JP2002304555A - Method and system for suggesting product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a computer-based system for suggesting a product (merchandise, service, and plan) matching the needs of a customer to the customer. SOLUTION: This computer system for suggesting a product (for example, a housing reform plan) corresponding to the needs of a customer to the customer first present, a needs input screen 130 to the customer so that the customer is prompted to designate the significance of a plurality of prescribed needs type (1) to (4) for the customer with a plurality of levels A to E on the needs input screen 130. This system is provided with the product information of a plurality of products and needs type evaluation values indicating the levels of fulfillment of the needs types (1) to (4) of each product is a data base. Then, the product suitable for the needs of the customer is selected by using the significance of the needs types (1) to (4) for the customer inputted to the needs input screen 130 and the needs type evaluation values of the products in the data base, and the product information of the selected product is presented to the customer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer-based method and system for automatically suggesting a product that meets the needs of a customer to the customer.

[0002] In this specification, the term "product" is used to mean a plan relating to a single product or service or a combination of a plurality of products or services.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Information such as product numbers and specifications of a large number of products is stored in a database, a product number or specification of a desired product is received from a customer, and a product corresponding to the input product number or specification is searched from the database. Then, there is known a computer-based system for providing a display of a searched product to a customer.

[0004]

When using the above-mentioned system, a customer often cannot specify the product number or specification of the product which meets his needs. In such a case, a product that does not meet the needs of the customer is presented to the customer from the system.

[0005] Further, according to the conventional system, an appropriate clue for the customer himself / herself to determine how much the product presented to the customer meets the customer's needs is not provided. Therefore, the customer is worried about which one to select from the plurality of presented consumptions.

[0006] The above problem becomes more serious when a plan relating to a combination of a plurality of products or services (for example, a house renovation plan, a plan for constructing a computer system, etc.) is proposed to a customer by a conventional method.

[0007] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a computer use method and system for proposing to a customer a product (product, service, plan) that meets the customer's needs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-based method and system for providing a customer with clues for determining how well a product proposed to the customer meets the customer's needs. is there.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a computer system for proposing a product to a customer in accordance with the customer's needs is provided by a computer system for inputting one or more predetermined requirements representing the product needs. Providing an input screen to the customer, receiving a request input on the needs input screen, and, based on the input request, a plurality of products, and introduction data for introducing each product. Searching for a product for the customer from a storage device storing needs characteristic data representing needs characteristics related to the predetermined desired items of each product, and using the description data of the searched product. Presenting the customer with a product display screen that introduces the searched product.

[0010] The system according to a preferred embodiment may further include a step of presenting the evaluation of the searched product to the customer using the needs characteristic data of the searched product.

The system according to a preferred embodiment further includes a step of receiving the input of the customer information, and associating the input customer information with information for specifying a product introduced to the customer by associating with the storage device. And searching the storage device for specific customer information or product introduction information referred to by the specific customer.

[0012] On the needs input screen of the system according to the preferred embodiment, the importance of each of a plurality of predetermined needs types can be input as the desired items.

In the system according to the preferred embodiment, the needs characteristic data of each product includes needs type-specific characteristic data relating to each of the predetermined plurality of needs types possessed by each product. Then, in this embodiment, the system performs a step of presenting to the customer an indication of the degree of satisfaction of each of the plurality of need types of the searched product, using the characteristic data by needs type of the searched product. be able to.

The system according to a preferred embodiment further includes a step of receiving a request for a change in the configuration of any of the products introduced on the product display screen from the customer, and a step of responding to the request for a change from the customer. Presenting to a customer a product display screen introducing a changed product having a changed configuration; preparing the needs characteristic data of the changed product based on the changed configuration; and Presenting an evaluation of the changed product to the customer using the needs characteristic data.

[0015]

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a product proposal system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a life stage navigating server (hereinafter abbreviated as "LSN server") 10 is connected to a customer through a communication network such as the Internet 20. Client system (hereinafter abbreviated as “client”) 3
0, 30,... Can be accessed. LSN
The server 10 sends to the clients 30, 30,...
Various products (products, services, renovation plans, etc.) related to the customer's life stage, especially housing equipment,
It has a function to make proposals according to customer needs.

The customers of the LSN server 10 are roughly classified into general customers and members. A member ID and a password are assigned to the member by the LSN server 10, and by logging in to the LSN server 10 using the member ID and the password, a high-level service for a housing equipment handling company (construction shop) is provided.
It can be received from the LSN server 10. General customers do not need a member ID or password and can receive services from the LSN server 10 for end users of housing equipment. Therefore, end users are usually LSNs as general customers.
After accessing the server 10, the trader registers as a member and uses his / her member ID and password to enter the LSN server 10.
You will be logged into.

As shown in FIG. 1, an LSN server 10
It has a server 11, an application server 12, and a database server 13. Database server 13
Has a service database 14 and a product information database 15.

The web server 11 has clients 30, 3
0,... For communication using the HTTP protocol.
Accordingly, the customer can access the LSN server 10 using the web browser of each client 30.

