JP2002298227A - Market research system and market research method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a retailer to timely and adequately know a market trend and product information fitting to an area of the retailer, and to plan adequate sales strategy. SOLUTION: An ordering/order receiving system 10 of a commodity includes a market research system functionally. The market research system includes a server system 12 connected to a manufacturer and wholesaler computer 13, a information provider computer 17, and a POS terminal 14a and a terminal 14 of the retailer through a communication network 10. The server system 12 includes a means 12 for storing sale information at a time point of sale transmitted from the POS terminal 14a of the retailer through the communication network 10, a means 22 for analyzing on commodity sale by using the sale information, and a means 22 for transmitting an analysis result to the computers 13, 17, 14 of the manufacturer and the wholesaler, the information provider, and/or the retailer through the communication network 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a market research system and a market research method.
A market research system capable of connecting to retailers, product suppliers, and information providers via a communication network, constantly monitoring market trends in real time, and providing each vendor with information effective in promoting retailer product sales; and Regarding market research methods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, supermarkets and large stores that sell many types of products in large quantities at low prices, and mass-market stores that specialize and narrow down product groups have increased. To that extent, the ability of traditional small-scale retailers to attract customers has been declining, and most of them are under pressure. Although these retail points carry out various plans and events for each shopping district or for each store in order to increase the ability to attract customers, they have not yet produced the desired results.

[0003] When these retailers formulate a sales strategy, they naturally need to know market trends exactly as in large stores and mass retailers. To do this, it is possible to ask a market research company to conduct research on a specific item, but it has often been difficult in terms of research costs.

[0004] For this reason, conventionally, a retail store obtains information on hot-selling products from a sales person of a maker or a wholesaler or a pamphlet, or an information magazine or a distribution research institution issued by a distribution-related information magazine company. They searched for market trends by obtaining information on hot-selling products, seasonal planning products, event-ready products, and store management from published magazines and reports.

[0005]

However, for small-scale retailers, conventional word-of-mouth, pamphlets,
Most of the knowledge of market trends based on information magazines and the like has a considerable time lag before information is transmitted to the retail point, and thus lacks real-time characteristics. While there are long-life products, there are many products that are greatly affected by trends and changes in the climate, and the sales of these products change drastically.

[0006] In addition, the contents of knowledge of market trends based on the conventional method are not necessarily those taking into account the specialty of the region, but are often average matters. For example, products sold in one area are often unacceptable in another area, so we wanted to catch trends that match our area as much as possible, but this was often difficult.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the conventional circumstances in setting up a sales strategy surrounding such a retail store. It is an object of the present invention to be able to know the information in a timely and accurate manner and to activate sales in the retail business.

[0008]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer for a merchandise supplier, a computer for an information provider, and a POS for a retailer via a communication network. Point information management) a server system communicably connected to a terminal and a computer, wherein the server system stores sales information at the point of sale transmitted from the POS terminal of the retailer via the communication network. Means,
Analysis means for analyzing the sales of goods using the sales information stored in the storage means; and a result of the analysis by the analysis means, the goods supplier, the information provider, and / or Transmitting means for transmitting the data to a retailer's computer.

As a result, the point-of-sale information of the retailer is constantly collected and stored in real time. For this reason, when conducting an analysis on product sales, the latest or past most appropriate sales information can always be used limited to a desired area, for example. Accordingly, a merchandise sales analysis is also accurately performed, and the analysis result is transmitted to a merchandise supplier, an information provider, and / or a retailer. Merchandise suppliers and / or information providers can pass market trends and merchandise information that reflect the analysis results to retailers. For this reason, the retailer can know market trends and product information suitable for his / her area in a timely and accurate manner, which can lead to activation of retail sales.

[0010] For example, the analysis means is a means for performing the analysis on a request for sales of goods transmitted from the computer of any of the goods supplier, the information provider, and the retailer via the communication network. . The analysis means may be means for performing the analysis on a predetermined item.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server system communicably connected to a computer of a commodity supplier, a computer of an information provider, and a computer of a retailer via a communication network. A server system, an information posting unit for posting information provided from the computer of the commodity supplier or the information provider via the communication network, and an offer to browse information from the computer of the retailer via the communication network; And an information browsing means for browsing the information published in the information publishing means when there is a problem.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a server system communicably connected to a computer of a merchandise supplier, a computer of an information provider, and an information terminal installed in a store of a retailer via a communication network is provided. Prepared,
The server system includes an information receiving unit that receives information provided from the computer of the product supplier or the information provider via the communication network, and distributes the received information to the store-installed information terminal of the retailer. An information distribution system is provided, comprising:

According to another aspect of the present invention, sales information at a point of sale transmitted from a POS (point of sale information) terminal of a retailer via a communication network is stored, and the stored sales information is stored. A market research method characterized by performing an analysis on merchandise sales using a computer, and transmitting the analysis result to a computer of a merchandise supplier, an information provider, and / or a retailer via the communication network. .

