JP2001319137A - System and method for information processing and recording medium with recorded information processing program running on computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cybermall where a user and a seller are able to have a communication with quick readiness and high interactivity. SOLUTION: Users are provided with an on-line shopping function through a virtual mall composed of virtual stores. This system is equipped with a chat means for having a chat independently by specifying each virtual store and a control means which relates and outputs picture information for enabling the user to chat with a store clerk of the virtual store that the user selects and picture information for displaying the virtual store to the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing technology for realizing a cyber mall which is a virtual shopping street formed on a server, and more particularly, to a cyber mall using a chat which is a message exchange function. Related to information processing technology for realizing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, mail-order sales using catalogs and the like have been carried out for various products (including services and non-objectives). In particular, mail-order sales using the Internet and the like have increased in recent years.

In mail order sales (online shopping) using the Internet, sellers (including corporations and individuals) create virtual stores by posting information on products and the like they handle on Web pages, and purchase products. The Internet user who considers the above will access the virtual store and make a purchase application or the like.

[0004] In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Web pages that provide services to users as cyber malls (virtual malls) by constructing portal sites capable of accessing a plurality of virtual stores. In this case, the user terminal, the cyber mall server, and the virtual shop server are connected via the Internet or the like, and the user accesses the seller server from the user terminal via the cyber mall server and performs online shopping.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a real store,
The customer can ask the clerk for an explanation of the product. on the other hand,
Since the store can actually see what kind of person the customer is, it is possible to take appropriate measures. In other words, when buying and selling in a real store, it is possible to easily communicate between the customer and the store (clerk),
They can buy and sell with confidence.

On the other hand, in online shopping,
Since the user cannot directly check the product or the like to purchase the product, it is expected that the demand for the seller to specifically listen to the description of the product or the like will be further increased.

[0007] However, virtual stores realized on Web pages are often merely catalog postings except that they can be ordered online, and promptness and interactivity such as asking a store clerk as in a real store. A virtual store that enables high communication has not yet been realized.

[0008] In addition, it is difficult for a seller to know what kind of user wants to purchase in online shopping because the user and the seller make a sale without actually meeting each other. Therefore, it has been difficult to provide meticulous measures such as proposing products and the like according to the user.

[0009] Such a lack of communication between the user and the seller results in a decrease in mutual trust between the user and the seller, and consequently a reduction in the sales contract rate. Was.

[0010] By the way, in an actual department store or department store where a plurality of stores and corners are gathered, an information center is usually provided, and a customer can ask which store or corner is handling the desired product or the like. .

However, a cyber mall in which a plurality of virtual stores are gathered often has only a function as a portal site for simply accessing each virtual store.
A cyber mall with a function to navigate the entire cyber mall, such as a department store information center, has not yet been realized.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cyber mall in which a user and a seller can communicate with high responsiveness and high interactivity.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cyber mall having a function of navigating the entire cyber mall for a user who has accessed the cyber mall.

[0014]

An information processing method according to the present invention is an information processing method for performing online shopping for a user via a virtual shopping mall composed of a plurality of virtual stores. A step of identifying a virtual store and independently executing a chat, for a virtual store selected by a user, screen information for the user to chat with a clerk of the virtual store, and screen information for displaying the virtual store And outputting to the user in association with the user. The input and output to the user and the clerk of the virtual store are performed through a communication network (eg, the Internet)
It is desirable to be performed via

[0015] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of storing, in the storage means, the data of the chat conducted by specifying the virtual store and the information of the virtual store in the storage means using the same identification information. Screen information for performing the chat is associated with screen information for displaying the virtual shop.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of outputting to the user information indicating whether or not a clerk of the virtual store participates in a chat performed by specifying the virtual store.

[0017] Preferably, screen information for a clerk of the virtual store to chat with the user and screen information for displaying attribute information of the user participating in the chat are associated with each other to associate the clerk of the virtual store. And outputting to the user.