The application server 12 plays a central role in various types of information processing to be performed by the LSN server 10. The processing performed by the application server 12 includes:
For example, there are performance management statistical processing, renewal / new management, proposal plan automatic creation processing, user data management processing, mailing service, and the like. Among these processes, one directly related to the present invention is a proposal plan automatic creation process. The proposal plan automatic creation process selects a plan that meets the customer's needs from a large number of house remodeling plans stored in the product information database 15 based on the needs for the house remodeling input from the customer. To present. The user data management process saves data of various materials (for example, customer information, proposal plans, quotations, etc.) created by the application server 12 for customers, so that they can be referred to or used later. To

The database server 13 manages a service database 14 and a product information database 15,
In response to a request from the application server 12, data search and update are performed. Service database 1
Reference numeral 4 stores attribute information of customers (general customers and members) and data of created materials. Product information database 1
5 includes product information such as photos, product numbers, performance, features, prices, and needs information on various products (single products and home remodeling plans) related to housing equipment, customer (general customers and members) attribute information, housing Stores company information such as sales offices and showrooms of equipment manufacturers, and information on HTML pages.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the product information database 1.
5 shows the structure of the product information stored in No. 5.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
Has proposal plan information 41 and proposal plan needs information 4
2, sections such as proposal plan specification information 43, single product information 44, single product need information 45, proposal plan photo information 46, and single product description photo 47 are included.

The section of the proposal plan information 41 stores attribute information of a large number of house reform plans prepared in advance. As shown in the figure, the attribute information of each plan includes, for example, a plan number, a photo file name, a zone, a layout, a plan name, a plan price, a plan feature, attached photos 1 to attached photos N, features 1 to features N, and the like. include. Although not shown, various other attributes such as color / design are also included.

Here, "plan number" and "plan name" are an identification number and an identification name unique to the plan. “Photo file name” is the file name of the actual appearance photo file of the plan,
It is stored in the section of the proposal plan photograph 46.

A "zone" is a place in a house to which the plan applies, such as a kitchen, bathroom, toilet, or washroom. “Layout” is the layout (area and layout) of the zone to which the plan is applied.

The “plan price” is the total price of all the commodities constituting the plan. “Plan Features” is a text describing the features of the plan.

"Attached Photo 1" to "Attached Photo N" are the file names of individual photo files of N products to be noted, which are preliminarily selected from the products constituting the plan. These photo files are stored in the section of the single product description photo 47. "Feature 1" to "Feature N"
Is a text explaining the features of the above N products.

The section of the proposed plan needs information 42 stores the needs information on the above-mentioned many house remodeling plans. As shown in the figure, the needs information of each plan includes a plan number, a long possession to a long possession, a need type (1) evaluation value to a needs type (4) evaluation value, a comprehensive evaluation value, and the like.

Here, "no long possession" to "no long possession"
Indicates whether the plan has eight predetermined advantages (advantages to advantages), respectively. The eight advantages described above refer to the eight points listed in the “Step-1” column 131 in the reform needs input screen 130 illustrated in FIG. 7 described later. The advantages to advantages (points) illustrated in FIG. 7 relate to a kitchen plan. For the plans for other zones, there are eight different items suitable for each zone.
).

Each of the plans "no long possession" to "no long possession" is determined in advance depending on whether or not the commodities constituting the plan have advantages to advantages. In other words, the plan that includes at least one product that has each of the merits to the merits of “has no possession” to “has no possession” indicates “Yes”, respectively, and each of the plans has the merits to the merits. The “no long possession” to “no long possession” of the plan that does not include the product at all indicates “none”.

The "needs type (1) evaluation value" to "needs type (4) evaluation value" indicate that the plan satisfies four predetermined needs types (1) to (4). It is an evaluation value (point) that indicates whether or not there is a collision. The above four needs types refer to the four needs types (1) to (4) listed in the “Step-3” column 133 in the reform needs input screen 130 illustrated in FIG. . In this embodiment, these four types of needs (1) to (4) are common to all zones (kitchen, bathroom, toilet, washroom). (1) to (4) may be adopted.

[Needs type (1) evaluation value] for each plan
The “needs type (4) evaluation value” is the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” (single product needs information 45) which all the products constituting the plan have. Is recorded in advance in the above section). The specific calculation method will be described later in this specification.

The comprehensive evaluation value is an evaluation value, which is calculated in advance based on “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value”, and expresses the overall need satisfaction degree of the plan. (Point). A specific method of calculating the overall evaluation value will be described later in this specification.

The section of the proposed plan detailed information 43 stores detailed information of components of the above-mentioned many house renovation plans. As shown in the drawing, detailed information of each plan includes all of the constituents of the plan (M in the illustrated example).
This includes the product name, product number, quantity, unit price, etc. of the products 1 to M).

The section of the single commodity information 44 stores attribute information of a large number of single commodity items prepared in advance concerning the housing equipment. As shown in the figure, the attribute information of each product includes, for example, a product number, a photo file name, a zone, a product category, a product name, a product price, an attached photograph 1 to an attached photograph K, a feature 1 to a feature K, and the like. I have.

Here, the "article number" and "product name" are an identification number and an identification name unique to the product. The “photo file name” is the file name of a photo file of the overall appearance of the product example, and the photo file is stored in the section of the single product description photo 47.

The "zone" is a place in a house to which the product is applied, for example, a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet or a washroom. “Commodity price” is a unit price of the commodity.
The “product category” is a classification name in terms of the function of the product, for example, a kitchen counter, a sink, a faucet, a mirror, a makeup case, and the like.

"Attached Photo 1" to "Attached Photo K" are the file names of the individual photo files of the K distinctive features of the product. These photo files are stored in the section of the single product description photo 47.
“Feature 1” to “Feature K” are texts describing the features of the K feature portions that are notable.

