information page.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support information page is provided with image data 120, a support information column 121, and a return button 122. The image data 120 is an image of the product that is the target of the support information. The support information column 121 describes the inventory of repaired parts, the status of acceptance of repairs, cautions, and the like. As a result, it is possible to confirm whether support such as repair is available when purchasing second-hand goods. The return button 122 is a button for returning to the previous page on which this page is displayed.

Before jumping to the used shop or auction page, the support information page may be jumped to call attention. In addition, even if you do not provide a link to all the sale completion product information pages, for example,
The link may be provided only for a product for which support is ended. Further, the fact that the support is ended may be described in the product information page for the product whose support is ended.

When the shop button 101 provided on the product information page shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is clicked, a list of product information sold at all forms of shops such as online shops, affiliated shops, used shops, and auctions is displayed. Display it. The service will be described in detail below.

This service can save a customer who needs a certain product from having to visit each site such as an online shop, a second-hand shop, and an auction to search for the product. For example, it is effective for a customer who has not decided whether to purchase a new article or a used article.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a product list page. As shown in FIG. 5, a list of shop names, selling prices, etc. that sell the products introduced on the product information page is displayed. In the page example shown in FIG. 5, a product display field 130 displaying a product list for each shop and a shop order button 13
1 and a price order button 132 are provided. The shop order button 131 is a button used when rearranging the list images displayed in the product display field 130 in a predetermined shop order. The price order button 132 is a button used when rearranging the list images displayed in the product display field 130 in order of selling price.

By clicking the image portion of the shop that the customer wants to purchase in the product display field 130, the customer jumps to the page for performing the purchase procedure at the shop corresponding to the clicked image portion. In Figure 6, shop A in Figure 5
An example of a page to jump to when clicking the image part of is shown. FIG. 6 is a product sales page in the site of shop A. The page shown in FIG. 6 includes image data 140 indicating a product, a sales method column 144 in which a text explaining a sales method is described, a shop information button 141, a shopping cart button 142, and an accessory button 143. The shop information button 141 is a button used when jumping to a page displaying information about the shop A. The shopping cart button 142 is a button used when actually performing a purchase procedure for a product. The accessory button 143 is a button used when jumping to an accessory sales page sold in the shop A.

If the image portion clicked in FIG. 5 is not an online shop, the online purchase procedure cannot be performed.
Jump to the traffic information page. The control of this service will be described below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of this service performed by the server computer 2. The flow of FIG. 7 is the shop button 10
The server computer 2 starts by receiving a signal indicating that 1 has been clicked.

First, in step S101, a shop handling a product on the product information page as a product is extracted. Next, in step S102, it is detected whether or not there is a shop dealing as a product. If there is a shop dealing with, the process proceeds to step S103, and if there is no shop dealing with, the process proceeds to step S104. In step S103, the shops are rearranged in a predetermined order. The predetermined order includes an online shop, a sales shop, a used shop, an order of shops such as an auction, and a sales price order, which are set in advance. It can also be selected by the customer. And step S1
At 04, a page as shown in FIG. 5 is created. Also,
If there is no shop that deals with products on the product information page, create a page stating that there is no shop. On the page shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to jump to the product page of each shop site by clicking the image portion. Then, in step S105, the created page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

As described above, by displaying a list of products in a plurality of shops having different forms, it becomes possible to compare prices of new products, used products, etc., and customers who cannot afford to purchase a new product have the function of the product. Even if you don't drop the rank and buy a low-performance camera, you can tell that you can buy the desired item at a used shop or auction.

Further, if it is found that a customer who is thinking of buying a used item sells a new product at a low price,
You can get a new one without buying a used one.
When the online shop portion in the link 102 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked, the product page of the product introduced on the product information page on the online shop site is jumped to. The product page is
It is a page similar to the page shown in FIG.

The control executed when the online shop portion in the link 102 is clicked will be described below. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the processing performed when the online shop portion is clicked. The flow shown in FIG. 8 starts when the server computer 2 receives a signal indicating that the online shop portion has been clicked.

First, in step S201, it is searched whether or not there is a product introduced on the product information page among the products handled on the online shop site. Next, in step S202, the result of the search within the online shop site is determined, and if it exists, the process proceeds to step S203, and if it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S204.