Further, as another aspect of the present invention, a computer of a merchandise supplier, a computer of an information provider, and a POS (point of sale information) terminal and a computer of a retailer are communicably connected via a communication network. Means for storing, in a storage device, sales information at the point of sale transmitted from the POS terminal of the retailer via the communication network, and a product using the sales information stored in the storage device. An analyzing means for performing an analysis relating to sales, and a transmitting means for transmitting a result analyzed by the analyzing means to a computer of the commodity supplier, the information provider, and / or the retailer via the communication network. A program is provided.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, an outline of a commodity ordering system implemented by incorporating a market research system, an information distribution system, and an information browsing system according to the present invention will be described.

One of the functions of this product ordering system is to open an electronic marketplace (e-marketplace) on a communication network, and a small-scale retailer (hereinafter referred to as a “retail store”). This is a preferred group purchase chain. In this ordering system, manufacturers and wholesalers that supply products (hereinafter, "
A wholesaler), retailers that sell products to consumers, an operation agency that performs the tasks necessary for a joint purchase chain of multiple retailers, a carrier that transports the products, and a product price. The billing agent that acts for the collection and payment of the player becomes the player.

In particular, the agent processing company is a player who mediates ordering and ordering operations between many retail stores (for example, 1000 or more stores) and many manufacturers and wholesalers (for example, 500 companies or more) for each product. . For this reason, from the viewpoint of the manufacturer / wholesaler, only the operation agency processing company may be a virtual business partner. For this reason, the maker / wholesaler can save troublesome work such as when directly dealing with a large number of retailers who mostly make small-scale product orders. Conversely, retailers participating in this ordering and ordering system can order small-scale merchandise orders from an operation agency processing company without hesitation, and enter into a joint purchase chain conducted by the operation agency processing company. In most cases, you can enjoy the quantity effect.

This ordering system is operated on a membership system in which members are recruited in advance from both manufacturers and wholesalers and retail stores, and necessary information on companies and products is registered. The communication network is, for example, the Internet. The agent processing company is operated with a fee according to the membership fee and transaction amount from the member. The products sold by this ordering system are particularly suitable for mass-consuming products such as daily necessities and foodstuffs. In addition, as a product, a product for a service such as a ticket or a ticket can be ordered.

Further, as another function of the ordering system, a server system to be described later has the functions of a market research system, an information distribution system, and an information browsing system in the form of being attached to the above-mentioned e-marketplace. I'm making it.

These market research systems, information distribution systems, and information browsing systems integrate manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and information providers (distribution-related information magazine publishing companies, research and development companies, etc.) via a communication network. It is provided as a total system for revitalizing retail sales. Among these, the market research system analyzes and processes the point-of-sale information (POS data on merchandise sales and inventory) of merchandise derived in real time from the retail store to grasp market trends. Further, by the information distribution system, information is distributed from a manufacturer / wholesaler or an information provider that is upstream to a retail store that is downstream. Furthermore, the information published in the information browsing system can be browsed by each trader, retail store, and third party.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of a hardware configuration of the ordering system.

The order receiving / ordering system 10 is connected to the Internet 11 as a communication network and managed by an operation processing agency, a computer system 13A, computers 13A, 13B,.
(Hereinafter, represented by reference numeral 13: referred to as a manufacturer / wholesaler computer), computers 14A of a plurality of retail stores, 1
4B,... (Hereinafter, represented by reference numeral 14: referred to as a retail terminal), computers 1 of at least one or more carriers
5 (hereinafter referred to as carrier computer), at least one or more billing agent computer 16 (hereinafter referred to as billing agent computer), and at least one or more information provider computer 17 (hereinafter information providing) (Called a trader computer).

The server system 12 is, in terms of hardware, a web server 21 connected to the Internet 11.
And the business server 22 connected to the web server 21
(Composed of a plurality of server devices for load sharing), and a database 23 used for processing by the business server 22 and the web server 21. The server system 12 is managed by an operation processing agency that supervises each dealer and retail store, but the name of this administrator is not limited to “company”, for example, “center”, “service company” And so on.

The web server 21 has a communication function and an authentication function with the manufacturer / wholesale computer 13, the retail store terminal 14, the carrier computer 15, the billing agent computer 16, and the information provider computer 17.

The business server 22 registers members (manufacturers, wholesalers, and retail stores), registers and updates product masters, accepts orders from retail stores, accepts order processing including matching,
It fulfills functions such as ordering to wholesalers, transportation command processing, billing processing, database 23 search, market research, information distribution, and information browsing. With this business server 22,
Websites for market research reception, information distribution, and information posting have also been constructed.