The section of the single product need information 45 stores the need information on the above-mentioned many single products. As shown in the figure, the needs information of each product includes a product number, a long possession to a long possession, a need type (1) evaluation value to a needs type (4) evaluation value, a comprehensive evaluation value, and the like.

Here, "no long possession" to "long no possession"
Indicates whether the product has the eight advantages (advantages to advantages) described above with respect to the plan. As mentioned above, each product has "no long possession"
“No long possession” determines “long no possession” to “long no possession” of the plan in which the product is incorporated.

The “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” indicate the degree to which the product satisfies the four needs types (1) to (4) described above with respect to the plan. It is an evaluation value (point) that indicates whether or not it has been. As described above, the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” for each product are the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (1) evaluation value” of the plan in which the product is incorporated. (4) Evaluation value ".

The comprehensive evaluation value is calculated based on the “needs type” of the product.
It is an evaluation value (point) that is calculated in advance based on “(1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” and expresses the overall need satisfaction degree of the product.

The “long possession not required” to “long possession not required” and the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” of each of the above-mentioned products are the structure, size, function, appearance, It is carefully determined in advance based on various viewpoints such as materials and prices.

As described above, the section of the proposal plan photograph 46 stores the photograph files of the appearance photographs of the many plans.

In the section of the single product description photograph 47,
As described above, the photograph files such as the overall appearance and characteristic portions of the above-mentioned many commodities are stored.

The operation of the LSN server 10 configured as described above will be described below.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a basic flow of transition of a GUI (graphical user interface) screen (for example, an HTML page) provided by the LSN server 10 to the client 30. 6 to 12 exemplify some main screens among various GUI screens, in particular, which are related to proposal of a house renovation plan.

First, reference is made to FIG. Client 30
Accesses the LSN server 10, first, an initial menu screen 100 for general customers is provided to the client 30 and displayed.

An example of the initial menu screen 100 for general customers is shown in FIG. In the initial menu screen 100 for general customers shown in FIG. 6, the customers are “PART1”, a family composition plan proposal, “PART2” zone dissatisfaction resolution, and “P
You can select the desired service from the three types of services of zone 3 reform plan proposal of ART3. "PA
When selecting a plan for family structure of "RT1",
In step 1, mouse click on an arbitrary family structure. "PART
2 ”, select the zone-based dissatisfaction resolution
Click any zone name. When selecting a zone-based reform plan proposal of “PART3”, an arbitrary zone name is clicked in the area 102. If the customer is a member, the user enters his / her ID number and password in the area 104 of the general customer initial menu screen 100 and presses the enter key to proceed to the trader initial menu screen shown in FIG. Can also.

Referring back to FIG. When the customer selects the above-mentioned "PART1" by family composition plan proposal on the initial menu screen 100 for general customers, the GUI screen provided to the client 30 displays a housing space plan suitable for the family composition clicked by the customer. Then, a transition is sequentially made to a series of screen groups 110 for gradually introducing from rough plan contents to more detailed and specific plan contents (illustration of screen examples is omitted).

The initial menu screen 10 for general customers
If the customer selects the above-mentioned “PART2” zone-based dissatisfaction cancellation at 0, the GUI screen provided to the client 30 firstly inputs the dissatisfied item with respect to the zone clicked by the customer, , A series of screen groups 1 for introducing a single product for solving the input dissatisfaction
20 sequentially (the illustration of a specific example of the screen is omitted).

An initial menu screen 10 for general customers
When the customer selects the above-described “PART3” zone-based reform plan proposal at 0, the GUI screen provided to the client 30 firstly inputs the needs of the reform for the zone clicked by the customer, Next, a series of screen groups 130 to 17 for gradually introducing a reform plan that meets the input needs from the rough plan contents to more detailed and specific plan contents.
It transitions sequentially to 0.

Of the screen groups 130 to 170 for zone-based reform plan proposal, an example of the first reform needs input screen 130 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 (the two figures are connected to form one screen). Shown). FIG. 9 shows an example of the next search plan list screen 140, FIG. 10 of the next plan detail screen 150, and FIG. 1 shows an example of the next simple customer information input screen 160.
FIG. 12 shows an example of the following rough estimate screen. Details of these screens 130 to 170 will be described later.

Further, an initial menu screen 1 for general customers
At 00, when the customer enters the ID number and the password in the area 104 and presses the enter key, the initial menu screen 200 for the trader is provided to the client 30 and displayed.

FIG. 5 shows an initial menu screen 200 for a trader.
Shows the transition of the screen for members starting from.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the initial menu screen 200 for the trader, the customer can select the creation material reference service or the plan creation service.

When the created material reference service is selected, the GUI screen provided to the client 30 displays the material created by the LSN server 10 for the member (ie, the trader), for example, the customer (in this case, the member A series of screens 2 for referring to and editing registration information, proposal plans, quotations, profit statements, etc. of customers (end users)
The state transitions sequentially from 10 to 240 and 250. The first of these screens 210 to 240 and 250 is a customer condition input screen 210 (illustration of a specific example is omitted). In this customer condition input screen 210, a member (trader)
Can input the condition of his / her customer who wants to search and request the LSN server 10 to search for the customer. Upon receiving the search request, the LSN server 10 searches the service database 14 (see FIG. 1) for the member's customer corresponding to the customer condition input by the member.