Then, in step S203, the product page of the online shop site of the product introduced as shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1. Also,
In step S204, a page as shown in FIG. 9 stating that the product is not sold is transmitted. The page shown in FIG. 9 is provided with image data 150 indicating a product, a comment 151, and a return button 152. The back button is a button used to return to the page that was viewed immediately before.

As described above, there is a high possibility that the product page shown in FIG. 6 is reached earlier than when the shop button 101 in FIG. 2 is clicked. Therefore, it is effective for a customer who has a certain number of shops to purchase. The same control is executed when the affiliated shop part and the used shop part in the link 102 on the page shown in FIG. 2 and the used shop part in the link 112 on the page shown in FIG. 3 are clicked. That is, when the shop type is an online shop, similar control is executed. Naturally, when the affiliated shop portion is clicked, the search is performed within the affiliated shop site. Further, for example, when there are a plurality of affiliated shops and products are handled by the plurality of shops, the list display as shown in FIG. 5 is performed.

The control when the link of any one of the affiliated shop and the second-hand shop that has an actual shop, not the online shop, is clicked will be described. When the affiliated shop (real) part or the second-hand shop (real) part in the link 102 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked, the shop data registered in advance is searched and the product introduced in the product information is searched. To extract the shops dealing with.

The control executed when the affiliated shop (real) part or the used shop (real) part in the link 102 is clicked will be described below. Figure 1
0 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the affiliated shop (real) portion or the used shop (real) portion is clicked. The flow shown in FIG. 10 is
The server computer 2 starts by receiving a signal indicating that the affiliated shop (real) part or the used shop (real) part has been clicked.

First, in step S301, it is searched whether or not there is a store that handles the product introduced in the product introduction as a product. As a matter of course, the memory in the server computer 2 stores in advance the handling product information in association with the store information. Alternatively, a database of handled products in a company server operating a store may be searched. Next, in step S302, it is detected whether or not there is a store dealing as a product. If there is a store that handles the product, the process proceeds to step S303, and if there is no store that handles the product, the process proceeds to step S304.

In step S303, a page listing a selling price and a store name of a product as shown in FIG. 11 is created. In the page shown in FIG. 11, a product display field 160 for displaying a product list for each shop, and a price order button 16
1, area menu button 162 is provided. The price order button 161 is a button used to sort the products in the order of selling prices. Local menu button 162
Is a button used to specify the area to search for shops. The area can be designated by clicking the right end portion of the area menu button 162. Further, in step S304, a page describing that there is no corresponding store is created. Then, in step S305, the created page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

When the server computer 2 detects that the image portion of the list page is clicked, the server computer 2 sends a page containing store information such as the address of the clicked store. As described above, it is not possible to purchase a shop that sells at an actual shop online, but by providing the sales situation of the shop, a place, etc., it is possible to purchase without searching for a plurality of shops.

When the auction part in the link 102 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked, the products introduced in the product information are searched from the products put up for auction and the list page is displayed. To do. Figure 1
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the auction part is clicked. This will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. The flow shown in FIG. 12 starts when the server computer 2 receives a signal indicating that the auction portion has been clicked.

First, in step S401, the keyword registered in association with the product on the product information page being browsed is acquired. The registered keywords are, for example, strobe and strobe for product name SB-XX.
SB- ○○, Flash and SB- ○○, Light and
Keywords such as SB-XX are registered.

In an auction, since an individual creates an exhibition title, the product name alone may not hit the search keyword. Further, conversely, there is a possibility that other products having the same name and products including the product name may hit the search keyword only by the product name. Only the items for sale in the camera category classified by the type of items for sale in the auction are to be searched.

Next, in step S402, the auction site is searched using the above-mentioned keyword. Next, in step S403, it is detected whether or not the search result has been received. If received, the process proceeds to step S404, and if not received, reception detection is continued. And step S
At 404, a search result page is created. Further, in step S405, the search result page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

It is also possible to execute the search using the search service in the auction site and send the result as it is. However, if the search result of the search service in the auction site is used as it is, the page image and the layout do not match, so the page layout may be changed.

The bulletin board is an online bulletin board on which the customer posts information such as product evaluation. The bulletin board has a function of searching for articles related to a specific product from the article contents of the written articles and extracting each article.
By clicking the bulletin board button 103 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to extract and view only the information on the product viewed on the product information page from the posted articles on the bulletin board.