Preferably, further, a step of specifying a virtual shopping mall and independently executing a chat, displaying screen information for a user to chat with a guide of the virtual shopping mall, and displaying the virtual shopping mall. Output to the user in association with screen information to be displayed, screen information for the guide of the virtual shopping mall to chat with the user, and a screen displaying attribute information of the user participating in the chat A step of associating the information with the information and outputting the information to a guide in the virtual shopping mall.

The information processing method of the present invention can be implemented by a computer, and a computer program for that can be installed or loaded into the computer through various media such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, and a semiconductor memory.

An information processing system according to the present invention is an information processing system for providing an online shopping function to a user via a virtual shopping mall composed of a plurality of virtual stores. It is characterized in that it is possible to acquire information on products handled at the virtual store while performing dialogue by chat.

The information processing system of the present invention is an information processing system for providing an online shopping function to a user and a seller via a virtual shopping mall composed of a plurality of virtual stores. Means for executing a chat independently by specifying the virtual shop, screen information for the user to chat with the clerk of the virtual shop for the virtual shop selected by the user, and screen information for displaying the virtual shop And control means for outputting to the user in association with the user.

In the information processing system according to the present invention, it is desirable that input and output to the user and the seller be performed via a communication network (for example, the Internet).

Preferably, the control means outputs to the user information indicating whether a clerk of the virtual store participates in a chat performed by specifying the virtual store.

Preferably, the control means associates screen information for a clerk of a virtual store to chat with a user and screen information for displaying attribute information of the user participating in the chat, Output to the clerk at the virtual store.

[0025] Preferably, said chat executing means comprises:
Further, the virtual shopping mall is specified and the chat is executed independently, and the control means displays screen information for the user to chat with the guide of the virtual shopping street and screen information for displaying the virtual shopping street. The information is output to the user, and the screen information for the user and the guide of the virtual shopping mall to chat is associated with the screen information for displaying the attribute information of the user participating in the chat. Output to the guide of the shopping street.

In the specification of the present application, “clerk” refers to a person who provides information of a virtual store to a user, and is necessarily a member of an organization that operates the virtual store. It does not require. For example, a person dispatched from another organization or the like and assigned to a virtual store is also included in the “clerk” in the present specification.
In addition, a case where the same person simultaneously becomes a “clerk” for a plurality of virtual stores is also included.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a user information storage unit 10, a store information storage unit 11, a chat information storage unit 12, a form information storage unit 13, an IF (interface) unit 14, and a control unit 15. It consists of.

Here, the information processing system according to the present invention only needs to have the above-mentioned units, and may be a physically dedicated system or a general-purpose information processing apparatus. For example, in an information processing apparatus having a general configuration including a processing apparatus, input means, storage means, and output means, by activating software that defines each process in the information processing method of the present invention, the information of the present invention is obtained. A processing system can be realized. The same applies to other embodiments described later.

The user information storage means 10 stores information (hereinafter referred to as "user information") provided by the user in association with the user ID assigned to each user.

The user ID is information for identifying the user, and is generated by the control means 15 when the user information is registered in the information processing system 1.

The user information may include, for example, name, address, e-mail address, age, occupation, gender, telephone number, field of interest (interesting goods / services), and the like. However, what kind of information is used as the user information may be determined according to the design, and any information that is useful for analyzing the user layer (customer layer) may be used.

The store information storage means 11 stores information (hereinafter, referred to as "virtual stores") in association with a guide and a store ID assigned to each virtual store (hereinafter referred to as "virtual store, etc."). Store information ”) is stored. Here, the guide refers to a person who provides various information on the entire cyber mall and navigates to the user.

The store ID is information for identifying a virtual store or the like, and is generated when the store information is registered in the information processing system 1. However, a specific store ID may be assigned to the guide in advance. This is because the guide does not need to have a specific virtual store and does not need to register store information.

The store information includes, for example, a store name, a seller name, a product category, and a virtual store URL (Uniform Resour
ce Locator), settlement method, presence / absence of corporate status, presence / absence of membership system, presence / absence of discount, inventory information, delivery information (such as how many days it will take). However, what kind of information is used as the shop information may be determined according to the design, and any information may be used as long as it can appeal the features of the virtual shop to the user.