The screen displayed after the customer condition input screen 210 is a search customer list screen 220 (illustration of a specific example is omitted). On the search customer list screen 220, the main information (name and address, etc.) of the customer of the member searched as described above is displayed in a list. On this customer condition input screen 210, the member can select any customer.

When the customer selection is performed, a customer detail screen 230 opens (illustration of a specific example is omitted). The customer details screen 230 displays detailed information of the selected customer (name, address, information of the site where the customer is handled, plan number and bill number of the proposed plan, etc.). On the customer detail screen 230, the member can specify a plan number, a statement number, and the like that the user wants to refer to.

When the member selects a certain plan number on the customer detail screen 230, a plan detail screen 240 is opened next.
The specific example is the same as the plan detail screen 150 for general customers illustrated in FIG. On the plan detail screen 240, details of the reform plan corresponding to the selected plan number are displayed.

When the member selects a certain statement number on the customer detail screen 230, the member then selects the estimate / profit statement screen 241.
Opens (illustration of a specific example is omitted). The estimate / profit statement screen 241 displays the details of the plan estimate and the profit statement for the selected statement number. It shows the contents of the estimate and the contents of calculation of the profit on the member side in more detail than the rough estimate screen shown in FIG.

Referring again to FIG. 5, when the member selects the plan creation service on the initial menu screen 200 for the trader, the plan creation menu screen 2 is next displayed.
50 is opened (illustration of a specific example is omitted). On the plan creation menu screen 250, the member can select a customer registration service, a reform plan creation service, or a profit statement creation service.

When the member selects the customer registration service on the plan creation menu screen 250, the screen sequentially transitions to a series of screen groups 260 (illustration of a specific example is omitted) for registering detailed information of the customer. it can. The customer information registered here is registered in the service database 14 (see FIG. 1) of the LSN server 10 and can be searched from the customer condition input screen 210 described above. Furthermore, for registered customers, if you create a plan described below and introduce a plan, or create a rough estimate or profit statement for that plan, the plan number, rough estimate or profit calculation for that plan The document is associated with the registered customer information and stored in the service database 14 (FIG. 1).
), And can be searched from the customer condition input screen 210 described above.

When the member selects the reform plan creation service on the plan creation menu screen 250, the member sequentially goes to a series of screen groups 270 to 310 and 320 for suggesting a reform plan desired by the customer to the customer. Can be transitioned to

Screen groups 270 to 31 for creating the plan
Of the screens 0 and 320, the screen that opens first is the plan condition input screen 270 (illustration of a specific example is omitted). If the member's customer can specifically specify the product making up the plan desired by the member, the member enters the product number or product name of the product specified by the customer on the plan condition input screen 270. By inputting the request, the LSN server 10 can be requested to search for a plan using the product.

On the other hand, if the member's customer cannot specifically specify the product desired by the member, the member can select a needs search service on the plan condition input screen 270. Then, a reform needs input screen 280 opens. This reform needs input screen 280
Is substantially the same as the remodeling needs input screen 130 for general customers illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, in which the customer's renovation needs are input, and the LSN server 10 searches for a plan that meets the needs. Can be requested.

When a search request is issued to the LSN server 10 from the plan condition input screen 270 or the reform needs input screen 280, the LSN server 10 selects a plan that includes the input product or a plan that matches the input. , The product information 40 in the product information database 15 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). Then, a search plan list screen 290 showing an overview of the searched reform plans in a list is sent to the client 30 for display. The search plan list screen 290 is substantially the same as the search plan list screen 140 for general customers illustrated in FIG.

When a member selects a certain plan on the search plan list screen 140, a plan detail screen 300 showing details of the selected plan is opened. The plan detail screen 300 is similar to the plan detail screen 150 for general customers illustrated in FIG.

When the member requests display of the rough estimate on the plan detail screen 240, the rough estimate screen 310 showing the rough estimate of the plan opens. The rough estimate screen 310 is substantially the same as the rough estimate screen 170 for general customers illustrated in FIG.

When the member requests a profit statement creation service on the plan detail screen 240, a series of screens for calculating the profit of the member side for the plan and creating the profit statement are prepared. It is possible to sequentially transition to 320 (illustration of a specific example of the screen is omitted).

Further, the above-described plan creation menu 25
Even when the profit statement creation service is selected at 0, it is possible to sequentially transition to the series of screens 320 for creating the profit statement described above.

The above is the basic transition flow of the GUI screen (HTML page) provided from the LSN server 10 to the client 30. This is a typical screen transition, and the screen transition may be performed in a different order from the above depending on the screen operation of the customer (particularly, selection of a link embedded in the HTML page).