Specific control will be described in detail below. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the control for extracting the written articles on the bulletin board. The flow shown in FIG. 13 is
It starts when the server computer receives a signal indicating that the bulletin board button has been clicked.

First, in step S501, a keyword used for a search for extracting a message in the bulletin board is set. Keywords are prepared in advance corresponding to the product information page that was being browsed. Next, in step S502, the bulletin board is searched for with the set keyword. In step S503, it is detected whether or not there is any writing that hits the keyword. If there is a hit write, the process proceeds to step S504, and if there is no hit write, the process proceeds to step S506. Next, in step S504, the hit write is extracted. Then, in step S505, a page in which the extracted writes are arranged is created. Here, the pages are sorted in ascending order of the date of writing. Also, if there is no writing that hits, a page describing that there is no writing is created. In step S507, the created page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

In this way, the bulletin board button 103 is provided on the product information page so that the bulletin board postings about the products introduced on the product information page can be easily extracted, so that the reputation, criticism, etc. of the product can be increased. Can easily know the opinion of the person.

When the accessory button 104 provided on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked, the page jumps to the accessory information page available for the product viewed on the product information page. On the accessory information page, the accessories available for the product are extracted and listed. The control for extracting the accessory information will be described below. 14
FIG. 6 is a flow chart diagram showing control executed by the server computer 2 to extract accessory information. The flow of FIG. 14 starts when the server computer 2 receives a signal indicating that the accessory button 104 has been clicked.

First, in step S601, an accessory corresponding to the product on the product information page being browsed is searched. Next, in step S602, it is detected whether or not there is a corresponding accessory. If yes, step S6
03, and if not, the process proceeds to step S605. Then, in step S603, accessories are extracted and rearranged in a predetermined order. Next, in step S604, an accessory list page is created. In addition, step S605
Then, create a page that states that there is no corresponding accessory. Then, in step S606, the created page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

As described above, by simply clicking the accessory button 104 on the product information page to extract the accessories that can be used for the products introduced on the product information page, information on the usable accessories can be easily obtained. Second Embodiment A modification of the control executed when the shop button 101 provided on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked will be described below as a second embodiment.

In the above-described first embodiment, when the shop button 101 provided on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked, a page listing products in a plurality of shops having different shop forms can be browsed.
In the second embodiment, when the shop button 101 is clicked, a page displaying products in one shop type shop can be browsed in accordance with a preset priority order. Specifically, in the second embodiment, when the server computer 2 detects that the shop button 101 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked,
First, an online shop is searched to see if the product is handled. If the online shop is not handling the product, a used shop site is searched. If the used shop is not handled, the auction site is searched.

By doing so, it is possible to purchase products that are not sold in the online shop, such as products that have been sold. Prioritize online shops, second-hand shops, auctions and shops in the order you want to buy. These can change the order of the list display according to the customer's preference.

Specific control performed by the server computer 2 will be described below. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the server computer 2.
This flow starts when the server computer 2 receives a signal indicating that the shop button 101 provided on the product information page has been operated.

First, in step S701, an online shop site is searched. Next, in step S702,
It is determined whether or not the product on the product information page being browsed is handled, and if so, the process proceeds to step S703, and if not, the process proceeds to step S704. In step S703, a corresponding product page similar to the page shown in FIG. 6 is extracted. Step S704
Now, search for a second-hand shop site. Then, in step S705, it is searched whether or not the product on the product information page being browsed is handled, and if so, the process proceeds to step S706, and if not, the process proceeds to step S707. In step S706, the corresponding product page is extracted. In step S707, the auction site is searched. Next, in step S708,
It is determined whether or not the product on the product information page being browsed has been put up. If it has been put up, the process proceeds to step S709, and if it is not put up, the process proceeds to step S710. In step S709, the corresponding exhibition page is extracted. Further, in step S710, a page describing that there is no shop handling the same as the page shown in FIG. 9 is read. Then, in step S711, the extracted page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1. <Third Embodiment> A modification of the control executed when the shop button 101 provided on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked will be described below as a third embodiment.

The third embodiment is characterized in that a successor product and a substitute product are recommended to a customer who intends to purchase a product which has already been sold. The control for recommending the succeeding product executed by the server computer 2 will be described below. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the server computer 2 for recommending a succeeding product.
The flow of FIG. 16 starts when the server computer 2 receives a signal indicating that the shop button 101 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 has been clicked.

