JP2013156951A - Group purchase support system, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a group purchase support system capable of easily achieving group purchase with a high safety while alleviating or dissolving limitation on the purchase of merchandises and restriction on the number of purchased merchandises and the quantity of purchased merchandises caused by the additional burden of shipping costs.SOLUTION: A group purchase support system generates and stores a social graph or virtual graph between users, and stores favorite information of the users on the basis of the graph. The system generates and displays favorite merchandise matching information for each of the users by associating favorite merchandise information of the users with each other on the basis of the social graph or virtual graph. On the basis of an intention of the users as managing users carried out by referring to the favorite merchandise matching information, the system performs selection of merchandises for group purchase, selection of users as guest users, and setting of distribution time schedule and places of the selected merchandises, and generates and stores group purchase event information.

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint purchase support system, and more specifically, using a social graph such as a friendship, or using a virtual graph that can be connected to people other than acquaintances. The present invention relates to a joint purchase support system, method, and program capable of realizing joint purchase with high safety by encouraging a specific small number of users to jointly purchase a specific product.

  Conventionally, as a kind of electronic commerce (EC), a website that provides EC services in the form of sales called “joint purchase” at a shopping site on the Internet (hereinafter referred to as “joint purchase site”) There are many). In this joint purchase service, according to the minimum number of purchase applications (minimum total number of applications) and the total number of purchase applications in order to complete the transaction, along with product descriptions and product images, etc. on the web page that introduces the products to be sold The sales price and the number of products that can be sold (maximum number of sales) are displayed, and a purchase application is invited from the user (member). When the total number of purchase applications reaches the maximum number of sales and is sold out, the product is sold at a price corresponding to the maximum number of sales. If the purchase application is closed after a predetermined sales period has passed, the product is sold at a price corresponding to the final total number of purchase applications.

  As described above, in the joint purchase service, the purchase amount of the user who desires to purchase the same product is added together, and an order is collectively made to the seller. The seller who receives the order in a lump sum can sell a certain amount of products all at once, so the selling price can be lowered. As a result, each user who applied for joint purchase can purchase the product at a lower unit price than when purchasing alone. In general, as the total number of purchase applications increases, the selling price is steadily decreasing. Therefore, users who wish to purchase tend to encourage acquaintances and friends to purchase products, and as a result, the total number of products sold increases. This is the advantage of joint purchase. For this reason, this joint purchase service is an effective service not only for those who wish to purchase products but also for sellers of products.

  However, there are still points to be improved in the joint purchase service as described above. Therefore, several websites that support the joint purchase service (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “joint purchase support sites”) have been established. An example of a conventional joint purchase support system used in this type of website is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 4688233). This joint purchase support system is based on an account opened by a financial institution under the SNS name (hereinafter also referred to as an SNS account) for payment of merchandise purchases by members of a social networking service (SNS). It is done by debit. In this system, the SNS acts as an agent for paying the product purchase price of each SNS member, so that the purchasing power and points can be aggregated in the SNS, and the profits obtained thereby can be returned to the SNS member.

  Another example of a conventional joint purchase support system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-44452. In this joint purchase support system, session information including a session ID issued to a user terminal is effectively held only for a period in which the session ID is valid. Then, when the user terminal receives data indicating that the user wishes to jointly purchase the product, the user terminal is identified by referring to valid session information, and the joint purchase of the product is performed on the identified user terminal. Send a message prompting As a result, another user can be encouraged to participate in the joint purchase of a product desired by a certain user, so that the joint purchase is easily realized.

  Still another example of the conventional joint purchase support system is disclosed in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-25772). In this joint purchase support system, joint purchase proposal information including the product name that proposes joint purchase is obtained from the terminal of the purchase proposal member, and the purchase category information of the storage device is searched using the product name contained therein as a key. Extract members who want to jointly purchase the same product. Then, an inquiry including the presence / absence of purchase and the date of use is obtained by inquiring to the extracted member's terminal, and a purchase support member is determined based on the answer, and then the use schedule of the joint purchase product is formulated. For this reason, it becomes easy to jointly purchase and use products widely sold by a plurality of people.

Japanese Patent No. 4688233 JP 2010-44452 A JP 2007-257572 A

  In a general mall-type electronic commerce website, merchandise is delivered between a store and individual users (purchasers), so that the logistics are so-called “distributed logistics”. For this reason, unless a product of a predetermined amount or more is purchased in a lump, the user must pay a delivery fee (shipping fee) of the product in addition to the price of the product. This is a disadvantage on the user side, but also on the store side. This is because the additional burden of shipping costs is a psychological cause, and the user may refrain from purchasing the product or may reduce the number of purchases or the purchase amount of the product.

  It is desirable for both the user (purchaser) side and the store side to eliminate or reduce such disadvantages on both the user (purchaser) side and the store side that occur at the time of product purchase. However, a system that solves this problem has not yet been realized.

  The joint purchase support system described in Patent Document 1 described above is configured so that the SNS only pays for the product price and supports only the product settlement method. For this reason, even if you want to make joint purchases, there is anxiety that you can't make joint purchases safely, and you can't solve the problem of not being able to step on.

  The joint purchase support system described in Patent Document 2 described above is convenient because it can realize a joint purchase by finding a user who purchases a desired product in real time. However, like the joint purchase support system described in Patent Document 1, there is anxiety that joint purchase cannot be performed safely.

