JP2003108842A - Method and system for electronic commerce - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for electronic commerce in which a lot of orders can be collected in an early stage. SOLUTION: A server 104 on a network receives goods ordering phenomenons from customer terminals 105 of customers. Ordered goods are specified based on keys of information of attributes of goods included in the goods ordering phenomenons in a data base 101 in which information of attributes of goods is recorded for each item of the goods. The goods ordering phenomenons received from the customer terminals 105 are recorded in the time-serial order for each item of ordered goods in the data base 101. Reception orders of the ordering phenomenons of the customers are recognized based on the total recorded number of the goods ordering phenomenons related to the ordered goods. Dealing prices of the goods are reduced from standard prices in accordance with the height of the reception orders of the ordering phenomenons. The reduced dealing prices are transmitted to the customer terminals 105.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of conducting a commercial transaction with an electronic store provided by a server on a network with a customer who is a user of the store.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of electronic commerce utilizing a network such as the Internet, shopping systems having various forms have been actively developed. This system uses many unspecified users to access the shop site.
One of them is the development of a system called Virtual Mall, where many stores are managed by one website. There, the mall manager replaces the shop by supplying a program so that a homepage (hereinafter referred to as "HP") can be easily created, undertaking the manufacture of the HP, or updating the HP. HP
Manage and maintain.

[0003] In such malls, recently, some variations have been made in ordering methods. As a method that is often used, for example, in an auction format, a product is presented, the user bids a desired price, and the user who bids the highest price wins the product. This is a relatively limited quantity and is often used to buy or sell hard-to-find or valuable items.

On the other hand, for a product in which the shop can easily prepare a large amount in terms of quantity and the wholesale price decreases if a large amount is purchased from a wholesale store at one time, the purchase price of the user increases as the number of ordered people increases. The mechanism of lowering is used, which is called joint purchase. In other words, on the HP, the product, the planned purchase number and the corresponding price, the number of people who are currently ordering and the corresponding price, etc. are displayed. When the user makes an order, the number of orderers further increases,
The price is further reduced according to the price list.

When ordered, the goods are often delivered to their home by mail or courier. Payment is made by the method described on the HP, for example, payment by credit card, cash on delivery, or payment using a payment slip at a post office or a convenience store.

[0006]

In the simple joint purchase system, the purchase price does not decrease unless the number of buyers increases, so it is possible that the user's pattern may occur and it may be difficult to place an order. In most cases, there is a deadline for the order, but if the order does not grow as the deadline approaches, it is difficult for the user to determine whether or not the order will be placed in the remaining time, and the shop side also determines the minimum order quantity. Therefore, it may be inconvenient for both parties, such as delay in determining the number of items in stock.

Regarding the delivery of merchandise, the method in which the delivery company travels around the home one by one to deliver the goods involves a considerable transportation cost for the delivery company.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method for solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, more specifically, a method for collecting a large number of orders at an early stage, and a method for reducing the transportation cost of goods. The purpose is to

[0009]

An electronic commerce method of the present invention that achieves the above object is carried out with a customer who is a user of an electronic store provided by a server on a network. A product ordering event is received from a client terminal provided by a customer, and an ordering is performed using a product attribute information included in the product ordering event as a key in a database in which attribute information such as a product name, a standard price, and a stock quantity is recorded for each product. The product is specified, the product ordering event received from the client terminal is recorded in the database in chronological order for each ordered product without duplication, and
Recognize the ordering event acceptance order of the customer from the total number of recorded merchandise ordering events that have already been recorded for the ordered products, and notify the client terminal of the ordering item acceptance order regarding the ordered products. The reduced transaction price is determined by reducing the transaction price of the corresponding product from the standard price according to the height, and the reduced transaction price is transmitted to the client terminal.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the entire electronic commerce system using a network such as the Internet 100. PC communication line, LA
Although there are N, ATM lines, wireless networks, etc., the case of the Internet 100 is assumed here. A server 104 including a database 102 that manages the prices of products (hereinafter referred to as a product database in order to distinguish it from an order database) as a database 101, and an order database 103 that manages information related to orders.
(Hereinafter, referred to as a catalog server) constitutes an electronic commerce system.

