JP2010033307A - Marketing system using vending machine, method thereof, and vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a consumption tendency in real time in relation to a regional environment and time. <P>SOLUTION: A marketing system 1 allows merchandise in a vending machine 2 to be obtained using coupon information by transmitting information on the vending machine 2 to a management server 64 using a cellphone 60, and transmitting the coupon information to the cellphone 60 from the management server 64. The vending machine 2 has a communication button 20 permitting communication with the cellphone 60, and a lamp built in the communication button 20. The lamp constitutes an appealing means lighted when predetermined conditions are established, to call pedestrians' attention. The coupon information includes vending machine identification information for specifying the vending machine 2 which is an information source, merchandise information obtainable using the coupon information, and expiration date information of the coupon information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a marketing system and method using a vending machine, and a vending machine.

  Now that mobile phones have become commonplace, Patent Documents 1 to 3 propose to incorporate mobile phones into vending machines. In Patent Document 1, in a vending machine that handles age-restricted products such as alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, a user requests authentication from a user authentication server using his / her mobile phone, and this user authentication server displays a sales permission signal. By transmitting to the vending machine, it is disclosed that the vending machine turns on the sellable lamp of the product purchase button.

  Patent Document 2 proposes to use a user's mobile phone for a point service in a vending machine. Specifically, the vending machine issues point information corresponding to the type and number of products sold as image information such as a two-dimensional barcode, and the user images this with a camera of a mobile phone and manages the management server Send to. When the management center confirms that the point information is authentic, the management center adds the received number of points to the number of points managed for each user. Patent Document 2 also includes the management information of vending machines such as inventory, failure, date and environment in the two-dimensional bar code including point information, so that the user's out-of-stock, change-out, failure occurrence, etc. It is proposed to obtain it using a mobile phone.

  Patent Document 3 proposes that information such as out of change, out of stock, and the like is transmitted to the management server using a mobile phone owned by a user or a traveling route service person. Specifically, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention in which a user purchases a desired product from a vending machine using a mobile phone having an online payment function. But you can also buy goods with prepaid money.

  The vending machine of Patent Document 3 has a normal mode and an emergency mode. In the normal mode, when a user deposits a product purchase button is lit, and when the user presses a desired product purchase button, the product is displayed. Discharge to the product outlet and change. On the other hand, the emergency mode turns on the revolving light of the vending machine when the change is out of stock or the product is out of stock, etc. Arouse. When the user connects the mobile phone to the vending machine and selects a desired product purchase button, through the user's mobile phone, in addition to the payment information, the product type data of the vending machine, purchase quantity data, inventory quantity data, Along with information such as change data, weather data such as atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, ultraviolet rays, pollen, and atmospheric pressure is transmitted to the management server.

JP 2007-87290 A JP 2003-85625 A JP 2003-44906 A

  Today, when the market is saturated, the importance of marketing is increasing every day to develop new products, promote new products, and promote specific products. On the other hand, in Japan, it is said that the penetration rate of mobile phones (including PHS) in the population has reached 84% (as of March 2008). It is used for information collection and mobile payments via the Internet with higher functionality. The inventors of the present application have come up with the present invention based on the viewpoint of grasping a vending machine as one of marketing tools in the present situation where many young people freely use mobile phones. It is.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a marketing system using a vending machine capable of obtaining consumption trends in real time, a method thereof, and a vending machine.

  It is a further object of the present invention to provide a marketing system and method using a vending machine that can execute new products and sales promotion activities by narrowing down the target, and a vending machine.

The above technical problem is, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
Sending vending machine information to a management server using a mobile phone, sending coupon information from the management server to the mobile phone, and using the coupon information to obtain products of the vending machine; A marketing system that can
The vending machine communicates with a mobile phone when a predetermined condition regarding a time such as a transmission / reception unit that can communicate with the mobile phone, a contact button that allows communication with the mobile phone, and a preset date and time is established. With appealing means to call attention,
The coupon information that the management server transmits to the mobile phone includes vending machine identification information that identifies the vending machine that is an information source of information transmitted to the management server using the mobile phone, and the coupon Including information on products that can be obtained using information, and expiration date information of the coupon information,
The passerby alerts the passerby by the appealing means, and the passerby presses the contact button in response to this to transmit the information of the vending machine to the management server via the mobile phone, and the mobile phone that has received the coupon information Marketing in which a product can be obtained from the vending machine specified by the vending machine identification information included in the coupon information using the coupon information by communication between the telephone and the vending machine This is accomplished by providing a system.