Next, a series of screen groups 130 to 170 for proposing a reform plan shown in FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The following description can be applied to the series of screens 280 to 310 shown in FIG. 5 for the proposal of the reform plan for the member (trader) in substantially the same manner.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of the reform needs input screen 130 by connecting them. This reform needs input screen 130 is for the case where the customer has selected a kitchen as a zone in the area 103 of the initial menu screen 100 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the reform needs input screen 130 has four stages of needs input stages 131 to 134 titled "Step-1" to "Step-4".
In the stage 131 of “Step-1”, the customer selects “indispensable points” (that is, points of needs that must always be satisfied) desired from the pre-determined eight items for the reform plan. be able to. The number of choices is optional for the customer. As previously mentioned,
Eight items that can be selected as "impossible points"
Are the same as the eight merits to which the presence or absence of each reform plan is registered in the section of the proposed plan needs information 42 of the product information database 15 shown in FIG. Note that the specific contents of the eight items to shown in FIG. 7 are examples for kitchens, and these are the results of gathering opinions from many end users on the items desired for the kitchen. It is a pip-up of the top eight things we wanted. Therefore, if the zone is different, the specific contents of the above eight items can also be different.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the stage 132 of “Step-2” of the remodeling needs input screen 130, the customer sets the layout (eg, size and schematic layout) of the room to be remodeled in a predetermined number of times. You can choose from these options. This layout option,
Each zone is suitable for that zone.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the stage 133 of “Step-3” of the reform needs input screen 130, the customer selects four predetermined needs types (that is, types of needs or directions of needs) related to the reform. sex)
With regard to (1) to (4), the user can input his / her "degree of commitment", that is, importance, in five stages A to E. Where 4
The specific contents of the three needs types (1) to (4) are shown in FIG.
For example, "daily care", "usability and operability",
"Image and design", "comfortable". These were the result of gathering opinions from a large number of end users on what they wanted for different zones such as kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, lavatories, etc., and analyzing a wide variety of specific needs so obtained. It represents four axes indicating the main directions of the needs obtained.

Here, a four-dimensional needs space is assumed in which the above four axes are coordinate axes, and the coordinate values of each axis indicate an evaluation value indicating the degree to which each needs type is satisfied. Individual merchandise can always be plotted at any coordinate point in this needs space. In addition, a reform plan composed of a plurality of products is a set of coordinate points of the constituent products, but one coordinate point representing the set can be calculated based on those coordinate points, It can be plotted at its representative one coordinate point. The “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” of each product registered in the section of the single product need information 45 of the product information database 15 shown in FIG.
This corresponds to the coordinate value of each product in the above-mentioned need space. The “needs type” of each plan registered in the section of the proposed plan needs information 42 shown in FIG.
“(1) Evaluation value” to “Needs type (4) Evaluation value” correspond to the representative coordinate values calculated from the coordinate values of the component products of each plan (the calculation method will be described later). ). The specific contents of these four needs types are as follows:
In the present embodiment, it is common throughout all zones, but it can be different for each thorn.

Now, the customer needs the above four types of needs.
The importance of each of (1) to (4) for yourself, "A"
Evaluate in five ranks of "E" and enter the rank by clicking the corresponding alphabet.

[0113] The “Step” in the reform needs input screen 130
At stage "-4" 134, the customer selects the budget level of the desired renovation plan from three options, for example, "Economy", "Standard", and "Lung grade".

As described above, the four stages 131 to 131
When the user inputs the needs in 134 and then clicks the confirmation button 135, a confirmation screen (not shown) displaying the entered needs in a list opens. The customer confirms the input needs on the confirmation screen and transmits the request. When ordered, the input needs are sent to the LSN server 10. The LSN server 10 searches the product information database 15 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) for a reform plan that satisfies (or generally, but not completely, satisfies) the needs entered by the customer. This search is mainly performed by referring to the proposed plan needs information 42 in the product information database 15 shown in FIG. 2, and a specific method thereof will be described later.

When the search is completed, the LSN server 10 creates a search plan list screen 140 as shown in FIG. 9 and sends it to the client 30 for display.

As shown in FIG. 9, search plan list screen 1
At 40, the information of the needs input by the customer is displayed in the initial area 141, and the summary information of the searched plan is displayed in a list below the information. The outline information of each plan includes, for example, an appearance photograph of the plan displayed in an area 142 and text of a brief explanation of the plan displayed in an area 143, as in the first plan in FIG. I have.
The appearance photograph of the area 142 is a photograph specified by the “photo file name” of the plan registered in the section of the proposal plan information 41 shown in FIG. 2, and is a photograph of the proposal plan photograph 46 shown in FIG. It was read from the section. In the textual description of area 143, first,
The evaluation of the plan (for example, 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A) is included, and this is the proposed plan needs information 42 shown in FIG.
"Needs type (1) evaluation value"-"Needs type (4) evaluation value" of the plan registered in the section of "A"
~ "E". The method of ranking will be described later. The outline description text 143 also includes a plan number, plan name, color / design, size / plan, suggested retail price, etc., which are registered in the section of the proposed plan information 41 shown in FIG. It is based on various attributes such as the plan number, plan name, color / design, layout, plan price of the plan.

At the bottom of the search plan list screen 140,
There is a “select again” button 144, and when the customer clicks on this button, the user returns to the reform needs input screen 130 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 again, and can input another need again to perform the plan search again.

When the customer selects the plan by clicking on the external view photograph of an arbitrary plan or “See details of this plan” below the search plan list screen 140, the LSN server 10 selects the selected plan. With respect to the plan, a plan detail screen 150 as shown in FIG. 10 is created and sent to the client 30 for display.

As shown in FIG. 10, the plan detail screen 15
In the case of 0, in the initial areas 151 and 152, the text of the brief description of the plan similar to the search plan list screen 140 and the evaluation for the four need types (A to E in this example)
Is indicated by the number of circles).
In the area 153, an enlarged photograph of the appearance of the plan is displayed. An area 154 displays a text describing the features of the plan, which is based on the “plan features” of the plan registered in the section of the proposed plan information 41 shown in FIG.

