JP2014199645A - Inventory management device, inventory management system, inventory management method and inventory management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a more low-price inventory management device having necessary functions for inventory management in retail and logistics business.SOLUTION: When an inventory management device 200 such as a smartphone starts an inventory management program through a web browser 300, a display column 301 of product information and input columns 302 for data necessary for inventory clearance are displayed in the web browser 300 in a display unit 230. When a scanner 250 paired via a radio communication unit 220 reads a bar code, product information, such as a product number and a product name, indicated by the bar code is displayed in the display column 301. This is the point where a user of the inventory management device 200 inputs values in the input columns 302 for the number, price and department displayed in the web browser 300, but the inventory management device 200 of the present invention does not use a character input application possessed by an operating system (OS) of the inventory management device 200 for input required for inventory clearance.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inventory management device, an inventory management system, an inventory management method, and an inventory management program, and more particularly, an inventory management device, an inventory management system, an inventory management method, and an inventory management program using a web application. About.

  In a retail business such as a supermarket, in order to provide a product that a customer wants without cutting it, the demand of the product is predicted and a certain amount of stock is received in advance. Since inventory leads to an increase in cost, inventory management is performed in consideration of the balance between prevention of loss of sales opportunities possible by having inventory and the cost required for that purpose.

One example of inventory management is inventory work. Inventory
check), for example, to check the difference between the inventory quantity listed in the book and the actual inventory quantity. Say.

  Inventory is an extremely important task for accurate settlement of accounts, and data collection terminals called handy terminals are widely used. FIG. 1 shows an example of a handy terminal. The handy terminal 100 is small and has dimensions of about 5 cm in width, 15 cm in length, and about 3 cm in thickness, and includes a display unit 110, an input unit 120, a scanner unit (not shown), and a storage unit (see FIG. Not shown). When the barcode is scanned by the scanner unit disposed on the back surface of the case and the information represented by the barcode is read, the information is displayed on the display unit 110. For example, when the barcode is a product code such as a JAN code, an EAN code, or a UPC, a product number, a product name, or the like is displayed on the display unit 110 when the barcode is scanned. The user can input required information such as inventory quantity from the input unit 120, and the input information is stored in the storage unit.

  The handy terminal is designed to be used for various purposes in addition to inventory management. For example, an inquiry function for product information, inventory quantity, etc., an ordering function, etc. are implemented, or the length of continuous use time is required as a function so that continuous use for a long time is possible. In addition to such multi-functionality, the handy terminal generally requires robustness. In other words, since the handy terminal is planned to be used in various applications and under various conditions, environmental resistance such as drop impact resistance, ambient temperature, ambient humidity, dust resistance, and waterproofness is the product performance. It is an index for judging.

  However, as a matter of course, products that realize such a high level of multi-functionality and robustness must be expensive, and from companies that need to manage inventory. An alternative was sought. Although the retail industry has been described above as an example, inventory management is also required in the logistics industry, and barcodes such as ITF codes are used. The problem is not limited to barcodes that are one-dimensional information, but also to two-dimensional codes.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cheaper inventory management apparatus having functions necessary for inventory management in the retail and logistics industries, and Another object is to provide a similar inventory management system, inventory management method, and inventory management program.

  In order to achieve such an object, a first aspect of the present invention is an inventory management apparatus having an operating system for performing a stocktaking described in HTML with a web browser capable of operating a web application. A wireless communication unit capable of receiving an inventory management program that is a web application, and when the inventory management program received by the wireless communication unit is operated by the web browser, the web browser displays a product information display field and An input field for data necessary for inventory is shown, and the display field shows product information represented by a product code acquired via the wireless communication unit, and the input to the input field is the operating field. It is shown in the web browser without calling the character input application that the system has. Characterized in that it is carried out by Nki.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the inventory management device is either a smartphone or a tablet.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the inventory management program is compliant with the HTML5 standard.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the inventory management program stores the data input in the input field locally as inventory data in association with the product information using a local storage function. It is characterized by doing.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the inventory management program associates the data input in the input field with the product information as inventory data as an Internet or LAN. It transmits to the above data server, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the product code is a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code.

