JP2003281427A - Method, device, and system for providing sales promotion information - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and a system for providing sales promotion information, which enable a user to utilize sales promotion information at any time in any place. <P>SOLUTION: A device for providing sales promotion information has a storage means for storing sales promotion information, a reception means for receiving an acquisition request for the sales promotion information through a communication network, and a transmission means for transmitting the sales promotion information in response to the acquisition request. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sales promotion information providing apparatus, method and system, and more particularly to a sales promotion information providing apparatus, method and system for providing sales promotion information to customers at a store.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional sales promotion information providing device,
There is a CD listening device installed at a CD shop or the like. The CD listening device is usually connected with one or two headphones, and a customer listens to a CD by using the headphones.

[0003]

In the conventional CD listening device, as described above, the number of people who can listen to a CD at a time is limited because the headphones connected to the device are used for listening. Therefore, when the store was crowded, it was necessary to wait for the turn to listen to the CD.

Since the headphones are connected to the CD listening device, the user must be near the CD listening device to listen to the CD. Therefore, it is difficult for a customer who does not have time to listen to the CD. Also, since the headphones are shared, some customers dislike it.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sales promotion information providing apparatus and system which can use sales promotion information at any place and time. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sales promotion information providing apparatus and system that can easily purchase a product corresponding to the used sales promotion information.

[0006]

According to one aspect of the present invention, a sales promotion information providing apparatus includes a storage unit for storing sales promotion information and a reception unit for receiving a sales promotion information acquisition request via a communication network. And means for transmitting sales promotion information based on the acquisition request.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a sales promotion information providing method installed at a store has a receiving step of receiving a sales promotion information acquisition request from a customer via a communication network. A read step of reading the sales promotion information from a storage unit storing a plurality of sales promotion information based on the acquisition request, and a transmission step of transmitting the read sales promotion information to the customer via the communication network. Have and.

According to still another aspect of the present invention,
The sales promotion information providing system includes: a transmission unit that transmits a sales promotion information acquisition request through a communication network; a reception unit that receives the sales promotion information transmitted according to the acquisition request through the communication network; A customer terminal having a utilization means for utilizing the sales promotion information,
Sales promotion having storage means for storing sales promotion information, receiving means for receiving the acquisition request through the communication network, and means for transmitting sales promotion information through the communication network based on the acquisition request And an information providing device.

[0009]

1 is a conceptual diagram of a sales promotion information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sales promotion information providing system includes a mobile terminal 1a owned by a customer (purchaser),
A store terminal 1b owned by a store (seller), a data distribution server 1c, an order receiving site 1d, a product 2, a delivery system 4 operated by a store or another vendor, and a communication network 3La, 3Lb connecting respective devices, It is composed of 3W.

The store terminal 1b and the data distribution server 1
The sales promotion information providing device 1 is configured by connecting the c and the order receiving site 1d through the communication network 3Lb.
The mobile terminal 1a owned by the purchaser is a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA, and has at least a wired or wireless communication interface (I / F) 16. The purchaser uses the mobile terminal 1a to connect to the in-store terminal 1b installed in the store via the communication network 3La.

The communication network 3La is a communication network compatible with a high-speed wireless communication protocol for short and medium distances such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and wireless LAN such as IEEE 802.11.

The in-store terminal 1b is a personal computer or the like having at least a wired or wireless communication interface (I / F) 16. When there is access from the mobile terminal 1a, the in-store terminal 1b can communicate with the communication network 3L.
Customer-related information and currently available sales promotion information are acquired from a data distribution server connected via b, and appropriate sales promotion information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 1a based on the customer-related information.

The data distribution server 1c has a sales promotion database (sales promotion DB) that stores a plurality of currently available sales promotion information (sales promotion information SPD in FIG. 3) and information related to a plurality of customers (customers in FIG. 4). It has a customer database (customer DB) that stores related information CRI).

The customer uses the received sales promotion information by using the portable terminal 1a at his / her favorite place (for example, home, workplace, school, etc.) and time (for example, during traveling time). For example, when the sales promotion information is the CD audition data, headphones are connected to the mobile terminal 1a to audition.