In addition, customer terminals 105, 106 and 107 owned by users who order products, and a shop terminal 1 owned by a shop which actually manages products.
08,109,110 are the Internet 100
Tied above. Customer terminals 105, 106, 1
07 is not only a general personal computer,
For example, a device having any network-connectable computer chip, such as a mobile phone, a PDA, a game machine, a fax machine, a digital TV, may be used. Further, for example, there may be one shop and this shop may have the catalog server 104.

The catalog server 104 may be one in which a plurality of server computers cooperate to play the role of one server. Further, the database 101 may be divided into a plurality of databases for each role such as the product database 102 and the order database 103, and all data may be stored in one database in association with each other. Further, the databases 102 and 103 may be provided in separate storage devices and function as individual databases that are network-coupled, or may be appropriately combined or provided collectively in one storage device.

In the product database 102 of the catalog server 104, for each product, the product number, the shop name that actually manages the product, the period during which the product can be ordered,
A price list corresponding to the order of application and the number of orders is stored in association with each other. FIG. 2 shows an example of the order database 103 which is another database of the catalog server 104. In the order database 103, in connection with the purchase number 201, for example, the name 202 of the orderer, the personal information 203 of the orderer such as an address, and the order of application 20.
4, data such as a product price 205 and a product delivery method 206 are stored.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure of the server in the electronic commerce system of the embodiment. The actual procedure in the electronic commerce system of the present invention will be described below with reference to this figure. First, the user uses the customer terminal 105 owned by the user to use the catalog server 104.
When accessing (step s300), the catalog server 104 transmits an initial screen for allowing the user to select “new purchase” or “confirm information of purchased product”, and the screen is displayed on the customer terminal 5. (Step s301).

When the user clicks "New purchase", the catalog server 104 extracts the product name, product number, manufacturer of the product, extracted from the product database,
Send a list of fixed prices, specifications, etc. (step s3)
02). When the user clicks on the desired product, the product number is sent to the catalog server 104, and the catalog server 104 uses the product number as a key.
The product database is searched, the data of the product is obtained, and if the order application deadline for the product has expired, a screen notifying the end of the application period is transmitted (step s304), and the process ends (step s311).

During the order application period for the product, the total number of order applications 400 up to the present is referred to (step s30
5), the current application price 401 by the predetermined price setting,
Shown together with product information such as product name 402, product number 403, product photograph 404, and product specification 405 (step s3
06, FIG. 4). The feature of price setting of products in this database is that the earlier the order application is, the lower the price is, and the more the total number of applications is, the lower the price is. Therefore, as long as this feature is satisfied, price setting does not refer to the setting prepared in advance, but uses a method in which the server calculates the current price with a prescribed calculation formula at the time of receiving an order. Is also good.

The catalog server 104 uses the number of applications (x-axis) so that the user can easily know the order in which the products are applied and the decrease in the current price due to the number of applications in the future.
The graph 406 showing the correspondence between the price and the price (y-axis)
02, product number 403, product photograph 404, product information, specifications 405, and the like are provided on the same screen 407 together with detailed description of the product. In the graph 406,
The application price of the final applicant at all time points is shown by the application-price correspondence straight line 408, and the position of the current number of applications on the straight line is shown by the black arrow 409.

If the user makes an application now, a price decrease line 410 showing how his or her application price will decrease when the number of orders increases thereafter is drawn from a black arrow 409. You can see how much advantage you can get in terms of. In addition, for subsequent submissions, how the price goes down in relation to the total number of submissions, for example pop-up, so that the user can consider when to place an order in the future
Shown by up balloon 411. That is, when the user 105 moves the pointer to the application-price correspondence line 408, a white arrow 412 appears, and the application order at that position and the start price in the application order are indicated by the balloon 411.
, And a dashed-dotted line 413 indicating how the purchase price decreases as the number of orders increases thereafter is drawn from the white arrow 412.