The above technical problem is, according to the second aspect of the present invention,
Information on the vending machine provided with a transmission / reception unit that can communicate with a mobile phone, a contact button that permits communication with the mobile phone, and an appealing means that alerts passers-by when a preset condition is established Is transmitted to a management server via a mobile phone, coupon information is transmitted from the management server to the mobile phone, and the coupon information is used to obtain a product of the vending machine. ,
A first step of calling the passerby by executing the appeal means when the preset condition is satisfied;
A second step in which a person possessing a mobile phone operates the contact button to communicate between the transmission / reception unit of the vending machine and the mobile phone, and takes in the information of the vending machine into the mobile phone;
A third step of transmitting information on the vending machine from the mobile phone to the management server;
A fourth step of generating coupon information in the management server and transmitting the coupon information to the mobile phone;
The coupon information includes vending machine identification information that identifies the vending machine that is an information source of information transmitted to the management server using the mobile phone, and information on products that can be obtained using the coupon information. And a marketing method including the expiration date information of the coupon information.

The above technical problem is also according to the third aspect of the present invention.
Sending vending machine information to a management server using a mobile phone, sending coupon information from the management server to the mobile phone, and using the coupon information to obtain products of the vending machine; Vending machine applicable to marketing system
A transceiver that can communicate with a mobile phone;
A contact button that allows communication with the mobile phone and is unrelated to product purchase;
An appealing means for calling a passerby when a predetermined condition regarding a time such as a preset date and time is established,
Provided is a vending machine characterized in that information on the vending machine is transmitted to the management server via a mobile phone by receiving an operation of a contact button after alerting a passerby by the appealing means. Is achieved.

  In other words, in the present invention, conditions for time such as date and time, period and time, and period and time interval are typically set as conditions for the appealing means to execute the operation. For example, when the time of aa month bb to cc day is set every 30 minutes from 6:00 to 12:00 in the morning, the appealing means operates every 30 minutes in the morning of the corresponding day to alert the passerby. A passerby who is interested in this operation operates the contact button to communicate between his / her mobile phone and the vending / receiving unit of the vending machine to capture the information of the vending machine into the mobile phone, and Send to the management server using a mobile phone. A coupon is transmitted from the management server to the mobile phone, and a passerby who operates the mobile phone can use the coupon to obtain the product of the vending machine.

  When the information transmitted to the management server as information on the vending machine via the mobile phone is set so as to include the number of sales, the management server, as explained in the above example, is information on sales trends in the morning for a predetermined period. Can be obtained. For example, information on vending machines can be obtained separately in front of a station, along a main road, or a theme park.

  Coupon information issued by the management server includes vending machines that can use coupons by including identification information that identifies vending machines that are information sources of vending machine information through mobile phones. Can be limited to vending machines. This vending machine stocks new products, sales promotion products or giveaways, and when coupons are used, it offers substantial sales by limiting them to the new products, sales promotion products, and giveaways. Promotional activities can be performed via vending machines.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the appealing means operates when the vending machine is out of commodities or changes, and alerts passers-by. As a result, the management server can obtain information such as a change of goods, a product being out of service, etc. through the mobile phone of the passerby, and information such as the change of goods can be provided to the route patrol service person.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall outline of a marketing system 1 according to an embodiment. The marketing system 1 has a vending machine 2. Although the vending machine 2 is not particularly limited, a vending machine of a type that sells beverages in containers such as mineral water, canned coffee, and PET bottle tea is exemplarily illustrated. A vending machine that fills and sells beverages in paper cups is a typical example. In the upper part of the vending machine 2, a plurality of handled product samples 4 are displayed, and a product purchase button 6 is provided corresponding to each product sample 4.

