JP2002163531A - Point management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system which can alleviate a burden for a consumer to grasp status of points held by him. SOLUTION: The system contains a data communication means 1, a data acquisition means 2 and a judgement means 3. The data communication means 1 receives a 'browsing data' to the effect that the consumer wants to browse status of given points and a 'taste data' on his tastes from a terminal cx of the consumer c, and sends a 'table data' to the terminal cx of this consumer c so that the terminal cx can display a 'list' mentioned below. By accessing a database bx of each supplier b, the data acquisition means 2 acquires a 'point data' for the points held by the consumer c who has sent the browsing data, an 'expiry data' for them and a 'benefit data' for the benefit to be given in exchange for the points. The judgement means 3 judges whether the benefit prepared by each supplier b suits the taste of the consumer c.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention manages, using network communication, the status of points granted to consumers who purchase goods or services from a plurality of vendors and having an expiration date that can be exchanged for benefits. System to

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Each trader gives points that can be exchanged for benefits such as travel to Hawaii and liquid crystal televisions to consumers who purchase their own goods or services when they reach a certain value. As a result, motivation for consumers to purchase products and the like in order to earn points is improved, and sales of the products and the like are promoted. Generally, points have an expiration date, and a consumer who wants to utilize the points must exchange the points for a benefit before the expiration date. It is therefore expected that consumers will purchase goods or services on the rush of expiration to earn points.
In this way, each trader can further promote sales of his or her own products or services by setting expiration dates for points. In addition, each trader can improve the motivation of the consumer to obtain points by preparing expensive benefits and attractive benefits that match the consumer's preferences.

[0003] When a consumer grasps the existing points, it is conceivable to use network communication in consideration of convenience and speed. Specifically, the consumer accesses the information processing terminal of each trader via the network by operating the information processing terminal, and inputs his / her name, customer number, etc., and can exchange the existing points, their expiration dates, and the exchangeable points. It is conceivable to browse features such as the contents of benefits.

[0004] However, when there are a large number of traders, the consumer must repeat such browsing work for each trader, which involves a great deal of trouble. Therefore, consumers tend to neglect such browsing, and the expiration date of the existing points may elapse without being noticed, and there is a possibility that a privilege that could be originally obtained may not be obtained. In addition, there is a possibility that the user may not notice the high value of the points or may not notice the existence of the privilege that matches his / her taste. In these cases, the consumer may lose interest in the points, which may discourage their purchase.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of reducing the burden on consumers for grasping the status of existing points.

[0006]

A point management system according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a point information system relating to existing points of a consumer and an information processing terminal of each trader together with characteristic data relating to the characteristics of the points. A data acquisition means for acquiring by accessing the point data, and a list in which a point according to the point data is displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer according to a characteristic according to the characteristic data. Display means.

[0007] According to the present invention, by viewing the list via the information processing terminal, the consumer can collectively grasp the existing points given by a plurality of traders according to the characteristics. . Therefore, the labor required for the consumer to browse a plurality of existing points is reduced, and the consumer's interest in the existing points can be maintained. This is expected to enable each trader to smoothly increase the consumer's willingness to purchase by giving points.

The data acquisition means acquires data relating to the expiration date of points as the characteristic data, and the list display means displays a list in which the points are arranged in the order of imminent expiration date. It is preferable that the information can be displayed on a consumer's information processing terminal.

Further, the data acquisition means acquires data relating to the expiration date of a point as the characteristic data,
It is preferable that the list display means be capable of displaying, on the information processing terminal of the consumer, a list in which points whose expiration date is approaching within a predetermined period can be identified from other points.

[0010] According to the present invention, by looking at the list, the consumer can easily grasp the point whose expiration date is imminent and the number of such points. Therefore, the risk that the consumer fails to redeem the existing points whose expiration date is approaching for a privilege is reduced.

The data obtaining means obtains data relating to the economic value of points as the characteristic data, and the list display means displays a list in which the points are arranged in descending order of economic value to the consumer. It is preferable that the information can be displayed on the information processing terminal.

Further, the data acquisition means acquires data relating to the economic value of the points as the characteristic data, and the list display means enables points having an economic value of a predetermined value or more to be distinguished from other points. Preferably, a simple list can be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer.

