JP2008165530A - Electronic leaflet delivery device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic leaflet delivery device, which can attain a new service for providing a recommended store list for recommending a store according to each customer's request to the customer. <P>SOLUTION: In the electronic leaflet delivery device EHD for delivering information showing services provided by a second predetermined number M of stores T1-TM to each of customers (K1-KN) as electronic data, a customer intention database 104 stores intention information IIF showing a request for shopping of the customer KN, an intention-correspondence database 103 stores intention-corresponding store information ISF showing services the store TM can provide to the customer KN, and a recommended store selector 106 selects a store T which can satisfy the request of the customer KN based on the intention information IIF and the intention-corresponding store information ISF. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic leaflet distribution device that electronically distributes a so-called leaflet that a store distributes to a customer for the purpose of sales promotion.

  Conventional flyers have information printed by the publisher of the flyer (hereinafter referred to as “flyer information”) printed on paper, enclosed in regular subscriptions such as newspapers, or as postal mail such as direct mail. Has been delivered. In recent years, with the progress of computerization of information, digitized leaflet information has started to be distributed directly to terminals such as personal computers and portable terminals owned by customers via the Internet. In this way, flyer information distributed via electronic transmission means such as the Internet or broadcasting is called “electronic flyer”. A device that distributes electronic leaflets is called an “electronic leaflet distribution device”.

  In FIG. 10, an example (patent document 1) of the conventional electronic leaflet delivery apparatus is shown. As shown in the figure, the electronic leaflet distribution device EHDc is connected to a predetermined number N (N is an arbitrary natural number) of customer terminals K1 to KN via the Internet 806. A customer who wishes to obtain an electronic leaflet requests the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHDc via the Internet 806 to distribute the electronic leaflet. For example, the customer designates an area near the address of his / her own address, and browses an electronic leaflet relating to a store in the area prepared in the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHDc on the customer terminal. Alternatively, it is also possible to obtain a so-called coupon ticket such as a discount ticket as an added value and actually receive a preferential service at the store.

  The electronic leaflet distribution device EHDc includes an electronic leaflet generator 802, a store database device 803, a customer database device 804, and a communication device 805. The electronic leaflet generator 802 generates an electronic leaflet as electronic data from the beginning after scanning a leaflet printed on a conventional paper medium into electronic data. The store database unit 803 has a store database in which store information IS such as a store name, location, telephone number, business hours, handling items, sales floor area, and parking space associated with an electronic flyer is registered, and from the store database. It is means for reading store information IS. Note that the store database unit 803 is preferably configured so that the store personnel or the administrator of the electronic flyer distribution device EHDc can use the input device (not shown) provided in the electronic flyer distribution device EHDc directly or via the Internet 806. It has a function of registering store information IS in the database.

  The customer database unit 804 includes a customer including personal information II such as the name, address, age, telephone number, and occupation of the customer to whom the electronic flyer is distributed and information on the customer terminal KN that receives the distributed electronic flyer. This means has a customer database in which information IK is registered and reads customer information IK from the customer database. The customer database device 804 is preferably operated by a customer, an administrator of the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHDc, or the like to register the customer information IK in the customer database. If customer information IK is registered in the customer database unit 804 in advance, a service in which an electronic leaflet desired by the customer is automatically distributed to the customer terminal KN can be realized.

A communicator 805 is means for connecting the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHDc to a network such as the Internet 806. The number N of customer terminals KN and the number of customers do not necessarily match, but in this specification, for convenience of explanation, the customer terminal KN and the customer have a one-to-one correspondence. In this sense, individual customers are also identified as customers K1 to KN (N is an arbitrary natural number). Hereinafter, unless otherwise required, the customers K1 to KN and the customer terminals K1 to KN are collectively referred to as the customer terminal KN and the customer KN, respectively. That is, the customer KN can browse or obtain the electronic leaflet from the electronic leaflet distribution device EHDc at the customer terminal K connected to the Internet 806.
JP 2003-30514 A

  In the electronic leaflet distribution device EHDc described above, the paper medium is simply digitized. In other words, the advantage for stores and customers is that the immediacy of being able to immediately distribute and receive available electronic flyers is ensured if the network environment is in place. In other words, the paper-based flyer is merely converted into electronic information, and the customer's merit due to the computerization is such that the desired flyer can be obtained anytime and anywhere as long as there is a terminal that can be connected to the network. In other words, by utilizing various information contained in an electronic leaflet as various data that can be identified and processed by a computer, an interactive service that cannot be achieved by a conventional paper medium cannot be realized.

  Specifically, customers have their own unique demands regarding stores such as product lineups, prices, and means of transportation that are important for shopping. Each store has different characteristics in service contents that satisfy customer demands such as assortment, price, and ability to accept transportation. Therefore, it is highly desirable for both the customer and the store if the customer's request matches the store characteristics. However, in using the conventional electronic leaflet distribution device, the customer carefully examines the electronic leaflets distributed at several stores to determine whether or not each store satisfies their request, and the determination result On the basis of this, the order of the stores that actually shop or the stores that shop should be determined. Such troublesome and time-consuming work is not different from the case of a leaflet provided by a conventional paper medium.

  However, for electronic leaflets in which information about customers and stores is stored electronically, based on such electronic data, it is determined that each customer's request is satisfied as an interactive service that cannot be achieved with conventional paper media. It is considered useful for both the customer and the store to select and recommend the store to be sold for each customer.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic leaflet distribution device that realizes a new service of providing a recommended store list that recommends stores according to each customer's request to the customer.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electronic leaflet distribution device according to the present invention includes:
An electronic leaflet distribution device that distributes information representing services provided by a second predetermined number of stores as electronic data to each of a first predetermined number of customers,
Customer-oriented database means for storing orientation information representing the customer's desire for shopping;
Store-oriented database means for storing store-oriented information representing services that the store can provide to customers;
Based on the orientation information and the store orientation information, a recommended store selection is selected for each customer from the second predetermined number of stores that can satisfy each customer's request. Means.