  The vending machine 2 includes a coin insertion slot 8 into which coins for purchasing merchandise are inserted, a bill insertion slot 10 into which a bill is inserted, a refund operation lever 12, a return slot 14, and the like. When the vending machine 2 accepts the deposit through the coin insertion slot 8 and / or the bill insertion slot 10, the vending machine purchase button 6 is turned on. When the consumer depresses the purchase button 6 for the desired product, the designated product is discharged to the product take-out port 16. If the amount of money thrown by the consumer is larger than the selling price of the product, change is paid out to the return port 14.

  The vending machine 2 includes a display 18 such as a liquid crystal, a push-type manual communication button 20 described later, and a transmission / reception unit 22 (FIG. 2) such as infrared communication. The communication button 20 includes a lamp (not shown). Z) is built-in. The contact button 20 is a manual button that is irrelevant to the product purchase. By pressing this button down, information can be exchanged between the vending machine 2 and the mobile phone 60 as will be described later.

  FIG. 2 shows an outline of the control system of the vending machine 2. The vending machine 2 has a main control unit 30 mainly composed of a CPU. The main control unit 30 has a product selection unit 32 for controlling the product purchase button 6 and a blinking lamp built in the product purchase button 6. Product purchase button to be controlled Light emission control unit 34, display display control unit 36 for controlling display of display 18, self-diagnosis unit 38 for determining whether or not vending machine 2 has failed, contact button for performing control related to contact button 20 Control unit 40, contact button light emission control unit 42 for controlling blinking of a lamp (not shown) built in contact button 20, coupon information determination unit 44 for determining the validity of coupon information described later, and various data are stored. And a storage unit 46.

  The marketing system 1 includes a mobile phone 60 of an unspecified passer. The mobile phone 60 has an infrared communication unit (not shown). Since this type of mobile phone is well known, description of its specific structure is omitted.

  The cellular phone 60 can exchange information with the vending machine 2 by communicating through the transmission / reception unit (infrared communication port) 22 after the communication button 20 of the vending machine 2 is depressed. Further, the cellular phone 60 can be connected to a management server 64 of a company that manages the vending machine 2 via the mobile communication network and the Internet communication network 62 by the operation of the owner. Information can be exchanged.

Referring to FIG. 3, the storage unit 46 of the vending machine 2 stores the following data.
(1) Identification information of the vending machine 2 (for example, sales floor number, machine body (VM) number, store ID, etc.);
(2) Setting information of the vending machine 2 (for example, assigning a display product sample to each product inventory column, product unit price, etc.);
(3) Sales information (for example, inventory information for each column, inventory replenishment date / time, number of sales, etc.);
(4) Management information (for example, out of change, columns that need replenishment such as the remaining number of stocks, for example, replenishment request information when the total number of stocks in the vending machine falls below a predetermined number, self-diagnosis )
(5) Report setting information;
As will be described later, the report setting information is setting information related to the timing at which the contact button 20 is turned on and the report item, and includes date and time, period and time, period and time interval, change of change, out of stock of each cell, vending machine In-flight out of stock, sales volume etc. included.
(6) Installation environment;
The environment in which the vending machine 2 is installed, for example, installation environment information arbitrarily classified such as in front of the station, along the main road, amusement park, business hotel, etc. Information such as “in front of the station” is registered by the route patrol serviceman. .

  The notification setting information in the storage unit 46 is created by an administrator, that is, a route patrol service person, using an input means mounted on the handy terminal or the vending machine 2, for example. For example, when the date and time is set, the contact button 20 is turned on as an appealing means for alerting the passerby at the date and time. When the period and time are set, the contact button 20 is turned on at a predetermined time during the set period. When the period and the time interval are set, the contact button 20 is lit at a predetermined time interval during the set period.