  Further, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the inventory management device is paired with a scanner via the wireless communication unit, and the product code is It is characterized by being read by a scanner.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the numeric keypad is a telephone type or a calculator type.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the data necessary for the inventory includes at least one of a quantity, a price, and a department.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the inventory management apparatus according to any one of the fifth to ninth aspects, a web server for transmitting the inventory management program to the inventory management apparatus, and the inventory management apparatus from the inventory management apparatus. An inventory management system comprising a data server for receiving data.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inventory management method for performing inventory using a multi-function mobile terminal having an operating system, wherein the multi-function mobile terminal performs an inventory described in HTML. A step of receiving an inventory management program that is a web application by a wireless communication unit included in the multi-function mobile terminal, and a step of operating the inventory management program received by the wireless communication unit by a web browser included in the multi-function mobile terminal And a step of displaying a display column of product information and an input column of data necessary for inventory in the web browser, wherein the display column is represented by the product code acquired via the wireless communication unit. Product information is displayed, and input to the input field is character input of the operating system. Without invoking application, a stock management method characterized in that it is made by the numeric keypad shown on the web browser.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention is an inventory management program for causing a multi-function portable terminal having an operating system to execute an inventory management method for performing inventory, and for performing inventory described in HTML. When the web application operates on the web browser of the multi-function mobile terminal, the web browser shows a display column for product information and an input column for data necessary for inventory. The functional mobile terminal indicates the product information represented by the product code acquired through the wireless communication unit of the multi-function mobile terminal, and the input to the input field is a character input application that the operating system has. An inventory management program that allows the user to use the numeric keypad displayed on the web browser without calling That.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is an inventory management apparatus having an operating system, which is a web browser capable of operating a web application, and an inventory management which is a web application for inventory management described in HTML. A wireless communication unit capable of receiving the program, and when the inventory management program received by the wireless communication unit is operated by the web browser, the web browser displays a display column of product information and data necessary for inventory management. An input field is shown, and the display field shows product information represented by a product code acquired via the wireless communication unit, and the input to the input field is a character input application that the operating system has Without using the numeric keypad shown on the web browser And wherein the dividing.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thirteenth aspect, the inventory management is any one of an inventory business, a shipping business, and an ordering business.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thirteenth aspect, the data necessary for inventory management is data indicating a current shelf allocation state.

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the fifteenth aspect, the data indicating the current shelf allocation state includes a position of each product in a store.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect, the information input in the input field is stored as shelf allocation data of each product in association with the product information. To do.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the fifteenth or sixteenth aspect, the information input in the input field is stored as location data of each product in association with the product information and the location on the map of the store. It is characterized by being.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the fifteenth to eighteenth aspects, the data necessary for inventory management further includes data necessary for inventory.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a commodity search apparatus for specifying a position of a commodity desired by a consumer on a store guide map, which is generated by the inventory management apparatus of the seventeenth or nineteenth aspect. Based on a search keyword input by a consumer and a shelf allocation data DB in which product allocation information including the product information of each product and the location of each product in the store is stored as a record An extraction unit for extracting the record having relevance to the search keyword from the shelf allocation data DB as a key, and a presentation unit for presenting the extracted record on the guide map; A product search device comprising:

  According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a commodity search apparatus for specifying a position of a commodity desired by a consumer on a map, and the location data generated by the inventory management apparatus according to the eighteenth or nineteenth aspect. A location data DB in which product information of each product, a location of a store handling each product, and location data including the location of each product in the store are stored as records, and input by a consumer Based on a search keyword, an extraction unit for extracting the record having relevance to the search keyword from the location data DB using the product information as a key, and a presentation unit for presenting the extracted record on a map It is provided with these.

  According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-first aspect, the extraction unit uses the current location information of the computer used by the consumer to input the search keyword, and the location of the store is the It is characterized by extracting a thing close to the current location of the consumer.

  According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the twenty-first aspect, the extraction unit extracts only stores that can purchase a product having relevance to the search keyword in real time.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, an inventory management apparatus is configured by operating a web application by a web browser on a multifunctional information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, and an input to an input field shown on the web browser is performed. Similarly, by creating the inventory data by inputting with the numeric keypad displayed on the web browser, it provides an inexpensive alternative to the handy terminal, and suppresses high operability and human error required for inventory work. Can be realized. As for the robustness generally required for the handy terminal, as long as the retail industry and the logistics industry are assumed, there is no practical problem with the robustness of multi-function information terminals such as commercially available smartphones and tablets, and the substitution is very effective.

  Moreover, according to one aspect of the present invention, an inventory management device is configured by operating a web application by a web browser on a multifunctional information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, and an input field indicated on the web browser is displayed. Similarly, the shelf allocation data can be easily created by inputting the input using the numeric keypad displayed on the web browser, and the review of the shelf allocation can be promoted.