It is desirable that the user information and the store information be configured to be input to the information processing system 1 by a user or a member of the virtual store. However, the administrator of the information processing system 1 inputs the information instead. It may be configured as follows.

In the user information storage means 10 and the store information storage means 11, a conventional database technology such as a relational database can be used for data management and retrieval.

The chat information storage means 12 stores the user I of the user participating in the chat in association with the shop ID.
D, clerk status, chat log, chat data such as prohibited words and the like are stored. It should be noted that instead of directly storing chat logs and the like, the storage destination of the chat logs and the like is stored in the store I.
It may be stored in association with D.

Chat is known as one of the message exchange functions between users. Specifically, the system transmits a message received from a user to another user immediately, so that a message between the users can be transmitted. A conversation is realized.

In the present information processing system 1, a virtual shop or the like can be specified and chat can be performed independently.
A channel is assigned to each virtual store or the like, that is, corresponding to the store ID.

A channel refers to a virtual lounge in which a chat can be independently performed, and a message received in a certain channel is transmitted only to other users participating in the channel, and therefore differs from each other. The users participating in the channels do not receive each other's remarks, and the independence between the channels is secured. Note that “participation” refers to a state in which a message of another user can be received in a chat and the message can be transmitted to another user.

The clerk status is information indicating whether or not a corresponding guide or clerk participates in a chat executed for each virtual store or the like. Alternatively, a binary flag can be used.

The chat log means history information of conversation data and accompanying information exchanged in the chat. For example, the user ID of the user who made the speech, the speech content, the speech time, and the like can be configured as one record.

A prohibited phrase means a phrase that is prohibited from being used for conversation in chat. Since the prohibited words are stored in association with the store ID, different prohibited words can be stored for each channel (that is, for each virtual store or the like). A plurality of prohibited words may be stored in association with one store ID. It is preferable that the prohibited words are configured to be input to the information processing system 1 by a guide or a member of the virtual shop, but are configured to be input by the administrator of the information processing system 1 instead. May be.

The form information storage means 13 stores mall form information, respondent form information, and store form information.

The mall form information is information that defines a screen (hereinafter, referred to as a “mall screen”) used when the user selects a virtual store. For example, html (Hyper)
TextMarkup Language) describes the shop ID assigned to the guide and the shop ID assigned to each virtual shop. Specifically, the mall form information is described so that the mall screen includes at least two frames (screen information). One is a chat frame for chatting with a guide, and the other is a mall frame for displaying information for selecting a virtual store, such as a store name and a clerk status.

The respondent form information is a screen (hereinafter, referred to as a "response screen") used when a guide or a clerk of a virtual store (hereinafter, referred to as "clerk, etc.") answers the user. The information is defined, and is described in, for example, html. Specifically, the answer form information is described so that the answer screen includes at least two frames (screen information). One is a chat frame for chatting with the user, and the other is a user information frame for displaying the user information of the user participating in the chat.

The store form information is information that defines a screen (hereinafter, referred to as a “shop screen”) used when the user performs online shopping at the virtual store, and is described in, for example, html. In particular,
The store form information is described so that the shop screen includes at least two frames (screen information). One is a chat frame for chatting with the seller, and the other is a store frame for displaying the contents of the virtual store (products handled, prices, etc.).

The IF unit 14 is configured to be able to input and output information to and from the information processing means 100, 101 and 102. The information processing means 100 is configured to receive an input from a user and output information to the user.
(Internet Explorer), Netscape (registered trademark), or a browser module such as NetFront of Access Inc. is installed in the information processing unit 10.
It can be used as 0. Similarly, information processing means 1
01 is configured to receive an input from the guide and output information to the guide, and the information processing means 102 receives the input from the seller and sends the information to the seller. It is configured to be able to output.