When the customer desires to purchase the product 2 (CD in this case) corresponding to the audition data (sales promotion information) of the auditioned CD, he goes to the store again and connects to the store terminal 1b, Product 2 can be easily specified. The product 2 is specified by the product code included in the sales promotion information described in detail later. The specified merchandise is sold to the customer by the usual selling method.

When there is no time to go to the store, the portable terminal 1a is used to access the order receiving site 1d operated by the seller or the like via the wide area communication network 3W such as the Internet to purchase the product 2. You can buy it.
Also in this case, since the product 2 is specified based on the product code, the product can be specified without performing a search or the like.

When ordering the product 2 through the order receiving site 1d, the order receiving site 1d charges the customer's account or gives the customer's address based on the customer related information stored in the data distribution server 1c. The delivery system 4 is instructed to deliver the product 2.

In FIG. 1, the store terminal 1b, the data distribution server 1c, and the order receiving site 1d are connected to the communication network 3
Although the sales promotion information providing apparatus 1 is configured by connecting with Lb, these may be configured with a single computer or the like, or may be configured with the above three or more devices. . Further, the order receiving site 1d and the function corresponding thereto can be omitted. When the order receiving site 1d is omitted, the customer can order the product only at the store.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the sales promotion information providing device 1 (1b-1d) according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since the mobile terminal 1a of FIG. 1 has almost the same configuration as the sales promotion information providing apparatus 1, the sales promotion information providing apparatus 1 will be mainly described below.

The sales promotion information providing device 1 has a bus 6 and a RAM.
7, ROM 8, CPU 9, timer 10, detection circuit 11,
Operator 12, display circuit 13, display 14, external storage device 15, communication interface 16, sound source circuit 1
7, an effect circuit 18, and a sound system 19.

The bus 6 has a RAM 7, a ROM 8 and a CPU.
9, external storage device 15, detection circuit 11, display circuit 13,
Communication interface 16, sound source circuit 17, effect circuit 1
8 are connected.

The RAM 7 has a working area for the CPU 9 which stores flags, registers or buffers, various parameters and the like. The ROM 8 can store various parameters and control programs, or programs for implementing the present embodiment. In this case, it is not necessary to store the program and the like in the external storage device 15 in an overlapping manner.

The CPU 9 performs calculation or control according to a control program or the like stored in the ROM 8 or the external storage device 15. The timer 10 is connected to the CPU 9 and controls the basic clock signal, interrupt processing timing, etc.
Supply to PU9.

The user (customer and seller) uses the detection circuit 1
Various inputs and settings can be made by using the operator 12 connected to 1. The operator 12 may be, for example, a switch, a pad, a fader, a slider, a character input keyboard, a mouse, a rotary encoder, a joystick, or a jog shuttle, as long as it can output a signal according to a user's input.

Further, the operator 12 may be a soft switch or the like displayed on the display 14 which is operated by using another operator such as a mouse. The display circuit 13 is connected to the display 14 and can display various information on the display 14. The user refers to the information displayed on the display 14 to perform various inputs and settings.
When the sales promotion information is image data or character data, the customer uses it by displaying it on the display 14 of the mobile terminal 1a and the store terminal 1b. Further, the display 14 may be configured by connecting an external display device.

A touch panel can be used as the display 14. In this case, the display 14
A user's instruction is input by the user pressing a switch or the like displayed above.

The external storage device 15 includes an interface for the external storage device, and is connected to the bus 6 via the interface. The external storage device 15 is, for example, a flexible disk or a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive (FDD), a hard disk drive (HD
D), magneto-optical disk (MO) drive, CD-ROM
(Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) Drive, DVD (Digital Versatile Di)
sc) drive, semiconductor memory, etc.

When a hard disk drive (HDD) is connected as the external storage device 15, the control program or the program for implementing the present embodiment is stored in the hard disk (HDD) in the external storage device 15. You can also let it. Hard disk to RAM7
By reading the control program and the like into the CPU 8, it is possible to cause the CPU 9 to perform the same operation as when the ROM 8 stores the control program and the like. By doing so, it is possible to easily add a control program or the like and upgrade the version.

In addition to the hard disk drive,
When the CD-ROM drive is connected, the control program or the program for implementing the present embodiment can be stored in the CD-ROM. CD-RO
It is possible to copy the control program, the program for realizing the present embodiment, and the like from M to the hard disk.
It is possible to easily perform new installation or version upgrade of the control program or the like.