According to the present invention, the consumer can easily grasp the high economic value among the existing points by looking at the list, whereby the consumer can use the high value point as a privilege. The risk of failure to exchange is reduced.

[0014] Data input means for inputting taste data relating to the consumer's taste is provided, and the data acquisition means comprises:
Acquiring data relating to benefits that can be exchanged for points as the characteristic data, the list display means generates a list in which points that can be exchanged for benefits that match the taste of the consumer can be identified from other points. It is preferable that the information can be displayed on a consumer's information processing terminal.

[0015] In this case, a keyword indicating the consumer's preference is assigned to the privilege and the preference relating to the preference data, and each privilege is assigned to the consumer's preference based on whether or not the keyword is common. It is preferable to provide a determination means for determining whether or not they match.

[0016] The data obtaining means obtains, as the characteristic data, a privilege that can be exchanged for points, and data relating to the contents of a product or a service purchased by the consumer when the points are awarded. Or, a determination means for determining the consumer's preference based on the content of the service, wherein the list display means includes a list in which points that can be exchanged for a privilege matching the consumer's preference can be identified from other points. It is preferable that the table can be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer.

In this case, the determination means assigns a keyword indicating the consumer's preference to the privilege and the product or service purchased by the consumer, and determines whether the keyword is common or not. It is preferable to determine whether the benefit matches the preference of the consumer.

According to the present invention, the consumer can exchange the points given by the trader by looking at the list, and can also exchange the points according to his / her taste. It is easy to know which points are important. This will increase the motivation for consumers to redeem points for rewards,
It is possible to reduce the possibility that the points are wasted.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a point management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the point management system according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a list according to the point management system of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present system can exchange a database management system (information processing terminal; hereinafter, referred to as "database") bx of a plurality of traders b with a privilege by purchasing goods or services from the trader b. It is communicably connected via a network to an information processing terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a “terminal”) cx of the consumer c to which the points are given. When the consumer c purchases various goods or services from a plurality of dealers b, "points" are exchanged with the consumers c for the benefits such as Hawaii travel and LCD televisions from each dealer b. . At this time, in the database bx of each trader b, “point data” relating to the current points of the consumer c is added or changed in association with the consumer c.

This system comprises a data communication means 1, a data acquisition means 2, and a judgment means 3. The browsing data communication means 1 receives “browsing data” indicating that browsing of the point awarding status is desired from the terminal cx of the consumer c, “preference data” relating to the preference, and transmits “table data” to the consumer c. To the terminal cx, and a “list” described later can be displayed on the terminal cx. Data communication means 1
Are "list display means" and "data input means" of the present invention.
Is configured. The data acquisition means 2 transmits the "point data" relating to the current point of the consumer c who transmitted the "browsing data", the "expiration date data" relating to the expiration date, and the "privilege data" relating to the privilege exchangeable with the existing point. "
Is obtained by accessing the database bx of each trader b. The determining means 3 determines whether or not the privilege prepared by each trader b matches the preference of the consumer c.

The function of the point management system having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. First, a certain consumer c accesses a site related to the present system by inputting an ID number given in advance via the terminal cx. Then, the consumer c transmits “browsing data” indicating that he / she wants to browse his / her existing points to the data communication unit 1. In response to this, the data acquisition means 2 sets the database bx of each company b.
To the “point data” relating to the current point of the consumer c corresponding to the ID number, the “expiration date data” relating to the expiration date of the existing point, and the privilege which can be exchanged for the point given by each trader b. Such “privilege data”
To get. In addition, the data acquisition means 2 obtains data relating to points required to acquire each privilege from the database bx of each trader b, and data obtained when the points are converted into currency units such as Japanese yen, US dollar, German mark, etc. Also obtain data on economic value. This is to compare the value of the point of the trader b in a common unit.

Here, data for investigating the taste of the consumer c is transmitted from the data communication means 1 to the terminal cx of the consumer c. As a result, keywords such as "travel", "gourmet", "fashion", and "music" are displayed on the terminal cx of the consumer c along with the message "Please select a keyword that you are interested in recently". . When the consumer c operates the terminal cx and selects the keyword "gourmet", data (preference data) indicating that the keyword of interest to the consumer c is "gourmet" is transmitted from the terminal cx to the data communication means 1. . The determination means 3 assigns keywords such as “travel” and “gourmet” to each of the benefits prepared by each trader b, and based on whether or not the benefits are common to the keywords related to the preference data, the benefits are determined by the consumer. It is determined whether or not it matches the preference of c. Note that there may be a plurality of keywords assigned to one privilege, or a plurality of keywords selected by the consumer c at the terminal cx.