  The recommended store selection means compares the customer-oriented information of each customer with the store-oriented information of the second predetermined number of stores, and the third predetermined number in order of degree that can satisfy each customer's request. It is desirable to select a store.

The orientation information includes customer information representing each address of the customer;
It is desirable that the store orientation information includes store information indicating the location of each store.

In the orientation information, a priority order is set for the customer's request,
It is desirable that the recommended store selection means selects a store having a high degree of satisfaction in the priority among the requests in the store orientation information.

Shopping list receiving means for receiving shopping list information representing the items that each of the customers desires to purchase and their purchase priority,
The store orientation information includes sales content information representing items sold by the store,
It is desirable that the recommended store selection means select a store having a high degree of satisfaction with a higher priority in the shopping list information.

The sales content information further includes a price of an item sold by the store,
It is desirable that the recommended store selection means selects a store that sells items with high priority in the shopping list information at a lower price.

The orientation information further includes main shopping means information representing a moving means that each of the customers mainly uses when shopping.
It is preferable that the store-oriented information further includes parking lot information indicating whether or not each store has a parking lot that can be used by a customer and the number of parking lots.

  The customer's request represented by the orientation information is “price”, which is cheaper if it is the same product, “near”, which is a short distance between the customer and the store, and all desired products in one store It is desirable to include “convenience” that is available for purchase.

  In the present invention, the customer can efficiently shop based on the electronic flyer having the recommended store list information displayed in the order of the high possibility of satisfying the customer's desire for shopping.

  Hereinafter, an electronic leaflet distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. . As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic leaflet distribution device EHD is connected to the customer terminals K1 to KN via the Internet 806 in the same manner as the conventional electronic leaflet distribution device EHDc shown in FIG. The electronic leaflet distribution device EHD is further connected to the input device 107 directly or via the Internet 806. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the input device 107 is directly connected to the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHD without going through the Internet 806.

  The customer KN uses the customer terminal KN to input personal information II, customer information IK, personal-oriented information IF, and price information IP into the electronic leaflet distribution device EHD. The store staff or the administrator of the electronic leaflet distribution device EHD uses the input device 107 to input the store information IS, customer-oriented information SF, and price information IP into the electronic leaflet distribution device EHD. The electronic leaflet distribution device EHD generates recommended store list information ILT based on the information input from the customer terminal KN and the input device 107, and the customer terminal KN together with the electronic leaflet EH or as part of the electronic leaflet EH. Deliver against. Hereinafter, generation of recommended store list information ILT by the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHD will be described mainly.

  The electronic leaflet distribution device EHD includes an electronic leaflet generator 102, a store-oriented database device 103, a customer-oriented database device 104, a shopping list receiver 105, a recommended store list creator 106, and a controller 108. That is, the electronic flyer delivery device EHD is the same as the above-described conventional electronic flyer delivery device EHDc, in which the store database device 803 and the customer database device 804 are replaced with the store oriented database device 103 and the customer oriented database device 104, respectively, and the shopping list A receiver 105, a recommended store list creator 106, and a controller 108 are newly added. The controller 108 includes the entire electronic leaflet distribution device EHD, that is, the electronic leaflet generator 102, the store-oriented database device 103, the customer-oriented database device 104, the shopping list receiver 105, and the recommended store list creator 106 (input device 107). Is included in the electronic flyer delivery apparatus EHD, the operation of the input device 107 is also controlled.

  The store-oriented database unit 103 generates store-oriented information ISF based on the store information IS and customer-oriented information SF (sales contents IG and parking lot P) input from the input unit 107. That is, the store-oriented database unit 103 stores, in addition to the store information IS handled by the above-described conventional store database unit 803, store-oriented information SF that is information that the customer is determined to consider regarding shopping. It is a means for reading the store-oriented information ISF from the store-oriented database as well as having a database. That is, the store-oriented information ISF includes the store information IS and the customer-oriented information SF.

  The store-oriented information ISF is preferably registered in the store-oriented database device 103 by the store staff using the input device 107. However, the store-side personnel send the store-oriented information ISF to the administrator of the electronic flyer delivery device EHD, for example, by mail, FAX, E-mail, etc. You may ask.

  The customer-oriented database unit 104 generates customer-oriented information IIF based on customer information IK and individual-oriented information IF input from the customer terminal KN. In other words, the customer-oriented database device 104 further includes the customer information IK (including personal information II and information of the customer terminal KN) that specifies the delivery target of the electronic leaflet handled by the above-described customer database device 804, as well as the customer regarding the shopping. This means has a customer-oriented database in which personal-oriented information IF indicating the desired item, that is, customer orientation, is registered, and reads out the customer-oriented information IIF from the customer-oriented database. That is, the customer-oriented information IIF includes customer information IK and personal-oriented information IF.

  The customer-oriented information IIF is preferably registered in the customer-oriented database device 104 by the customer KN using the customer terminal KN. However, the customer KN sends the customer-oriented information IIF to the administrator of the electronic flyer delivery apparatus EHD, for example, by mail, FAX, E-mail, etc., and requests the input to the customer-oriented database device 104. Also good. Depending on the case, you may ask a store side person for the input.

  The shopping list receiver 105 preferably generates shopping list information ILP based on the customer information IK and the shopping list LP input from the customer terminal KN. The shopping list information ILP represents the order of purchase for a customer's product. The customer information IK or the shopping list LP is not limited to direct input via the customer terminal KN or by the customer KN, as in the customer-oriented information IIF and the store-oriented information ISF.