In the database 23, a maker / wholesaler master, a merchandise master (including a matching table for each merchandise), a retail store master, and a research master are constructed. These masters are updated whenever necessary.

The web server 21 and the business server 2
In the second memories M1 and M2 (recording media), application programs for executing predetermined processing including the above-described processing are installed. This application runs on the operating system (OS) of the servers 21 and 22.

The manufacturer / wholesaler computer 13 is a general-purpose personal computer that functions as a terminal capable of bidirectional communication via the communication device 13x for each company. A browser is installed on the manufacturer / wholesale computer 13. This allows manufacturers and wholesalers to
Membership registration, product master registration / update, product order,
Processing such as billing, market research request, information browsing, and information distribution can be performed independently by each company. In addition,
In this ordering system (e-marketplace), manufacturers and wholesalers only need to deal with the operation processing agency company in terms of product registration, order acceptance, billing, etc., and conduct business directly with many retail stores. No need to do.

The retail store terminal 14 is provided for each of the stores.
It is composed of a general-purpose personal computer that functions as a terminal capable of bidirectional communication via 4x. The retailer terminal 14 has a browser installed. Thereby, each retail store can perform processes such as member registration, product ordering, market research request, information browsing, and information distribution from the terminal 14 to the server system 12 independently. In this ordering / ordering system (e-marketplace), each retailer only needs to place an order with the operation processing agency, even if the order destination (manufacturer / wholesaler) of the product is distributed to a plurality of companies. There is no need to do business directly with many manufacturers and distributors.

To participate in the e-marketplace, each retail store only needs to prepare a general-purpose personal computer with a browser installed, enable connection to the Internet 11, and register as a member. For this reason, even a small retail store can reasonably participate in the e-marketplace.

Further, at each retail store, the communication device 14x
Has a POS terminal 14a for product sales and inventory management,
A kiosk terminal 14b, which is a store-installed information terminal. In addition, inventory management is at retail store terminals (general-purpose PCs)
May be performed. Further, the kiosk terminal 14b may be installed only when the retail store desires.

Therefore, the input data to the POS terminal 14a is sent to the server system 12 in real time via the communication device 14x and the Internet 11. Further, various information distributed from the server system 12 is transmitted to the kiosk terminal 14b via the Internet 11 and the communication device 14x.

The carrier computer 15 is a communication device 15
It is connected to the Internet 11 via x. The billing agent computer 16 is also connected to the Internet 11 via the communication device 16x.

Also, the information provider computer 17
Belongs to a distribution-related information magazine publishing company or a distribution research and development company (institution), and via the communication device 17x, the Internet 1
1 connected.

The Internet 11 is a server system 1
The two-way communication between the client 2 and the unspecified number of clients 13 to 16 is performed under a predetermined communication protocol such as TCP / IP. It is desirable that each retail store is connected to the Internet 11 by a constant connection service (ADSL).

(Ordering / Ordering Operation) Next, an example of the overall operation of the ordering / ordering system 10 according to the present embodiment and its operational effects will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 shows a work flow performed among a manufacturer / wholesaler, a retail store, an operation agency, a carrier, and a billing agency.

In advance, as a preparation for the order receiving / ordering system 10, member registration and merchandise master registration are performed. Specifically, the maker / wholesaler who wants to be a member sends information that satisfies a predetermined registration form to the operation agency processing company, and performs company registration and product registration in the database 23 of the server system 12 (FIG. 2, step). S1, S2).

To register a manufacturer / wholesale company, the manufacturer (wholesale) code (assigned by the operation agency processing company), the manufacturer (wholesale) name, postal code, address, representative telephone number, representative name, access number, password , Industry / business type, capital,
Information on annual sales, responsible departments, departments in charge, etc. is required.

The registration of the product master includes a manufacturer (wholesale) code, a JICFS classification code, a JAN code, a product name, a desired selling price, an order lot (piece), a delivery unit price, an order unit price, a new product flag, a recommended product flag, and Information such as quantity and order unit is required.

In particular, the number of ordered lots and the delivery unit price (= ordered unit price) are items corresponding to one of the present embodiments. As the number of ordered lots from the operation agency processing company increases, the operation agency processing company (ie, The storage table is set for each product so that the unit price for delivery to a retail store is reduced. This is based on the fact that the larger the order quantity of the same product, the larger the quantity effect in general, and is also a matter for negotiation between the manufacturer / wholesaler and the operation processing agency at the time of registration.

In this product registration, if the JAN code is duplicated, a notification such as adoption of the product with the lower delivery price is sent from the operation agency processing company to the corresponding maker.
Sent to wholesaler.

The retail store desiring to become a member sends the information that satisfies a predetermined registration form to the operation agency processing company and registers the ordering master in the database 23 of the server system 12 (FIG. 2, step S3). .