Further, in the area 156, a detailed table listing all the commodities of the plan is displayed. this is,
This is based on the detailed information of the plan registered in the section of the proposed plan detailed information 43 shown in FIG. The customer may choose to remove any of the component products listed in this schedule, replace it with another product, or add another product.
A request can also be made to the N server 10. Then, the LSN server 10 creates a new plan detail screen 150 for the new plan in which the product is deleted, replaced, or added as requested by the customer, sends it to the client 30, and displays it. At that time, the evaluation of the new plan will include deletion of products,
The calculation is recalculated and changed in accordance with the replacement and the addition, and the calculation method will be described later.

In area 157 of plan detail screen 150,
Photographs of actual examples and feature description texts of N products that are notable among the components of the plan are displayed. Of these, the actual photos of those products are the proposal plan information 41 shown in FIG.
3 are identified in “Attached Photo 1” to “Attached Photo N” of the plan registered in the section of FIG.
Of the single product description photograph 47 shown in FIG. The feature description texts of these products are based on “Feature 1” to “Feature N” of the plan registered in the section of the proposed plan information 41 shown in FIG.

An area 158 at the bottom of the plan detail screen 150 is an area for the customer to request the display of the rough estimate of the plan.
There is a button 159, a combo box for selecting a showroom, and a check box for requesting that a map of the selected showroom be displayed in the estimate.

When the customer clicks the above-mentioned "display rough estimate" button 159, the LSN server 10
Is sent to the client 30 for display.

As shown in FIG. 11, on the simplified customer information input screen 160, the customer inputs his / her family structure, current type of house, request, gender, age, zip code, nearest showroom, and the like. Can be. After the input, when the customer clicks the send button 161, the LSN server 10 registers the above-mentioned items input by the customer in the product information database 15 as the customer summary information, and registers the plan shown in the plan detail screen 150 in FIG. A rough estimate screen 170 as shown in FIG. 12 is created and sent to the client 30 for display.

As shown in FIG. 12, the rough estimate screen 17
In the area 0, the plan name and design are displayed in the initial area 171 and the product numbers of all the constituent products are displayed in the area 172 therebelow.
A list of product names, quantities, unit prices, suggested retail prices, etc., and the approximate estimated retail price total is displayed. When the customer has requested a map display of the showroom on the plan detail screen 150 shown in FIG. 10, guidance of the showroom is displayed together with the map in the bottom area 173 of the rough estimate screen 170. . If the customer visits the showroom with a printout or the like of the rough estimate screen 170, the showroom can smoothly respond to the customer.

As described above, the customer can only receive his / her needs and receive a proposal for a reform plan that meets those needs. As described above, this service is provided not only to general customers, but also to members (traders), so the distributors only need to listen to their customers' needs, It will be possible to propose a plan suitable for the customer. The plan proposed by the trader to his / her customer, the rough estimate of the plan, the profit statement of the plan, and the like are stored in the LSN server 10, and the trader refers to the inspection if necessary. Or edit it and use it for another customer.

FIG. 13 shows a processing flow when the LSN server 10 searches for a plan that meets the needs based on the needs entered by the customer on the reform needs screen 130 in FIGS. FIG. 14 to FIG. 16 are constant tables for calculation used in this processing. These constant tables are stored in the product information database 15 (see FIG. 1) or are stored in the application server 12 (see FIG. 1).
1)).

As shown in FIG. 13, the LSN server 10
In step S1, from among all plans registered in the product information database 15 whose "zone" matches the zone selected by the customer, the customer selects "Step- A plan that has all the advantages corresponding to the “points that cannot be removed” input in “1” and has a layout that satisfies the size and layout input by the customer in “Step-2” is extracted. At this time, the merits of each plan are determined based on “no long possession” to “no long possession” of each plan in the proposed plan needs information 42 shown in FIG.

At step S2 in FIG. 13, the LSN server 10
Is the “Needs type (1)” that satisfies the degree of commitment (rank) of the needs types (1) to (4) input by the customer in “Step-3” of the reform needs screen 130 from the plans extracted in Step S1. A plan having "evaluation value" to "needs type (4) evaluation value" is extracted.

This is performed, for example, by the following method.

That is, first, the product information database 1
Investigate the “needs type (1) evaluation value” for all plans in the zone registered in 5 and determine the distribution. Next, reference is made to a ranking table 53 shown in FIG. In the ranking table 53, the deviation value of the threshold value for classifying each rank of A to E is described. In the example of FIG.
Plans with a deviation of σa or more rank A, σb below σa
Plans with deviation values above are ranks B, plans with deviation values below σb and above σc are ranks C, plans with threshold values below σc and above σd are ranks D, and plans with deviation values below σd are rank ranks. E. From this ranking table 53,
Acquire the minimum deviation value for entering the rank of the needs type (1) or higher entered by the customer. For example, if the rank input by the customer is B, the minimum deviation value for entering the rank B or higher is σb. Next, the number of “needs type (1) evaluation values” corresponding to the obtained deviation value is determined based on the determined distribution. Then, only plans having a “needs type (1) evaluation value” that is equal to or greater than the determined evaluation value are extracted from the plans extracted in step S1. In this way, plans that satisfy the rank of the needs type (1) input by the customer are narrowed down.

Thereafter, the distribution of all plans in the zone is examined in the same manner as described above for the “needs type (2) evaluation value”, and in the distribution, the rank of the needs type (2) input by the customer is determined. An evaluation value corresponding to the lowest deviation value of the ranking table 53 for entering the rank of is obtained. Then, the plan narrowed down by the needs type (1) is further narrowed down to only the plans having the “needs type (2) evaluation value” equal to or more than the lowest evaluation value.