  The recommended store list creator 106 generates recommended store list information ILT based on the store orientation information ISF generated by the store orientation database 103 and the shopping list information ILP generated by the shopping list receiver 105. To do. The recommended store list information ILT is information that recommends stores in the order in which it is determined that the customer's desire for shopping will be satisfied.

  The electronic leaflet generator 102 outputs the recommended shop list information ILT as the electronic leaflet EH based on the recommended shop list information ILT generated by the recommended shop list creator 106. Only the recommended store list information ILT may be output as an electronic leaflet EH, or may be output together with leaflet information about the store.

  The electronic leaflet EH (including recommended store list information ILT) is distributed to the customer KN via the communication device 805 and the Internet 806. The recommended store list information ILT generated by the recommended store list creator 106 may be distributed to the customer KN via the communication device 805 and the Internet 806 without using the electronic leaflet generator 102. In this way, by dynamically selecting a store that satisfies the customer's desire for shopping, the recommended store list information ILT is dynamically generated and delivered to the customer KN along with or as part of the electronic leaflet EH, An interactive service is realized.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, store-oriented information ISF generated by the store-oriented database unit 103, the customer-oriented database unit 104, the shopping list receiver 105, and the recommended store list creator 106, respectively. The customer-oriented information IIF, the shopping list information ILP, and the recommended store list information ILT will be specifically described.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of “customer-oriented information IIF” stored in the customer-oriented database of the customer-oriented database unit 104. In the example shown in the figure, the customer-oriented information IIF includes customer information IK (personal information II) and personal-oriented information IF. As the orientation information IF, “shopping condition priority order IF1” that is a condition that the customer prioritizes when purchasing the same product, that is, the customer's shopping intention priority IF that represents the transportation means that the customer mainly uses when shopping. The main shopping means IF2 ”is set.

  For the shopping condition priority order IF1, for example, three conditions of “price”, “close”, and “convenient” are set in the customer-oriented database unit 104 in advance. Then, the customer KN inputs the order of priority for the set three conditions, or selects the three conditions for the set priority order.

  The condition “price” means that priority is given to purchase from the store with the lowest price for the same product. The condition “close” means that the purchase from the store closest to the customer is given priority if the product is the same. The condition “convenient” means that priority is given to purchases from stores that can purchase all or most of the desired products with a large number of items and points.

  As the main shopping means IF2, three types of “bicycle”, “automobile”, and “walk” are set in advance in the customer-oriented database device 104, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the customer can make a purchase. Only desired items may be set. “Bicycle” means that the customer normally shop on a bicycle, “Automobile” means that the customer usually shop on a car, and “Walk” means that the customer usually shop on foot. The customer KN selects a means that the customer KN has priority as the main shopping means IF2.

  The customer KN operates the customer terminal KN, operates the customer-oriented database device 104 of the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHD connected via the Internet 806, and inputs the customer information IK and the intention information IF. When customer information IK is registered in advance, customer KN only needs to input or set orientation information IF.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, the customer-oriented information IIF displays a list of customer terminals K1 to KN as the customer information IK, and addresses corresponding to the customer terminals K1 to KN are listed as customer addresses J1 to JN. ing. Although not shown in FIG. 2 due to space limitations, it goes without saying that other information included in the customer information IK is also included in the customer-oriented information IIF as necessary. In this specification, since the customer terminal KN and the customer KN have a one-to-one relationship, the customer information IK and the personal information II have the same contents.

  However, when one customer KN has a plurality of customer terminals KN1 to KNα (α is an arbitrary natural number), each of the plurality of customer terminals KN1 to KNα corresponding to one customer KN is referred to as customer information IK. Needless to say, it can be set and registered. Then, by setting different customer addresses JN1 to JNα as necessary to the customer terminals KN1 to KNα set in this way, the customer KN performs shopping at different places such as a workplace and a home. Appropriate cases can be handled.

  In the shopping condition priority IF1 column, the column “1”, the column “2”, and the column “3” represent the priority of items that the customer attaches importance to in shopping. Specifically, the customer K1 prioritizes the shopping condition priority order IF1 of the orientation information IF in the order of “price”, “close”, and “convenient”. The customer K1 sets “bicycle” as the main shopping means IF2. Similarly, the customer K2 sets shopping priority in the order of “convenient”, “price”, and “close”, and sets “automobile” as the main shopping means IF2. Thereafter, the customers K3 to KN have set the orientation information IF (the shopping condition priority IF1 and the main shopping means IF2) as shown in FIG.

  In addition, in order to indicate customer-oriented information IIF, personal information II, customer information IK, personal-oriented information IF, personal-oriented information IF1, and main shopping means IF2 of customer KN, customer-oriented information IIF (KN), personal information II (KN), customer information IK (KN), personal orientation information IF (KN), personal orientation information IF1 (KN), and main shopping means IF2 (KN) Is identified by adding a suffix “(KN)”. In addition, regarding the store-oriented information ISF, the suffix “(TM)” is added to indicate that the store-oriented information ISF of the store TM, and the same applies to the shopping list information ILP and the recommended store list information ILT. “(KN)” is added to indicate that the customer is related to KN.

  The store-oriented database unit 103 is a store in which store-oriented information ISF in which customer-oriented information SF corresponding to customer orientation is added in addition to the store information IS handled by the above-described conventional store database unit 803 is registered. It is a means for further reading the store orientation information ISF from the store orientation database as well as the orientation database. That is, the store orientation information ISF includes the store information IS and the customer orientation information SF.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the store orientation information ISF stored in the store orientation database of the store orientation database unit 103. In the example shown in the figure, customer-oriented information SF includes “sales contents IG” that indicates the type of product that is a target that the customer can purchase at the store TM, the presence / absence of a parking lot that can be used by the customer, and the available number “Parking lot P” is set. For example, there are four types of sales contents IG: “groceries”, “daily necessities”, “clothing”, and “electrical products”. Can only be set.

