JP2004103020A - Benefit provision program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a system for enabling finely-tuned sales promotion according to attributes of a customer and characteristics of a store. <P>SOLUTION: A magnetic card reader/writer in an integrated terminal 1 in a store recognizes a member card brought by a customer having come to the store, and store visiting points are added and automatically recorded in the member card and in a store visiting history file on a hard disc in the integrated terminal 1. When the total store visiting points reach a predetermined value, a normal coupon ticket is outputted from a printer of the integrated terminal 1. Data of the store visiting history file is collected in a center server 2, and the number of visits in a predetermined period is counted on the member ID basis. A special benefit provision program 202 in the center server 2 assigns a rank to the number of visits, and sends data to the integrated terminal 1 so as to provide a special benefit to the member lowering the rank. When the member of the special benefit provision object inserts the member card in coming to the store in the next time, a special coupon ticket is issued as a special benefit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The invention of the present application relates to a method, a system, and a computer program for promoting sales in various stores such as supermarkets, chain stores, and the like by using IT (information technology).

Currently, as simply described by the word megacompetition, supermarkets and other retail stores are exposed to unprecedented fierce competition. In the era of goods, the market is not expected to grow significantly due to the slowdown in consumption, and the current situation is that the market is intensely competing for limited pies. Under such an environment, each company has been devising in terms of business format, store facilities, product procurement, etc., and has been making efforts to overcome the competition.

も と Under such fierce competition, promotion of attracting many customers to their stores becomes very important. The conventional promotion is mainly advertising by inserting a leaflet or the like, but recently, a method of issuing points according to the purchase amount and giving a gift certificate when a certain amount of points are accumulated is also adopted. Also, mass retailers and the like often employ a cashback method in which a certain percentage of the purchase price is discounted at the time of the next purchase.

プ ロ モ ー シ ョ ン However, the basic problem with such promotions is that they do not take into account the characteristics of customers or stores at all. In a mature market, it is important to make detailed promotions according to the characteristics of the market, the attributes of customers, the characteristics of the target buyers, etc., and to stimulate purchase willingness. However, the conventional promotion is a uniform one that does not consider such attributes of stores and customers.

For example, regarding the method of issuing gift certificates by the point system, if the points are accumulated without considering the attributes of the customer at all, the benefits are only given uniformly. It promotes uniformly to fixed customers who shop at the store regardless of whether or not they receive points, and to highly liquid customers who will leave immediately if they do not receive points. This is the same with the conventional cashback method. By the way, the same can be said for advertisements such as insert leaflets. Similar costs will be paid to customers who come to the store simply because the store is close to their home without worrying about fliers, and to customers who want to buy a store that is as cheap as 1 yen compared to many stores. We are promoting over.

プ ロ モ ー シ ョ ン In such an old-fashioned promotion, there is a problem that it is not possible to obtain a sufficient promotion effect for the investment cost because it is not detailed according to the attributes of the customer and the characteristics of the store. The invention of the present application has been made in order to solve such a problem, and has a technical significance of providing a method and a system that enable detailed sales promotion in accordance with customer attributes and store characteristics.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention is a recognition step of recognizing that an individual customer has visited a store or purchased a product or service by a recognition unit.
A recording step of automatically recording in the recording unit the visit of each customer or purchase of goods or services recognized in the recognition step,
A tallying step of tallying individual customers' visits or purchases of goods or services by tallying means;
Based on the counting result in the counting step, the benefits to be given to each customer are automatically and independently set for each customer according to predetermined conditions except for the condition of giving a more advantageous benefit as the number of visits or the purchase amount is larger. And a judging step of judging by the judging means.
Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the second invention according to the first configuration, the predetermined condition is more advantageous for a customer who has visited the store less frequently or for a customer who has purchased less goods or services. It has a configuration that the condition is a condition for giving a privilege.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a third invention is a recognition step of recognizing that an individual customer has visited a store or purchased a product or service by a recognition unit,
A recording step of automatically recording in the recording unit the visit of each customer or purchase of goods or services recognized in the recognition step,
A tallying step of tallying individual customers' visits or purchases of goods or services by tallying means;
A judging step of automatically judging a privilege to be given to each customer by the judging means based on the counting result by the counting means;
A notification step of automatically and actively informing the individual customer of the privilege to be given to the individual customer at the next visit or purchase of a product or service according to the result of the determination by the determining means. Having.
In order to solve the above problems, a fourth invention is a sales promotion method for promoting sales in two or more stores,
A recognition step of recognizing that each customer has visited the store or purchased a product or service by a recognition means in each store;
A recording step of automatically recording in the recording unit the visit of each customer or purchase of goods or services recognized in the recognition step,
A tallying step of tallying individual customers' visits or purchases of goods or services by tallying means;
A judging step of judging, by the judging means, a privilege to be granted to each customer according to the privilege grant condition based on a result of the counting in the counting step;
A condition setting step of setting different privilege granting conditions for at least two or more stores by the condition setting means based on the characteristics of each store.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fifth invention is a recognition means for recognizing that each customer has visited a store or purchased a product or service,
A recording unit that automatically records visits or purchases of goods or services of individual customers recognized by the recognition means, and a tallying unit that counts visits or purchases of goods or services of individual customers;
Based on the counting result by the counting means, as the number of visits to the store or the purchase amount is larger, the benefits to be given to individual customers are automatically and independently set for each customer according to predetermined conditions excluding conditions for giving advantageous benefits. And a judging means for judging the condition.
In order to solve the above problem, in a sixth aspect based on the fifth aspect, the predetermined condition is more advantageous for a customer who has reduced the number of visits to a store or for a customer who has purchased less goods or services. It has a configuration that the condition is a condition for giving a privilege.
In order to solve the above problem, a seventh aspect of the present invention provides a recognition means for recognizing that each customer has visited a store or purchased a product or service,
A recording unit for automatically recording visits of individual customers or purchases of goods or services recognized by the recognition means,
An aggregation means for counting the visits of individual customers or purchases of goods or services;
Judging means for automatically judging a privilege to be given to each customer based on the counting result by the counting means;
Notification means for automatically and actively notifying the individual customer of the privilege to be given to the individual customer at the next visit or purchase of a product or service according to the result of the determination by the communication means. It has the structure of.
In order to solve the above problem, an eighth invention is a sales promotion system for promoting sales in two or more stores,
Recognition means installed at each store to recognize that each customer has visited the store or purchased goods or services;
A recording unit for automatically recording visits of individual customers or purchases of goods or services recognized by the recognition means,
An aggregation means for counting the visits of individual customers or purchases of goods or services;
Judging means for judging a privilege to be granted to each customer in accordance with the privilege grant condition based on a result of the aggregation by the counting means;
A condition setting means for setting different privilege granting conditions for at least two or more stores based on the characteristics of each store.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a ninth invention is a computer program used in a sales promotion system for giving a privilege to a customer according to each customer's visit to the store or purchase of a product or service,
Based on the aggregated results of visits or purchases of goods or services by individual customers, the benefits to be granted to individual customers are set according to predetermined conditions excluding the conditions that give more advantageous benefits as the number of visits or the purchase amount is larger. And a determination step for automatically and independently determining for each customer.
In order to solve the above problem, in a tenth aspect based on the ninth aspect, the predetermined condition is more advantageous for a customer who has visited the store less frequently or for a customer who has purchased less goods or services. It has a configuration that the condition is a condition for giving a privilege.
Further, in order to solve the above problem, an eleventh invention is a computer program used for a sales promotion system for giving a privilege to a customer according to each customer's visit or purchase of a product or service,
The system includes a notification step of automatically and actively notifying the individual customer of a privilege to be given to the individual customer at the next visit or purchase of a product or service to the individual customer by communication means.