It is a figure which shows the conventional handy terminal. 1 is a block diagram of an inventory management apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the inventory control apparatus which concerns on this invention. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the character input application which OS of a smart phone has. 1 is a diagram showing an inventory management system according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the inventory control apparatus which concerns on alternative embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the guide map in a shop. It is a block diagram of the goods search apparatus which concerns on the further embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Inventory management device)
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an inventory management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inventory management apparatus 200 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 210, a wireless communication unit 220, a display unit 230, and a storage unit 240. The inventory management apparatus 200 operates by executing an inventory management program according to the present invention on a smartphone. An inventory management program (as described later, this is an HTML program received by a smartphone via the Internet, Is executed by the browser) is stored in a storage element (or storage unit 240) inside the CPU 210. Here, “smart phone” is a term for comparing with a conventional feature phone, and means a portable terminal capable of various functions other than a call function. In the following, a smartphone will be described as an example, but the present invention including a so-called “tablet” can be applied to a multi-function mobile terminal.

  When the inventory management apparatus 200 operates the inventory management program by the web browser 300, the product browser displays the display column 301 for product information and the entry field for the data necessary for inventory (entry field). ) 302 is shown (see FIG. 3). When the inventory management program is operated, the “inventory processing” screen of FIG. 3 does not need to be displayed immediately, and the “inventory processing” screen may be displayed after appropriate selection.

  In performing the inventory work, communication between the wireless communication unit 220 and the scanner 250 is established. When a barcode reader compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard is used as the scanner 250, the product information represented by the barcode can be read by pairing with the inventory management apparatus 200 via the wireless communication unit 220. Although it is possible to perform reading with a camera built in the smartphone, it is preferable to use the scanner 250 from the viewpoint of processing speed.

  When the barcode is read by the scanner 250, the product information represented by the barcode such as the product number and the product name is displayed in the display column 301 after being decoded by the wireless communication unit 220 or the CPU 210. In the example of FIG. 3, “JAN code” is described in the display field 301, indicating that a product number, a product name, and the like represented by the JAN code are displayed.

  Here, the user of the inventory management apparatus 200 inputs numbers in the input fields such as quantity, price, and department shown on the web browser 300. However, in the inventory management apparatus 200 according to the present invention, a smartphone or The character entry application (character entry application) of the tablet operating system (OS) is not used at all for the input necessary for inventory.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the smartphone 400, when a character is input using a web application (an application operating on the web) such as Google (registered trademark), the character input application 410 included in the OS is executed. The When the character type switching button 411 is pressed, the displayed characters are switched as shown in FIG. 4B. However, in order to input a number necessary for inventory, the character type switching button 411 must be pressed. Poor operability and high risk of human error. In addition, many other characters are also displayed on the screen where numbers are displayed, and this also causes human error in inventory, where the purpose is to accurately grasp the actual inventory quantity. There is a high risk. As far as the applicant knows, there has not been an example in which an apparatus for performing inventory work has been provided in the form of a web application on a smartphone or a tablet due to such circumstances.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the inventory management apparatus 200 according to the present invention also implements a numeric keypad 303 for inputting numbers together with an input field 302 such as a quantity in the web application. In other words, a numeric keypad 303 is displayed on the web browser 300 without calling an OS character input application. The input field 302 to be input is selected by touching, and numbers are input using the numeric keypad 303. After inputting the number, for example, by touching the right key (FIG. 3), the data input in the input field 302 is stored in the storage unit 240 as inventory data in association with the product information displayed in the display field 301. The The inventory data stored in the storage unit 240 is transmitted to a data server on the Internet or LAN.

  The key arrangement of the numeric keypad 303 is not limited to the telephone type as shown in FIG. 3, and a calculator type and other arrangements are possible as appropriate. The key layout can be a web application specification or can be changed by opening a setting screen from a menu screen displayed when the user presses the “MENU” button (FIG. 3) on the inventory management apparatus 200. You can also.

  The selection of the plurality of input fields 302 shown on the web browser can be moved to the right with the right key and to the left with the left key. For example, if a right key is touched after input in the “Quantity” field, the “Price” field is selected, and the quantity data can be stored in the storage unit 240 at this time.

  The keys on these web applications can be implemented by JavaScript (registered trademark).

(Inventory management system)
FIG. 5 shows an inventory management system according to the present invention. The inventory management system 500 includes an inventory management apparatus 200, a web server 510 that transmits an inventory management program to the inventory management apparatus 200, and a data server 520 that receives inventory data stored in the inventory management apparatus 200.