Information processing means 100 (101, 102)
May be configured to be included in the information processing system 1 or may be configured as an external information processing device. Further, the information processing means 100 (101, 102) and the information processing system 1 may be configured to be connected via a communication network (including both wired and wireless) such as the Internet. In this case, the information processing means 100 (10
1, 102) and the IF means 14 have the usual configuration necessary for communicating via a communication network. For example, if connecting via the Internet, P
A communication module having a PP driver and a TCP / IP driver is provided. Thus, the user can access the information processing means 1 from the information processing system 1 via the Internet.
Various information can be downloaded at 00 (101, 102).

The information processing means 100 (101, 10
If 2) is a mobile terminal, it is connected to the information processing system 1 via an external gateway (for example, an i-mode center of NTT DOCOMO).

The control means 15 includes the information processing means 100 (1
01, 102), accepts various inputs (request information, etc.) from the user, the guide, and the clerk of the virtual store via the IF unit 14, and performs mall form output processing, clerk status output processing, respondent form output processing, user information Output processing, store form output processing, chat execution processing and the like are executed. FIG. 1 illustrates each of the above-described processes executed by the control unit 15 as functional units. Hereinafter, each process will be described. (Mall Form Output Processing) The control means 15 enables the user to acquire the mall screen when the user first accesses the cyber mall on the information processing system 1 or when the user searches the cyber mall. The mall information is read from the form information storage unit 13 based on the request information from the user, and is output to the user who has received the request information.

The mall form information is stored in the information processing unit 100.
And two frames as shown in FIG. 2 are displayed as screen information associated with one window. However, the size and arrangement of each frame can be determined according to the design.

The user can chat with the guide in the chat frame 200 based on the screen information, and can select a virtual shop in the mall frame 201.

The chat frame 200 includes an operation unit 202
And a display unit 203 for displaying chat data. As shown in FIG. 3A, for example, the operation unit includes operations generally required for chatting, such as a statement content input box, a user ID input box, a statement button, a participation button, a participation cancel button, and a reload button. It is configured corresponding to. The display unit is, for example, FIG.
As shown in (b), the user ID (or handle name or the like) is associated with the content of the utterance and the utterance time and displayed.

The user operates the operation unit 202 of the chat frame 200 in the same manner as a normal chat, for example, “speak”, “participate”, “cancel participation”, “reload”
Such an operation can be performed. "Reload"
Is an operation for updating the chat data displayed on the display unit. When the user performs such an operation, the information processing unit 100 generates request information including a statement content, an operation content, a user ID, a store ID assigned to a guide, and the like,
Output to the information processing system 1. Further, the information processing means 100 periodically generates request information corresponding to the “reload” operation and outputs the request information to the information processing system 1.

The mall frame 201 is configured to appropriately arrange and display information such as a store name and a clerk status for each virtual store. The display of the clerk status may be any display as long as the presence or absence of the clerk participation is known. For example, as shown in FIG. The presence or absence of participation may be displayed based on whether or not a character is displayed. Further, as shown in the figure, the display may be performed in units of product genre, or a function for searching for product genre or a keyword may be provided.

The user can select a virtual shop in the mall frame. When the user selects a virtual store, the information processing means 100 requests the store form output process to request the store I of the selected virtual store.
Request information including D and the like is generated and output to the information processing system 1. Further, the information processing means 100 periodically generates request information requesting the clerk status output processing, and outputs the request information to the information processing system 1. (Store Form Output Processing) The control unit 15 reads store form information from the form information storage unit 13 based on request information from the user so that the shop screen can be acquired when the user selects a predetermined virtual store, A predetermined association is made with the store form information, and output to the user who has received the request information. Specifically, in the read shop form information, the shop ID of the selected virtual shop is associated with information describing the chat frame. Further, the URL of the selected virtual store is read out with reference to the store information storage means 11, and the read URL of the virtual store is associated with the information describing the store frame.

The store form information is interpreted by the information processing means 100, and two frames as shown in FIG.
It is displayed as screen information associated with one window. The user, based on the screen information,
In the chat frame 200, a chat can be performed with the clerk of the selected virtual store, and in the store frame 204, online shopping can be performed in the selected virtual store.