As described below, according to the first method, the fifth system, or the ninth program, the privilege to be given to each customer is automatically determined independently for each customer. Optimal promotion according to the customer's attributes. Therefore, it is possible to maximize the effect of maintaining and improving sales while reducing waste of investment costs.
Further, according to the second method, the sixth system, or the tenth program, a customer who has visited the store less frequently or a customer who has purchased less goods or services is given a more advantageous privilege, so that the customer is away from the customer. Can be independently prevented for each individual customer, which greatly contributes to maintaining and improving the overall sales of the store.
Further, according to the third method, the seventh system or the eleventh program, the privilege given to each customer at the next visit to the store is automatically notified to each customer in advance by the communication means. Incentives are further enhanced. As a result, it is also possible to greatly contribute to the improvement of store sales.
Further, according to the fourth method or the eighth system, the privilege is given under the optimal condition according to the characteristics of each store, and it is possible to perform a detailed promotion for each store. As a result, it is also possible to greatly contribute to the improvement of store sales.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter, an embodiment) will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a sales promotion system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system shown in FIG. 1 is suitable mainly for use in a supermarket chain store or the like. Basically, this system provides a promotion in which a point is given when visiting any of the chain stores, and a privilege is given when a certain amount of points is accumulated.
More specifically, the system shown in FIG. 1 includes a recognition unit that recognizes that each customer has visited the store, a recording unit that automatically records the visit of each customer recognized by the recognition unit, Counting means for counting the number of visits by the customer, and judging means for automatically judging a privilege to be given to each customer according to predetermined conditions based on the counting result by the counting means.

First, each store is provided with an information terminal 1 which plays an important role in the hardware configuration of the present system. The information terminal 1 is an integrated type having various functions, and is hereinafter referred to as an in-store integrated terminal. The functions of the in-store integrated terminal 1 include issuing and adding points to customers who visit the store, granting benefits when it is determined that a benefit is granted based on conditions described later, transmitting store visit history data, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIGS.
The in-store integrated terminal 1 is a kind of computer having a CPU 11. The in-store integrated terminal 1 includes a magnetic card reader / writer 12, a display unit 13 composed of a liquid crystal display of about 12 inches, a speaker 14 for making announcements by voice, various interfaces (RS232C, LAN, etc.) 15, a hard disk 16, a printer 17, and the like. It has. The display unit 13 also serves as a touch panel type input unit. As such an in-store integrated terminal 1, for example, an SS model of MEDIASTAFF manufactured by PFU Corporation can be used. The hard disk 16 has installed therein a point addition / privilege grant program 101, a store visit history file 102, and the like.

The recognition means is constituted by the magnetic card reader / writer 12 in the in-store integrated terminal 1. In this system, in order for a customer to receive a privilege, it is necessary to register as a member and issue a membership card. The customer enters the name, address, occupation, age, etc. on an application form at a counter provided at each store, and applies for a membership card. The member card is issued immediately, and the application form is sent to the management center of this system (mail, fax, etc.). The issued member card is provided with a magnetic recording unit in which the member ID is recorded in advance. The member card is, for example, a JIS type plastic magnetic card.

構成 The configuration of the magnetic card reader / writer 12 is a well-known technical configuration, and a description thereof will be omitted. The in-store integrated terminal 1 has a casing 10 as shown in FIG. 2, and a magnetic card reader / writer 12 is provided in the casing 10. The casing 10 is provided with an insertion slot 18 for inserting a membership card. When a member card is inserted from the insertion slot 18, the internal magnetic card reader / writer 12 reads data from the magnetic recording unit and then ejects the data from the insertion slot 18. The in-store integrated terminal 1 is provided near the entrance of the store.

(3) In the present embodiment, three recording units are provided. The first is a card recording unit provided in the magnetic recording unit of the membership card, the second is an in-store recording unit provided for each store, and the third is a center recording unit provided in the management center. It is. The card recording section is a predetermined area of the magnetic recording section of the member card. The in-store recording unit is, specifically, the hard disk 16 in the in-store integrated terminal 1.

The magnetic card reader / writer 12 as the recognition means and the hard disk 16 as the in-store recording unit are connected to the CPU 11 via an interface (not shown). The data read by the magnetic card reader / writer 12 is sent to the hard disk 16 by the CPU 11 running the point addition / privilege grant program 101 and recorded in the store visit history file 102.

The store visit history file 102 is a kind of database file, and is managed by data by database software (not shown). The CPU 11 sends the data of the member ID recognized by the recognition means to the hard disk 16 together with data such as date and time. The transmitted data is automatically recorded in the store visit history file 102 in which data such as the member ID and the store visit date and time are made into one record.

セ ン タ ー A center server 2 is provided in the management center for managing each store. As shown in FIG. 1, the center server 2 is connected to an in-store integrated terminal 1 of each store via a network 3. The network 3 is often a public line such as the Internet, but it is preferable to connect with a dedicated line in terms of security. Each of the in-store integrated terminals 1 and the center server 2 have an interface (not shown) for transmitting and receiving data via the network 3.