For registration of a retail store, an ordering source code (assigned by an operation agency processing company), an ordering source name, a postal code, an address, a representative telephone number, a representative name, an access number, a password, a business type / business type, and capital. , Annual sales, responsible department, department in charge,
Information such as a joint purchase category and a specification POS maker is required.

When creating the ordering master by this retailer registration, the business server 22 of the server system 12
Create a representative company code for each region. The representative company code is a group of retail stores that match the transport route of the carrier. Based on this representative company code, the efficiency of goods transportation is improved.

The above-described master registration process, that is, the processes of steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 2 are independent processes that do not depend on the temporal order.

In this ordering / ordering system 10, the greater the number of members and the number of products that can be handled, the more the principle of competition between manufacturers and wholesalers is expected to be activated. , Register, update, and delete.

When the registration preparation is completed, the ordering / ordering system 10 is started up, and an e-marketplace using the communication network 11 is opened.

The operation associated with ordering goods in the e-marketplace will be described.

Each retail store sends, for example, product order data to the e-marketplace established by the business server 22 (FIG. 2: step S4). This order data transmission method includes:
A method of selecting order data by accessing the ordering site of the e-marketplace online, or a method of transmitting a data file to the server system 21 via an interface is provided.

The order (delivery) data includes an order source (retail store) code, order source name (retail store name), representative company code, representative company name, order date, manufacturer (wholesale) code, JIC
FS (JAN Item Code File Ser)
visit) Classification code, JAN (Japanese A)
rticle Number Code), product name, order unit, quantity, size, case, order quantity, order unit price, order amount, delivery quantity, delivery amount, delivery date, joint purchase category, order difference reason, final date, and the like.

The order data is taken into the server system 12 and is subjected to an order receiving process including the following matching (FIG. 2, step S5). That is, the server system 12 extracts only the data of the joint purchase from the order data, and adds up the data of the representative company code for each product of the joint purchase. Then, the server system 12 matches the product to be ordered with the product master, extracts an order unit price corresponding to the order quantity, and returns the order unit price to the ordering retailer in, for example, a CVS format data format. . The order unit price (the unit price delivered to the manufacturer / wholesaler) determined by this matching is a price reflecting the effect of the joint purchase.

In this matching, if an order is placed for a product that is not handled, the product data is returned to the ordering source, and a notification that the product is not handled is given.

Here, the above-mentioned matching processing will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

In the server system 12, the business server 22 stands by while judging whether or not there is an order from a retail store (FIG. 3, step S401). This judgment is YE
S, that is, when there is an order, it is determined whether the order is a joint purchase or a direct purchase (step S402).

The direct purchase is a purchase method in which each retail store independently orders goods through an operation agency processing company. The direct purchase method has the advantage that each retailer can freely order products when necessary, but the effect of quantity is often not so expected.

On the other hand, the joint purchase, as described above,
This is a purchase method in which a number of retailers jointly order one product, and aim to reduce the unit price (purchase price) based on the quantity effect. For this reason, even for the same product, the larger the number of joint purchases, the lower the order unit price. Although the joint purchase method has some restrictions on the timing of ordering as described later, an effect of suppressing the order unit price due to a large quantity effect can be expected. Therefore, each retailer can appropriately use joint purchase or direct purchase depending on the urgency of purchasing goods.

If the determination in step S402 is NO, that is, if it is a direct purchase, the business server 22 performs a predetermined direct purchase process (step S403). On the other hand, when the determination is YES, that is, in the case of joint purchase, the order data is read and stored (step S404). The reception of this joint purchase is continued until a certain time comes (step S4).
05). The acceptance period for this joint purchase is, for example, every half day, 1
It is set appropriately for each day, every two days, or the like.

When the reception period ends, the business server 22
Selects one representative company code predetermined for each district, for example, in ascending order, and then specifies one product (JAN code), for example, in ascending order (steps S406 and S407).

Next, the business server 22 proceeds to step S4
Sort the order data stored in 04 by product,
Calculate the number of joint purchase lots for each product (Step S40)
8). In other words, the number of lots of the joint purchase obtained by this calculation is a number represented as, for example, "370 sweets for the cherry blossom viewing company" xxx "in the" Shimbashi / Shinagawa "district".

After that, the business server 22 searches the product master of the database 23 for the product of the lot number obtained as described above, and determines whether or not the product master is registered in the master (steps S409 and S409). NO in this judgment,
That is, if the ordered product is not registered in the product master, each retail store is notified of the fact as described above (step S411). In this case, the aggregated data such as the lot number of unregistered products and the name of the area where the order was requested are stored in the e-marketplace.
Used as research data to work with wholesalers.

As a result of the above product master search, when it is determined that the product is registered (YE in step S410)
S), the business server 22 searches the number of ordered lots in the storage table in the master of the product with the total number of ordered lots as described above, and selects a corresponding order unit price (steps S412 and S413).