The chat frame 200 has the same configuration as that of the mall screen, and the user can perform a chat operation in the same manner. When the user performs a predetermined operation,
The information processing means 100 generates request information including a comment content, an operation content, an associated shop ID, and the like, and outputs the request information to the information processing system 1. Further, the information processing means 100 periodically generates request information corresponding to the “reload” operation and outputs the request information to the information processing system 1.

The store frame 204 is configured to appropriately arrange and display information such as a store name and a product to be handled for the virtual store. The information processing means 100 generates request information based on the associated virtual store URL to obtain information on the virtual store to be displayed in the store frame 204, and outputs the request information to the server on which the virtual store is constructed. . Note that such a server may be configured to be included in the information processing system 1 or may be configured as an external information processing device. When configured as an external information processing device, the information processing system 1 provides a function of mediating online shopping. (Clerk status output process) When the request information requesting the clerk status output process is received, the control unit 15 refers to the chat information storage unit 12 to check each store ID.
The clerk status stored in association with the clerk status is read, and the read clerk status is output to the user who has received the request information. (Respondent form output process) The control means 15 converts the respondent form information from the form storage means 13 based on the request information from the clerk or the like so that the clerk or the like can obtain an answer screen for chatting with the user. The request information is read out and associated with the respondent form information in a predetermined manner, and output to the clerk or the like who received the request information. Specifically, in the read respondent form information,
The information describing the chat frame and the information describing the user information frame include a store ID corresponding to the clerk or the like.
Is related.

The respondent form information is stored in the information processing means 101
Interpreted in (102), two frames as shown in FIG. 6 are displayed as screen information associated with one window. However, the size and arrangement of each frame can be determined according to the design.

The clerk or the like can chat with the user in the chat frame 200 based on the screen information, and can acquire the user information in the user information frame 205.

The chat frame 200 has the same configuration as that of the mall screen, and a clerk or the like can perform a chat operation similarly to the user. When a clerk or the like performs a predetermined operation, the information processing means 101 (102)
The request information including the operation content, the associated store ID, and the like is generated and output to the information processing system 1.
Further, the information processing means 100 periodically generates request information corresponding to the “reload” operation and outputs the request information to the information processing system 1.

The user information frame 205 is configured to appropriately arrange and display the user information stored in the user information storage means 10 for the user participating in the chat specified by the associated shop ID. I have. The information processing means 101 (102) generates request information including an associated shop ID and the like in order to periodically request user information output processing, and
Output to (User information output process) When the request information requesting the user information output process is received, the control unit 15 extracts a store ID from the request information, and refers to the chat information storage unit 12 to add the store ID to the extracted store ID. The user ID stored in association with the user information is read, the user information stored in association with the read user ID is read with reference to the user information storage unit 10, and output to the clerk or the like who has received the request information. . (Chat execution process) The control unit 15 independently executes a chat for each channel identified by the store ID, that is, for each virtual store or the like. Hereinafter, the chat execution process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step S100, a store ID is extracted from the request information, and a channel is specified.

In step S101, based on the request information, it is determined whether or not the operation content is "reload". If it is determined to be "reload", the process proceeds to step S108. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, it is determined based on the request information whether the operation content is "participation".
If it is determined to be "participation", the process proceeds to step S103. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S103, if the request information is from the user, a user ID is extracted from the request information, and the chat information storage means is stored such that the user ID is stored in association with the extracted shop ID. 12 is updated. If the request information is from a clerk or the like, the extracted store I is displayed so as to indicate that the clerk or the like is participating in the chat.
With respect to the clerk status corresponding to D, the content stored in the chat information storage unit 12 is updated.

In step S104, the contents of the statement are extracted from the request information. Next, with reference to the chat information storage means 12, a prohibited word corresponding to the extracted shop ID is read. Then, it is determined whether or not the read prohibited phrase is included in the extracted utterance content, for example, by performing matching. If the utterance content contains a prohibited word, the prohibited word is replaced with a predetermined word / symbol (for example, “prohibited word”, “xxx”).

In step S105, the content stored in the chat information storage means 12 is updated so that the content of the remark after replacing the prohibited word is stored in association with the extracted shop ID.