  The sales contents IG and the parking lot P are information corresponding to the individual-oriented information IF1 and the main shopping means IF2 in the individual-oriented information IF of the customer-oriented information IIF, respectively. As described above, information on the sales contents IG and the parking lot P is preferably input to the store-oriented database device 103 via the input device 107, but is configured to be input as appropriate by another different means such as communication. May be.

  In this example, “food” represents the sale of all food items such as vegetables and meat, “daily necessities” represents the sale of all daily necessities such as detergents and tableware, and “clothing” represents all clothing. “Electrical products” represents general home appliances. However, the types of sales contents IG may be classified and set based on different standards.

  Furthermore, the parking lot P indicates the number of cars that can be parked as “Yes” or “No” in the customer car parking lot. In addition, although the information of “Yes” or “None” of the customer car parking lot is information included in the conventional store information IS, in this example, it is together with the information on the number of parking available as customer-oriented information SF. It is expressed in The items set as the customer-oriented information SF are set corresponding to the contents of the items set in the individual-oriented information IF. That is, when items more than the example of FIG. 2 are set as the individual-oriented information IF, items corresponding to the customer-oriented information SF are also set.

  In FIG. 3, stores T1 to TM (M is an arbitrary natural number) are listed as store information IS, and addresses corresponding to the stores T1 to TM are listed as store addresses S1 to SM. In the store T1, only “groceries” is registered as the sales contents IG (T1), and “None” is registered in the “parking lot”. This means that the customer can purchase “groceries” at the store T1, but cannot purchase other products, and is not suitable for shopping by car (the customer goes to the store T1 by car). For this purpose, it is necessary to search for a parking lot separately from the store T1, move to the store T1 after parking in the parking lot, and the burden of shopping is large).

  In the store T2, “groceries” and “daily necessities” are registered in order as the sales contents IG (T2), and the parking lot P is registered as “present / 20 units”. This means that the customer can purchase “groceries” and “daily necessities” at the store T2, but cannot purchase other commodities, and is suitable for shopping by car.

  In the store T3, “groceries”, “daily necessities”, and “clothing” are registered in order as the sales contents IG (T3), and the parking lot P is registered as “present / 40 units”. This means that the customer can purchase “groceries”, “daily necessities”, and “clothing” at the store T3, but cannot purchase other products, and is also suitable for shopping by car. ing.

  Thereafter, the description up to the store TM-1 is omitted to avoid redundancy. In the store TM, only “electric product” is registered as the sales contents IG (TM), and the parking lot P is registered as “present / 100 units”. This means that the customer can purchase “electric products” at the store TM, but cannot purchase other products, and is suitable for shopping by car. As long as it is particularly necessary, the stores T1 to TM are collectively referred to as stores TM.

  In this example, four types of “groceries”, “daily necessities”, “clothing”, and “electrical products” are set as sales contents IG, but by classifying the sales contents IG into more various types, It becomes possible to recognize the details of the purchase that the customer can purchase more precisely and to meet the customer's request. Since all the stores T2, T3, and TM have the parking lot P "Yes", it can be determined that they are suitable for shopping by car in principle. In general, it is judged that the more the number of parking is, the more suitable for shopping by car.

  Next, FIG. 4 illustrates price information IP that represents the price of a product displayed when sold with the sales contents IG of the store-oriented information ISF. The price information IP includes the sales contents IG, and includes an individual sales price IP1 of a product that is supposed to be sold for each store TM and a sales period IP2 that indicates a period during which the product is sold at the same sales price IP1. Note that the price information IP shown in FIG. 4 is a more detailed classification of the sales contents IG in the store-oriented information ISF shown in FIG. For the sake of space and convenience of explanation, only the prices of three products are illustrated in the sales price IP1, but it goes without saying that it is desirable to register all the prices of the products sold at each store TM.

  The store T1 sells food items as shown in the sales contents IG (T1) in FIG. For the food product, the sales price IP1 (T1) shown in FIG. 4 is that the store T1 supplies the food A, the food B, and the food C during the period from the date H1 to the date H2 (sales period). It represents selling for 200 yen and 300 yen.

  The store T2 sells food and daily necessities, as shown in the sales contents IG (T2) in FIG. In the sales price IP1 (T2) shown in FIG. 4, the store T2 sells the food A, the food B, and the daily necessities A for 90 yen, 190 yen, and 100 yen, respectively, during the sales period from the date H1 to the date H2. It represents that.

  The store T3 sells food, daily necessities, and clothing as shown in the sales contents IG (T3) in FIG. Then, the sales price IP1 (T3) shown in FIG. 4 indicates that the store T3 sells food A, daily goods A, and clothing A for 130 yen, 110 yen, and 1,000, respectively, during the sales period from the date H1 to the date H2. It represents selling in a circle.

  The store TM sells only electrical products as shown in the sales contents IG (TM) in FIG. Then, in the sales price IP1 (TM) shown in FIG. 4, the store T4 sells the electric product A, the electric product B, and the electric product C for 10,000 yen, 1, It represents selling for 000 yen and 20,000 yen.

  The shopping list information will be described with reference to FIG. The shopping list information ILP is information indicating the priority order of products desired to be purchased for each customer KN. Preferably, the customer KN operates the customer terminal KN to input the type and priority of the product he / she wishes to purchase as a shopping list LP (KN) to the shopping list receiver 105 of the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHD or sign up. As described above, an input may be requested from an appropriate third party. FIG. 5 shows an example of the shopping list information ILP generated based on the shopping list LP registered or input by the customer.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the shopping list information ILP lists customer addresses J1 to JN corresponding to the customer terminals K1 to KN (customers K1 to KN) of the customer information IK (personal information II). A shopping list LP (KN) is included for each of the customers K1 to KN. The shopping list LP (KN) is information representing the priority order of products that the customer KN at the customer address JN desires to purchase.