The communication interface 16 can be connected to a communication network 3 such as a LAN (local area network), the Internet, or a telephone line, and is connected to another device 1 via the communication network 3 (3La, 3Lb, 3W). Can be connected to each other.

The communication interface 16 and the communication network 3 are not limited to wired ones, and may be wireless.
Also, both may be provided. Further, the communication interface 16 may be built in the electronic music apparatus 1 or
A removable device such as a PC card may be used.

In the case of the mobile terminal 1a and the in-store terminal 1b, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or IEEE
It is preferable that the wireless communication interface 16 is compatible with a high-speed wireless communication protocol for short and medium distances such as a wireless LAN such as E802.11. Further, in the case of the in-store terminal 1b, it is preferable that the plurality of mobile terminals 1a can be connected at one time.

The tone generator circuit 17 includes an external storage device 15, RO
A sound system is generated through the effect circuit 18 by generating a musical tone signal according to a performance signal, MIDI signal, musical tone waveform data, etc. supplied from the music data for sale (sales promotion information) recorded in the M8 or the RAM 7, etc. Supply to 19.

The effect circuit 18 gives various musical effects to the musical tone signal supplied from the tone generator circuit 17. The sound system 19 includes a D / A converter and a speaker, converts the supplied digital tone signal into an analog format, and produces a sound. It should be noted that one or a plurality of headphones can be connected to the store terminal 1b as a sound system 19. Also, at least one headphone can be connected to the mobile terminal 1a.

The tone generator circuit 18 is a waveform memory type,
FM method, physical model method, harmonic synthesis method, formant synthesis method, VCO (Voltage Contro)
lled Oscillator) + VCF (Volt
age Controlled Filter) + VC
A (Voltage Controlled Ampl)
Any method such as an analog synthesizer method, an analog simulation method, etc. may be used.

The tone generator circuit 17 is not limited to one using dedicated hardware, but may be a DSP (Digital).
al Signal Processor + microprogram, CPU + software program, or sound card.

Further, a plurality of tone generation channels may be formed by using one tone generator circuit in a time division manner, or a plurality of tone generator circuits may be used and one tone generator circuit may generate a plurality of tone generator circuits. The pronunciation channel may be configured.

When used as the data distribution server 1c and the order receiving site 1d, the sound source circuit 17, the effect circuit 18, the sound system 19 and the like can be omitted if necessary.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the format of the sales promotion information SPD according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the CD-listening song data is an example of sales promotion information. A plurality of sales promotion information SPDs are stored in the sales promotion DB in the data distribution server 1c of FIG.

The sales promotion information SPD is, for example, SM
It may be automatic performance data based on the F (Standard MIDI File) format, or voice data such as musical tone waveform data (WAVE data), mobile data such as image data, moving image data, character data, and combinations thereof. Any data can be used as long as the data can be used in 1a and is for the purpose of promoting the sale of the product.

The sales promotion information SPD is the store code S.
C, product code MC, and promotional substance data PRD (listening song data in the figure). Dealer code SC
Is a code for specifying the store in which the over-the-counter terminal 1b that has distributed the sales promotion information SPD to the mobile terminal 1a is installed. Although the store code SC is added to the sales promotion information SPD in advance and stored in the sales promotion DB, it may be added by the store terminal 1b at the store when the distribution is actually performed.

The product code MC is the promotional substance data PRD.
Is the product code of the product corresponding to, and the actual product corresponding to the sales promotion substance data PRD can be specified by this code.

The sales promotion substance data PRD are, specifically, music data for trial listening of music such as the above-mentioned CD, moving image data for advertising of videos and DVDs, catalog data of various devices, trial data of computer software, and the like. The song data for trial listening of music is, for example, song data with a limited playing time, or song data with a limited number of reproducible times. As described above, the use of any data is restricted except the data such as catalog data that is originally distributed free of charge.