In this embodiment, two types of tallying means are provided. One is to total the store visit points for normal privilege provision (hereinafter, this is referred to as in-store totalization means). The in-store totalizing means is constituted by a point addition / privilege grant program 101 installed in the in-store integrated terminal 1. The in-store totalizing means is for totalizing points according to customer visits. Another tallying means is for performing tallying for giving a special privilege for a special promotion, and is provided in the center server 2 (hereinafter, center tallying means).

In the present embodiment, two types of judgment means are employed. One is a means for determining a normal privilege grant, which is provided in the in-store integrated terminal 1 (hereinafter, a in-store determination means). The other is a means for judging a special privilege grant similarly, which is provided in the center server 2 (hereinafter, a center judging means). The in-store determination means is also configured by the point addition / privilege grant program 101 installed in the in-store integrated terminal 1.

Further, the system of the present embodiment includes a privilege granting unit that grants a privilege according to the result of the determination by the determining unit. The privilege giving means is constituted by the point addition / privilege granting program 101, the printer 17 provided in the in-store integrated terminal 1, and the like.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of the point addition / privilege grant program 101. When the power of the in-store integrated terminal 1 is turned on, an initial screen is displayed on the display unit 13. On the initial screen, displays such as "addition of visit points / coupon issue", "confirmation of acquired points", and the like are displayed. When the customer who visits the store touches the part of “store visit point addition / coupon issue”, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 shown in FIG. 4 is activated.

First, the point addition / privilege granting program 101 displays on the display unit 13 a screen prompting for the insertion of a membership card, and when the membership card is inserted, reads out the contents recorded in the card recording unit. The card recording unit records data such as the member ID and the number of acquired points, and these are read. The read data of the member ID and the number of acquired points are temporarily stored in a memory variable.

Next, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 adds points on the day. In the present embodiment, the system is not a simple one in which one point is added for each visit to the store, but a system in which the added points are changed by lottery in order to provide the system with entertainment. More specifically, the point addition / privilege granting program 101 determines first, second, third, etc. by using a random number or the like. The 3rd prize determines the visit point according to the lottery result, such as 1 point as usual, the 2nd prize is 5 points, the 1st prize is 10 points.

Next, the point addition / privilege granting program 101 reads out data on the number of acquired points from the memory variables, and adds the visiting points on the determined day. Then, it is determined whether or not the total number of acquired points satisfies the condition based on the condition of the normal privilege provision. The condition for granting a normal privilege is typically whether or not the total number of acquired points has reached a certain number (hereinafter, this number is referred to as the number of normal coupon issuing points). For example, when the number of ordinary coupon issuance points is set to 50 points, the point addition / benefit grant program 101 determines whether or not the total acquired points are 50 points or more. If it is 50 points or more, the point addition / privilege granting program 101 issues an output command of a normal coupon to the printer 17 to output the normal coupon. The normal coupon is, for example, a discount coupon that allows a set specific item to be purchased at a much lower price than any competitor price.

Next, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 records data such as the member ID stored in the memory variable and the total acquired points in the store visit history file 102. The visit history file 102 is a database file in which data such as member ID, visit date and time, total points acquired, etc. is made into one record, and one record is newly provided every time a member card is read.

It is preferable that the addition of the visit point on the day, the total of the acquired points, the addition of the record to the visit history file 102, and the like can be performed only once a day for the same member ID. This is to prevent the member card from being repeatedly inserted at the time of one visit, and illegally acquiring many visit points. However, since some customers will actually visit the store more than once a day, for example, if two or more hours have passed, it may be counted as a new visit.

The major feature of the system according to the present embodiment is that a special privilege is provided separately from the above-described normal privilege provision, and the center determination means described above plays a large role in this. ing.
The center server 2 is preferably a multiprocessor type high-end PC server or a business server dedicated machine class, and is preferably provided with an uninterruptible power supply, a mirroring function, and the like. The center server 2 has a center recording unit 21 composed of a hard disk.

In the center recording unit 21, a visit history data collection program 201 which is a program for collecting visit history data from each in-store integrated terminal 1 and a special privilege grant program 202 which is a program for granting a special privilege are installed. ing. The center tallying means and the center judging means are constituted by the hardware of the center server 2 and this special privilege granting program 202.

In the center recording unit 21, an all-in-store history file 203, which is a file that collects data from the in-store recording units and stores a database of the in-store history of the entire chain store, and database software (not shown) for managing this file is installed. ing. The all store visit history file 203 is a database file in which data such as visit date and time, store name, total acquired points, and the like are recorded for each member ID. When the above-mentioned application form is sent to the management center, the operator in the management center newly adds the record of the member ID to the all store visit history file 203. Further, the center server 2 is provided with a member information master file 204 in which information of each member (name, address, occupation, age, telephone number, FAX number, e-mail address, etc.) is stored in a database. The operator adds a new record to the member visit master file 204 together with the addition of the new record to the all visit history file 203.

(4) At the time of the above-mentioned application, what kind of means (automatic telephone, facsimile, e-mail, etc.) is to be selected to receive the advance notice of the grant of the privilege. The item for specifying the means for receiving the advance notice (hereinafter, referred to as “notification means selection”) is also registered in the member information master file 204.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the store visit history data collection program 201 installed in the center server 2. First, a terminal ID is assigned to each in-store integrated terminal 1. The store visit history data collection program 201 operates automatically at regular intervals (for example, once a day).
The terminal ID is, for example, a simple ascending numeral (1, 2, 3,...). As shown in FIG. 5, when the store visit history data collection program 201 is operated, the first in-store integrated terminal 1 is accessed, and all data recorded in the in-store recording unit is read. The read data is temporarily stored in the memory of the center server 2. The data stored in the memory is data of a database structure in which the member ID and the date and time of visit are one record. The visit history data collection program 201 reads data from the memory one record at a time and registers it in the all visit history file 203. Specifically, the entire visit history file 203 is searched using the member ID as a search key, and data such as the visit date and time is recorded in the corresponding record.

When the visit history data collection program 201 records all the data stored in the memory variables in the visit history file 102, it deletes all the data stored in the memory variables and accesses the next in-store integrated terminal 1. Then, similarly, after temporarily storing the data in a memory variable, the data is read out one record at a time and recorded in the store visit history file 102. In this way, when data is collected from all the in-store integrated terminals 1 and recorded in the store visit history file 102, the store visit history data collection program 201 ends.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of data of the all store visit history file 203 in which data collected by the store visit data collection program 201 is recorded. As shown in FIG. 6, the all visit history file 203 is a file in which the visit date and time and the store name are recorded for each member ID. Since the store name corresponds to the terminal ID on a one-to-one basis, the store name is obtained and recorded.