Similarly, the need type (3) is further narrowed down, and then the needs type (4) is further narrowed down. Thus, finally, only plans that can satisfy all the ranks of the needs type (1) to (4) input by the customer are extracted.

Instead of the above-mentioned narrowing-down method, the following method can be performed. That is, in the above-described narrowing method, the distribution on which the deviation value is based is based on the needs type (1).
For all of (4) to (4), the distribution of all plans in the zone was obtained. Instead of this method, needs type (2)
When narrowing down by, use the distribution of the plan narrowed down by the immediately preceding needs type (1) as the basis for the deviation value; when narrowing down by needs type (3), use the immediately preceding needs type
A narrowing method may be used in which a group of plans narrowed down immediately before is used as a base population of deviation values, such that the distribution of plans narrowed down in (2) is used as a basis of deviation values.

Further, instead of the above two narrowing-down methods, the following method can be used. That is,
The above two methods narrow down each of the needs types (1) to (4). Instead, a total rank is calculated by integrating the ranks of the four needs types (1) to (4) input by the customer, and the lowest total evaluation value for entering a rank higher than the total rank is determined. This is a method of narrowing down to plans with "comprehensive evaluation values" that are equal to or greater than the lowest comprehensive evaluation value.

The above three methods are merely examples, and there are other calculation methods for extracting a plan suitable for the needs based on the ranks of the customer's input needs types (1) to (4). Various methods can be employed.

As described above, when the narrowing is completed in step S2 of FIG. 13, next, in step S3, a plan corresponding to the great of the budget inputted by the customer in “Step-4” of the reform needs screen 130 is obtained. Refine further. This method
For example, by examining the “overall evaluation value” (or “plan price”) of the group of plans narrowed down in step S2, the distribution is determined, the distribution is sorted into three grade groups, and It is a method of extracting only the plan of the group corresponding to the selected great. This is an example of the narrowing-down method, and various other methods can be adopted.

Next, the process proceeds to step S4, in which the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” of each of the plans extracted in step S3 are stored in the ranking table 53 of FIG. Using the deviation value, rank in any one of A to E. This ranking method is, for example, as follows. That is, first, a group of plans extracted in step S3 (or a group of plans extracted in step S2, or a group of plans extracted in step S1,
Or, the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” of all plans in the zone are examined to determine the respective distributions. In each of the determined distributions of “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value”, the deviation value σ
The evaluation value corresponding to a to σd is determined. Then, using the determined evaluation values as thresholds, the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to each of the plans extracted in step S3
"Needs type (4) evaluation value" is ranked. In addition,
This is an example of the ranking method, and various other methods can be adopted.

Next, the process proceeds to step S5, in which the outline information of the plans extracted in step S3 is searched in the order of the “overall evaluation value” or the “plan price” of the plans as shown in FIG. It is displayed on the plan list screen 140. At this time, in the summary explanation text of each plan (for example, area 143 in FIG. 9), the ranks of “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” ranked in step S4 It is included.

Thereafter, in step S6, when the customer selects one plan on the search plan list screen 140, the LSN server 10 proceeds to step S7, where the selected plan is described in detail as shown in FIG. The screen 150 is displayed on the client 30. This plan detail screen 15
The plan evaluation displayed in the area 152 of “0” is based on the “needs type” of the plan ranked in step S4 described above.
(1) Evaluation value "to" Needs type (4) Evaluation value ".

Thereafter, in step S8, the customer requests a change in the constituent products of the plan (that is, a deletion of a certain product, a replacement of a certain product with another product, or an addition of another product). If so, the LSN server 10 proceeds to step S9, changes the constituent products of the plan as requested by the customer, and renews the plan details screen 1 for the new plan after the change.
50 is created and displayed on the client 30. At this time, the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” and “comprehensive evaluation value” of the plan are recalculated based on the changed component products, and the plan It is necessary to rank.

Here, the plan “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” and “comprehensive evaluation value”
Is calculated, for example, as follows.

That is, the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” of all the products constituting the plan are obtained from the section of the single product need information 45 shown in FIG. Then, the merchandise category weighting coefficient table 52 shown in FIG. 15 is referred to. The product category weighting coefficient table 52 defines, for each zone, a weighting factor assigned to the product category of all constituent products constituting the plan of the zone. These weighting factors indicate to what extent the evaluation value of the product in the product category contributes to the evaluation value of the entire plan. Next, the “needs type (1) evaluation value” of each product constituting the plan is multiplied by the weight coefficient of the product category of each product in the zone of the plan defined in the product category weight coefficient table 52. The multiplied values of the respective products thus obtained are summed up for all the products constituting the plan. Further, when the total value of the weighting coefficients of all the commodities constituting the plan is not 1, the correction coefficient for correcting this to 1 is multiplied by the total value. The total value corrected in this way is the “needs type” of the plan.
(1) Evaluation value ". Similarly, the “needs type (2) evaluation value” of each product composing the plan is multiplied by the weight coefficient for each product category of each product, and the multiplied value of each product obtained in this way is calculated for all products in the plan. And the total value is multiplied by a correction coefficient to obtain the “needs type (2) evaluation value” of the plan. In the same way, use the “needs type (3) evaluation value” and “needs type (4)
The evaluation value is also calculated.