  Specifically, it can be read from the shopping list information ILP (K1) that the customer K1 at the customer address J1 wishes to purchase food A and food B with priority (shopping list LP (K1)). It is registered (shopping list LP (K2)) that customer K2 of customer address J2 desires to purchase food A, daily necessities B, and clothing A in priority order at customer address J2. It is registered that the customer K3 of the customer address J3 wishes to purchase food A and food B in order (shopping list LP (K3)). The customer KN with the customer address JN is registered (shopping list LP (KN)) that he / she wants to purchase in the priority order of the electric products A and B.

  The recommended store list information will be described with reference to FIG. The recommended store list information ILT is information in which a predetermined number O stores (O is an arbitrary natural number equal to or less than M) that can satisfy the shopping conditions desired by the customer KN are listed in the most likely order. The recommended store list creator 106 determines a recommended store list LT (KN) for each customer KN based on the store orientation information ISF and the shopping list information ILP, and generates recommended store list information ILT (KN). . The recommended store list LT represents a high ranking that can satisfy a customer's shopping request in the order of the column “1”, the column “2”, and the column “3”. In this example, 3 is set as the predetermined number O, but can be appropriately set as required.

  In the recommended store list information ILT shown in FIG. 6, customers (customer terminals) K1 to KN are listed and addresses corresponding to the customers K1 to KN are listed as customer addresses J1 to JN. The recommended store list information ILT (K1) indicates that the customer K1's desire for purchase (priority item) is satisfied in the order of the store T2, the store T1, and the store T3.

  The recommended store list information ILT (K2) indicates that the customer K2's request for shopping is satisfied in the order of store T3, store T2, and store T1. The recommended store list information ILT (K3) indicates that the purchase request of the customer K3 is satisfied in the order of the store T1 and the store T2. In this example, the recommended store of the third rank for the customer K3 is “none”. It is shown that the shopping request of the customer KN is satisfied only by the store TN.

  As described above, the degree to which each store can satisfy the customer's request is evaluated based on the customer's request and the service for shopping that the store can provide. Based on the evaluation, recommended store list information ILT is introduced that introduces stores with high possibility of satisfying the customer's demand for shopping in order of priority. The recommended store list information ILT is distributed to the customer as an electronic leaflet EH. In this way, in the present invention, interactive generation of the electronic leaflet EH is realized according to the customer's request and the store service.

  Below, with reference to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, the generation of the recommended store list information ILT and the distribution operation of the electronic leaflet EH by the electronic leaflet distribution apparatus EHD according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the recommended store list information ILT is generated mainly by the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10, the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20, the shopping list information creation / update subroutine # 30, and the recommended store. This is realized by executing list information creation and electronic leaflet distribution subroutine # 40.

  The customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10 is a process of accepting input from the customer KN (customer terminal KN), registering the customer-oriented information IIF, and keeping the latest contents. This process is mainly executed by the customer-oriented database unit 104.

  The store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20 is a process of accepting an input from the store TM, registering the store-oriented information ISF, and keeping the latest contents. This process is mainly executed by the store-oriented database device 103.

  The shopping list information creation / update subroutine # 30 registers the shopping list information ILP for the customer-oriented information IIF created in the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10 based on the input from the customer KN (customer terminal KN). At the same time, it is a process of keeping the registered shopping list information ILP up to date. This process is mainly executed by the shopping list receiver 105.

  The recommended store list information creation and electronic flyer distribution subroutine # 40 includes customer-oriented information IIF created by the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10 and store-oriented information ISF created by the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20. The recommended store list information ILT is created based on the above and distributed to the customer KN (customer terminal KN). This process is mainly executed by the recommended store list creator 106.

  Next, detailed operations in the main routine shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the electronic leaflet distribution device EHD is turned on in the state shown in FIG. 1, the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10, the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20, the shopping list information creation / update subroutine # 30, and The recommended store list information creation and electronic leaflet distribution subroutine # 40 are started in order. Thereafter, these four subroutines are executed in parallel, which will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the customer-oriented information creating / updating subroutine # 10, first, in step S11, a customer registration number Nmax, which is a parameter N for identifying each of the customers KN and the maximum number registered as the customer KN. Are initialized, and N = 0 and Nmax = Nmax are set. The customer registration number Nmax corresponds to the value of N of the customer terminal KN in the last line of the customer-oriented information IIF illustrated in FIG. As described above, in this example, the case where the customer KN and the customer terminal KN match is described, but when the customer terminals KN1 to KNα are registered for the customer KN. Needless to say, the registered number Nα of the customer terminal KN is Nmax. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S12.

  In step S12, N is incremented by 1, and customer KN (N = N + 1) is set as the target of the customer-oriented information IIF creation / update process. Immediately after the start of the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10, the customer K1 is set as a processing target, and each time this step is executed, the customer K2, the customer K3,. It is targeted for processing. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S13.

  In step S13, it is determined whether or not an update request has been made for the customer-oriented information IIF (KN) stored in the customer-oriented database unit 104. The “update request” here refers to a request from the customer KN (customer terminal KN) for a new registration of customer-oriented information IIF (KN) to the customer-oriented database device 104 or a change of already registered content. Say what you are receiving.

  If “Yes” in step S13, that is, if it is determined that an update request for customer-oriented information IIF (KN) has been made, control proceeds to the next step S14.

  In step S <b> 14, customer-oriented information IIF (KN) is received from the customer terminal KN and is updated and registered in the customer-oriented database of the customer-oriented database device 104. Specifically, the personal orientation information IF (KN) received from the customer terminal KN is newly registered or overwritten as customer orientation information IIF (KN). Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S15.