  In the joint purchase support system described in Patent Document 3 described above, a plurality of people can jointly purchase a product with a low use frequency (frequency), so that useless shopping is reduced and saved. However, like the joint purchase support system described in Patent Document 1, there is anxiety that joint purchase cannot be performed safely.

  In addition, these conventional joint purchase support systems do not have the idea of setting the delivery location of the jointly purchased products as a location convenient for all joint purchasers.

  Furthermore, in the case of an electronic commerce website that handles products that cannot be stocked because they cannot be stored in the warehouse (for example, fresh foods such as vegetables and fruits), it is usually not a store but an individual user (production area close to the user's place of residence) Sent directly to the purchaser). In some cases, a production area close to the user's place of residence is selected from a plurality of production areas and sent directly from there. For this reason, it is more likely to be distributed logistics than in the case of a mall-type electronic commerce website, and it is difficult to realize joint purchase.

  The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned difficulties of the conventional conventional mall-type electronic commerce website and the electronic commerce website that handles products that cannot be stocked, and the above-described difficulties of the conventional joint purchase support system. The purpose of this is to make it possible to easily realize highly secure joint purchases, and at the same time, limit product purchases due to additional shipping costs and the number of product purchases. It is an object of the present invention to provide a joint purchase support system, a joint purchase support method, and a joint purchase support program that can alleviate or eliminate the suppression of the purchase amount.

  Another object of the present invention is to select a user who wants to purchase jointly, determine a product to be purchased jointly and the number, the delivery date, and the delivery location of the product, the nature of the product, the delivery fee (shipping fee), and the convenience of the user. In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a joint purchase support system, a joint purchase support method, and a joint purchase support program that can be performed while adjusting between users.

  Other objects of the present invention which are not specified here will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, a joint purchase support system is provided. This joint purchase support system
A joint purchase support system that communicates with a plurality of user terminals connected via a communication network and supports joint purchase of products by users related to the user terminals,
Product information storage means for storing product information of products that can be jointly purchased;
Personal information storage means for storing personal information of the user;
Social / virtual graph storage means for storing a social graph or a virtual graph between the users;
Favorite product information storage means for storing the user's favorite product information;
Event information storage means for storing joint purchase event information;
Favorite product information management means for managing the favorite product information;
Event information management means for managing the event information,
The favorite product information management means associates the user's favorite product information read from the favorite product information storage means based on the social graph or virtual graph read from the social / virtual graph storage means. , Generating favorite product matching information for each user having the social graph or virtual graph and displaying it on the screen of the user terminal,
The event information management means is selected with reference to the favorite product matching information, based on the user's intention as the managing user, the selection of products to be jointly purchased, and the selection of the user as a guest user. By generating the delivery schedule and delivery location of the product, joint purchase event information is generated,
The joint purchase event information is stored in the event information storage means.

  Here, “social graph” refers to information on the correlation between humans on the web or information related to the correlation. Friendship on social media such as SNS is a typical example. You may bring a real-world friend / acquaintance relationship on the web, or you may not have a real-world friend / acquaintance relationship, but only a relationship on the web.

  The “virtual graph” refers to information on the virtual correlation of humans on the web or the connection between them. It is a web-only relationship that is separated from the real world.

  Since the joint purchase support system according to the first aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, there is a possibility that the user who desires joint purchase of a desired product may purchase the product jointly. The user who is high and has little anxiety can be known (selected) before making a joint purchase decision. For this reason, highly secure joint purchase can be easily realized.

  Further, according to the joint purchase event information as described above, the delivery schedule and delivery location of the jointly purchased product can be determined, and the jointly purchased product can be sent to the delivery location determined on the determined schedule. Therefore, the shipping cost is lower than the case where the delivery place is not limited to one place, and in some cases it is free. As a result, it is possible to alleviate or eliminate the restrictions on the purchase of products and the suppression of the number and purchases of products due to the additional burden of shipping.

  (2) In a preferred example of the joint purchase support system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased and the distribution schedule and distribution of the selected product made with reference to the favorite product matching information. The location is set by the user's vote as a guest user.

  In this example, the selection of the user who wants to purchase jointly, the determination of the product to be purchased jointly and the number, the delivery date, and the delivery location, taking into account the nature of the product, the delivery fee (shipping fee), and the convenience of the user, The advantage that it can be performed while adjusting between users is further obtained.

  (3) In another preferred example of the joint purchase support system according to the first aspect of the present invention, selection of the user as a guest user is limited to the user having the social graph or virtual graph. .

(4) According to the second aspect of the present invention, a joint purchase support method is provided. This joint purchase support method
A joint purchase support method for communicating with a plurality of user terminals connected via a communication network and supporting joint purchase of products by users related to the user terminals,
Stores product information of products that can be purchased together,
Storing personal information of the user;
Generate and store social graphs or virtual graphs between the users,
Storing the user's favorite product information;
Based on the social graph or virtual graph, by associating the user's favorite product information with each other, generate favorite product matching information for each user having the social graph or virtual graph,
Displaying the product matching information on the screen of the user terminal;
Based on the intention of the user as the managing user, which is made with reference to the favorite product matching information, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased, the selection of the user as a guest user, and the distribution schedule and distribution of the selected product Generate location information and group purchase event information,
The generated joint purchase event information is stored.

  Since the joint purchase support method according to the second aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, there is a possibility that the user who desires joint purchase of a desired product may purchase the product jointly. The user who is high and has little anxiety can be known before making a joint purchase decision. For this reason, highly secure joint purchase can be easily realized.