Next, the special privilege granting program 202 will be described.
The special privilege granting program 202 is appropriately determined and updated according to the business strategy of the chain store where the promotion is performed by the present system. The major feature of this system is that this special privilege is automatically determined independently for each customer according to predetermined privilege provision conditions. The attributes of each customer include basic attributes such as occupation and age, and purchasing behavior characteristics (day of the week, time of day, special sales day, etc.). In the case of the present embodiment, particularly, the number of visits to the store is changed. We value reduction. In other words, another major feature of the present system is that a special privilege is given by a unique concept different from the conventional concept that a more advantageous privilege is given as the number of visits to the store increases.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the special privilege provision condition in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the number of visits (visit frequency) within a predetermined period is basically divided into four ranks A, B, C, and D (hereinafter, this month rank). For example, rank A is 11 or more times per month, rank B is 6 to 10 times per month, rank C is 1 to 5 times per month, rank D is 0, and so on. In addition, members of each rank are further subdivided from data on the number of visits in the past.

In FIG. 7, AA is a member of the A rank in both the previous month and the current month, and BA is a member of the A rank in the current month in which the previous month was the B rank. Further, among the B ranks, AB is a member who fell to the B rank in the current month despite having been the A rank in the previous month. The same applies to CA, DA, BB, BC, AC, BC, CC, and the like. Hereinafter, the rank compared with the previous month is referred to as a month-to-month comparison rank.
Note that members of the DD are separately ranked as D1, D2 if the previous two months are D ranks, and D3 if the last three months and the current month are D ranks. Then, promotion such as dispatch of direct mail is performed according to each.

By the way, the special privilege provision condition is a condition for providing a privilege to a customer whose rank is lower than the previous month among the customers of the above-mentioned sub-classification. More specifically, the monthly ranking is a condition for giving a privilege to members of AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, and CD. As the contents of the privilege, for example, a coupon for a relegated person (hereinafter, a special coupon) is issued. At this time, more privileges can be given as the relegation width is larger, or more privileges can be given as the rank before relegation is higher.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the special privilege granting program 202. First, the special privilege granting program 202 sets a period and totals the number of visits to the store for each member ID. Specifically, a record registered in the all store visit history file 203 is read for each member ID, and the number of visits per month is calculated. The number of visits in this case is the total number of visits to each chain store in which the present system is operated. That is, if the same customer visits the store X twice and the store Y once, the number of visits is three.

On the other hand, the center recording unit 21 is provided with a tally history file 205. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data example of the tally history file 205. As shown in FIG. 9, the tally history file 205 is a file in which the current month rank and the previous month's rank are databased for each member ID. The data for each month in the tally history file 205 is stored for about 6 months to 13 months, and then deleted sequentially.

As shown in FIG. 8, the special privilege granting program 202 counts the number of visits to the store during the month, and then determines the rank of the member according to the ranking shown in FIG. Then, the total history file 205 is searched to read the previous month's data of the member (the current month's rank of the previous month), and refer to this to determine the previous month's rank. Then, as described above, it is determined whether or not the member is a member to whom the special privilege is granted. When it is determined that the member is a member to which the special privilege is to be granted, data such as the member ID and the special privilege content ID are temporarily recorded in the special privilege granting template file. The special privilege content ID is an ID corresponding to the content of the special privilege, and is used when a different special privilege is given according to the rank of the previous month. The special privilege granting temp file is a file temporarily provided in the center recording unit 21.

The special privilege granting program 202 is used to count the number of visits to the store in the current month, determine the rank of the current month, determine the previous month's rank by comparing with the previous month's data, determine whether to grant the special privilege, Data recording in the special privilege granting template file is performed for each member ID. After performing these for all the member IDs, the special privilege granting program 202 transmits the content of the special privilege granting template file to each in-store integrated terminal 1 and notifies the content of the special privilege granting template file to the notification means described later. Send The content of the transmitted special privilege provision template file is recorded in the in-store recording unit. With the above, the special privilege granting program 202 ends.

The point addition / privilege grant program 101 shown in FIG. 4 searches for a special privilege grant template file after recording the total acquired points in the store visit history file 102, and checks whether the member ID is a target of the special privilege grant. Judge whether or not. If so, the special privilege ID is read out, and an instruction to issue a special coupon is output to the printer 17. As a result, a special coupon is issued. That is, when a certain customer is eligible for the special privilege, when the member card visits any store and records the visit of the day, a special coupon is issued from the in-store integrated terminal 1 of the store. Because

Still another major feature of the present embodiment is that a notification means for automatically and actively notifying the individual customer of the privilege to be given to the individual customer at the next visit to the customer by the communication means is provided. is there. The notification means is configured by a notification server 4 connected to the center server 2 via the network 3, as shown in FIG.

The notification server 4 is a server provided with a CPU, a network interface, a facsimile transmission interface, and the like. The notification server 4 includes a hard disk 41 as a notification recording unit. On the hard disk 41, a normal privilege notification program 401, a special privilege notification program 402, an automatic telephone transmission program 403, an automatic fax transmission program 404, an automatic e-mail transmission program 405, a voice information file 406 for each pattern, a fax form file 407 for each pattern, An e-mail form file 408 for each pattern is installed.

The benefits notified by the notification means are both the normal benefits and the special benefits described above. First, the notification of the normal privilege will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 1, the point addition / privilege granting program 101 determines whether or not the output to the notification means is necessary after the determination of the special privilege grant or the like. Specifically, it is determined whether the condition is satisfied by one more visit to the store in accordance with the normal privilege provision condition. Specifically, as described above, for example, in the case of a total of 50 points and a normal privilege grant (normal coupon ticket issuance), it is determined whether or not the total acquired points has reached 49 points. When it reaches 49 points, it reaches 50 points at the next visit and satisfies the normal privilege provision condition, so that "normal privilege provision notice required" is output. Specifically, the variable of “regular privilege grant notification” is registered in a logical data type, and this value is recorded in the store visit history file 102 as a true value.

As described above, the data of the store visit history file 102 is collected in the center server 2 once a day. At this time, if the “normal privilege grant notification” is a true value, the data of the member ID and the true value “normal privilege grant notification” data are sent to the notification server 4. Specifically, at the time of data collection once a day, all the member IDs for which the “normal privilege grant notification” has a true value are collected and recorded in a file, and the file is sent to the notification server 4. The sent file (hereinafter, a file for normal privilege notification) is recorded on the hard disk 41.