  In step S15, it is determined whether N = Nmax. If “No”, that is, if it is determined that the necessary registration update processing has not been performed for all customer-oriented information IIF in the customer-oriented database of the customer-oriented database device 104, the control returns to step S12 to return to the next customer. The orientation information IIF (KN + 1) is set as a processing target, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  If “Yes” in step S15, that is, if it is determined that the registration update process that requires all of the customer-oriented information IIF in the customer-oriented database has been performed, the control returns to the above-described step S11 and updates the store-oriented information. The operation of subroutine # 20 is started. Thereafter, the processing of the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10 (steps S11 to S15) is performed in parallel with the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20. As a result, the contents of the customer-oriented information IIF are kept up-to-date.

  In the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20, first, in step S21, the parameter M for identifying each store TM and the store registration number Mmax, which is the maximum number registered as the store TM, are initialized. , M = 0 and Mmax = Mmax are set. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S22.

  In step S22, M is incremented by 1, and the store TM (M = M + 1) is set as the store-oriented information creation update processing target. Immediately after the start of the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20, the store T1 is set as a processing target, and every time this step is executed, the store T2, the store T3,. To be processed. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S13. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S23.

  In step S23, it is determined whether or not an update request has been made for the store-oriented information ISF (TM) in the store-oriented database stored in the store-oriented database unit 103. The “update request” here refers to a new registration of store-oriented information ISF (TM) or already registered to the store-oriented database device 103 via the input device 107 directly or indirectly from the store TM. Say that you have received a request to change the contents of.

  If "Yes" in step S23, that is, if it is determined that a request for updating the store-oriented information ISF (TM) has been made, control proceeds to the next step S24.

  In step S24, store orientation information ISF (TM) of the store TM is received and updated and registered in the store orientation database of the store orientation database unit 103. Specifically, customer-oriented information SF (TM) and price information IP (KN) received from the store TM are newly registered or overwritten (updated) as store-oriented information ISF (TM). Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S25.

  In step S25, it is determined whether M = Mmax. If “No”, that is, it is determined that the required registration update processing has not been performed for all the store-oriented information ISF in the store-oriented database of the store-oriented database unit 103, the control returns to step S22. The next store-oriented information ISF (TM + 1) is set as a processing target, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S25 that "Yes", that is, registration update processing that requires all of the customer-oriented information IIF in the customer-oriented database has been performed, the control returns to the above-described step S21, and the next shopping list information is obtained. The operation of the creation / update subroutine # 30 is started. Thereafter, the processes of the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10 (steps S11 to S15) and the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20 (steps S21 to S25) are performed in parallel with the shopping list information creation / update subroutine # 30. Is called. As a result, the contents of the customer-oriented information IIF and the store-oriented information ISF are kept up-to-date.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the shopping list information creation / update subroutine # 30, first, N = 0 and Nmax = Nmax are set in step S31. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S32.

  In step S32, N is incremented by 1, and customer KN (N = N + 1) is set as a processing target. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S33.

  In step S33, the customer terminal KN and the address JN are read from the customer-oriented information IIF (KN) stored in the customer-oriented database device 104 and registered as customer information IKN (IIN) in the shopping list information ILP (KN). The Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S34.

  In step S34, it is determined whether or not a shopping list update request has been made from the customer terminal KN. The “shopping list update request” here refers to a request for new registration of shopping list information ILP (KN) or change of already registered contents from the customer KN (customer terminal KN) to the electronic leaflet distribution device EHD. Say what you are receiving.

  If "Yes" in step S34, that is, if it is determined that a request to update shopping list information ILP (KN) has been made, control proceeds to the next step S35.

  In step S35, the shopping list information ILP (KN) of the customer KN is received and updated and registered in the shopping list database of the shopping list receiver 105. Specifically, the shopping list LP (KN) received from the customer terminal KN is newly registered or overwritten as shopping list information ILP (KN). Then, the operation of the next recommended store list information creation and electronic leaflet distribution subroutine # 40 is started.

  Thereafter, the processes of the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 10, the store-oriented information creation / update subroutine # 20, and the shopping list information creation / update subroutine # 30 (steps S31 to S35) are performed as recommended store list information creation and electronic leaflet distribution. This is performed in parallel with subroutine # 40. As a result, the contents of the customer-oriented information IIF, the store-oriented information ISF, and the shopping list information ILP are kept up-to-date.

  In the recommended store list information creation and electronic leaflet distribution subroutine # 40, M = 0 and Mmax = Mmax are set in step S41. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S42.

  In step S42, M is incremented by 1, and the store TM (M = M + 1) is set as a determination target as to whether the store is a recommended store for the customer KN (customer terminal KN). Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S43.

  In step S43, store orientation information ISF (TM) is read from the store orientation database stored in the store orientation database 103. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S44.

  In step S44, based on the store orientation information ISF (TM) read in step S43, it is determined whether or not the store TM satisfies a shopping list LP (KN) indicating the orientation of the customer KN.

  If “Yes” in step S44, that is, if it can be determined that the store TM satisfies the shopping list LP (KN), the control proceeds to the next step S45. On the other hand, if “No” in step S44, that is, if it can be determined that the store TM does not satisfy the shopping list LP (KN), the control returns to step S42 described above.

  In step S45, the store TM is provisionally registered as the recommended rank 1 of the recommended store list LT (KN) of the recommended store list information ILT (KN). Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S46.

  In step S46, it is determined whether M = Mmax. No, that is, if it is not determined whether or not all of the stores TM registered in the store-oriented information ISF are recommended stores for the customer KN, the control returns to step S42 described above. Then, the next store TM (M = M + 2) is set as a target, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S44 that the newly targeted store TM satisfies the shopping list LP (KN), it is provisionally registered in the recommended store list information ILT (KN) in step S45. In this case, among the stores TM (M = M + 1) provisionally registered previously and the stores TM (M = M + 2) temporarily registered this time, the recommended ranking of the stores that are considered to be higher if the customer's request is satisfied. Highly registered.