First, in step S801, an online shop site is searched. Next, in step S802,
Detects whether the product page exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S803, and if it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S804. In step S803, the product page is extracted. In step S804, a page as shown in FIG. 17 indicating that the sale is completed is created. Further, the page shown in FIG. 17 is provided with a link 171 to a succeeding product information page which introduces a succeeding product, image data 172 of the succeeding product, and a return button 173 for returning to the previous page. And step S805
Then, the extracted or created page is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

By controlling in this way, successor products can be recommended. (Embodiment 4) A modification of the control executed when the shop button 101 provided on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked will be described below as Embodiment 4.

The fourth embodiment is characterized in that when an online shop is clicked from the sale completed product introduction page, an alternative product is introduced, and used products of sold out products and auctioned products are also introduced. As a replacement product, we will introduce a successor product and a product with an equivalent price.

As a result, the user can know an alternative product having the same function or price and can purchase it. Also, users who are not good at alternative products can purchase second-hand products. The control of this service will be described below. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the server computer 2. The flow shown in FIG. 18 is the shop button 101 on the product introduction page shown in FIG.
The process starts when the server computer 2 receives the signal indicating that was clicked.

First, in step S901, a product information site is searched. Next, in step S902, it is determined whether or not there is a successor product currently on sale. If there is a successor product, the process proceeds to step S903, and if there is no successor product, the process proceeds to step S906. In step S903,
Send a page stating that there is a successor product currently on sale. FIG. 19 shows an example of the page. In the page shown in FIG. 19, an OK button 181 operated to jump to the product information page of the succeeding product and a NO button 18 rejected.
Two are provided.

Next, in step S904, the OK button 1
It is detected whether 81 has been operated. OK button 181
If is operated, the process proceeds to step S905, and if it is not operated, the process proceeds to step S906. In step S905, the product information page of the succeeding product is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1. In step S906, it is detected whether the NO button 182 has been operated. When the NO button 182 is operated, the process proceeds to step S907,
If it has not been operated, the process returns to step S904. Then, in step S907, a jump is made to a used shop or an auction site.

If there is no succeeding product, the used shop site and auction site are immediately searched. Further, the succeeding product may be introduced on the sale completed product information page. A link may be attached without introducing it on the sale completion product information page. <Fifth Embodiment> A modification of the control executed when the shop button 101 provided on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 is clicked will be described below as a fifth embodiment.

The fifth embodiment is characterized in that support information is displayed when jumping to a shop or an auction site linked to a product information page of a product that has been sold. The control for displaying the support information will be described below. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the support information display control executed by the server computer 2. The flow of FIG. 20 starts when the server computer 2 receives a signal indicating that the shop button 101 on the product information page shown in FIG. 2 has been clicked.

First, in step S1001, a search within the product information site is started. Next, in step S1002, it is determined whether the browsed product is a product that has been sold. If the sale is completed, the process proceeds to step S1003, and if the sale is not completed, the step S1003 is performed.
Proceed to 1007.

Then, in step S1003, the support status is searched. Next, in step S1004, it is determined whether support is ongoing. If the support is completed, the process proceeds to step S1005, and if the support is continued, the process proceeds to step S1007. Then, in step S1005, a page as shown in FIG. 21 stating that the support is completed is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1. The page shown in FIG. 21 has an OK button 191.
Is provided. Next, in step S1006, OK
It is detected whether or not the signal that the button 191 is clicked is received. If the signal that the OK button 191 is clicked is received, the process proceeds to step S1007, and if it is not received, the detection is continued. Then, in step S1007, the page of the shop site is transmitted to the customer's personal computer 1.

By thus informing that the support for the product has ended, it is possible to prevent the user from knowing for the first time that support is not available after purchase. <Auction System> The auction system will be described below. The auction system of the present embodiment ensures the reliability of the auction system by performing various checks at the time of selling a product.

The auction system of this embodiment is limited to auctioning of products for which the auction trader knows the owner. For example, only the products registered by the customer can be exhibited. For customers who have not registered as customers, encourage customer registration before listing. In addition, you may be asked to fill in the reason such as giving up the model exhibited in the questionnaire. Alternatively, instead of the input form of customer registration, the items necessary for customer registration may be added to the entry items of the auction and registered in the customer registration database. In this way, by having the customer register each time there is an opportunity, the customer's preferences and the like can be grasped, and the customer can be provided with detailed product support and product service.