Further, for a user who wants to know the relationship between the price and the total number of applications or the order of application, and clicks the button 414 "correspondence table of total number of applications / application order and price", The catalog server 104 has a correspondence table 501 of total number of applications / order of application and price as shown in FIG.
To the user. In the correspondence table, the order of application (x
(Axis) and the total number of applications (y-axis), the price at that point can be obtained, and at the same time, the current order of applications and the total number of applications are enclosed in a frame, and the overlapping portion 502 The current price is shown.

Furthermore, in order to decide whether or not to buy the product, the user who wants to know the past sales data of the similar product, clicks "Return to Graph Display" and sends the previous screen ( Return to Figure 4),
This time, the button 415 called "past product data" is clicked. The catalog server 104 searches the product database using the product name as a key, and extracts the product name, product number, release period, final number of applications, etc. extracted from the data group of products belonging to the same category such as “clock”,
Make a table and send it to the user.

When the user clicks on the product number for a product whose past sales data is to be known in detail, the catalog server 104 searches the product database this time using the product number as a key, obtains the past data of the product, and
It is sent to the user with the display like. On the screen 600, the final application number 601 of the past product, the product name 602,
Product number 603, product photo 604, product specification 605
And the like, and a graph showing the relationship between the application order and the final price. Graph application final price line 607
When the user points to one of the above points with the pointer 608, the application order and the final price indicated by that point are displayed in a pop-up balloon 60.
Appears at 9.

The catalog server 104 outputs a message 700 of "service time notice" on the product introduction screen, for example, when a predetermined time has passed since the start of receiving an order (FIG. 7). There, for a certain period (service time), for users who applied for an order,
All users who announce that there is a price discount and apply at that time, or a predetermined percentage, can receive a discount on the final price.

It is sufficient to input the personal information of the orderer into the application form 800 shown in FIG. 8, but the characteristic feature is that the delivery method can be selected. For example, if the orderer passes through Tokyo Station when commuting, it is possible to pick up the goods on the way home. The final price is discounted depending on the delivery place, and is reflected in the purchase price, for example, 200 yen discount when Tokyo station is selected. In this case, different discount rates may be set depending on the location. After the orderer inputs in all the fields and presses "send application", the order is sent (step s307). By clicking the "Cancel" button on this screen 800, the order can be finally canceled (step s307).

The catalog server 104 receives the order from the user and searches the order database using the product number as a key. From the past order status of the obtained product data, refer to the correspondence table between the total number of applications and the price shown in Fig. 5, and further reduce the price corresponding to the delivery place specified at the time of order application, and finally The right price. Then, the product number, the personal information of the orderer, the order of application, the desired delivery method, and the current price are associated with each other and stored in the order database (step s308), and at the same time, a screen displaying them is transmitted to the orderer ( Step s309).
Further, the order confirmation mail including the purchase number and the current price is transmitted to the orderer (step s310), and the process is ended (step s311).

When the orderer who has already ordered the product accesses the catalog server 104 again in order to confirm the price of the ordered product, in response to the request, the "new purchase" is sent by the catalog server 104. On the initial screen that prompts the user to select "Confirm information on purchased products" (step s301), the orderer "Confirm information on purchased products"
Click. In response, the catalog server 104 asks the purchaser for the purchase number, searches the order database with the purchase number (step s312) sent by the orderer as a key, and retrieves the product number (step s31).
3). The catalog server 104 then searches the product database using the product number as a key, and if the product order application period has ended (step s314), the final total number of applications and the application number of the accessing orderer are displayed. The price is displayed (step s315), and the process ends (step s).
311). If the product order application period has not ended (step s314), the latest price of the total number of applications and the current price of the application number of the accessing orderer are displayed (step s31).
6) and the process ends (step s311).

The database 101 is used to investigate the relationship between the attributes of the early orderer or the attributes of the entire orderer and the number of final orderers, and by creating a database, the early orderers of a certain product in the future. It is preferable that the final sales of the product can be predicted from the specific attributes of all the orderers and the trend possibility of the product can be predicted through it.