  The degree to which the customer's request is satisfied, that is, the degree that the store TM satisfies the shopping list LP (KN) is preferably quantified (numerized). Various quantification methods can be considered for this quantification. For example, a higher evaluation score can be given to an item having a higher priority of the individual-oriented information IF in the customer-oriented information IIF, and a total of evaluation scores of items satisfied for each store TM can be adopted as the satisfaction. For example, regarding the shopping condition priority IF1 in the personal-oriented information IF, for example, 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point are set as evaluation points for items of the shopping priority order 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. If the items of the main shopping means IF2 match, one point is given, and further, the number of cars is set so as to increase as the number of parking lots increases.

  In addition, if the total value of the evaluation points is the same, the higher evaluation point in the item with the higher shopping priority may be set as the satisfaction level is higher. In addition to the method described here, a method of quantifying the degree that the request of the customer KN can be satisfied may be adopted as appropriate.

  If YES in step S46, that is, if it is determined whether or not all the stores TM registered in the store orientation information ISF are recommended stores for the customer KN, the control proceeds to the next step S47. move on.

  In step S47, the shopping list information ILP (KN) generated in step S45 is distributed to the customer KN as an electronic leaflet EH. Specifically, recommended store list information ILT (KN) is distributed from the recommended store list creator 106 to the customer KN as an electronic leaflet EH via the communication device 805.

  The recommended shop list creator 106 outputs the recommended shop list information ILT (KN) to the electronic leaflet generator 102, and the electronic leaflet generator 102 incorporates the recommended shop information into the recommended shop list information ILT (KN). The electronic flyer EH may be generated and distributed to the customer KN via the communication device 805. Then, the control proceeds to the next Step S48.

  In step S48, it is determined whether N = Nmax. If it is determined No, that is, whether or not there is a recommended store for all of the customers KN registered in the customer-oriented information IIF, the control returns to step S32 described above, and the next customer KN (N = N + 1) is set as a recommended store list examination target. And after repeating the process in the above-mentioned step, it is judged as Yes in Step S48, that is, judgment of presence / absence of a recommended store and distribution of recommended store list information ILT to all of the customers KN registered in the customer-oriented information IIF. If is completed, the control returns to step S31 described above.

  Then, the distribution process of the recommended store list information ILT (electronic leaflet EH) is resumed in order from the customer K1 to the customer KN registered in the customer-oriented information IIF. In this example, when it is determined in step S34 that the shopping list information ILP (KN) has not been updated (registered), the recommended store list information ILT is not distributed to the customer KN. Has been. However, it is easy to configure so as to distribute the recommended store list information ILT when requested by the customer KN.

  Next, with reference to the recommended store list information ILT shown in FIG. 6, a further example of a method for determining the recommended rank of the store TM in the recommended store list information ILT will be described. According to the shopping condition priority IF1 (K1) of the customer-oriented information IIF (K1) shown in FIG. 2, the shopping priority of the customer K1 is “price” for the first, “close” for the second, “convenient” for the third. It is. According to the store orientation information ISF (T1) shown in FIG. 3, the store T1 is a store that sells only food. Further, according to the price information IP (T1) of the store orientation information ISF (T1) shown in FIG. 4, the store T1 is sold for 100 yen for food A, 200 yen for food B, and 300 yen for food C. According to the shopping list LP (K1) of the shopping list information ILP (K1) shown in FIG. 5, the shopping priority of the customer K1 is the order of the food A and the food B.

  According to the store orientation information ISF (T1), since the store T1 sells only food, it is not necessary to remove the store T1 from the recommended store list LT (K1), but the store T1 is a recommended store for the customer K1. Since there is no comparison for whether to do or not, it is put on hold and the next store T2 is judged.

  In the store-oriented information ISF (T2) in FIG. 4, the sales price IP1 (T2) of the price information IP (T2) of the store T2 is 90 yen for food A, 190 yen for food B, and 100 yen for daily goods A. is there. In the shopping list information ILP (K1) of FIG. 5, the shopping list LP (K1) of the customer K1 indicates food A and food B. Further, according to the shopping condition priority IF1 (K1) of the customer-oriented information IIF (K1) in FIG. 2, the shopping priority of the customer K1 is “price”, so the food A and the food B of the store T1 and the store T2 Comparing the price information, the store T2 is cheaper than the store T1, and therefore the store T2 is set first and the store T1 is set second in the recommended store list LT (K1) of FIG.

  In addition, regarding the sales period IP2 (TM) of the store-oriented information ISF, the sales period IP2 (TM) may include the date of creation (execution of this processing) of the electronic flyer EH (recommended store list information ILT). It is an indispensable condition for being adopted as a recommended store. However, the sales period IP2 may include a date on which the customer plans to shop.

  Next, according to the sales price IP1 (T3) of the store orientation information ISF (T3) of FIG. 4, the store T3 is 130 yen for food A, 110 yen for daily goods A, and 1000 yen for clothing A. The shopping priority in the shopping list LP (K1) of the customer K1 is the order of the food A and the food B. The price of the food A is higher than that of the store T1 and the store T2, and the store orientation information ISF (T3) includes the food B Since price information is not described, the store T3 is set third in the recommended store list LT (K1) of the recommended store list information ILT (K1) in FIG.

  For the sake of simplicity, comparison of stores TM other than stores T1, T2, and T3 is omitted, and recommended store list information ILT (K1) for customer K1 is the first store T2 as illustrated in FIG. The recommended store list information ILT (K1) is transmitted to the customer K1 with the second store T1 and the third store T3 as determination results.