  (1) First, the smartphone 200 accesses the URL where the inventory management program is placed by a web browser. (2) Then, the web server 510 transmits an inventory management program described in HTML to the smartphone 200. The smartphone 200 operates as an inventory management device by executing an inventory management program. When the user finishes inputting data necessary for inventory, the inventory management apparatus 200 transmits the inventory data stored in the storage unit 240 to the data server 520. Since the inventory work is often performed by a plurality rather than by one person, the data server 520 needs to tabulate.

  Inventories often require 1 to 2 hours, etc., and in order to continue the work without delay, there is a possibility that the inventory management device 200 depends on the web application, which may cause inconvenience. This point can be solved by using a local Storage (local storage) object adopted in the HTML5 standard. During the inventory work, data may be stored locally in the storage unit 240 and transmitted to the data server 520 by wireless or wired communication after the inventory work is completed or at a stage when a certain break is reached. If there is no problem in the communication environment, the inventory data may be transmitted as needed. When using the local storage, the screen is switched for each product to be inventoried, but a program can be created with one module so that the URL does not change.

  Although it is conceivable to use the stand-alone application instead of configuring the inventory management apparatus 200 by the operation of the web application, in an application that supports a change in the details of necessary information for each company, such as an inventory operation. Because it requires individual customization and distribution, the form of a web application is suitable. In principle, standalone applications on smartphones and tablets are not suitable for individual distribution because registration to the download service is essential.

(Shelf allocation work)
In the above description, the contents input to the input field 302 are described as data necessary for inventory, but as data necessary for shipping operation, data necessary for ordering operation, etc. It should be noted that the benefits of the present invention are received.

  As an example, inputting data necessary for the shelf allocation work into the input field 302 can be mentioned. Shelf management refers to determining where a product is to be placed, such as a gondola (display shelf). Since there are various display methods other than the gondola, in this specification, the determination of where to place the product in the store is called “shelf allocation”.

  The shelf allocation is an operation that directly affects the sales of the store, depending on which products are displayed and how to propose to the customer as to display. The received inventory is displayed according to the shelf allocation, the shelf allocation is appropriately reviewed according to the sales results, etc., and necessary arrivals are made, and these are displayed.

  Conventionally, shelf allocation is often performed using a handy terminal. However, as with inventory, there is a problem that the cost is high and the operation is complicated. Accordingly, in the inventory management apparatus 200 ′ according to the alternative embodiment of the present invention, the current shelf allocation state can be simply shown by displaying the data entry field 302 ′ necessary for the shelf allocation in the web browser 300 in the display unit 230. Can be obtained (see FIG. 6), and can be used for reviewing the shelf allocation. The data items indicating the current shelf allocation state include the product position in the store such as the shelf number, the number of faces, the quantity, the brand, the category (eg chocolate), and the like.

  The data indicating the current shelf allocation state input in the input field 302 ′ is stored as “shelf allocation data” in association with the product information displayed in the display field 301 locally or in a database on the Internet or LAN. can do. Here, by associating the shelf allocation data with the guide map in the store as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to search where the goods desired by the consumer are displayed and specify the position on the guide map. A product search device can be configured.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a product search apparatus according to the present invention. The product search device 800 includes a shelf allocation data database (DB) 810 in which shelf information including product information (product name, product number, etc.) of each product and the location of the product in the store is stored as a record, and a consumer Based on the search keyword input by, the extraction unit 820 for extracting records having relevance to the search keyword from the shelf allocation data DB using the product information as a key, and presenting the extracted record on the store guide map Presenting unit 830.

  Since the search keyword input by the consumer does not necessarily match the product information of the record stored in the shelf allocation data DB, it may be necessary to process the search keyword in order to extract a record having a relationship with the search keyword. However, a well-known technique may be appropriately used for this point. For example, records can be extracted by a fuzzy hit or a related hit in addition to a product name match hit.

  The search keyword can be input by voice input as well as by keyboard.

  The presentation unit 830 can generate data for superimposing and displaying the product information of the extracted record on the store guide map, and can output the data to a display unit such as a monitor to present to the consumer. .