FIG. 4 schematically shows how the lot number is searched and the unit price is selected. Now, for example, a product “xx” manufactured by Company A
As for “x”, it is assumed that the number of ordered lots (pieces) of the product master and the delivery unit price (yen) are registered in advance as shown in FIG. In other words, as the number of ordered lots increases,
The delivery unit price is reduced for each category of the number of ordered lots according to the quantity effect.

Now, if the total number of ordered lots of the product “xxx” manufactured by Company A is 370, the lot number search determines the “251 to 400” lot number category including 370 lots. This lot number division "251-400 pieces"
Is 890 yen. For this reason,
Product “xxx” manufactured by Company A: The delivery unit price (= order unit price) for the ordered lot number = 370 pieces is determined to be 890 yen. This is a lower purchase price due to the quantity effect of joint purchase, compared to a case where the order quantity is 12 units of the minimum unit and 980 yen.

This matching process is performed for all products and further for all representative company codes (all districts) (FIG. 3, steps S414 and S415).

Next, the business server 22 creates order data including the delivery unit price (= order unit price) for each representative company code and each product determined as described above (step S41).
6). Further, the delivery unit price for each product is calculated by the server system 1
2 is notified to the retail store through the retail store terminal 14 (step S417).

Items not handled by the ordering system are written on an electronic bulletin board of a website established by the server system 12 and are browsed by members.
This stimulates the principle of competition, such as competitors browsing unhandled products and registering products to handle them.
-Effective for revitalizing the marketplace.

When the order data (including the order lot and the order unit price) is determined by the representative company code and the product by the above-mentioned matching, the order data is transmitted online to the corresponding maker / wholesaler in, for example, a CVS format. (FIG. 2, step S6). Thereby, an order for joint purchase is made. Further, the server system 12 notifies the representative company that the order has been confirmed in, for example, a CVS format, and each retail store receives the order confirmation notification individually via the representative company (FIG. 2, step S7). ). Further, the server system 12 also notifies the carrier computer 15 of the data related to the transportation out of the order data on-line as a product delivery command (step S8 in FIG. 2).

The manufacturer / wholesaler who has received the order arranges the ordered products and entrusts the delivery to the carrier, and the carrier delivers the products to each retail store based on the delivery entrustment contract (see work W1 in FIG. 2). . In other words, the transport company goes to the manufacturer / wholesaler to receive the goods in accordance with the goods delivery instruction written in advance from the operation agency processing company, receives the goods, and delivers the goods to each retail store. At this time, the manufacturer / wholesaler may deliver to the joint delivery location specified by the operation agency processing company. In that case, the carrier receives the goods at such a joint delivery location and delivers the goods to each retail store.

The retail store that has received the product delivery inspects the product and makes a delivery confirmation input to the retail store terminal 14 (step S9 in FIG. 2). At this time, if there is a difference between the order quantity and the arrival quantity of the product, or if the product is different, the information is also input. This input data is stored online in the server system 1.
Sent to 2.

In the server system 12, which has received the delivery confirmation input, a predetermined delivery confirmation process is performed by the business server 22 (step S10). Although not shown, the business server 22 sends a return or re-shipment command to the maker / wholesaler computer 13, the retailer terminal 14,
And / or to the carrier computer 15.

The manufacturer / wholesaler confirms the transmitted delivery confirmation data and performs a confirmation process. As a result, this confirmation processing information is sent online from the manufacturer / wholesaler computer 13 to the server system 12 (step S).
11).

When the delivery confirmation processing is completed, the business server 22
Sends online the billing statement data of the goods to the computer 13 of the manufacturer / wholesaler, the terminal 15 of the corresponding retail store, and the computer 16 of the billing agent (steps S12a to 12c). This transmission is performed, for example, in a CSV format.

The billing agent bills the merchandise to the retail store and pays the merchandise to the manufacturer / wholesaler.

The burden of the transportation cost of the commodity in the above-mentioned joint purchase can take various forms. Preferably, the manufacturer / wholesaler pays for the joint distribution center set up for joint purchase, and the operating agent processing company pays the transportation costs to the remaining retail stores. In the e-marketplace, each retail store pays an operation fee to the operation processing company at a rate corresponding to the annual sales and the transaction amount of each month. For this reason, the transportation fee from the operation fee to the retail store is covered.

The monthly billing data that the retailer receives from the operation processing company includes, in addition to the total billing amount of purchased goods, a registration fee to be paid to the operation processing company when becoming a member of the e-marketplace, Includes basic and pay-as-you-go fees depending on annual sales and transaction value.