In this embodiment, the sales promotion information SPD
Therefore, only the promotional substance data PRD can be separated and deleted. Even in that case, the store code SC and the product code MC remain in the mobile terminal 1a, so that the product can be easily specified later. Therefore, the mobile terminal 1a
Without pressing the storage medium such as the external storage device 15 of
The identification of the sales promotion information SPD can be simplified.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the format of the customer related information CRI according to the embodiment of the present invention. The customer-related information CRI is created by the account creation process shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later, and is stored in the customer DB in the data distribution server 1c of FIG.

The customer-related information CRI is a customer ID, customer information UI, sales promotion data acquisition history DL, product purchase history PL,
It is composed of billing information CA, points PO and other information OI.

The customer ID is used for connection authentication and customer identification when the customer uses the portable terminal 1a to access the storefront terminal 1b or the order receiving site 1d.
The customer ID is given to the customer in the account creation process described later.

The customer information UI is the personal information of the customer,
For example, the customer's name, address, telephone number, email address, etc. When a product or the like is delivered to a customer, the customer information UI is referred to.

The sales promotion data acquisition history DL is a history of sales promotion information SPD acquired by the customer from the in-store terminal 1b using the mobile terminal 1a. Specifically, it is a log file in which the customer stores the store code SC and the product code MC in the sales promotion information SPD acquired from the store terminal 1b using the mobile terminal 1a. The date and time of acquisition may also be recorded.

The product purchase history PL is a history of products purchased by the customer, and specifically, is a log file in which the product code of the purchased product is stored. The purchase date and time may also be recorded.

The billing information CA is information for billing the customer in the order receiving process via the Internet shown in FIG. Specifically, it is information on a credit card or the like used for payment of a product purchase price or the like.

In the point PO, points relating to the point service provided on the store side are recorded. For example, when the customer acquires the sales promotion information SPD from the in-store terminal 1b and purchases the corresponding product, points are added. Customers can receive services such as product discounts by accumulating points. By doing so, the use of the store terminal 1b can be promoted.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a sales promotion information providing process according to the embodiment of the present invention. Step SA
c1 to SAc14 are processes on the side of the mobile terminal 1a,
Steps SAs1 to SAs13 are processes on the side of the store terminal 1b.

In step SAc1, the sales promotion information providing process on the portable terminal 1a side is started, and in step SAc2, it is determined whether or not the customer has an account (customer ID). If the customer ID is stored in the mobile terminal 1a or entered by the customer, it is determined that there is an account, and the step SAc4 indicated by the YES arrow is shown.
Proceed to. In other cases, it is determined that there is no account, and the process proceeds to step SAc3 indicated by a NO arrow. If password authentication is required, the password is also acquired.

At step SAc3, an account creating process, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, is performed. By performing the account creation process, the customer D in the distribution server 1c shown in FIG.
A customer account is created in B.

In step SAc4, step SAc2
Alternatively, the customer ID acquired in step SAc3 is applied to the store terminal 1
Send to b. If password authentication is required, send the password as well.

At step SAc5, step S described later is executed.
2 receives the menu including the list of the sales promotion information (sales promotion data) that can be distributed by the current distribution server 1c and the list of the products corresponding to the sales promotion data that the customer has already received, and the display 14 of FIG. To display. The customer selects a process from the displayed menu. The selectable process is, for example, selection of sales promotion data to be acquired, purchase of a product corresponding to the sales promotion data already acquired, or the like. That is, the sales promotion data is selected from the list of sales promotion data that can be distributed by the current distribution server 1c included in the received menu, and the product is purchased from the list of products corresponding to the sales promotion data already acquired by the customer. , Select the product to purchase.

In step SAc6, step SAc5
It is determined whether or not the process selected in step 3 is selection of sales promotion data. In the case of selection of sales promotion data, the process proceeds to step SAc9 indicated by a YES arrow and proceeds to step SAs9 described later.
Receive and save the promotional data sent in step S
Proceed to Ac10. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step SAc7 indicated by a NO arrow.

In step SAc7, step SAc5
It is determined whether or not the process selected in step 1 is the purchase of the product corresponding to the sales promotion data. If the product is to be purchased, the process proceeds to step SAc8 indicated by a YES arrow, the purchase process shown in FIG. 7 described later is performed, and the process proceeds to step SAc10. If the product is not purchased, the process directly proceeds to step SAc10.