When the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” of the plan are obtained in this way, the need type weighting coefficient table 51 shown in FIG.
See In the needs type weighting factor table 51, weighting factors assigned to “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” are defined for each zone (in FIG. 16, Weighting factors for toilets and toilets are not shown). These weighting factors are
It shows how much the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” each contribute to the “overall evaluation value” of the entire plan. The sum of the weighting factors is 1.) "Needs type (1) evaluation value"-"Needs type" of the plan
(4) Evaluation value ”, the needs type weighting factor table 51
Are multiplied by the weighting coefficients of “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” in the zone of the plan defined in (1), and the four multiplied values are totaled. This total value is the “overall evaluation value” of the plan.

The “needs type (1) evaluation value” to “needs type (4) evaluation value” and “overall evaluation value” of each plan registered in advance in the section of the proposed plan needs information 42 shown in FIG. This is calculated in advance by the above-described method based on the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to the “needs type (4) evaluation value” of the products constituting each plan. In addition,
The method of calculating the “needs type (1) evaluation value” to the “needs type (4) evaluation value” and the “overall evaluation value” in the above-described plan is merely an example, and various other methods can be adopted.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this is an exemplification for describing the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to this embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented in other various forms without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the present invention can be applied not only to proposals for house renovation plans, but also to proposals for plans in various other fields, and proposals for single products and services.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a product proposal system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of product information stored in a product information database 15 in connection with FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of product information stored in a product information database 15 in connection with FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of transition of a GUI screen for general customers provided from the LSN server 10 to the client 30.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of transition of a GUI screen for members provided from the LSN server 10 to the client 30;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an initial menu screen 100 for general customers.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a reform needs input screen 1 in connection with FIG.
The figure which shows the example of 30.

8 is a remodeling needs input screen 1 linked to FIG.
The figure which shows the example of 30.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a search plan list screen 140.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a plan detail screen 150.

FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a simple customer information input screen 160.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a rough estimate screen.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing flow when searching for a plan that meets needs input from a customer.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a ranking table 53.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a product category weighting coefficient table 52;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a need type weighting coefficient table 51;

[Explanation of symbols]

10 LSN (Life Stage Navigating) Server 20 Internet 30 Client System 11 WEB Server 12 Application Server 15 Product Information Database 40 Product Information 41 Proposal Plan Information 42 Proposal Plan Needs Information 43 Proposal Plan Detail Information 44 Independent Product Information 45 Independent Product Needs information 46 Proposed plan photo 47 Single product description photo 51 Needs type weighting factor table 52 Product category weighting factor table 53 Ranking table 130 Reform needs input screen 140 Search plan list screen 150 Plan detail screen 152 Plan evaluation area 170 Approximate estimate Screen

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A method for operating a computer system for proposing a product according to a customer's needs to a customer, the computer system comprising: a need input screen for inputting at least one predetermined request indicating a product need; Providing to the customer; receiving the request entered on the needs input screen; and, based on the input request, the introduction data for introducing each product for a plurality of products and the introduction data of each product. Searching for a product for the customer from a storage device that stores needs characteristic data representing needs characteristics related to the predetermined desired item, and using the description data of the searched product, Presenting the customer with a product display screen that introduces the searched product. 2. The product proposal method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting an evaluation of the searched product to the customer using the needs characteristic data of the searched product. Receiving the customer information input; storing the input customer information in the storage device in association with information specifying a product introduced to the customer; 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving, from the storage device, information of a specific customer or introduction information of a product referred to by the specific customer. 4. The product proposal method according to claim 1, wherein importance levels of a plurality of predetermined types of needs can be input as the desired items on the needs input screen. 5. The needs characteristic data of each product includes characteristics data by needs type for each of the plurality of predetermined needs types of each product, and using the characteristics data by needs type of the searched product. 5. The product proposal method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of presenting to the customer an indication of the degree of satisfaction of each of the plurality of types of needs of the searched product. 6. A step of receiving, from the customer, a request for a change in the configuration of any of the products introduced on the product display screen, and a changed product having a changed configuration in response to the request for a change from the customer. Presenting a product display screen to introduce a customer to the customer; preparing the need characteristic data of the changed product based on the changed configuration; and using the needs characteristic data of the changed product to perform the change. Presenting an evaluation of the product to the customer. 7. A means for providing a customer with a needs input screen for inputting one or more predetermined demands representing needs for a product; a means for receiving the demands input on the needs input screen; Based on the input requirements, for a plurality of products, it stores the introduction data for introducing each product and the needs characteristics data representing the needs characteristics related to the predetermined requirements of each product. A product proposal system comprising: means for searching for a product for a customer from a storage device; and means for presenting, to the customer, a product display screen for introducing the searched product using the explanatory data of the searched product. 8. A computer program for operating a computer system to propose a product according to a customer's needs to a customer, wherein the computer program is used to input one or more predetermined demands representing the product's needs. A program segment for performing a step of providing an input screen to a customer; a program segment for performing a step of receiving a request input to the needs input screen; and a plurality of products based on the input request. With respect to the above, a product for the customer is searched from a storage device that stores introduction data for introducing each product and needs characteristic data representing the needs characteristics related to the predetermined demands of each product. Using the program segment for performing the step and the explanatory data of the searched product, the searched A computer program and a program segment for performing the step of presenting the product display screen to a customer to introduce the goods.