According to the merchandise ordering system according to the present embodiment, even a small-scale retail store can be set up with an initial investment for preparing a terminal device and connecting to the Internet or the like. You can participate in the e-marketplace. In this e-marketplace, the purchase price can be considerably reduced by simply ordering the merchandise to the operation agency processing company by the quantity corresponding to the sales power of the own shop, by the quantity effect based on the joint purchase chain. Therefore, this ordering and ordering system has been
Furthermore, it becomes an extremely effective product purchasing route for small-scale retailers who have lagged behind price competition with large stores and mass retailers in terms of human resources. As a result, retailers with small businesses can set retail prices that are comparable to large-scale retailers and mass retailers, which can contribute to increasing the ability to attract customers in local shopping districts, and in the hope of revitalizing the shopping districts it can.

Also, unlike the joint purchase based on the affiliated stores such as the existing convenience stores, the joint purchase chain based on the e-marketplace makes it easy for an individual store that is completely unrelated to the affiliated stores to easily participate. it can.

Further, the maker / wholesaler can do business with a large number of retail points behind it simply by making a virtual transaction with the operation agency processing company. Manufacturers and wholesalers can receive large orders and get new customers without being busy with the work required for many small orders.

Further, the e-marketplace can return small retail stores, which are often left behind in the valley of intense distribution competition in recent years, to product distribution, and the distribution business as a whole is a new business field. Can be created.

It is needless to say that the configuration of the above-described embodiment can be modified into various forms.

For example, the operation of collecting the product price from the retail store and paying the maker / wholesaler may be performed by the operation processing agency company itself without depending on the billing agency.

In the above embodiment, the table schematically shown in FIG. 4 is used in the matching processing for determining the total quantity (lot number) of the ordered products and the unit delivery price (order unit price). However, this may be performed by calculation. For example, an arithmetic expression in which the total quantity is compared with a predetermined reference quantity, and the difference becomes smaller, the discount rate increases, may be stored.

(Operations of Market Research, Information Distribution, and Information Browsing) Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 13, a market research system, an information browsing system, and an information processing executed in the ordering system 10 according to the present embodiment. The operation and effect of the information distribution system will be described.

FIG. 5 shows an outline flow of a work performed among a maker / wholesaler, a retail store, an operation agency processing company (server system 12), and an information provider.

First, point-of-sale information is always transmitted to the server system 12 in real time from a plurality of member retailers via the POS terminal 14a or the retailer terminal 14, and the data is used as sales information. Stored in the database 23. For this reason, when there is an online market research request from a member manufacturer / wholesaler or an information provider as a member, a market research system (analysis) that is functionally realized by the server system 12.
With this, the requested item is researched using the stored sales information. The results of this research are returned online to the requestor.

When a manufacturer / wholesaler or an information provider requests information to be posted on the website, the server system 12 publishes the information, and the maker / wholesaler, the information provider, and the retailer of the posted information. Browsing to stores and third parties is allowed.

Further, when a manufacturer / wholesaler or an information provider requests information distribution to a retail store, the server system 1
2 specifies a distribution destination and distributes information to the retailer of the specified distribution destination. This information distribution is based on retail stores and manufacturers
A contract with a wholesaler or information provider, a reward for the manufacturer / wholesaler or the information provider having been provided with point-of-sale information from a particular retailer, and the receipt of commercial information from the manufacturer / wholesaler. It occurs due to transmission.

As described above, in addition to the mode of market research (analysis), information browsing permission, and information distribution in response to a request from a trader or a retail store, the server system 12 has its own basic service menu, Research is performed, and the research results are provided for information browsing and / or information distribution. These basic service menus include, for example, best-selling best-selling products by region (industry) / category, tracking reports of specific products, and inventory analysis reports.

The above-mentioned work is more specifically processed by the business server 22 of the server system 12 as shown in FIGS.

FIG. 6 shows an outline of collecting point-of-sale data from each retail store. The business server 22 activates the collection process of FIG. 6 at regular time intervals Δt, and the POS terminal 14a of the retail store
And / or point-of-sale data and / or inventory data are read from the retailer terminal 14 and stored in the database 23 (steps S501, S502). This reading and storing are performed for all the retail stores that are members (step S503).

FIGS. 7 and 8 both show an outline of the processing by the market research system functionally constituted by the server system 12.

FIG. 7 shows a process when a research request is received from a manufacturer / wholesaler, an information provider, or a retail store. That is, when there is a request for research from a manufacturer / wholesaler, an information provider, or a retail store, the business server 22 accepts the contents of the research (step S511, step S511).
S512). Next, the business server 22 reads out the point-of-sale data and / or the inventory data from the database 23 according to the contents of the research, and analyzes (or processes) the data (steps S513 to S515). This analysis result is transmitted to the client online (step S51)
4).

FIG. 8 shows an outline of a process in which the business server 22 analyzes an item determined in advance in the basic service menu. That is, the business server 22 reads out point-of-sale data necessary for analysis of a predetermined item, and analyzes or processes the item (steps S521 to S52).
2). This analysis or processing result is distributed to a predetermined client or posted on a bulletin board of a website for browsing (step S523).