In step SAc10, step SAc
The sales promotion data acquired in step 9 or stored in the external storage device 15 or the like is used. When the sales promotion data is song data, the tone generator circuit 17 and the effect circuit 1 are provided so that it can be listened to.
8 and the sound system 19, the moving image data, image data or character data is displayed on the display 14.

At step SAc11, other processing is performed. Other processes include, for example, file management such as deleting the sales entity code PRD while leaving the store code SC and the product code MC from the sales promotion data, deleting the entire sales promotion data, and user information and billing information. Editing etc. are included.

At step SAc12, it is confirmed whether or not to disconnect from the in-store terminal 1b. YES to disconnect
Follow the arrow to go to step SAc13 and proceed to the store terminal 1b
To the mobile terminal 1a, and ends the processing on the portable terminal 1a side in step SAc14. When not disconnecting, the process returns to step SAc5 following the NO arrow, receives the menu, and updates the display on the display 14.

At step SAs1, the sales promotion information providing process on the shop terminal 1b side is started, and at step SAs2, the customer ID (and password) transmitted from the portable terminal 1a at step SAc4 is received.

In step SAs3, step SAs2
It is determined whether or not the customer account (customer-related information) corresponding to the customer ID received in 1. exists in the customer DB in the distribution server 1c. If it exists, the process proceeds to step SAs4 indicated by a YES arrow. If it does not exist, the process proceeds to step SAs3 indicated by a NO arrow, the account creation process of FIG. 6 described later is performed, and then the process proceeds to step SAs4.

At Step SAs4, the customer-related information corresponding to the customer ID received at Step SAs2 is read from the customer DB in the distribution server 1c. In step SAs5, the read customer-related information is analyzed to create a list of sales promotion data that the customer has already acquired. In addition, the sales promotion data in the distribution server 1c is listed up as sales promotion data that can be currently distributed. At least a menu screen including a list of acquired promotion data and a list of currently distributable sales promotion data is transmitted to the mobile terminal 1a.

In step SAs6, it is determined whether or not there is a distribution request for sales promotion data from the portable terminal 1a. If there is a distribution request for sales promotion data, the process proceeds to step SAs9 indicated by a YES arrow. NO if there is no delivery request
Go to step SAs7 indicated by the arrow.

At Step SAs7, it is determined whether or not there is a purchase request for the product corresponding to the sales promotion data from the portable terminal 1a. If there is a purchase request, the process proceeds to step SAs8 following the YES arrow to perform the purchase process shown in FIG. 6 described later, and proceeds to step SAs10. If there is no purchase request, the process proceeds to step SAs11 following the NO arrow.

In step SAs9, step SAc5
The sales promotion data selected by the customer is read from the sales promotion DB in the distribution server 1c and transmitted to the mobile terminal 1a. At step SAs10, the customer-related information in the customer DB in the distribution server 1c is updated. For example, when the customer downloads new sales promotion data, the store code SC and the product code MC of the sales promotion data acquired this time are added to the sales promotion data acquisition history. Further, for example, when the customer purchases a product corresponding to the sales promotion data, the shop code SC and the product code MC of the sales promotion data purchased this time are displayed in the product purchase history.
To add. At this time, the history of the sales promotion data of the purchased product may be deleted from the sales promotion data acquisition history, or an identification symbol indicating the purchase may be added to the history item.

At step SAs11, other processing is performed. In step SAs12, it is determined whether or not a disconnection request has been received from the mobile terminal 1a. When the disconnection request is received, the processing on the shop terminal 1b side is ended in step SAs13 following the YES arrow. If the disconnection request is not received, the flow returns to step SAs4 following the NO arrow.

The use of the sales promotion data is not limited to the connection to the in-store terminal 1b as described above, but can be performed at any time by the customer's instruction. Similarly, file management can be performed at any time.

If both the mobile terminal 1a and the in-store terminal 1b have a wireless communication interface, the customer ID and password are stored in the mobile terminal 1a.
The mobile terminal 1a may automatically access the in-store terminal 1b and log in when the mobile terminal 1a enters the effective range of the wireless communication network.

As described above, the sales promotion data is transferred to the store terminal 1b.
So customers get it when and where they want,
The sales promotion data stored in the mobile terminal 1a can be used.