The normal privilege notification program 401 installed on the hard disk 41 is similarly executed once a day. The normal privilege notification program 401 reads out the contents of the transmitted normal privilege notification file and extracts its member ID. A notification member information file 409 having the same contents as the member information master file 204 in the center server 2 is installed on the hard disk 41. The normal privilege notification program 401 searches the notification member information file 409 using the extracted member ID as a search key, reads out the data of "selection of notification means", and what means is to be notified. Judge.

For example, when “selection of notification means” is set to “automatic telephone”, the normal privilege notification program 401 searches the notification member information file 409 and extracts the data of the telephone number of the corresponding member. Then, the automatic telephone transmission program 403 is read and executed as a subprogram. At this time, the read telephone number data and the data indicating the normal privilege notification are passed to the automatic telephone transmission program 403 as arguments. The automatic telephone transmission program 403 extracts a normal privilege granting voice pattern from the pattern-based automatic voice file 406 and makes a call to the telephone number of the passed variable. Then, when the call is connected, the voice for granting a special privilege is announced unilaterally and automatically, and then the line is disconnected.

When “selection of notification means” is “FAX”, the normal privilege notification program 401 searches the notification member information file 409 and finds the FAX number of the corresponding member (may be the same as the telephone number). Extract the data of Then, the automatic fax transmission program 404 is read and executed as a subprogram. At this time, the read fax number data and the data indicating the normal privilege notification are passed to the automatic fax transmission program 404 as arguments. The automatic facsimile transmission program 404 takes out a form for giving a normal privilege from the facsimile form file 406 for each pattern, and facsimile-transmits it to the facsimile number of the passed variable.

If the “selection of notification means” is “e-mail”, the normal privilege notification program 401 searches the notification member information file 409 and extracts the data of the e-mail address of the corresponding member. Then, the automatic e-mail transmission program 405 is read as a subprogram and executed. At this time, the data of the read e-mail address and the data indicating the normal privilege notification are transferred to the automatic e-mail transmission program 405 as arguments. The automatic e-mail transmission program 405 takes out the form for giving the normal privilege from the e-mail form file 407 for each pattern, and transmits the e-mail to the e-mail address of the passed variable.

内容 The content of the notification sent by the automatic telephone, fax or e-mail is, as described above, a content indicating that a normal coupon will be issued at the next visit. When such content is automatically notified, the customer is further motivated to visit.

Next, the notification of the special privilege will be described.
As described above, the special privilege provision program 202 transmits the special privilege provision template file to the notification server 4. The transmitted file is recorded on the hard disk 41 of the notification server 4. The special privilege notification program 402 installed on the hard disk 41 is executed according to the transmitted special privilege provision template file.

The special privilege notification program 402 reads out the special privilege granting template file, and extracts the data of the member ID and the special privilege content ID to which the special privilege is granted, respectively. Then, the notification member information file 409 is searched using the member ID as a search key, and the data of “selection of notification means” of the corresponding member is read. Then, in the same manner as in the case of the normal privilege, the advance notification of the special privilege is given by an automatic telephone, a facsimile or an e-mail according to which means is selected. That is, when the next visit to the store, a notification that a special coupon is issued as a special privilege is notified. At this time, when making a difference between the contents of the special privilege, a voice pattern, a FAX form or an e-mail form is selected according to the special privilege content ID, and the special privilege is notified accordingly. When the data reading of “notification means selection” and the notification by any means are completed for all the member IDs in the special privilege provision template file, the special privilege notification program 402 ends.

The notification means is configured to perform a passive notification in addition to the active notification described above. Specifically, an automatic telephone response program 411, an automatic fax response program 412, and an automatic e-mail response program 413 are installed in the notification recording unit of the notification server 4.

The automatic telephone answering program 411 is a program for automatically responding to the current total earned points and the presence / absence of a special coupon ticket issuance when a call is received from a customer. The member ID is input by the touch-tone operation of the other party's telephone, and the whole store history file 203 of the center server 2 is searched by using the member ID as a search key. Then, the data of the current total acquired points is read out and automatically announced to the other party by voice.

(4) The automatic fax program 412 is basically the same. When a customer calls, the customer presses a push button meaning that he / she wants a reply by fax. When the push button is pressed, the data of the total acquired points is read out as in the case of the automatic telephone answering program 411, and the data is pasted on a FAX form and transmitted.

(4) The automatic e-mail response program 413 receives and transmits a request via the WWW server. The notification server 4 has WWW server software (not shown), and has an HTML file (not shown) for displaying an automatic e-mail response page (hereinafter referred to as a mail transmission request file). The automatic e-mail response program 413 is a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program that starts in response to data reception from the e-mail transmission request file. When data such as a member ID is transmitted from the customer's personal computer or mobile phone on which the mail transmission request file is displayed, the automatic e-mail response program 413 is activated. The automatic e-mail response program 413 similarly reads the data of the total acquired points, pastes the data into the e-mail form, and transmits the e-mail. In some cases, an HTML file for displaying the total acquired points may be provided, the data may be pasted thereon and transmitted, and the data may be displayed by a browser on a customer's personal computer or mobile phone.

Next, the entire operation of the system according to the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described comprehensively, also as the description of the method invention.
The customer to whom the member card has been issued comes to one of the stores with the member card, and inserts the member card into the insertion slot 18 of the in-store integrated terminal 1 as described above. As a result, after the lottery, the visit points are added, and the normal coupon ticket is printed out from the printer 17 if the total acquired points have reached the number of normal coupon issue points. In addition, data such as date and time, member ID, and the like are recorded in the visit history file 102 as records of visits.

The data of the store visit record file of each in-store integrated terminal 1 is read and collected by the center server 2 once a day. The collected data is recorded in the store visit history file 203 of the center recording unit 21.
Then, the special privilege granting program 202 is executed once a month. The special privilege grant program 202 counts the number of visits to the store during the current month, compares the number of visits with the previous month, and determines a month-on-month rank. Then, it is determined whether or not a special privilege is to be granted in accordance with the special privilege grant condition based on the previous month rank, and a special privilege grant template file is created. This file is transmitted to each in-store integrated terminal 1 and recorded, and when the applicable member next visits and inserts the membership card, a special coupon ticket is issued as a special privilege.

Further, in the point addition / privilege grant program executed on the in-store integrated terminal 1, if it is determined that the regular privilege is given at the next visit, the data of the member ID is sent to the notification server 4, The relevant customer is automatically and actively notified by an automatic telephone, facsimile or e-mail. Further, the special privilege grant template file is transmitted, and the customer to whom the special privilege is to be granted is automatically and actively notified of the special privilege grant to the customer by an automatic telephone, facsimile or e-mail.