  Further, as described above, according to the joint purchase event information, the distribution schedule and distribution location of the jointly purchased product can be determined, and the jointly purchased product can be delivered to the distribution location determined on the determined schedule. As a result, shipping costs are lower than when the distribution location is not limited to one location, and in some cases it is free. As a result, it is possible to alleviate or eliminate the restrictions on the purchase of products and the suppression of the number and purchases of products due to the additional burden of shipping.

  (5) In a preferred example of the joint purchase support method according to the second aspect of the present invention, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased, the distribution schedule and distribution of the selected product, which are made with reference to the favorite product matching information. The location is set by the user's vote as a guest user.

  In this example, the selection of the user who wants to purchase jointly, the determination of the product to be purchased jointly and the number, the delivery date, and the delivery location, taking into account the nature of the product, the delivery fee (shipping fee), and the convenience of the user, The advantage that it can be performed while adjusting between users is further obtained.

  (6) In another preferred example of the joint purchase support method according to the second aspect of the present invention, the selection of the user as a guest user is limited to the user having the social graph or virtual graph. .

(7) According to the third aspect of the present invention, a joint purchase support program is provided. This program
A joint purchase support program that communicates with a plurality of user terminals connected via a communication network and supports joint purchase of products by users related to the user terminals,
Stores product information of products that can be purchased together,
Storing personal information of the user;
Generate and store social graphs or virtual graphs between the users,
Storing the user's favorite product information;
Based on the social graph or virtual graph, by associating the user's favorite product information with each other, generate favorite product matching information for each user having the social graph or virtual graph,
Displaying the product matching information on the screen of the user terminal;
Based on the intention of the user as the managing user, which is made with reference to the favorite product matching information, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased, the selection of the user as a guest user, and the distribution schedule and distribution of the selected product Generate location information and group purchase event information,
A computer is operated to store the generated joint purchase event information.

  Since the joint purchase support program according to the third aspect of the present invention has the above-described configuration, there is a possibility that the user who desires joint purchase of a desired product may purchase the product jointly. The user who is high and has little anxiety can be known before making a joint purchase decision. For this reason, highly secure joint purchase can be easily realized.

  Further, as described above, according to the joint purchase event information, the distribution schedule and distribution location of the jointly purchased product can be determined, and the jointly purchased product can be delivered to the distribution location determined on the determined schedule. As a result, shipping costs are lower than when the distribution location is not limited to one location, and in some cases it is free. As a result, it is possible to alleviate or eliminate the restrictions on the purchase of products and the suppression of the number and purchases of products due to the additional burden of shipping.

  According to the joint purchase support system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the joint purchase support method according to the second aspect, and the joint purchase support program according to the third aspect, (a) a highly secure joint purchase is easily realized. At the same time, there is an effect that it is possible to alleviate or eliminate the restriction on the purchase of the product and the suppression of the number and the purchase amount of the product due to the additional burden of the shipping cost.

  In addition, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased and the setting of the distribution schedule and the distribution location of the selected product made by referring to the favorite product matching information may be made by voting by the user as a guest user. In this case, in addition to the above effect (a), (b) selection of users who want to purchase jointly, determination of the products to be purchased jointly and their number, delivery date, and delivery location, and the properties and delivery of the products. There is also an effect that it is possible to perform adjustments between users in consideration of charges (shipping charges) and user convenience.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the use condition of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the joint purchase event holding flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a continuation of FIG. 4A. It is a flowchart which shows the matching information display flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the guest determination flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the event schedule determination flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the purchase goods determination flow of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of the merchandise information database of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of the member information database of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of the friend relationship information database of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of the favorite goods information database of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the data structure of the event information database of the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. In the joint purchase support system concerning one embodiment of the present invention, it is an explanatory view showing an example of friend's favorite merchandise information and matching merchandise information displayed on a display screen of a user terminal. In a joint purchase support system concerning one embodiment of the present invention, it is an explanatory view showing an example of a list of friends with which goods matched displayed on a screen of a user terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the information processing process performed between the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a secretary user terminal, a guest user terminal, and a shop terminal. It is explanatory drawing which shows the information processing process performed between the joint purchase assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and a secretary user terminal, a guest user terminal, and a shop terminal, and is a continuation of FIG. 16A.

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

(Configuration of joint purchase support system)
As shown in FIG. 1, the joint purchase support system 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used by connecting to a plurality of user terminals 10 and a plurality of product information providing servers 30 via the Internet 20.

  In the joint purchase support system 40 of the present embodiment, a single user is the secretary, and the product matching information generated and displayed by the joint purchase support system 40 is referred to on the user terminal 10 and the product candidates to be jointly purchased Determine delivery date candidates and delivery location candidates, and plan and hold a “joint purchase event” based on them. Users who purchase together with the secretary are invited as guests to the joint purchase event. If you agree to the joint purchase, you can accept the invitation, otherwise you can decline the invitation. The date and location of the joint purchase event (that is, the delivery date and delivery location) is determined through discussion between the managing user and the guest user.

  The joint purchase support system 40 is usually installed by a business entity or the like (SNS provider) that provides a social networking service (SNS) and is operated as a joint purchase support service combined with the service. This is because it is easy to obtain the user's personal information and favorite product information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, necessary information (social graph) may be obtained from an SNS operated by another company. Furthermore, instead of the social graph, a virtual graph that can be connected to people other than acquaintances may be used.