FIG. 9 shows an outline process of the information browsing system functionally constituted by the server system 12. As shown in the figure, when there is a request for posting on a bulletin board of a website from a manufacturer / wholesaler or an information provider as a member, the business server 22 posts the requested information on the bulletin board (step S531). , S532).
On the other hand, when there is a browsing request from a manufacturer / wholesaler, an information provider, a retail store, or a third party, the browsing is performed after authentication processing (steps S533 to S535). In this case, the browsing fee may be free, but when the browsing fee is collected, the browsing fee can be made different depending on whether or not the browsing applicant is a member.

FIG. 10 shows an outline process of the information distribution system functionally constituted by the server system 12. As shown in the figure, when there is a request for distribution of information from a manufacturer / wholesaler or an information provider as a member, the business server 22 accepts the distribution contents, specifies the distribution destination, and specifies the distribution destination. It is distributed online to retail stores (steps S541 to S544). The distribution destination is added by the distribution requester to the distribution request information.
It can be designated as a retail store of a specific business type, a retail store of a specific size or more, all retail stores, and the like.

Manufacturers / wholesalers, information providers, operation processing agencies (server systems 12), for market research, information browsing, and information distribution processed as described above,
FIG. 11 exemplifies the exchange of information between retailers and retailers.

For example, information sent from the manufacturer / wholesaler to the operation processing agency company includes a research request, information distribution to a contract retailer, posting of new products / recommended products, console information, and the like. In response to this, the processing performed by the operation processing agency includes agency processing of the requested research and provision of information resulting therefrom, mediation and processing on behalf of retailers, posting on websites and partial retailing This includes information distribution to stores, posting on websites, and information distribution to all retail stores. Further, in response to this, the processing performed by the retail store includes browsing information from manufacturers and wholesalers, contracting and providing information with manufacturers and wholesalers, and displaying information on the kiosk terminal 14b which is a store-installed information terminal. And browsing various websites.

[0100] The information sent from the information provider to the operation processing agency includes event information distribution from the annual plan and monthly plan (posting of plan information of each month, menu menu, etc.),
Product activation support information, management strategy support information, store manager / part training information, IT strategy information, research requests, etc. In response to this, the processing executed by the operation processing agency company includes:
Posting of event information and verification from POS data, posting of product activation information (posting of hypotheses and results of verification), posting of management strategy support information, posting of store manager / part training information,
Includes posting IT strategy information, request research processing and providing the results. Further, correspondingly, the processing performed by the retail store includes provision of POS data, provision of inventory data, browsing of various information, and the like.

On the other hand, when the operation processing agency company receives P
The processing to be performed by receiving the OS data and the inventory data is as follows:
Management of point-of-sale information and its disclosure. Specifically, POS data and inventory data are collected, and based on these data, the items of the basic menu and / or the option menu are analyzed or processed, and the results are posted on a website or distributed. The basic menu includes, for example, a list of best single item sales by region (industry) and category,
There are tracking reports for specific products, inventory analysis reports, etc. The option menu includes, for example, consumer trend survey (customer management) service, coupon usage processing agency, hypothesis verification report, manufacturer / wholesaler or information provider, etc. There is a report showing the result of the request. In response, manufacturers and wholesalers, information providers, and retailers
It is possible to browse reports and receive information indicating the analysis or processing.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show examples of computer screens for issuing various requests. FIG. 12 (a)
FIG. 3B shows an example of a request menu to the information provider viewed from the retail store terminal 14, and FIG. 4B shows an example of a request menu to the manufacturer / wholesaler viewed from the retail terminal 14. (C) shows an example of a request menu to the operation processing agency viewed from the retail store terminal 14 or the manufacturer / wholesale computer 13. Further, FIG. 13A shows an example of an option request menu to the operation processing agency viewed from the retail store terminal 14. FIG. 6B shows an example of items requested by the manufacturer / wholesaler viewed on the monitor screen of the operation processing agency.

In the above-described embodiment, the storage means, the analysis means, the transmission means, the information posting means, the information browsing means, the information receiving means, and the information distribution means of the present invention operate in cooperation with each component of the server system 12. Is realized functionally.

As described above, the integrated system of market research, information browsing, and information distribution integrated with the ordering system enables not only retail stores, but also manufacturers, wholesalers, and information providers to obtain market trends. Information can be shared and freshened, and sales at retail stores can be promoted. In other words, market research can be performed almost in real time and in accordance with desired research contents based on point-of-sale information and inventory data from retail stores in which research contents including research areas are appropriately set. Manufacturers / wholesalers and information providers have been hypothesized from the perspective of how the market will change in the future and what needs to be done in the context of rapidly changing market trends and consumer needs. And verify it in a timely manner. These surveys and verifications are, of course, performed taking into account regional characteristics. The survey and verification results will be surely reflected in the market information, product information, various reports, etc. posted on the website by upstream manufacturers, wholesalers and information providers, as well as intermediate processing agencies. . Therefore, a much more reliable sales strategy can be set in a timely manner, compared to the conventional case where it is necessary to rely on word-of-mouth information and information with a time lag such as information magazines. Revitalize sales.