If the content of the remark includes a prohibited word, the content of the remark may not be stored in the chat information storage means 12. In that case, step S104
Can be omitted.

In step S106, based on the request information, it is determined whether the operation content is "cancel participation". If it is determined that "participation is canceled", step S
Proceed to 107. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S107, if the request information is from the user, the user ID is extracted from the request information, and the user information stored in the chat information storage means 12 is stored in association with the extracted shop ID. , The extracted user ID is deleted. If the request information is from a clerk or the like, the storage contents of the chat information storage unit 12 are updated with respect to the clerk status corresponding to the store ID so as to indicate that the clerk or the like is not participating.

In step S108, with reference to the chat information storage means 12, the chat data that has not been output to the user or the clerk who has received the request information is read and output to the user or the clerk.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the mall screen output to the user includes a chat frame for chatting with a guide and a mall frame for displaying information for selecting a virtual shop. Since it is configured in association, the user can select each virtual store constituting the cyber mall while asking the guide in real time questions about the entire cyber mall and each virtual store. As a result, the user can always search in the cyber mall as if the information center of the department store is present nearby, and the convenience for the user can be dramatically improved.

The shop screen output to the user is constituted by associating a chat frame for chatting with a clerk of the virtual store and a store frame on which information of the virtual store is displayed. Can perform online shopping by acquiring information on products handled at the virtual store while asking a store clerk questions about the virtual store in real time by chat. Therefore, the user can ask the clerk at any time about the merchandise and the like in the virtual store, and can purchase the merchandise and the like with more assurance.

Particularly, for a novice user who is not accustomed to online shopping or the like, by communicating with a guide or a clerk, it is possible to easily learn points that cannot be understood, so that the above-mentioned effect becomes more remarkable.

On the other hand, the respondent screen output to the clerk etc.
Since the chat frame capable of chatting with the user and the user information frame in which the user information is displayed are associated with each other, the clerk or the like asks the user while acquiring the user information about the user asking the question. Answers and advice can be provided by chatting. Therefore, the guide can introduce the virtual store according to the user, and the clerk can propose a product or the like according to the user, so that a detailed response can be achieved. (Others) As another embodiment of the present invention, a recording medium on which an information processing program is recorded can be considered. As a recording medium, a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, and other recording media can be used.

The information processing program is read from the recording medium into the data processing device, and controls the operation of the data processing device. The data processing device controls the user information storage unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention under the control of the information processing program.
0, store information storage means 11, chat information storage means 1
2. Form information storage means 13, IF (interface) means 14, control means 15 (mall form output processing, clerk status output processing, respondent form output processing, user information output processing, store form output processing, chat execution processing, etc.) Execute the same processing as the processing by.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be applied with various modifications. For example, the control unit 15 may be configured to receive request information requesting a clerk calling process from a user. The clerk calling process is a process of outputting information for prompting the clerk or the like to participate when the clerk or the like does not participate in the chat. Specifically, when the control unit 15 receives the request information requesting the clerk calling process, the control unit 15 extracts the store ID from the request information, specifies the virtual store or the like, and specifies the information corresponding to the specified virtual store or the like. It outputs to the processing means 101 (102) information indicating that the user has requested a call from a clerk or the like. Such information is stored in the information processing unit 101 (10
It is desirable to be configured to output as sound or image when 2) is received. According to such a configuration,
Since the user can be prompted to participate when the clerk or the like does not participate in the chat, the user can more actively communicate with the clerk or the like.

In this embodiment, one channel is assigned to one store ID, but a plurality of channels may be assigned to one store ID. In this case, by allocating a channel to each user, it is possible to make a channel that only a specific user and a clerk can participate in, and to communicate with the user, the clerk, and the like while maintaining more privacy. be able to.

In the user information frame, not only the user information is simply displayed, but also the user information is classified and displayed according to predetermined conditions which can be set by a clerk or the like, and the statistical information is displayed. Alternatively, respondent form information may be configured.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6,
Two frames are displayed in one window,
If two frames are associated and displayed in conjunction with each other, mall form information, respondent form information, and store form information may be configured so that each frame is displayed in a separate window.