  Actually, a large number (thousands or tens of thousands or more) of users connect user terminals. However, in order to simplify the explanation, FIG. 1 shows the user terminal 10 of user A and the user terminal 10 of user B. The user terminal 10 of the user C is drawn, and these three user terminals 10 are connected to the joint purchase support system 40 via the Internet 20. Data can be transmitted and received between the user terminal 10 and the joint purchase support system 40. Here, it is assumed that the user A becomes the “secretary” at the time of joint purchase, and the user B and the user C become “guests”. That is, the user A becomes a “secretary user”, and the users B and C become “guest users”.

  Further, the product information providing server 30 of the store X and the product information providing server 30 of the store Y are connected to the joint purchase support system 40 via the Internet 20, and the two product information providing servers 30 and the joint purchase support are connected. It is possible to send and receive information about products and stores to and from the system 40. The manager on the store X side inputs / outputs data as necessary using his / her store terminal (not shown). For example, information on products handled by the company is registered in the product information providing server 30 from a store terminal, or fixed settlement information about products ordered through the joint purchase support system 40 is transmitted to the system 40. The store Y side manager is the same.

  The joint purchase support system 40 of this embodiment has the configuration shown in FIG. That is, the joint purchase support system 40 includes a processing unit 50, a storage unit 60, and a communication interface unit 70.

  The processing unit 50 includes a product information management unit 51, a member information management unit 52, a friend relationship information management unit 53, a favorite product information management unit 54, an event information management unit 55, and a settlement information management unit 56. The processing unit 50 is usually configured by software, but is not limited thereto. It may be configured by a combination of software and hardware, or a configuration other than this. Any device that can perform the functions described here may be used.

  The storage unit 60 includes a product information database (DataBase, DB) 61, a member information DB 62, a friend relationship information DB 63, a favorite product information DB 64, an event information DB 65, and a settlement information DB 66. The storage unit 60 is usually configured by a hardware storage device and software for managing them, but is not limited thereto. Any device that can perform the functions described here may be used. Also, here, separate DBs are provided according to the information to be stored and managed, but the present invention is not limited to those described here.

  The product information management unit 51 of the processing unit 50 is a section that manages product information provided from the product information providing server 30 of the affiliated store. When the product information is provided from the store, it is stored in the product information DB 61 of the storage unit 60. Further, when necessary, the product information is read from the product information DB 61 and provided. When the product information is changed, the product information stored in the product information DB 61 is updated accordingly.

  As product information, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, in addition to various information such as a product ID, a genre ID for specifying a product genre, a scene ID for specifying a category of a scene in which the product is used, and a store ID, a tax-included price , Inventory quantity, product name, product image, and the like.

  The member information management unit 52 is a section for managing SNS member information, that is, user personal information. It is good also as member information only for joint purchase service, not a member of SNS. When a new member joins, the personal information is stored in the member information DB 62 of the storage unit 60. When necessary, the member information is read from the member information DB 62 and provided. When the member information is changed, the member information stored in the member information DB 62 is updated accordingly.

  As the member information, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, a member ID, a password, a member's first and last name, a telephone number, an address, an email address, and the like are typical. Information such as images is also included.

  The friend relationship information management unit 53 is a section for managing user friend relationship information (social graph). That is, information indicating what kind of friendship each user has with other users is managed. The friend relationship information DB 63 of the storage unit 60 stores the friend relationship information such as whether a certain user (member) has a friend relationship with another user (member) or when the user has become a friend relationship. Further, when necessary, the friend relationship information is read from the friend relationship information DB 63 and provided. When the friend relationship information is changed, the friend relationship information stored in the friend relationship information DB 63 is updated accordingly. A virtual graph may be used instead of the social graph.

  As friend relation information, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, in addition to a friend's ID, a sender's ID, a partner's ID, the content of a message to be transmitted, and the like can be cited.

  The favorite product information management unit 54 is a section that manages information related to favorite products of each user (member). When a new favorite product is added, the favorite product information is stored in the favorite product information DB 64 of the storage unit 60. When necessary, the favorite product information is read from the favorite product information DB 64 and provided. When the favorite product information is changed, the favorite product information stored in the favorite product information DB 64 is updated accordingly.

  The favorite product information includes, for example, a member ID and a product ID as shown in FIG.

  The event information management unit 55 is a section for managing event information. That is, it manages information related to a product joint purchase event held by a user (member) as a manager. A user (member) selects a user (member) who seems to be purchasing the desired product from his / her friend. Event information such as an event schedule, a venue, and an event participant is stored in the event information DB 65 of the storage unit 60. When necessary, event information is read from the event information DB 65 and provided. When the event information is changed, the event information stored in the event information DB 65 is updated accordingly.

  As the event information, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the ID of a message board on which various messages are posted, the event ID, the ID of the speaker who posted the message, the title of the message, and the like can be mentioned.

  The payment information management unit 56 is a section for managing payment information. That is, the settlement information such as the merchandise to be collaborated in the merchandise joint purchase event, the number of the merchandise, the delivery destination (location), and the delivery date is stored in the settlement information DB 66 of the storage unit 60. Further, when necessary, the payment information is read from the payment information DB 66 and provided. When the payment information is changed, the payment information stored in the payment information DB 66 is updated accordingly.

  Examples of the settlement information include the member ID of the member who ordered, the product ID of the purchased product, credit card information, delivery date information, delivery destination (delivery destination) information, and the like.

  The communication interface unit 70 is a section in charge of data transmission / reception with the processing unit 50 via the Internet 20. The communication interface unit 70 is usually configured by a hardware communication device and software for controlling them, but is not limited thereto. Any device that can perform the function of the communication interface may be used.