In order to enjoy the advantages of such an integrated system, the retailer needs the ordering system 10.
As a member of, only a general-purpose personal computer, a communication device such as a terminal adapter, a POS terminal, and / or a kiosk terminal are equipped, and the investment of those can be kept within a reasonable range. Therefore, a system suitable for a retailer with a small business scale can be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the communication network is the Internet has been described. However, a communication network using a public line, a dedicated line, or the like, or a transmission function from a user in BS digital broadcasting. May be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the client terminal used when accessing the server system online is described as a general-purpose personal computer.
This personal computer can be of any type, such as desktop, notebook, laptop, etc., as well as mobile phones, various mobile terminals with communication functions, and home appliances (products) with communication functions. Good.

[0108]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Merchandise suppliers, information providers, and retailers have shared and made available market trends and product information, as well as related information, so that retail points can be tailored to their location. Can be known in a timely and accurate manner, so that a more accurate sales strategy can be established, which can contribute to revitalizing sales in the retail business.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of a product ordering system in which a market research system, an information browsing system, and an information distribution system are functionally integrated according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a workflow illustrating a process (work) performed by the ordering system via an inter-player communication network for ordering.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of an order receiving process including matching executed by a business server.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining matching relating to joint purchase from a retail store.

FIG. 5 is a workflow for explaining processing (work) related to market research, information browsing, and information distribution via a communication network between players, which is executed in the ordering system.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart illustrating collection of point-of-sale data and inventory data.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart illustrating market research.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart illustrating market research.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart illustrating information browsing.

FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart illustrating information distribution.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of the flow of processing and information among a manufacturer / wholesaler, an information provider, an operation processing agency, and a retail store.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a processing request menu displayed on a screen.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a processing request menu displayed on the screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Product ordering / ordering system (including market research system, information browsing system, information distribution system) 11 Internet (communication network) 12 Server system 13 Manufacturer / wholesale computer 14 Retail store terminal 14a POS terminal 14b Kiosk terminal (store-installed type) Information terminal) 17 Information provider computer 21 Web server 22 Business server 23 Database (manufacturer / wholesale master, product master,
(Including retail store master and research database)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G07G 1/14 G07G 1/14

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A server comprising: a computer of a merchandise supplier; a computer of an information provider; a POS (point of sale information) terminal of a retailer; and a server system communicably connected to the computer via a communication network. The system includes a storage unit that stores sales information at the time of sale transmitted from the POS terminal of the retailer via the communication network, and performs an analysis on product sales using the sales information stored in the storage unit. Analysis means for performing the analysis, and transmission means for transmitting a result analyzed by the analysis means to a computer of the commodity supplier, the information provider, and / or the retailer via the communication network. Market research system. 2. The market research system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is a product transmitted from the computer of any of the product supplier, the information provider, and the retailer via the communication network. A market research system, which is a means for performing the analysis with respect to a request for sale. 3. The market research system according to claim 1, wherein said analysis means is means for performing said analysis on a predetermined item. 4. A server system communicably connected to a computer of the merchandise supplier, a computer of the information provider, and a computer of the retailer via a communication network, wherein the server system includes the merchandise supplier or the server. An information posting means for posting information provided from the computer of the information provider via the communication network; and an information posting means when there is an offer to view information from the computer of the retailer via the communication network. An information browsing system, comprising: an information browsing means for browsing information described in the above. 5. A server system communicably connected to a computer of a commodity supplier, a computer of an information provider, and a store-installed information terminal of a retailer via a communication network, wherein the server system includes An information receiving unit that receives information provided from the computer of the supplier or the information provider via the communication network; and an information distribution unit that distributes the received information to the store-installed information terminal of the retailer. An information distribution system characterized in that: 6. POS (point of sale information management) of the retailer
The sales information at the point of sale transmitted from the terminal via the communication network is stored, and the sales information is analyzed using the stored sales information, and the analysis result is transmitted to the product supplier via the communication network. , An information provider, and / or a retailer's computer. 7. A computer of a merchandise supplier, a computer of an information provider, and a POS (point of sale) terminal of a retailer and a computer communicably connected to the computer via a communication network. Storage means for storing, in a storage device, sales information at the time of sale transmitted from the POS terminal via the communication network; and analysis means for analyzing product sales using the sales information stored in the storage device. And a program for functioning as transmission means for transmitting a result analyzed by the analysis means to a computer of the commodity supplier, information provider, and / or retailer via the communication network.