The embodiment of the present invention may be as follows in order to achieve the above object. In the electronic commerce method, in determining the reduced transaction price, considering the total number of records of product ordering events related to the ordered product in addition to the ordering order acceptance order of the customer regarding the ordered product, the high ordering order reception order and the record The reduced transaction price is determined by reducing the transaction price of the corresponding product from the standard price according to the large number of products.

In the electronic commerce method, when the reduced transaction price is determined, with respect to the product ordering event received during a specific time period, the ordering event reception order derived from this is increased by a predetermined order to reduce it. The transaction price will be determined.

Further, in the electronic commerce method, if the customer specifies a predetermined specific place or a place where a certain number of collective product delivery designations are secured, with respect to the delivery destination of the ordered products, the standard It is assumed that the transaction price for each delivery destination, which is further reduced than the price or the reduced transaction price, is determined and transmitted to the client terminal.

Further, the electronic commerce system is realized by the computer executing the electronic commerce method.

Further, an electronic commerce program for causing the electronic commerce method to function on a computer is formed.

Further, a computer-readable recording medium in which the electronic commerce program is recorded is formed.

[0033]

According to the present invention, in electronic commerce,
It becomes possible to provide a method capable of collecting a large number of orders at an early stage and a method of reducing the transportation cost of goods.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram showing a relationship among a catalog server, a customer terminal, and a shop terminal in an electronic commerce system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a table showing contents of an order database included in a catalog server used in the electronic commerce method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an actual procedure performed by a catalog server used in the electronic commerce method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an image example including product information and a correspondence graph of the total number of applications and a price on the browsing screen of the customer terminal.

FIG. 5 is an image example of a table showing prices corresponding to the total number of applications and the order of applications on the browsing screen of the customer terminal.

FIG. 6 is an image example including a graph showing sales record data of past products on a browsing screen of a customer terminal.

FIG. 7 is an image example in which a service time notice is displayed in addition to the product information and the correspondence graph between the total number of applications and the price on the browsing screen of the customer terminal.

FIG. 8 is an image example of an order screen for desired products on a browsing screen of a customer terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

102 product database 103 Order database 104 Catalog server One of 105 customer terminals

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A method of commercial transaction carried out with a customer who is a user of an electronic store provided by a server on a network, wherein the server receives a product ordering event from a client terminal included in the customer. However, in the database in which attribute information such as the product name, standard price, and stock quantity is recorded for each product, the ordered product is identified by using the attribute information of the product included in the product ordering event as a key, and the product received from the client terminal. The ordering events are recorded in the database in chronological order for each ordered product without duplication, and the ordering event acceptance order of the customer is recognized from the total number of recorded product ordering events already recorded for the ordered products and notified to the client terminal, In consideration of the ordering order reception order of the customer regarding the ordered product, the corresponding trader An electronic commerce method comprising: determining a reduced transaction price by reducing the transaction price of an item from a standard price, and transmitting the reduced transaction price to the client terminal. 2. When determining the reduced transaction price, in consideration of the total number of records of product ordering events related to the ordered products in addition to the ordering order reception order of the customers regarding the ordered products, the high ordering order reception order and the total number of records. 2. The electronic commerce method according to claim 1, wherein the reduced transaction price is determined by reducing the transaction price of the corresponding product from the standard price according to the number of items. 3. When determining the reduced transaction price, for the commodity ordering event received during a specific time period, the reduced transaction price is determined by performing a process of increasing the ordering event acceptance order resulting from this by a predetermined order. The electronic commerce method according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The delivery price of ordered products, if the customer designates a predetermined place or a place where a certain number of product delivery designations are secured, the standard price or a reduced transaction price 4. The electronic commerce method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining the transaction price for each destination, which is further reduced, and transmitting the determined transaction price to the client terminal. 5. An electronic commerce system realized by the server executing the electronic commerce method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. An electronic commerce program for causing the electronic commerce method according to claim 1 to function on the server. 7. A computer-readable recording medium in which the electronic commerce program according to claim 6 is recorded.