Then, the consumer c is transmitted by the data communication means 1.
To the terminal cx, “table data” based on the data such as the “point data” and the determination result by the determination unit 3 and the like. As a result, a “list” as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the terminal cx.

In the list shown in FIG. 2, each row has four columns of “trader name”, “existing points”, “days remaining until expiration date”, and “contents of privilege (required points)”. Here, the points currently held by the consumer c with respect to the five traders b1 to b5 are displayed from the top in ascending order of the number of days remaining until the expiration date. In the column of “current points”, points that can be exchanged for a privilege equivalent to 50,000 yen or more are displayed in bold type than other points. In the column of “number of days remaining until expiration date”, the number of remaining days approaching within 30 days (within a predetermined period) until the expiration date is displayed in bold than other remaining days. In the column of "Content of privilege (necessary points)", a privilege matching the taste of the consumer c, specifically, a privilege having the same topic as the topic "gourmet" selected by the consumer c "Hong Kong Gourmet Tour" ”,“ National local beer ”, etc. are displayed in bold type than other benefits.

Although the expiration dates of the points are the same for the traders b2 and b5, when converted into Japanese yen, the existing points "2800" for the trader b2 are replaced by the trader b5
The point related to the trader b2 is displayed above that of the trader b5 on the basis of the standard that the price is higher than the existing point “9800”.

The consumer c browses the list shown in FIG. 2 at the terminal cx, and among the existing points, the point whose expiration date is imminent is that of the trader “b3”, which is “118,000”. Thus, it can be known that the number of days remaining until the expiration date is 7 days. In addition, there is a “Hong Kong Gourmet Tour” as an award having the keyword “gourmet” selected by the consumer c among the awards prepared by the trader b3, and the points required to acquire it are “60,000”. ".

According to the present system, since the consumer c can easily grasp the existing points whose expiration date is approaching, the risk of failing to exchange these points for a privilege is reduced.

If the number of days remaining until the expiration date is within 30 days, the number of days in the column of the number of remaining days is displayed in a bold font. For this reason, it is possible to surely draw the attention of the consumer c who has viewed the list regarding the fact that the expiration date of the existing points is approaching within 30 days (within a predetermined period).

Points having the same expiration date, such as traders b2 and b5, are arranged in order of their value. Points that can be exchanged for a privilege whose value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, that is, equal to or greater than 50,000 yen, are displayed in bold type than other points. Therefore, the consumer c can grasp the high-value points among the existing points by looking at the list, thereby reducing the risk that the consumer c fails to exchange the high-value points for the privilege.

In addition, the consumer “c” is referred to as “contents of privilege” in the list.
By looking at the column, it is possible to know what kind of privilege can be exchanged for the points given by each of the traders b1 to b5. As a result, the motivation of the consumer c to exchange the points for the benefits in order to effectively use the points can be improved, and the possibility that the points are wasted can be reduced.

Among the awards prepared by each vendor b3, the award “Hong Kong Gourmet Tour” having a keyword common to the keyword “gourmet” previously selected by the consumer c is different from other awards such as “LCD TV”. Displayed in bold. Therefore, the consumer c who sees the list can be made to surely recognize the existence of the privilege according to the preference. In addition, it is possible to improve the motivation of the consumer c to exchange the existing points for the privilege and to reduce the possibility that the existing points are wasted.

In the above embodiment, the points related to each trader b are arranged in order from the top in the list according to the number of days remaining until the expiration date. However, in another embodiment, the economic value of the points and the preference of the consumer c are set. The points may be arranged in order from the top according to the number of benefits that can be exchanged for points.

In the above embodiment, the consumer c has the terminal cx
Each benefit is based on the keyword selected by
However, as another embodiment, the data acquisition means 2 acquires data related to a product or the like purchased by the consumer c when acquiring points, and the determination means 3 May be determined based on the keyword given to the user whether or not each privilege matches the preference of the consumer c. In this case, the determination unit 3 determines whether each benefit matches the preference of the consumer c based on whether the keyword assigned to the product or the like purchased by the consumer c and the keyword assigned to each benefit are common. Is determined.