  Referring to FIG. 4, in the marketing system 1, when the set notification condition is satisfied (for example, when the set time is reached), the contact button 20 is turned on as an appealing means for alerting the passerby and the management server 64. Information to be provided to is generated. Of course, the built-in lamp may be lit continuously or may be lit intermittently at a constant cycle (that is, the contact button 20 blinks at a relatively short cycle). At the same time, preferably, as an additional appealing means, a specific operation procedure is displayed together with a sentence that alerts the passerby to the display 18, for example, text information “Please cooperate”. Of course, a speaker may be installed in the vending machine 2, and this speaker may be used as an additional appealing means.

  A passerby who is interested in turning on the contact button 20 or displaying the display 19 performs the following action according to the display procedure on the display 19. When the vending machine 2 includes a speaker, the following procedure may be guided by voice. Guidance using the display 19 and the speaker is stopped after a certain time.

(1) Set up the mobile phone 60 in a state where infrared communication is possible;
(2) Press down the contact button 20 of the vending machine 2 regardless of the product purchase;
(2-1) Communication between the vending machine 2 and the mobile phone 60 becomes possible as the contact button 20 is depressed. The notification information supplied from the vending machine 2 to the mobile phone 60 will be described later;
(3) After receiving the report information from the vending machine 2, the passerby transmits the report information to the management server 64 by operating according to the display screen of the mobile phone 60.

  Note that the order of (1) and (2) above may be reversed. That is, after the contact button 20 of the vending machine 2 is depressed, the mobile phone 60 may be set in a state where infrared communication is possible, and information may be exchanged between the vending machine 2 and the mobile phone 60. . Further, even if the contact button 20 is turned off, communication between the vending machine 2 and the mobile phone 60 is impossible.

  The notification items transmitted from the cellular phone 60 to the management server 64 are determined by the setting of the route patrol serviceman. The notification items are (1) identification information of the vending machine 2, (2) transmission date and time, (3) Data from various sensors 48 that detect the surrounding environment such as atmospheric pressure, outside temperature, humidity, solar radiation, pollen, ultraviolet rays at the time of transmission, (4) Installation environment of vending machine 2 (eg in front of the station), (5) Number of sales, (6) Out of change, (7) Out-of-stock product information, (8) Replenishment request information when the total number of vending machines is less than the predetermined number, (9) Failure information by self-diagnosis Any item is set by the notification item setting means 50 shown in FIG. 2, for example, the input of a route patrol service person or the handy terminal. Further, the content displayed on the display 18 and the content sent from the speaker is set by the content setting means 52 shown in FIG.

  The management server 64 that has received the report information from the mobile phone 60 generates coupon information including identification information that identifies the vending machine 2 received from the mobile phone 60 and transmits the coupon information to the mobile phone 60. The coupon information that designates the vending machine 2 that has communicated with the mobile phone 60 as the usable vending machine 2 includes privilege information such as free or discount. In some cases, the coupon information is limited to a specific product. May be. This privilege has a time limit and is effective only for a relatively short time such as 10 minutes from the time when coupon information is transmitted to the mobile phone 60, for example.

  The passerby who has received the coupon information pushes down the contact button 20 that is continuously lit, and then points the cellular phone 60 to the transmission / reception unit 22 (infrared communication port) of the vending machine 2 so as to receive the coupon information. Information is transmitted to the vending machine 2. The vending machine 2 that has received the coupon information is included in the coupon information after checking whether it is coupon information including an ID for identifying the vending machine 2 and within the expiration date. The product purchase button 6 corresponding to the product is turned on. Thereby, the passerby who is the owner of the coupon information can obtain the product by depressing any product purchase button 6 from the lighted product purchase button 6. The above explanation is a case where a “free” privilege is given to a passerby. In the case of a “discount” privilege, the money of the discount amount necessary for purchasing the product is inserted into the coin slot 8 or the bill. The product can be obtained by putting it into the mouth 10.

  After the vending machine 2 collates the coupon information and discharges the merchandise, the vending machine 2 stops lighting the contact button 20 and turns off the lamp built in the contact button 20. After the contact button 20 is turned off, communication between the vending machine 2 and the mobile phone 60 becomes impossible.