(Joint purchase event holding flow)
Next, an outline of the processing performed by the joint purchase support system 40 and the operations of the user and the store manager when holding the joint purchase event will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when a joint purchase event is held, first, the user A (secretary user) who is the secretary sets his / her favorite product matching information (product matching information) of his / her friend. It confirms with the user terminal 10 (step S1). In this case, the manager user needs to apply to the joint purchase support system 40 to provide desired product matching information. In response, the joint purchase support system 40 generates and sends product matching information. Therefore, the secretary user confirms it with his / her user terminal 10. The product matching information is generated and transmitted by the event information management unit 55 of the joint purchase support system 40.

  Next, the secretary user sets a joint purchase event using his / her user terminal 10 (step S2). At that time, the candidate for the joint purchase, the candidate for the delivery date and the candidate for the delivery location are determined.

  Next, the secretary user uses his / her user terminal 10 to invite users B and C (guest users) to be guests (step S3).

  Next, the secretary user determines whether or not the schedule and place of the joint purchase event have been adjusted with the guest user (step S4). If the schedule and location of the joint purchase event cannot be adjusted, the joint purchase event is canceled and the guest user is notified that the joint purchase event is canceled (step S5).

  When the schedule and location of the joint purchase event can be adjusted, the manager user decides to hold the joint purchase event (step S6). Then, the guest user is notified that a joint purchase event will be held (step S7).

  Thereafter, the manager user places an order for the jointly purchased product at a handling store (step S8).

  In response to this, the handling store arranges to ship the commodities to be jointly purchased to a predetermined holding place on a predetermined date of the joint purchase event (step S9).

  Thereafter, the organizer user and the guest user participate, and a joint purchase event is held at a predetermined location on a predetermined date (step S10).

  A joint purchase event is thus held. The secretary user and each guest user will receive the jointly purchased product at this event.

(Operation flow of joint purchase support system)
The joint purchase event is held as described above under the leadership of the managing user, and each user can obtain the product purchased jointly by the event, and at that time, the joint purchase support system 40 performs an important operation. . This operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

  The joint purchase support system 40 performs the following operations as a whole, and supports joint purchases among users (members) through holding joint purchase events.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, product information is registered (step S11). Specifically, the merchandise information management unit 51 stores the merchandise information about all the merchandise that can be handled from the shop (this is sent from the shop terminal) in the merchandise information DB 61.

  Next, member information is registered (step S12). Specifically, the member information management unit 52 stores the personal information of the SNS member (user) (provided by the user himself / herself) in the member information DB 62.

  Next, friend relationship information is registered (step S13). Specifically, the friend relationship information management unit 53 stores the friend relationship information of each SNS member (user) in the friend relationship information DB 63.

  Next, favorite product information is registered (step S14). Specifically, the favorite product information management unit 54 stores information related to favorite products of each SNS member (user) in the favorite product information DB 64.

  Next, matching information of favorite products with friends is displayed on the website (step S15). Specifically, there is at least one common product between a favorite product list of a member (user) with SNS and a favorite product list of another member (user) who has a friendship with the member (user). In this case, it is determined that the favorite products of both users are matched, and the fact is displayed on the screens of the user terminals 10 of both users.

  An example of the product matching information displayed on the display screen 80 of the user terminal 10 is shown in FIG. The favorite product information display area 81 at the center of the screen displays his / her “favorite favorite product information” in time series, and the product matching information display area 82 on the right side of the screen displays “product matching information” in time series. Is displayed. Further, when each image of the displayed product matching information is clicked, as shown in FIG. 15, a list of friends matched by favorite products is displayed in a friend list display area 83 of another window. For this reason, it is very easy for the secretary user to select a guest from these friends.

  Note that by clicking the “add” button in the favorite product information display area 81b, the corresponding product can be added to his / her favorite product, so it is easy to add product candidates for joint purchase. In addition, when a “send message” button in the friend list display area 83 is clicked, a message can be sent to the friend.

  By referring to such product matching information, the manager user can easily know which product can be jointly purchased with which user.

  The secretary user looks at the product matching information as described above, selects one product selected from his favorite product list as a product candidate to jointly purchase, creates joint purchase event information, and jointly purchases from the user terminal 10 It transmits to the support system 40. In response, the event information management unit 55 of the joint purchase support system 40 provisionally registers the joint purchase event information in the event information DB 65 (step S16). Specifically, this joint purchase event information (candidates such as products to be purchased, invited guests, date of the event, and venue) are temporarily stored in the event information DB 65.

  Then, the event information management unit 55 of the joint purchase support system 40 transmits an invitation by e-mail to the guest candidate designated by the joint purchase event (step S17). And it waits for the reply from the invited guest candidate, and judges whether at least one of those guest candidates participates in a joint purchase event (step S18).

  When at least one invited guest candidate answers that he / she will participate in the joint purchase event, the event information management unit 55 performs main registration of the joint purchase event information in the event information management unit 55 of the joint purchase support system 40 (step S20). ). If all invited guest candidates reply that they do not participate in the joint purchase event, the event information management unit 55 notifies all the guests by e-mail that the joint purchase event will be canceled (step S19).

  And the event information management part 55 notifies group purchase event information with an e-mail with respect to the guest who replied that they participated (they are officially guests) (step S21).