Further, since the customer actually goes to the store and acquires the sales promotion data, he / she can see the actual product corresponding to the sales promotion data. Further, instead of the screen displayed on the display of the computer or the like, the in-store revelation material such as a large-sized poster can attract the customer's interest.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the account creation processing performed in step SAc3 (mobile terminal 1a side) and step SAs3 (store terminal side) in FIG.
The steps SBc1 to SBc5 are the mobile terminal 1a.
Processing in step SBs1 to SB
s5 is a process in the store terminal 1b.

At step SBc1, the account creation process on the portable terminal side is started, and at step SBc2,
The account creation screen transmitted in step SBs2 described below is received and displayed on the display 14.

In step SBc3, the display 14
Refer to the account creation screen displayed in
Use 2 to enter the required information. Here, the necessary information is, for example, contents stored in the customer information UI of FIG. 4, such as the customer's name, address, and telephone number. After the input, the input contents are transmitted to the store terminal 1b.

At step SBc4, step S which will be described later is performed.
The customer ID transmitted in Bs3 is received and stored. After that, the process proceeds to step SBc5, and the process on the mobile terminal 1a side is ended.

At step SBs1, the account creation process on the side of the store terminal 1b is started, and at step SBs2, the account creation screen is transmitted to the portable terminal 1a. The account creation screen is a screen that prompts the user to enter information necessary for creating a customer account.

At step SBs3, the reception of information from the portable terminal 1a is confirmed, and the customer ID is issued. The issued customer ID is transmitted to the mobile terminal 1a. Step S
In Bs4, the customer ID issued in step SBs3 is used as an index, and the customer-related information CRI (FIG. 4) including the information from the mobile terminal 1a as the customer information UI is added to the customer DB of the distribution server 1c. Then, step SBs
At 5, the processing on the shop terminal 1b side is completed.

Note that the customer account creation is not limited to the above-mentioned processing, and even if the customer describes necessary information on a paper application form, etc. and hands it to the clerk, and the clerk inputs it. good. Also, account creation is not limited to stores,
It may be performed via a wide area network such as the Internet.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the purchase processing performed in step SAc8 (mobile terminal 1a side) and step SAs8 (store terminal 1b side) in FIG. Steps SCc1 to SCc5 are processes in the mobile terminal 1a, and steps SCs1 to SCs8.
Is a process in the store terminal 1b.

In step SCc1, the purchase process on the portable terminal 1a side is started, and in step SCc2, the product code of the product (sales promotion data corresponding to the product) selected in step SAc5 of FIG. 5 is transmitted to the store terminal 1b. To do.

At step SCc3, step S described later is executed.
Based on the confirmation of the purchase intention transmitted by Cs4, it is determined whether or not to purchase the selected product. When purchasing a product, that is, when the customer who operates this mobile terminal 1a approves the purchase of the product, step S indicated by a YES arrow.
The process proceeds to Cc4, the purchase request is transmitted to the in-store terminal 1b, and the process on the portable terminal 1a side is ended in step SCc5. If the product is not purchased, the process on the portable terminal 1a side is ended in step SCc5 following the NO arrow.

At step SCs1, the purchase process at the store terminal 1b is started, and at step SCs2, the product code transmitted at step SCc2 is received. In step SCs3, it is confirmed whether or not the product corresponding to the product code received in step SC2 is in the store. If there is stock, follow the YES arrow to step SCs4
If there is no stock, the process in the store terminal 1b ends in step SCs8 according to the NO arrow.

In this embodiment, the purchase process is forcibly terminated when the product is out of stock. However, when the product is out of stock, the customer is notified that the product is ordered,
You may make it perform the process after step SCs4.

At step SCs4, confirmation of the purchase intention as to whether or not the customer actually purchases the product selected by the customer is transmitted to the portable terminal 1a. The purchase intention may be confirmed by the store clerk directly confirming with the customer without using this device, or may be omitted.

At step SCs5, it is determined whether or not a purchase request has been received from the portable terminal 1a. When the purchase request is received, the process proceeds to step SCs6 indicated by a YES arrow. When the purchase request is not received, the process at the store terminal 1b ends at step SCs8 indicated by a NO arrow.