  The management server stores the information received from the mobile phone 60 in the storage means, and this information is utilized for later market analysis. That is, as information obtained from the mobile phone 60, the date and time, weather, the installation environment of the vending machine, the number of sales, etc. are obtained. The consumption trend can be analyzed. Note that an outline such as “in front of the station” regarding the installation location of the vending machine 2 can be obtained from the cellular phone 60 in the item of installation environment, but if more detailed location information is required, map information may be obtained through the Internet. .

  For example, the above marketing system 1 may search for a product that is selected in relation to the installation environment of the vending machine 2 (for example, in front of the station), the weather, or the time. Information for what kind of product an unspecified passer selects every hour by setting “every hour” and setting “one free from multiple types of products” as coupon information Can be obtained by the management server 64 together with the weather (sultry or rainy) at that time. In addition, when the management information of the vending machine 2 such as out of change or out of stock is set via the mobile phone 60 of the pedestrian, the route patrol service man is automatically sold based on the acquired management information. By dispatching to the aircraft 2, loss of sales opportunities can be reduced.

  To use the above marketing system 1 for advertising new products, select a vending machine 2 with many target generations, and turn on the contact button 20 of the vending machine 2 for example “every 30 minutes”. In addition, “new product promotion” is added to the content delivered from the display 18 or the speaker, and provision of the new product as free coupon information is set. As a result, the operation of the contact button 20 can be used as a dummy to distribute a new product to an unspecified number of people, and the mail address of the mobile phone 60 notified by operating the contact button 20 can be obtained.

  Further, when using the above marketing system 1 for sales promotion, the promotional information is stored in a specific column of the vending machine 2 and the coupon information is sent to the person who reports by operating the contact button 20. The prize can be provided as

  When sponsoring a music or video company, the speaker installed in the vending machine 2 is used to play music selected by the sponsor company after the passerby presses the contact button 20 or the video is displayed on the display 18. It may be displayed.

  In addition, when issuing a coupon as a reward for the passers-by who cooperated, strategically set the products that can be selected by the passers-by, and which vending machine selected which product from the multiple products You may memorize | store in the memory | storage part 46 of 2. FIG. This information is different from purchasing a product for a fee, and when it is possible to select a product without worrying about the amount of money, consumers are likely to select the product they want most, It will be valuable information for knowing the real intentions.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. If a camera-equipped cellular phone is incorporated as the cellular phone 60, a code reading unit is provided in the vending machine 2, and a two-dimensional code such as a QR code is used. The notification information may be transmitted from the vending machine 2 to the mobile phone 60 and the coupon information may be read by the vending machine 2.

  In the above-described embodiment, the push-type manual communication button 20 is provided in the vending machine 2 as a communication permission means that requires an operation intended by a passerby. Instead, a display having a touch panel as the display 18 is provided. The contact button 20 may be displayed on the display 18.

  In the above-described embodiment, the contact button 20 is lit to call the passer's attention. However, if the passerby can alert the passerby and specify the passerby to be operated by the passerby, Instead of lighting the contact button 20, for example, the display 18 may be used as an appealing means.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the first contact button 20 for transmitting information related to the report item of the vending machine 2 to the mobile phone 60 and coupon information is transmitted from the mobile phone 60 to the vending machine 2. For this purpose, a second contact button 21 may be prepared.

  In the above-described embodiment, the coupon information transmitted from the management server 64 to the mobile phone 60 includes information on a product that can be selected free of charge. Instead, a product that can be obtained by a passerby using a coupon. May be set in advance in the vending machine 2, and this setting may be changed by a route patrol service person.

It is the whole marketing system outline figure of an example. It is a systematic diagram of the control system built in the vending machine. It is a figure for demonstrating the main information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of a vending machine. It is a figure for demonstrating a series of operation | movement of the marketing system of an Example. It is the whole schematic diagram of the marketing system of the modification which prepared two contact buttons of the vending machine.