In the above embodiment, each item in the list is identifiable by the thickness of the character. However, other characteristics such as color such as red or black, whether it is italic, and asterisk mark. The identification may be made based on the presence / absence of an additional symbol, the display mode of whether or not it is blinking, and the like.

In the above-described embodiment, when a privilege that is valid only for a certain period, such as from October 1 to 20, is prepared as a privilege prepared by each contractor, the privilege for the limited period is listed in the list. Depending on the shape and color of the character such as thickness and size, it may be displayed so as to be distinguishable from other benefits.

According to this list, when the period and the expiration date of the existing points of the consumer c overlap, it is expected that the consumer c will improve the motivation to exchange the points for a limited time privilege. it can. Then, the possibility that the points are wasted is reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, if at least one keyword is common, it is determined that the privilege matches the preference of the consumer c. However, in another embodiment, the keywords match at least a predetermined number such as two. In this case, it may be determined that the privilege matches the preference of the consumer c. Further, in the list displayed on the terminal cx of the consumer c, each privilege may be displayed separately according to the number of common keywords. Thereby, the consumer c can know the existence of the privilege more suited to his / her preference according to the degree of preference.

The present system may be configured by incorporating application software into the terminal cx of the consumer c. Also in this case, the consumer c can grasp the status of the existing points via the terminal cx.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of a point management system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a list according to the point management system of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 data communication means, 2 data acquisition means, 3 judgment means, b trader, c consumer, bx database management system (terminal of trader), cx consumer terminal

Claims (9)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A system for managing, using network communication, the status of awarding of points which are given to consumers who purchase goods or services from a plurality of traders and have an expiration date that can be exchanged for a privilege, Data acquisition means for acquiring point data relating to the current point of the consumer together with the characteristic data relating to the characteristics of the point by accessing the information processing terminal of each of the traders; and the points relating to the point data are included in the characteristic data. A point management system comprising: a list display unit that enables a list displayed according to the characteristic to be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer. 2. The data obtaining means obtains data relating to the expiration date of a point as the characteristic data, and the list display means displays a list in which each point is arranged in the order in which the expiration date is imminent. The point management system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing terminal can display the information on the information processing terminal of the consumer. 3. The data acquisition means acquires data relating to the expiration date of points as the characteristic data, and the list display means identifies points whose expiration date is approaching within a predetermined period from other points. The point management system according to claim 1, wherein a list that can be displayed can be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer. 4. The data obtaining means obtains data relating to the economic value of points as the characteristic data, and the list display means displays a list in which each point is arranged in descending order of economic value. 2. The point management system according to claim 1, wherein the information can be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer. 5. The data acquisition means acquires data relating to the economic value of points as the characteristic data, and the list display means enables points having an economic value equal to or more than a predetermined value to be distinguished from other points. The point management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a simple list can be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer. 6. A data input means for inputting preference data relating to the consumer's preference, wherein the data acquisition means acquires data relating to a privilege that can be exchanged for points as the characteristic data, The display means is capable of displaying, on the information processing terminal of the consumer, a list in which points that can be exchanged for a privilege matching the preference of the consumer can be identified from other points. 5. The point management system according to any one of 5. 7. A keyword indicating the preference of the consumer is assigned to each of the privilege and the preference relating to the preference data, and each privilege matches the preference of the consumer based on whether or not the keyword is common. 7. The point management system according to claim 6, further comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the point has been reached. 8. The data acquisition means acquires, as the characteristic data, a privilege that can be exchanged for a point and data relating to the contents of a product or a service purchased by the consumer when the point is awarded. Or a determination means for determining the consumer's preference based on the content of the service, wherein the list display means is a list in which points that can be exchanged for a privilege matching the consumer's preference can be identified from other points. The point management system according to claim 1, wherein a table can be displayed on the information processing terminal of the consumer. 9. The determining means assigns a keyword indicating the consumer's preference to the privilege and the product or service purchased by the consumer, and determines each privilege based on whether or not the keyword is common. The point management system according to claim 8, wherein it is determined whether or not the item matches the consumer's preference.