  Next, since it is decided that a joint purchase event will be held, the order settlement information of the product sent from the user terminal 10 of the managing user is registered based on the joint purchase event information (step S22). Specifically, information such as the product to be purchased and its number or quantity, delivery date, delivery location, etc. is stored in the settlement information DB 66. This is performed by the payment information management unit 56.

  Thereafter, the registered order settlement information is transmitted to the store handling the product to be purchased (step S23). This is also performed by the payment information management unit 56.

  Finally, the registered order settlement information is sent to the managing user by electronic mail (step S24). This is also performed by the payment information management unit 56. In parallel with this, the store arranges the ordered product so that it reaches the delivery location specified by the information on the delivery date specified by the joint purchase event information.

(Matching information display flow)
Next, the operation (step S15 in FIG. 4A) when displaying the matching information of the favorite product with the friend as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  First, the favorite product information of each user is extracted from the favorite product information DB 64 (step S31). In the favorite product information DB 64, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, since the user's member ID and product ID are stored in association with each other, the extracted data is a pair (pair) of the user's member ID and product ID. is there. This is performed by the product information management unit 51 of the joint purchase support system 40, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

  Next, friend relationship information between users is extracted from the friend relationship information DB 63 (step S32). In the friend relation information DB 63, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the member ID (sender ID) of the user who sent the friend application, the member ID (partner ID) of the user who received the friend application, and the friend application are still “ Since the status indicating "Applying" or "Approved" has already been stored in association with each other, select members whose status is "Approved" and one of them is the lead user Extract. This is performed by the friend relationship information management unit 53, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

  Next, a user who has a favorite product in common and is in a friend relationship is searched in real time (step S33). Specifically, a user (member ID) that includes the same product ID in common with a favorite product may be extracted for each product ID from users who have a friendship relationship with the secretary user who applied for the matching information. This is performed in cooperation with the friend relationship information management unit 53 and the favorite product information management unit 54, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

  Then, based on the data extracted in this way, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the favorite product common to the secretary user for each user who has a friendship relationship with the secretary user is shown as product matching information in the user terminal 10 of the secretary user. Is displayed in such a manner (step S34). This is also performed in cooperation with the friend relationship information management unit 53 and the favorite product information management unit 54, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

(Guest decision flow)
The description of the process in which the joint purchase support system 40 leads the realization of the joint purchase event formulated by the manager user with reference to the matching information is as described above. In the present invention, the joint purchase event is formulated (proposed). Before the event, there is a process for determining each guest, schedule, and purchased product. In each process, the intention of the invited user (guest or guest candidate) is respected and the possibility of joint purchase event is realized. It is devised to be higher.

  Then, next, the operation | movement (step S17 of FIG. 4A) at the time of determining the guest invited to a joint purchase event is demonstrated in detail using FIG. This operation is performed by the event information management unit 55, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

  First, guest candidates registered in the joint purchase event formulated by the organizer user are extracted (step S41), and it is determined whether or not the extracted guest candidates are friends of the organizer user (step S42). If the extracted guest candidate is a friend of the organizer user, an invitation is sent to the guest candidate by e-mail (step S43). Wait for the intention to join. Then, it is determined from the received intention display whether or not there is one or more participants (step S44).

  If there are one or more participants, that is, if there are one or more guest candidates who have indicated that they want to participate, the guest candidate who has indicated that they intend to participate will be determined as a “guest” (Step S46).

  If the number of participants is not one or more, that is, if there are no guest candidates that indicate the intention to “participate”, it is determined whether or not to perform “additional invitation” (step S45). This determination is made according to an instruction (intent) from the managing user. When the “additional invitation” is not performed according to the direction of the managing user, the guest determination operation is terminated (step S47). In the case of “additional invitation” according to the direction of the managing user, after requesting registration of additional guest candidates (step S56), the process returns to the first step S41, and the registered guest candidates are extracted.

  If it is determined in step S42 that the extracted guest candidate is not the friend of the secretary user, the secretary user makes a friend application to the guest candidate (step S48). When the friend application is approved in step S49, the process returns to step 43, and an invitation is transmitted to the guest candidate. If the friend application is not approved in step S49, an invitation is sent to other than the friend (step S50). And it is judged whether the person who transmitted the invitation is a member (step S51), and if it is a member, a friend application is carried out (step S53).

  If the friend application is approved in step S54, the process returns to step 43, and an invitation is sent to the guest candidate. If the friend application is not approved in step S54, the guest determination operation is terminated (step S47).

  If it is determined in step S51 that the member is not a member, a request for new registration is transmitted (step S52), and it is determined whether or not a new registration has been made (step S55). If it is not newly registered, the guest determination operation is terminated (step S47). If it is newly registered, the process proceeds to step S53, a friend application is made, and approval is waited (step S54). If approved, the process jumps to step S43, and the subsequent steps are executed. If not approved, the guest determination operation is terminated (step S47).

  As described above, in the joint purchase support system 40, the intention of the invited user (guest candidate) is respected, and if the answer of “participating” cannot be obtained from all the selected guest candidates, Since it operates to contact guest users or non-users and add guest candidates, the possibility of joint purchase event increases.

(Schedule decision flow)
Next, the operation when determining the schedule of the joint purchase event will be described in detail with reference to FIG. This operation is performed by the event information management unit 55, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

  First, the event information management unit 55 extracts candidate dates / places registered in the joint purchase event formulated by the managing user (step S61), and waits for an answer from the extracted guest candidate to check (step S62). . If there is no input of the desired candidate date in the answer from the guest candidate, a reminder e-mail is sent to prompt the input (step S64).