According to the method and system of the present embodiment according to the above configuration, the privilege to be given to each customer is automatically and independently determined for each customer. Promotion can be performed. More specifically, in the present embodiment, a privilege is given in a way 180 degrees different from the conventional one, such as catching a drop in the rank of visit frequency and compensating for it. For this reason, it is possible to prevent so-called customer churn independently for each individual customer, which greatly contributes to maintaining and improving the overall sales of the store.

In addition, the communication means automatically informs the individual customers in advance that the privilege will be given at the next visit to the store, thereby further increasing the incentive to visit the store. As a result, it is also possible to greatly contribute to the improvement of store sales.
Note that the contents of the tally history file 205 shown in FIG. 9 are very effective for analyzing customer trends at stores. That is, it is possible to analyze how much an individual customer is approaching or leaving a store, and analyze them in a time series over a relatively long span.

A technique called decyl transition analysis is known for analyzing customer trends. This method is based on POS (Point Of Sales) data, etc., and ranks customers into 10 levels with a large monthly purchase amount and how many customers belong to each rank every month. Analyze whether it is changing to.
However, the decyl transition analysis originally adds the element of comparison with the previous month to the decyl analysis method for analyzing the sales profit of each rank of customers. Such a decyl transition analysis is merely an analysis of the transition of the rank relative to the transition of the sales of the entire store, and therefore, only an inaccurate analysis can be performed. For example, if the overall sales of a store in a month decrease, the customer's rank will rise even if the purchase amount of the customer in the month does not actually change. Such an inaccurate analysis cannot directly use the results for sales promotion. It is just an analysis calculated from the overall trend for the month.

On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to specify an individual customer and analyze the transition of the absolute value as to how many times the customer has visited the store and how much the amount has been purchased. Therefore, direct sales promotion (such as issuance of a coupon) can be carried out to the customer using the result of the analysis as it is. In the actual analysis, data relating to the rank movement is totaled from the data of the totaling history file 205 shown in FIG. For example, it is data such as the number of persons who moved from the rank A to the rank B in the current month.

Next, another embodiment of the invention will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the present invention. The feature of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is a sales promotion system that promotes sales in two or more stores, and sets different privilege grant conditions for at least two or more stores based on the characteristics and conditions of each store. That is, there is provided a condition setting means for performing the setting.

The condition setting means includes the management computer 5 and a condition setting program 501 installed in the management computer 5. The management computer 5 is connected to the center server 2 and each in-store integrated terminal 1 via the network 3. The management computer 5 includes a CPU 51, a hard disk 52 as a management recording unit, a keyboard 53, a display unit 54 such as a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, various interfaces 55, and the like.

The condition setting program 501 pre-installed in the management recording unit is executed by an operator's operation. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flow of screen display in the condition setting program 501. As shown in FIG. 11, when the condition setting program 501 is started, first, a store selection screen is displayed. The store selection screen is a screen for selecting a store for which the privilege grant condition is set, and any one, a plurality, or all stores are selected on this screen.

When a store is selected, the store ID of the selected store is stored in a memory variable, and a target privilege selection screen is displayed. The target privilege selection screen is a screen for selecting a privilege for which a condition is to be set, and displays “normal privilege”, “special privilege”, and the like. Here, when "normal privilege" is selected, a normal privilege grant condition setting screen is displayed. When "special privilege" is selected, a special privilege grant condition setting screen is displayed.

On the normal privilege granting condition setting screen, “normal coupon issue point number setting”, “bonus point number setting”, “day / time setting” and the like are selected. "Set the number of normal coupon issue points" is a menu to set how many points the total earned points will be issued a normal coupon ticket, and "Set bonus point number" is how much bonus points by lottery This is a menu for setting whether to do (how many points each is, such as first and second). “Set by day / time” is a menu for setting a visit point for each day of the week and for each time zone. For example, the visit point on Sunday is tripled as usual, or the visit point when visiting in the morning is doubled as usual.

When data is input on such a normal privilege provision condition setting screen and the "OK button" is clicked, the condition setting program 501 temporarily stores the data in a memory variable, and then substitutes these variables. A new point addition / privilege grant program 101 is created. Thereafter, an operation of rewriting the point addition / privilege grant program 101 in each in-store integrated terminal 1 with the new point addition / privilege grant program 101 is performed.

説明 Specifically, in the center recording unit 21 of the center server 2, the same program as the point addition / privilege grant program 101 installed in each in-store integrated terminal 1 is similarly installed as a master. In the center recording unit 21, the store ID and the point addition / privilege grant program 101 in the in-store integrated terminal 1 of the store are one record, and a file 206 recording these is installed in the form of a database file. (Hereinafter, this file 206 is referred to as a store-specific program file.)

(4) When rewriting the point addition / privilege grant program 101, the condition setting program 501 confirms the access right to the center server 2 and the store-specific program file 206 by inputting a password or the like. Thereafter, the store ID is read from the memory variable, and the store-specific program file 206 is searched using the store ID as a search key. Then, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 of the corresponding store is rewritten with the newly created point addition / privilege grant program 101.

Above, the condition setting program 501 for setting the normal privilege granting condition is completed, but when the point addition / privilege granting program 101 of the center server 2 is rewritten, the automatic transmission program (not shown) installed in the center server 2 Starts. The automatic transmission program transmits the rewritten point addition / privilege grant program 101 to a predetermined in-store integrated terminal 1 according to the store ID, and rewrites the point addition / privilege grant program 101 in the in-store integrated terminal 1. In this way, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 of the in-store integrated terminal 1 of the corresponding store is finally rewritten, and thereafter, the store is promoted under the newly set privilege grant conditions. become.

Next, the setting of the special privilege provision condition will be described. As can be seen from FIG. 11, on the special privilege provision condition setting screen, any (or all) of “decreasing rank attribute setting”, “personal information attribute setting” and the like can be selected. The "set down rank attribute" is a menu for setting what to do with the above-mentioned special privilege for the down rank, and the amount (discount amount) of the special coupon ticket to be given to each rank such as AB, AC, etc. ) Is set.