At step SCs6, a billing process is performed.
The billing process is performed based on the billing information CA in the customer-related information CRI stored in the data distribution server. For example, if the customer has registered credit card information as the charging information CA, the customer pays the price of the purchased product to the credit card. Further, for example, when the customer desires to pay in cash, cash is delivered at the store.

At step SCs7, points are added to the fact that the product has been purchased by using the revisit store and sales promotion data, and the process at the store terminal 1b is ended at step SCs8. It should be noted that it is possible to give preferential treatment to the customer visiting the store by increasing the points to be added at this time over the points to be added in step SDs9 of FIG. 8 described later.

As described above, since the product can be specified and the stock can be searched by using the product code, the product corresponding to the acquired sales promotion data can be smoothly purchased.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an order receiving process via the Internet according to this embodiment. This ordering process is a process for the customer to purchase a product corresponding to the already-acquired sales promotion information from the home or workplace via the network such as the Internet when the customer does not have time to return to the store again. Is.

In the figure, steps SDc1 to SDc7 are processes on the side of the portable terminal 1a, and steps SDs1 to SDc
s12 is a process at the order receiving site 1d. The mobile terminal 1a and the order receiving site 1d are connected via a communication network 3W such as the Internet.

At Step SDc1, the order receiving process at the portable terminal 1a is started, and at Step SDc2, the customer ID (and password) is transmitted to the order receiving site 1d to log in to the customer account.

At step SDc3, step S which will be described later is performed.
The product list transmitted from the order receiving site 1d at Ds3 is received and displayed on the display 14. The customer selects a desired product from the product list displayed on the display 14 by using the operator 12.

At step SDc4, at step SDc3
The product code included in the sales promotion information (sales promotion data) corresponding to the product selected in step 1 is transmitted to the order receiving site 1d. In step SDc5, it is determined whether or not to purchase the selected product, based on the confirmation of the purchase intention transmitted in step SDs6 described later. When purchasing the product, that is, when the customer who operates the mobile terminal 1a approves the purchase of the product, the process proceeds to step SDc6 indicated by a YES arrow, the purchase request is transmitted to the order receiving site 1d, and step SD
At c7, the process on the side of the mobile terminal 1a ends. If you do not want to purchase the product, follow the NO arrow to proceed to step SDc7.
Then, the processing on the portable terminal 1a side is ended.

At step SDs1, the order receiving process on the order receiving site 1d side is started, and at step SDs2, the customer ID (and password) transmitted from the portable terminal 1a at step SDc2 is received and corresponds to the customer ID. The customer related information CRI is read from the customer DB of the distribution server 1c.

At step SDs3, the customer-related information CR
Referring to the sales promotion data acquisition history DL in I, the customer creates a list of commodities that can be purchased at present based on the product code of the sales promotion data, and sends it to the mobile terminal 1a.

At step SDs4, step SDc4
In step SDs5, the customer receives the product code of the product that the customer desires to purchase, and confirms whether or not the product corresponding to the received product code is in the store. If there is stock, follow the YES arrow to step SDs6
If there is no stock, the process at the order receiving site 1d is ended in step SDs12 according to the NO arrow.

In this embodiment, the purchase process is forcibly terminated when the product is out of stock. However, when the product is out of stock, the customer is notified that the product is ordered,
You may make it perform the process after step SDs6.

At step SDs6, confirmation of purchase intention as to whether or not the customer actually purchases the product selected by the customer is transmitted to the portable terminal 1a. In step SDs7, the mobile terminal 1a
It is determined whether the purchase request is received from. If the purchase request is received, step SDs8 indicated by a YES arrow.
Proceed to. When the purchase request is not received, the process at the order receiving site 1d is ended in step SDs12 indicated by a NO arrow.

At step SDs8, a billing process is performed.
The billing process is performed based on the billing information CA in the customer-related information CRI stored in the data distribution server 1c.
For example, if the customer has registered credit card information as the billing information, the customer pays the price of the purchased product to the credit card. It should be noted that the charge for the product price is not limited to a credit card, and may be performed by any means such as bank transfer, postal transfer, and cash on delivery.

At step SDs9, points are added to the fact that the product has been purchased using the sales promotion data,
In step SDs10, the information such as the product purchase history PL and the point PO in the customer-related information CRI stored in the data distribution server 1c is updated. Other information will be updated as necessary.