  When there is input of a desired candidate date in the answer from the guest candidate, the event information management unit 55 determines whether there is a duplication on the candidate date input by all the guest candidates (step S65). If there are duplicates, the candidate dates are displayed on the website in the order of the number of duplicates (step S66), and the secretary user is requested to determine the candidate dates (step S67). When the organizer user selects and inputs the candidate date from the displayed candidate date (step S68), the event information management unit 55 receives it and notifies the guest user of the schedule for the joint purchase event by e-mail. Notification is made (step S69).

  When there is no duplication on the candidate dates input by all guest candidates (step S65), it is determined whether or not the schedule is readjusted (step S70). This determination is made according to an instruction from the managing user. When the schedule is readjusted, the event information management unit 55 requests all guest candidates to input a new candidate date (step S71). And it returns to the beginning and repeats the operation | movement from step S61.

  When the schedule is not readjusted, the event information management unit 55 determines whether or not to hold the joint purchase event (step S72). If not held, it is decided to cancel the holding (step S73), and the guest user is notified of the holding by e-mail (step S74). When holding, holding hold is determined (step S75), and the holding hold is notified to the guest user by e-mail (step S76).

  As described above, in the joint purchase support system 40, the intention of the invited user (guest candidate) is respected also in terms of the schedule adjustment of the joint purchase event, and if the adjustment cannot be made, readjustment is performed. As a result, the possibility of joint purchase events is increased. It is also possible to hold it temporarily and decide the schedule again when it becomes convenient at a later date.

  The delivery location of the jointly purchased product is also determined and adjusted in the same manner as described above for the schedule, while respecting the intention of the invited user (guest candidate). The delivery location is selected as one convenient location for all the guest candidates.

(Purchased product decision flow)
Next, the operation when determining a product to be jointly purchased will be described in detail with reference to FIG. This operation is performed by the event information management unit 55, but a dedicated section for performing this operation may be provided.

  First, after the event information management unit 55 extracts purchased products registered in the joint purchase event established by the managing user (step S81), the event information management unit 55 waits for input (registration) of purchased products to be added, and the purchased products to be added are It is determined whether or not there is (step S82). If there is a purchased product to be added, it waits for the additional purchased product to be registered (step S83), and once registered, the process returns to the first step S81.

  When there is no additional purchased product in step S82, the event information management unit 55 displays the purchased product candidate on the display screen of the user terminal 10 of the manager user (step S84). Then, the voting performed by the participating guest candidates for the purchased product candidates is checked (step S85), and the number of votes for each purchased product candidate is displayed (step S86). Thereafter, the event information management unit 55 requests the secretary user to determine the purchased product based on the number of votes for each displayed purchased product candidate (step S87). When the secretary user determines and inputs (registers) a purchased product from the displayed purchased product candidates (step S88), the guest user is notified of the purchased product by e-mail (step S89).

  Thus, in the joint purchase support system 40, the intention of the invited user (guest candidate) is respected also in terms of determining the purchased product. That is, the purchased product is determined by voting of all the selected guest candidates, and the same applies to the product to be additionally purchased. This increases the possibility of joint purchase events.

  In order to make the overall operation of the joint purchase support system 40 described above easier to understand, it is as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B in view of the relationship with the secretary user terminal, guest user terminal, and store terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 16A, the joint purchase support system 40 first stores the product information transmitted from the store terminal (step S91). Moreover, the member information transmitted from the secretary user terminal and the guest user terminal is stored (step S92). Next, the friend application sent from the secretary user terminal is provisionally registered (step S93) and notified to the guest user terminal (step S94). When the guest user accepts the friend application, the friend application is fully registered (step S95), and the manager user is notified of acceptance of the friend application (step S96).

  When the secretary user and the guest user transmit / register a favorite product, the joint purchase support system 40 generates product matching information (step S97), and the product matching information is sent to the secretary user terminal according to the application of the secretary user. Transmit and display (step S98).

  When the secretary user creates and transmits joint purchase event information, the joint purchase support system 40 temporarily registers the joint purchase event information (step S99), and then, as shown in FIG. Is transmitted to the guest user terminal (step S100). When the guest user accepts the event invitation, the event invitation acceptance status is aggregated (step S101), and the event invitation acceptance status is transmitted to the managing user terminal (step S102).

  When the confirmed joint purchase event information is transmitted from the secretary user terminal, the joint purchase support system 40 transmits the joint purchase information to the guest user terminal after registering the joint purchase event information (step S103). (Step S104). When order settlement information is transmitted from the secretary user terminal, the order settlement information is registered (step S105), and then the order settlement information is transmitted to the store terminal (step S106).

  When the final settlement information is transmitted from the store terminal, the joint purchase support system 40 registers the final settlement information (step S107) and then transmits the final settlement information to the managing user terminal (step S108).