Explanation of symbols

1 Marketing System 2 Vending Machine 18 Vending Machine Display 20 Vending Machine Push-type Contact Button 22 Vending Machine Transmission / Reception Unit (Infrared Communication Port)
48 Sensor group 60 Mobile phone 62 Mobile communication network and Internet 64 Management server

Claims (15)

Sending vending machine information to a management server using a mobile phone, sending coupon information from the management server to the mobile phone, and using the coupon information to obtain products of the vending machine; A marketing system that can
The vending machine communicates with a mobile phone when a predetermined condition regarding a time such as a transmission / reception unit that can communicate with the mobile phone, a contact button that allows communication with the mobile phone, and a preset date and time is established. With appealing means to call attention,
The coupon information that the management server transmits to the mobile phone includes vending machine identification information that identifies the vending machine that is an information source of information transmitted to the management server using the mobile phone, and the coupon Including information on products that can be obtained using information and expiration date information on the coupon information,
The passerby alerts the passerby by the appealing means, and the passerby presses the contact button in response to this to transmit the information of the vending machine to the management server via the mobile phone, and the mobile phone that has received the coupon information Marketing in which a product can be obtained from the vending machine specified by the vending machine identification information included in the coupon information using the coupon information by communication between the telephone and the vending machine system.   The marketing system according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine includes a sensor that detects a surrounding environment, and information from the sensor is transmitted to the management server through the mobile phone.   The marketing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vending machine further includes report item setting means for setting items of information to be transmitted from the mobile phone to the management server.   The marketing system according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine further includes at least one of a display and a speaker as the appealing means.   The marketing system according to claim 4, wherein the vending machine further includes content setting means for setting the display and / or audio content of a speaker.   The marketing system according to claim 1, wherein the appealing means operates when the vending machine is out of merchandise or out of change to alert a passerby. Information on the vending machine provided with a transmission / reception unit that can communicate with a mobile phone, a contact button that permits communication with the mobile phone, and an appealing means that alerts passers-by when a preset condition is established Is transmitted to a management server via a mobile phone, coupon information is transmitted from the management server to the mobile phone, and the coupon information is used to obtain a product of the vending machine. ,
A first step of calling the passerby by executing the appeal means when the preset condition is satisfied;
A second step in which a person possessing a mobile phone operates the contact button to communicate between the transmission / reception unit of the vending machine and the mobile phone, and takes in the information of the vending machine into the mobile phone;
A third step of transmitting information on the vending machine from the mobile phone to the management server;
A fourth step of generating coupon information in the management server and transmitting the coupon information to the mobile phone;
The coupon information includes vending machine identification information that identifies the vending machine that is an information source of information transmitted to the management server using the mobile phone, and information on products that can be obtained using the coupon information. And a marketing method including expiration date information of the coupon information.   The marketing method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition related to time such as date and time.   The marketing method according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined condition regarding the time is set by an administrator of the vending machine. Sending vending machine information to a management server using a mobile phone, sending coupon information from the management server to the mobile phone, and using the coupon information to obtain products of the vending machine; Vending machine applicable to marketing system
A transceiver that can communicate with a mobile phone;
A contact button that allows communication with the mobile phone and is unrelated to product purchase;
An appealing means for calling a passerby when a predetermined condition regarding a time such as a preset date and time is established,
A vending machine characterized in that information on the vending machine is transmitted to the management server via a mobile phone by receiving an operation of a contact button after alerting a passerby by the appealing means.   The coupon information includes vending machine identification information for identifying the vending machine generated based on the vending machine information received by the management server from the mobile phone, and products available using the coupon information. The vending machine according to claim 10, comprising product information to be specified and time information defining a time limit for obtaining a product using the coupon information.   The vending machine according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising a sensor for detecting a surrounding environment, wherein information from the sensor is transmitted to the management server through the mobile phone.   The vending machine according to claim 10, further comprising report item setting means for setting an item of information to be transmitted from the mobile phone to the management server.   The vending machine according to claim 10, further comprising at least one of a display and a speaker as the appealing means.   15. The vending machine according to claim 14, further comprising content setting means for setting the display and / or audio content of a speaker.

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