  Next, the customer K2 will be described. In the shopping condition priority order IF1 (K2) in FIG. 2, No. 1 is “Convenient”, No. 2 is “Price”, and No. 3 is “Close”. Shopping priority in the shopping list LP (K2) of FIG. 5 is the order of food A, daily necessities A, and clothing A. It can be seen from the store-oriented information ISF (T3) that the store T3 is “convenient” that all these products can be purchased at one store. Therefore, the store T3 is set to the first in the recommended store list LT (K2) of the recommended store list information ILT (K2) in FIG.

  From the price information IP (T2) shown in FIG. 4, although the sales price IP1 (T2) at the store T2 is not described for the clothing A in the shopping list information of the food A, the food B, the daily goods A, and the customer K2. Daily necessities A are described. Therefore, the store T2 is set second in the recommended store list LT (K2) of the recommended store list information ILT (K2) in FIG.

  The prices of food A, food B, and food C at the store T1 are described in the sales price IP1 (T1) of the store orientation information ISF (T1) shown in FIG. The daily necessities A and the clothing items A described in the shopping list LP (K2) of the shopping list information ILP (K2) shown in FIG. 5 are not sold at the store T1. Further, although the “price” of the food A that the customer K2 wants to purchase is low, two of the shopping lists LP (K2) of the customer K2 cannot be purchased, and the shopping condition priority IF1 (K2) of the customer K2 Does not satisfy the “useful” set in the first.

  Therefore, the store T1 is set at the third lowest position in the recommended store list LT (K2) of the recommended store list information ILT (K2) in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the recommended store list information ILT (K2) in which the store T3 is recommended first, the store T2 second, and the store T1 third is recommended in the recommended store list LT (K2). Sent to customer K2.

  In the shopping condition priority order IF1 (KN) illustrated in FIG. 2, the shopping priority ranking of the customer KN has three conditions, “price”, “close”, and “convenient”. However, there are various other conditions such as “parking lot P” regarding the presence or absence of the customer parking lot described above. Further, the description of the main shopping means of the customer KN, information on the sales period, etc. is omitted.

  For example, if information for several times of electronic leaflets EH is registered in the store database, the price information IP of the store-oriented information ISF increases and the search range is expanded. In this case, since it is possible to determine when the purchase has a large merit, it is possible to provide the recommended date of shopping to the customer in addition to the recommended store list information ILT, and the merit of the customer is further increased.

  In addition, as described above, by using the electronic leaflet distribution device according to the present invention, the customer KN can obtain the recommended shop list information displayed in the order of high possibility that the customer's desire for shopping can be satisfied as the electronic leaflet EH. . Therefore, the customer can efficiently achieve the purpose of shopping based on the electronic leaflet EH. Furthermore, interactive electronic leaflets can be distributed by freely combining the contents of a plurality of items in a plurality of stores according to the degree to which each customer's request is satisfied.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an electronic flyer distribution device that presents, via electronic media, the contents of a service that a sales store can provide to a customer's shopping, including information such as sales products.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic leaflet delivery apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing of customer orientation information stored in the customer orientation database device shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of store-oriented information stored in the store-oriented database device shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of the sales contents of the store-oriented information shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of shopping list information stored in the shopping list receiver shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of the recommended shop list information produced | generated by the recommended shop list creator shown in FIG. The flowchart showing the main operation | movement of recommended shop list information generation by the electronic leaflet delivery apparatus shown in FIG. Flowchart showing detailed operations in the customer-oriented information creation / update subroutine and store-oriented information creation / update subroutine shown in FIG. Flowchart showing detailed operations in the shopping list information creation update subroutine and recommended store list information creation distribution subroutine shown in FIG. Block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional electronic leaflet distribution device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Electronic leaflet generator 103 Store-oriented database device 104 Customer-oriented database device 105 Shopping list receiver 106 Recommended store list creation device 107 Input device 108 Input device 805 Communication device 806 Internet EHD, EHDc Electronic leaflet distribution device K1-KN Customer terminal

Claims (8)

An electronic leaflet distribution device that distributes information representing services provided by a second predetermined number of stores as electronic data to each of a first predetermined number of customers,
Customer-oriented database means for storing orientation information representing the customer's desire for shopping;
Store-oriented database means for storing store-oriented information representing services that the store can provide to customers;
Based on the orientation information and the store orientation information, a recommended store selection is selected for each customer from the second predetermined number of stores that can satisfy each customer's request. An electronic leaflet distribution device comprising means.   The recommended store selection means compares the customer orientation information of each customer with the store preference information of the second predetermined number of stores, and the third store in order of decreasing degree of satisfaction of each customer's request. The electronic leaflet distribution device according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of stores are selected. The orientation information includes customer information representing each address of the customer;
The electronic leaflet distribution device according to claim 2, wherein the store-oriented information includes store information indicating each location of the store. In the orientation information, a priority order is set for the customer's request,
The electronic leaflet distribution apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recommended store selection unit selects a store having a high degree of possibility of satisfying a higher priority order among the requests in the store orientation information. Shopping list receiving means for receiving shopping list information representing the items that each of the customers desires to purchase and their purchase priority,
The store-oriented information includes sales content information representing items sold by the store,
The electronic leaflet distribution device according to claim 4, wherein the recommended store selection unit selects a store having a high degree of satisfaction with a higher priority in the shopping list information. The sales content information further includes a price of an item sold by the store,
The electronic leaflet distribution device according to claim 5, wherein the recommended store selection unit selects a store that sells a high-priority item in the shopping list information at a lower price. The orientation information further includes main shopping means information representing a moving means that each of the customers mainly uses when shopping.
The electronic leaflet distribution apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the store-oriented information further includes parking lot information indicating whether or not each store has a parking lot that can be used by a customer and the number of parking lots available.   The customer's request represented by the orientation information is “price”, which is cheaper if it is the same product, “near”, which is a short distance between the customer and the store, and all desired products in one store The electronic leaflet distribution device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic leaflet distribution device includes “convenience” that can be purchased.

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