[0084]

According to the present invention, since a user and a clerk of a virtual store can perform online shopping while communicating with each other by chat and have high responsiveness and interactiveness, mutual purchase and sale between the user and the virtual store can be performed. The reliability can be greatly improved. As a result, an online shopping function with a high degree of satisfaction can be provided to the user, and an online shopping function with a high sales contract rate can be provided to the virtual store.

Further, according to the present invention, a user who accesses the cyber mall selects a virtual store in the cyber mall while communicating highly responsively and interactively with a guide who navigates the entire cyber mall by chatting. Therefore, it is possible to easily reach the target virtual store, and it is possible to realize a cyber mall that is highly convenient for the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a mall screen.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a chat frame.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a molding frame.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a respondent screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a shop screen.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a chat execution process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing system 10 User information storage means 11 Store information storage means 12 Chat information storage means 13 Form information storage means 14 IF means 15 Control means 100, 101, 102 Information processing means

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An information processing system for providing an online shopping function to a user via a virtual shopping mall composed of a plurality of virtual stores, wherein the user interacts with a clerk of the virtual store by chat. And an information processing system capable of acquiring information on products handled at the virtual store. 2. An information processing system for providing a user with an online shopping function via a virtual shopping mall composed of a plurality of virtual stores, wherein each of the virtual stores is specified and chat is independently executed. Means for executing a chat with the user and, for the virtual store selected by the user, associating screen information for the user to chat with a clerk of the virtual store and screen information for displaying the virtual store, and outputting the screen information to the user An information processing system comprising: 3. The control means manages data of a chat performed by specifying a virtual shop and information of the virtual shop using the same identification information, and screen information for performing the chat based on the identification information. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the information is associated with screen information for displaying the virtual shop. 4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit outputs to the user information indicating whether a clerk of the virtual store participates in a chat that is performed by specifying the virtual store. Or the information processing system according to 3. 5. The virtual store associating screen information for a clerk of a virtual store with a user to chat with a user and screen information for displaying attribute information of a user participating in the chat. The information processing system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the information is output to a store clerk. 6. The chat execution means further specifies a virtual shopping mall and independently executes a chat, and the control means includes screen information for allowing a user to chat with a guide of the virtual shopping mall. Outputting to the user in association with screen information for displaying the virtual mall, screen information for the guide of the virtual mall to chat with the user, and attribute information of the user participating in the chat The information processing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the information is output to a guide of the virtual shopping mall in association with screen information for displaying the information. 7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein input / output to / from a user and a clerk of a virtual store is performed via the Internet. 8. An information processing method for performing online shopping for a user and a seller via a virtual shopping mall composed of a plurality of virtual stores, wherein each of the virtual stores is specified and independently executed. Executing the chat, relating the virtual shop selected by the user to screen information for the user to chat with the clerk of the virtual shop, and screen information for displaying the virtual shop, An information processing method comprising a step of outputting. 9. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of storing data of a chat performed by specifying a virtual store and information of the virtual store in storage means using the same identification information. 9. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein screen information for performing the virtual shop and screen information for displaying the virtual shop are associated with each other. 10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of outputting to a user information indicating whether a clerk of the virtual store participates in a chat performed by specifying the virtual store. Information processing method. 11. A screen information for chatting between a user and a clerk of a virtual store and screen information for displaying attribute information of the user participating in the chat are output to the clerk of the virtual store. The information processing method according to claim 8, further comprising: 12. A process for specifying a virtual shopping mall and independently executing a chat, screen information for a user to chat with a guide of the virtual shopping street, and screen information for displaying the virtual shopping street. And outputting to the user, screen information for the guide of the virtual shopping mall to chat with the user, and screen information for displaying the attribute information of the user participating in the chat. 12. The information processing method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising a step of outputting to a guide of the virtual shopping mall in association with the information. 13. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein input and output to a user and a clerk of a virtual store are performed via the Internet. 14. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 8.