Therefore, the maker that manufactures or sells the auctioned item operates the auction directly or operates in cooperation with the maker. Alternatively, a vendor who can obtain the customer registration information of the maker can operate the auction. However, in an auction that deals only with customer-registered merchandise, the number of auctioned items may be small. It is possible to discriminate from the listing of the customer-registered products and allow the listing of the products that are not customer-registered. When dealing with products that are customer-registered and those that are not customer-registered at the auction, it is advantageous to make the listing fee for the products that are customer-registered lower or free compared to products that are not. Since the customer-registered products have high reliability, they may be sold at a high price, which is advantageous.

If the customer registration itself is not reliable, the auction system is not reliable. Customer registration is not a system that anyone can register, but is a system in which only customers who have purchased products can register. In order to increase the reliability of the auction, only the products registered by the seller through customer registration can be put up for auction. The model that was sold from the customer registration data of the seller at the time of sale at the auction is no longer a customer and is registered.

There is an item for inputting the serial number of the camera to be put up in the auction information entry field when the item is put up for auction. Then, at the time of registration of the exhibition, the server computer determines whether the input serial number is not already on sale, matches the serial number registered at the time of customer registration, or is a number existing as the serial number of the commodity to be exhibited. Allow listing after checking for stolen items. Of course, it is not necessary to check all these items.

The control executed by the server computer 2 at the time of selling work by the seller will be described below. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the control executed by the server computer 2 at the time of auction. The flow of FIG. 22 starts when the server computer 2 detects that the seller has clicked the registration button after entering the auction site, completing the entry for auction.

First, in step S1101, it is detected whether or not all necessary input items such as a serial number have been input. If it has been input, the process proceeds to step S1102, and if it has not been input, the process proceeds to step S1103 to transmit a page indicating that the input is insufficient. Next, in step S1104, it is detected whether or not another auction listing registration has been received. If received, step S110
Returning to 1, the reception detection is continued when no reception is made.

Then, in step S1102, customer data is searched. In step S1105, it is detected whether the input serial number matches the number registered in the customer data of the auctioning customer. If the numbers match, the process proceeds to step S1106, and if the numbers do not match, the process proceeds to step S1008. Then, in step S1106, the page whose auction registration has been completed is transmitted. In step S1108,
Submit a page that prompts you to re-enter if the numbers do not match.
In step S1109, it is detected whether another auction listing registration has been received. If received, the process returns to step S1102, and if not received, reception detection is continued. Then, in step S1107, data of the auction item is added to the registered customer information.

With the above, the auctioning work for the auction is completed. In the above control, the example in which the serial number of the exhibited commodity is collated with the serial number of the registered customer data has been described, but the other collation described above such as whether or not the commodity is already on sale is simultaneously performed. If the auction is successful and the buyer is determined, the buyer is prompted to register the customer. Also,
When the sale is completed, the fact of the sale is registered in the customer registration data of the sold customer. It also sends a guide mail with the successor model camera of the sold product as a recommended product.

As a result, the reliability of the auction can be increased. Further, the registration contents of customer registration can be enhanced. It also becomes possible to support customers in individual transactions that were difficult to grasp. Similarly, a user who purchases a used product at a used store is urged to register the customer. In addition, it is possible to prevent the purchase unless the customer is registered at the time of purchase. This allows the seller to safely ship the item.

The control performed by the server computer 2 when the auction transaction is completed will be described below. FIG. 23
FIG. 4 is a flowchart diagram executed by the server computer 2 when a transaction is established. The flow of FIG. 23 starts when the server computer 2 detects that the auction has been established.

First, in step S2101, various information such as purchase amount information is stored in the memory of the server computer 2. Next, in step S2102, the purchaser is sent a page urging customer registration. And step S21
In 03, it is detected whether or not a signal indicating that the OK button on the customer registration reminder page has been clicked has been received. If received, the process proceeds to step S2105, and if not received, the process proceeds to step S2104. Next, in step S2104, it is detected whether or not a signal indicating that the NO button has been clicked has been received. If received, the process proceeds to step S2113, and if not received, the process returns to step S2103. In step S2113, the serial number of the product for which the transaction has been completed although the customer has not been registered is registered.