(Database data structure)
Finally, an example of a data structure of a database used in the joint purchase support system 40 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 9 is an example of the data structure of the product information DB 61. Here, as column items, in addition to the product ID, the genre ID for specifying the product genre, the scene ID for specifying the category of the scene in which the product is used, and the handling store ID, the tax-included price, the number of items in stock, the product name, Product images and the like are listed, and such information is stored in the product information DB 61. Moreover, the value of each column item is also illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the data structure of the member information DB 62. Here, as column items, the member ID, password, member's first and last name, phone number, address, email address, etc., as well as information (My mog information) to be disclosed to friends, user images etc. are included, In addition, information on the additional delivery destination of the product is also included. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 11 is an example of the data structure of the friend relationship information DB 63. Here, the column item includes the sender ID, the partner ID, the content of the message to be transmitted, the status and the applicant flag. The status is a field indicating whether or not the friend application from the sender is approved by the partner (recipient), and the friend relationship is not established until the friend application is approved by the partner. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of the data structure of the favorite product information DB 64. Here, the member ID and the product ID are listed as the column items. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of the data structure of the event information DB 65. Here, as column items, the message board ID, event ID (event date, location, purchased product, name of organizer user, guest user name, etc.), event ID, message The ID of the speaker who posted the message, the title of the message, the message data, the registration date and time, and the change date and time are listed. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  Since the joint purchase support system 40 according to the above embodiment of the present invention has the above configuration, a user A who desires joint purchase of a product he / she desires may purchase the product jointly. The user who is high and has little anxiety (for example, the user B or C) can be known before the joint purchase is decided. For this reason, highly secure joint purchase can be easily realized.

  Further, according to the joint purchase event information as described above, the delivery schedule and delivery location of the jointly purchased product are determined. Since it can be sent, the shipping cost is lower than when the delivery location is not limited to one location, and in some cases it is free. As a result, it is possible to alleviate or eliminate the restrictions on the purchase of products and the suppression of the number and purchases of products due to the additional burden of shipping.

  In addition, the selection of users who want to purchase jointly and the determination of the products to be purchased jointly and the number, the delivery date, and the delivery location are determined by adjusting between the users in consideration of the delivery fee (shipping fee) and user convenience can do.

(Modification)
The embodiments described above show examples embodying the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment described above, friend relationship information between users is used when generating product matching information, but other information such as regional relationship information, occupation relationship information, and the like may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 User terminal 20 Internet 30 Product information provision server 40 Joint purchase support system 50 Processing part 51 Product information management part 52 Member information management part 53 Friend relation information management part 54 Product information management part 55 Event information management part 56 Settlement information management part 60 Storage unit 61 product information DB
62 Member Information DB
63 Friends Relation Information DB
64 product information DB
65 Event information DB
66 Settlement information DB
70 Communication Interface 80 User Terminal Display Screen (Screen)
81 Favorite Product Information Display Area 82 Matching Product Information Display Area 83 Friend List Display Area

Claims (7)

A joint purchase support system that communicates with a plurality of user terminals connected via a communication network and supports joint purchase of products by users related to the user terminals,
Product information storage means for storing product information of products that can be jointly purchased;
Personal information storage means for storing personal information of the user;
Social / virtual graph storage means for storing a social graph or a virtual graph between the users;
Favorite product information storage means for storing the user's favorite product information;
Event information storage means for storing joint purchase event information;
Favorite product information management means for managing the favorite product information;
Event information management means for managing the event information,
The favorite product information management means associates the user's favorite product information read from the favorite product information storage means based on the social graph or virtual graph read from the social / virtual graph storage means. , Generating favorite product matching information for each user having the social graph or virtual graph and displaying it on the screen of the user terminal,
The event information management means is selected with reference to the favorite product matching information, based on the user's intention as the managing user, the selection of products to be jointly purchased, and the selection of the user as a guest user. By executing the distribution schedule and distribution location of the product, generating joint purchase event information,
The joint purchase support system, wherein the joint purchase event information is stored in the event information storage means.   The selection of the product to be jointly purchased and the setting of a distribution schedule and a distribution place of the selected product made by referring to the favorite product matching information are made by voting of the user as a guest user. The joint purchase support system described.   The joint purchase support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein selection of the user as a guest user is performed only for the user having the social graph. A joint purchase support method for communicating with a plurality of user terminals connected via a communication network and supporting joint purchase of products by users related to the user terminals,
Stores product information of products that can be purchased together,
Storing personal information of the user;
Generate and store social graphs or virtual graphs between the users,
Storing the user's favorite product information;
Based on the social graph or virtual graph, by associating the user's favorite product information with each other, generate favorite product matching information for each user having the social graph or virtual graph,
Displaying the product matching information on the screen of the user terminal;
Based on the intention of the user as the managing user, which is made with reference to the favorite product matching information, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased, the selection of the user as a guest user, and the distribution schedule and distribution of the selected product Generate location information and group purchase event information,
A joint purchase support method, wherein the generated joint purchase event information is stored.   The selection of the product to be jointly purchased and the setting of a distribution schedule and a distribution place of the selected product made by referring to the favorite product matching information are made by voting of the user as a guest user. The joint purchase support method described.   The joint purchase support method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein selection of the user as a guest user is performed only for the user having the social graph. A joint purchase support program that performs communication with a plurality of user terminals connected via a communication network and supports joint purchase of products by users related to the user terminals,
Stores product information of products that can be purchased together,
Storing personal information of the user;
Generate and store social graphs or virtual graphs between the users,
Storing the user's favorite product information;
Based on the social graph or virtual graph, by associating the user's favorite product information with each other, generate favorite product matching information for each user having the social graph or virtual graph,
Displaying the product matching information on the screen of the user terminal;
Based on the intention of the user as the managing user, which is made with reference to the favorite product matching information, the selection of the product to be jointly purchased, the selection of the user as a guest user, and the distribution schedule and distribution of the selected product Generate location information and group purchase event information,
A joint purchase support program, wherein a computer is operated so as to store the generated joint purchase event information.

Images