When these data are input and the “OK button” is clicked, the condition setting program 501 rewrites the special privilege provision program 202. As in the case of the normal privilege, a new special privilege granting program 202 is created on the management computer 5. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the special privilege granting program 202 is created for each store, and a file 207 in which the store ID and the special privilege granting program 202 are made into one record is stored in the center recording unit 21 in a database file state. Has been recorded. After confirming the access right and the like, the condition setting program 501 transmits the created new special privilege granting program 202 to the center server 2 and overwrites the special privilege granting program 202 of the corresponding store.

In the present embodiment, the registered item of the member information master file 204 includes an item of “handling store”. This is the store selected by the member as the store where he / she mainly shops when applying for the membership card. Store ID is recorded in the item of "handling store". In the present embodiment, a selection program is executed before the execution of the special privilege granting program 202. The selection program sequentially reads each record of the member information master file 204, and reads the store ID of the "handling store" of the customer. Then, a file is searched using the store ID as a search key, and the special privilege grant program 202 of the corresponding store is read and executed. For all customer IDs, a search is performed using the store ID of “stores to be handled”, and the special privilege grant program 202 of the corresponding store is executed.

On the other hand, the “personal information attribute setting” described above is a menu for setting conditions for granting a special privilege according to the personal information of the member. For example, in the case of a customer who lives alone and works at a company, shopping is often performed on weekends. In this case, a lot of shopping will be done on Saturdays and Sundays, but the number of visits will be less than ordinary housewives. Therefore, in the case of such a customer, it is unfair under the same privilege grant conditions as a general housewife. Therefore, such customers should be promoted to increase the number of visiting points on Saturdays and Sundays.

で は On the “Personal information attribute setting” screen, one or more requirements for the condition for granting the special privilege are selected, and the content of the special privilege is input. The content of the special privilege is to select whether to issue a special coupon as described above or to change the conditions for granting visit points. In the above example, as a requirement, “living alone” is specified in the item of residence form, and “company employee” is specified in the occupation. Then, as the content of the special privilege, change of the visit point grant condition is selected, and the weekend is set to be three times the normal value.

(4) When data is thus input, the condition setting program 501 stores the data in a memory variable. Then, the condition setting program 501 changes the above-described point addition / privilege grant program 101 based on the data of the memory variable, and creates a point addition / privilege grant program of a store visit point increase type (hereinafter, a special visit point grant program). .

The special visit point giving program is installed in the in-store integrated terminal 1. Specifically, the condition setting program 501 sends the created special visit point grant program, the personal information data, and the selected store ID data to the center server 2 after confirming the access right and the like. Then, the condition setting program 501 searches the member information master file 204 using the data of the personal information and the shop ID as a search key. The above-mentioned application form includes an item for selecting “living alone” or “living with family” as an item of the form of residence, and the selected data is registered in the member master file. The condition setting program 501 searches the member information master file 204, and satisfies the conditions of “residential form” = “living alone” and “occupation” = “company employee”, and the store ID of the “handling store” is sent. If there is a record that matches, the member ID is read. Then, the data of the member ID and the transmitted special visit point giving program are transmitted from the center server 2 to the in-store integrated terminal 1 of the corresponding store ID and recorded in a dedicated file of the in-store recording unit. You.

After reading the member ID using the member card, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 in the in-store recording section searches the exclusive file to determine whether or not the member ID is to be given special visit points. to decide. If it is the target of the special visit point grant, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 stops its execution and newly executes the special visit point grant program. As a result, when the customer of this store comes to the store, according to the above-described example, the visit point is awarded under the condition that the visit day is three times the normal when the visit day is Saturday and the usual when the visit day is a weekday. .

In the method and system according to the present embodiment, in the management computer 5, the condition setting program 501 is operated by the operation of the operator, and different normal privilege grant conditions or different special privilege grant conditions are set for each store. As a result, the privilege is given under the optimal condition according to the attribute of each store, and it is possible to perform a detailed promotion for each store. For example, in a store where a large competitor store is opened nearby, it is conceivable to use the store in such a manner that conditions are changed so that more benefits are provided than in other stores.

Next, in each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration in which the privilege to be granted is optimized will be described.
First, in each of the above-described embodiments, the normal coupon and the special coupon may be coupons that can be used at other affiliated stores or stores of other chain stores. For example, a certain supermarket may be affiliated with a certain theme park, and there may be a way of granting a privilege such that when a certain number of points for visiting the store are accumulated, a free admission ticket to the theme park is obtained.

複合 In addition, in the case of a large complex shopping center that is often seen in the suburbs these days, coupons that can be used at the store by the customer freely selecting the store in the shopping center may be issued in some cases. In this case, when the point addition / privilege grant program 101 or the special privilege grant program 102 determines that a normal privilege or a special privilege is to be granted, the display unit 13 displays a screen for selecting a coupon from which store. Then, according to the customer's selection, the coupon of the selected store is output from the printer 17. In the case of such a configuration, a coupon ticket sheet of a format common to various coupon tickets is set in the paper feed unit of the printer 17. The printer 17 prints the content of the coupon of the selected store on the coupon ticket paper.

If the store that issued the coupon (hereinafter referred to as the issuing store) is different from the store that is the target of the coupon (the store that actually performs the discount, etc., hereinafter referred to as the target store), the coupon is usually issued by the customer. Is exercised, the amount corresponding to the value of the coupon is charged from the target store to the issuing store. However, in some cases, such as when coupons are issued in cooperation with each other, there is also a case where no consideration is given for the coupons that have been exercised. In addition, the issuance of a coupon may increase the ability of the target store to attract customers, so the issuing store may charge the target store for a coupon issue fee.

ク ー Also, coupons may be made different according to the attributes of customers. That is, the point addition and privilege grant program 101 and the special privilege grant program 102 may be programmed to grant different privileges according to the attributes of the customer. For example, a toy ticket for a child and a coupon for cosmetics for a woman. When the point addition / privilege grant program 101 and the special privilege grant program 102 determine that a privilege is to be granted, they access the member information master file 204 and acquire personal information such as the age, sex, and occupation of the member. Then, a privilege is selected according to the personal information, and an output command is issued to the printer 17 so as to print the selected privilege and output the coupon.

In some cases, personal information is recorded in the card recording unit. In this case, it is not necessary to access the member information master file 204, which is preferable. If there are several types of benefits, the customer may select the types of benefits in advance. For example, there are different types of benefits such as a kids course, a family course, and a fashion course, and when applying for a membership card, the user is asked to select which course benefits to get. Information on the course is recorded in the member information master file 204 or the card recording unit, and is read out when the privilege is granted.