At step SDs11, the delivery process of the product purchased by the customer is performed. Delivery process is customer related information CR
Referring to the customer information CI in I, the delivery system 4 in FIG.
It will be done by contacting the delivery address, name, and products. After that, at step SDs12, the order receiving site 1
The processing in d is completed.

As described above, since the product can be ordered and the order can be received through the wide area network such as the Internet, the customer can purchase the product without visiting the store again.

Further, unlike the ordinary Internet mail order, since the product is specified by using the product code in the sales promotion data, it is possible to save the trouble of searching for the product to be purchased. Further, the customer visits the store once to obtain the sales promotion data, so that he or she can see the actual product and can purchase the product with confidence.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the customer can download the sales promotion information such as the music data for viewing at the store to his / her mobile terminal. Therefore, it is possible to consider purchasing a product by using the sales promotion information at home, at work, or while moving.

Further, when purchasing a product, the fact that the purchase is considered in the received sales promotion information is presented so that the product can be easily specified. Furthermore, by adding points to the fact that the customer has returned to the store again and preferentially treating it, it is possible to reduce the number of customers who purchase the product at another store, even though the customer listens to it.

Further, according to this embodiment, the customer uses the sales promotion information by using his / her own mobile terminal, so that the number of people who can use the sales promotion information at one time is not limited. Therefore, the customer can quickly and surely obtain and use the sales promotion information without waiting for the turn.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments.
The present invention is not limited to these. For example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, improvements, combinations and the like can be made.

[0109]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a sales promotion information providing device and system that can use sales promotion information at any place and time.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sales promotion information providing apparatus and system which can easily purchase a product corresponding to the used sales promotion information.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a sales promotion information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a sales promotion information providing device 1 (1b to 1d) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a format of sales promotion information SPD according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a format of customer-related information CRI according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a sales promotion information providing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a step SAc3 in FIG. 5 (on the side of the mobile terminal 1a).
9 is a flowchart showing an account creation process performed in step SAs3 (on the store terminal side).

FIG. 7: Step SAc8 of FIG. 5 (on the side of the mobile terminal 1a)
9 is a flowchart showing a purchase process performed at step SAs8 (on the side of the store terminal 1b).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an order receiving process via the Internet according to the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Sales promotion information providing device, 2 ... Merchandise, 3 ... Communication network, 4 ... Delivery system, 6 ... Bus, 7 ... RAM, 8 ... R
OM, 9 ... CPU, 10 ... Timer, 11 ... Detection circuit, 1
2 ... operator, 13 ... display circuit, 14 ... display, 1
5 ... External storage device, 16 ... Communication interface, 17
… Sound source circuit, 18… Effect circuit, 19… Sound system

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing sales promotion information, a reception means for receiving a sales promotion information acquisition request through a communication network, and a transmission means for transmitting the sales promotion information based on the acquisition request. Sales promotion information providing device. 2. The sales promotion information includes a product code for specifying a product, and the receiving unit further includes the product code returned via the communication network, and the product represented by the product code. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: a product specifying unit that receives a purchase request of the specified product, and that specifies a product based on the received product code; and a charging unit that charges the price of the specified product according to the purchase request. Sales promotion information providing device. 3. The sales promotion information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the storage means further stores information regarding a customer who has transmitted the acquisition request for the sales promotion information. 4. The sales promotion information providing device according to claim 2, further comprising a delivery unit that delivers the specified product. 5. A sales promotion information providing method installed at a store, comprising a receiving step of receiving a sales promotion information acquisition request from a customer via a communication network, and storing a plurality of sales promotion information. A method for providing sales promotion information, comprising: reading out the sales promotion information from the stored storage means based on the acquisition request; and transmitting the read sales promotion information to the customer via the communication network. . 6. A transmitting means for transmitting a request for acquiring sales promotion information via a communication network, a receiving means for receiving, through the communication network, sales promotion information transmitted according to the acquisition request, and the received sales. A customer terminal having a utilization unit that uses the promotion information, a storage unit that stores the sales promotion information, a reception unit that receives the acquisition request via the communication network, and a sales promotion information based on the acquisition request. A sales promotion information providing system, comprising: a sales promotion information providing device having means for transmitting via the communication network.