In step S2105, the data input before the establishment of the auction is searched. Then, in step S2106, data that can be used for customer registration is extracted. Next, in step S2107, the data extracted on the customer registration page is transmitted with the corresponding registration items entered. Next, in step S2108, the send button provided on the customer registration page is operated,
It is detected whether or not the reception of the transmitted customer data has been completed. If it is finished, the process proceeds to step S2109, and if it is not finished, the detection is continued. Then, in step S2109, it is detected whether there are any omissions of required items. If there is any omission, the process proceeds to step S2110, and if not, the process proceeds to step S2111. In step S2110, a customer registration page including a sentence prompting re-input is transmitted, and the process returns to step S2108. Further, in step S2111, a page indicating that customer registration has been completed is transmitted. Then, in step S2112,
Information about the sale is added to the customer information of the seller.

In the above example, the customer registration is completed by sending the customer registration page after purchase to the buyer at the auction and having the customer input the necessary items for customer registration. However, the information necessary for customer registration can be obtained by collecting the information input by both the buyer and the seller before the auction is completed, without having to input again for customer registration after the purchase.

Here, the data such as the auction application entered by the buyer, the address entered for shipping the product, the name, etc. and the data entered by the seller, such as the product name, the serial number, etc., are associated with each other, and are automatically registered as customer registration information. It is characterized by storing in. It should be noted that the buyer is allowed to agree in advance that the customer will be automatically registered when the auction transaction is completed.

Control for automatically executing customer registration will be described below. FIG. 24 shows the server computer 2
It is a flowchart figure which shows the control of the automatic customer registration performed by. The flow of FIG. 24 starts when the server computer 2 detects that the auction has been established.

First, in step S3101, the memory in the server computer 2 which stores the input data and the like of both the seller and the buyer before the auction is established is searched. Next, in step S3102, data corresponding to items required for customer registration is extracted. Then step S3103
Then, change and rearrange the necessary data to the data that matches the customer registration format. Next in step S31
In 04, the data of the buyer is registered in the database that stores the customer information. Then, in step S3105, the page describing that customer registration has been performed is transmitted to the buyer's personal computer. Or email the buyer.

Thus, customer registration is completed without imposing a burden on the buyer. Further, customer data can be surely obtained, and customer support can be enhanced. After customer registration, a questionnaire may be conducted to obtain further required information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a product information page of a product that is currently manufactured and sold.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a product information page of a product which has already been sold.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a support information page.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a product list page.

6 is a product sales page in the site of shop A. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of this service performed by the server computer 2.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process performed when an online shop portion is clicked.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a page.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the affiliated shop (real) part or the used shop (real) part is clicked.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a page on which a list of sales prices of products and store names is posted.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process performed when an auction portion is clicked.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control for extracting posted articles on a bulletin board.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing control executed by the server computer 2 for extracting accessory information.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the server computer 2.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing control executed by the server computer 2 for recommending successor products.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a page.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing control executed by the server computer 2.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a page.

20 is a flowchart showing support information display control executed by the server computer 2. FIG.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a page.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing control executed by the server computer 2 at the time of auction.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart executed by the server computer 2 when a transaction is established.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing control of automatic customer registration executed by the server computer 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... PC 2 ... Server computer 3 ... Internet 101 ... Shop button 102 ... Link 103 ... Bulletin board button 104 ... accessory button 115 ... Support information button 116 ... Successive product button

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A product information providing method for providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal, wherein the server computer provides product information of a product which has already been sold, and adds the product information to the provided product information. A product information providing method comprising providing link information for providing alternative product information of the product. 2. The product information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the substitute product is a successor product. 3. The product information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the substitute product is a successor product currently sold. 4. A product information providing method for providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal, wherein the server computer provides product information of a product which has already been sold, and adds the product information to the provided product information. A product information providing method comprising providing a link for jumping to a site where the product can be purchased, and providing alternative product information of the product before jumping to the site where the product can be purchased. 5. The product information providing method according to claim 4, wherein the substitute product is a successor product. 6. The product information providing method according to claim 4, wherein the substitute product is a successor product currently on sale. 7. A product information providing system for providing product information from a server computer to a customer terminal, wherein the server computer provides product information of a product which has already been sold as a web page, and the providing unit. A product information providing system characterized by providing link information for providing alternative product information of the product in addition to the product information on the web page.