In each of the above embodiments, the recognizing means is for recognizing a customer visit, but may be for recognizing a customer's purchase of a product. In this case, the number of purchases is totaled, and a benefit is given in accordance with the number of purchases, and is performed under an independent condition for each customer, so that the benefit is announced. In this case, the recognition means is typically provided in the cash register of the store or in the vicinity of the cash register. In this case, it is possible to incorporate the contents of the invention into a conventional POS system.

Also, the amount of the purchase of the customer may be recognized, and the privilege may be granted accordingly. When the purchase amount reaches a certain amount, a privilege is granted. Also in this case, the condition is set and given independently according to the attribute of each customer. Further, the concept of the invention can be applied to a cashback system. At the time of the next purchase, the rate of cashback is changed according to the attribute of each customer, and the cashback amount currently accumulated is automatically and actively notified by communication means.

In the above embodiment, the number of visits is counted when the special privilege is granted, but the number of visit points may be counted. As described above, if the points obtained at the time of one visit differ depending on the lottery, the number of visits and the total number of acquired points do not match. Although it is theoretically preferable to provide the special privilege by counting the number of visits, the total number of acquired points may be counted and ranked for each month. Therefore, the “total number of visits” is a concept including the total number of visits and the total of visit points. The “total of purchases” includes a case of totaling the number of purchases and a case of totalizing the purchase amount.

特 典 In addition, the privilege in the invention is not limited to a coupon as a discount ticket as described above. For example, it may be a voucher or a prize for a specific product or service. In the above-described example, the special privilege is the issuance of a special coupon ticket. However, the special privilege may be such that a special increase in the number of visiting points for obtaining a normal coupon ticket is provided. That is, for example, a privilege is given to a descending rank person such that the visit point is doubled at the next visit.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the recognizing unit is a unit that reads out the magnetic recording unit of the member card, but may be a barcode reader. In this case, the member card only displays the bar code corresponding to the member ID, and there is no portion for writing information. Therefore, data such as the total number of points acquired is stored in the center server or the integrated terminal in the store. It will be recorded in the recording unit. As the recognition means, a means for recognizing a customer's fingerprint, a means for recognizing a customer's retina, or the like may be adopted. In this case, the membership card is not used, and the visiting points are recorded in the in-store recording unit. However, in some cases, a membership card is also used for recording visit points.

In the configuration of the present invention, it is also possible to provide a means for determining whether or not to grant a privilege to a card brought by each customer. For example, a card (for example, an IC card) having a large recording capacity is adopted as a member card, and the point addition / privilege grant program 101 is installed in the card recording unit. Then, when the customer comes to the store, the point addition / program 101 is read from the member card together with the points acquired up to the present, and executed. In this way, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 itself can be made to correspond to the attribute of the customer. In other words, according to personal information such as occupation and age received when applying for a membership card, select the most appropriate one from several points addition / program 101, install it in the card recording unit and issue a membership card I do.

In addition, store visit data and purchase data of each customer may be recorded in the card recording unit. That is, how many times the customer has visited the store during the month and how much the purchase has been made are recorded in the card recording unit. Further, the special privilege granting program 202 can be installed in the card recording unit. Also in this case, the optimal special privilege granting program 202 is installed in accordance with the personal information sent in applying for the membership card. In addition, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may have a function of rewriting (updating) the point addition / privilege grant program 201 or the special privilege grant program in the card recording unit according to the subsequent visit status or purchase status.
In any case, as a result of providing the member card with such means, the in-store integrated terminal 1 and the center server 2 do not need or need to be large-scale. For this reason, the funds invested in each store can be reduced, and introduction can be facilitated.

Although the in-store integrated terminal 1 is provided near the entrance of the store, it may be installed at another location for a specific purpose. For example, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may be installed at the innermost part of the store. This is because the customer must go to the innermost part of the store to add points to the store, and can expect to purchase products and services on the way. In addition, when there is an area in the store where a special sale, a campaign, or the like is being held, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may be installed in the vicinity of the area in order to encourage customers to the area. Further, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may be installed near a cash register. This may be the case where a point system is used when purchasing a product or service, or the case where an employee keeps a member card at a cash register and reads it.

Next, an embodiment of the invention of a computer program will be described.
First, as the embodiment of the invention of the privilege giving program, the above-mentioned special privilege giving program corresponds to this. Further, as the embodiment of the invention of the notification program, the above-described normal privilege notification program and the special privilege notification program correspond to this.

場合 If the existing system is already running, simply installing such a program may provide the effects described above. That is, when the in-store integrated terminal 1 and the center server 2 have already been introduced, the above-described point addition / privilege grant program 101 is installed in each in-store integrated terminal 1, and the visit history aggregation program 201 and the special privilege grant program 202 are installed. By installing on the center server 2, the same effect can be obtained. Further, when the same hardware as the notification server 4 is already installed, the same effect can be obtained by installing the normal privilege notification program 401 and the special privilege notification program 402. The program may be installed via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or may be downloaded via a network such as the Internet.

In the above description, the store retail business is assumed, but the invention is not limited to this, but is effective in promoting sales of all kinds of products. In addition, the present invention is effective not only for selling products but also for selling services. For example, the method and system of the present invention can also be used in a barber shop, a restaurant or a bar shop (restaurant industry), and the like.

It is a figure showing the outline of the sales promotion system concerning the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of a point addition / privilege grant program 101. 6 is a flowchart showing an outline of a store visit history data collection program 201 installed in the center server 2. It is a figure showing roughly the example of data of all the visit history files 203 in which the data collected by the visit history data collection program 201 was recorded. It is a figure showing about an example of special privilege grant conditions in an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the special privilege provision program 202. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of data of a totaling history file 205. It is a figure showing the schematic structure of another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of screen display in a condition setting program 501.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-store integrated terminal 101 Point addition and privilege grant program 2 Center server 201 Visit history collection program 202 Special privilege grant program 3 Network 4 Notification server 5 Management computer

Claims (2)

A computer program used in a sales promotion system for granting a benefit to a customer according to each customer's visit to the store or purchase of a product or service,
Determining the points to be added when each customer visits the store or purchases goods or services by performing a lottery;
Tallying the points earned;
Based on the result of the points, as the number of visits to the store or the purchase amount increases, the benefits to be granted to each customer are automatically and independently set for each customer according to the predetermined conditions excluding the conditions that give advantageous benefits. And a judging step of judging. 3. The privilege granting program according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition for giving a more advantageous privilege to a customer who visits the store less frequently or a customer who purchases less goods or services.

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