  Another method for utilizing the shelf allocation data is to calculate store share. The store occupancy rate means a rate occupied by products, brands, etc. in the storefront (storefront), and is calculated by defining a range for each shelf, the entire store, some shelves, and the like. In addition to the range, such as occupancy by specific products, occupancy by a specific brand, occupancy by a specific category, etc., it is calculated by setting a target. Conventionally, there is a POS that performs inventory management at the point of sale, but the state of the store before the sale is highly important as a leading indicator. However, since it has not been easy to obtain information necessary for calculating the index of store occupancy, its utilization has not been sufficiently advanced so far. By using the shelf allocation data DB obtained by the inventory management apparatus according to the present invention, a desired storefront occupancy ratio can be easily calculated by searching for an object using a range, product information, brand, category, etc. as a key using the product position as a key. The apparatus for doing can be comprised.

  When storing the data indicating the current shelf allocation state input in the input field 302 ′ in association with the product information displayed in the display field 301, the location on the store map, such as the store address and GPS information By associating them with each other, the “shelf allocation data” of the product can be expanded to “location data”. In other words, it is possible to construct a location data DB that stores, as records, product information (product name, product number, etc.) of each product, the location of the store handling the product, and location data including the product position in the store. it can. In this case, the shelf allocation data DB included in the product search device of FIG. 8 is also the location data DB.

  For example, if a consumer wants to purchase a “stylus pen”, there is currently no direct way to find out where to go, but a database that stores location data is used with the product name “stylus pen” as a key. This problem can be solved by searching.

  Further, by using the current position information of the computer used by the consumer for searching, it is possible to extract a search result using the product name as a key and extract a result close to the current position and present it to the consumer. In addition, it is possible to extract only stores that can be purchased in real time by associating a real-time inventory quantity with each record in the location data DB. The real-time inventory quantity can be calculated from the arrival data and sales data. Such filtering may be performed by the extraction unit 820 or the presentation unit 830.

  So far, there has been a technology that presents on the map a place that has some relevance to the search keyword (such as “stylus pen”), but where to go to which store to handle the product that the consumer wants, Furthermore, information with high geographical resolution such as where the store is displayed has not been provided. By using the location data according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a product search device that can specify the position of a product desired by a consumer with high geographical resolution.

  Although the acquisition of the shelf allocation data can be performed independently by itself, it is performed together with the inventory operation, that is, the input field 302 for the data necessary for the inventory and the current shelf allocation state are shown. By displaying the data input field 302 ′ at the same time, it is possible to acquire shelf allocation data or location data extremely efficiently.

  Further, as an additional function, a product replacement function can be added. When changing some products from the current shelf allocation, scan the product code of the existing product with the scanner, then read the product code of the new product, and press the change button to update the shelf allocation data. be able to. When the number of product faces, brands, etc. are stored as shelf allocation data, it is necessary to input and select these items after reading the product code of the new product. Old information will be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Handy terminal 110 Display part 120 Input part 200,200 'Inventory management apparatus 210 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 220 Wireless communication part 230 Display part 240 Storage part 250 Scanner 300 Web browser 301 Display field 302, 302 'Input field 303 Numeric keypad 400 Smart phone 410 Character input application 411 Character type switching button 500 Inventory management system 510 Web server 520 Data server 800 Product search device 810 Shelf allocation data DB
820 Extraction unit 830 Presentation unit

Claims (16)

A multi-function mobile terminal having an operating system,
A web browser that can run web applications,
A wireless communication unit capable of receiving an inventory management program that is a web application for performing inventory,
When the inventory management program received by the wireless communication unit is operated by the web browser, the web browser displays a display column for product information and an input column for the quantity and position of each product,
In the display field, product information represented by a product code acquired through the wireless communication unit is shown,
Input to the input field is performed by a numeric keypad displayed on the web browser.   The multi-function mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the input to the input field is performed without calling a character input application included in the operating system.   The multifunctional portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the inventory management device is either a smartphone or a tablet.   The multifunctional portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inventory management program conforms to an HTML5 standard.   The multifunctional portable terminal according to claim 4, wherein the inventory management program stores the data input in the input field locally as inventory data in association with the product information using a local storage function. .   6. The inventory management program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the data input in the input field is transmitted to a data server on the Internet or LAN as inventory data in association with the product information. Multi-function mobile terminal.   The multi-function mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the product code is a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code. The inventory management device is paired with a scanner via the wireless communication unit,
The multi-function mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the product code is read by the scanner.   The multi-function mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the numeric keypad is a telephone type or a calculator type.   The position of each product input in the input field is stored as location data of each product in association with the product information and a place on the map of the store. The multifunctional portable terminal as described. An inventory management method for performing inventory using a multi-function mobile terminal having an operating system,
The multi-function mobile terminal receives an inventory management program, which is a web application for performing inventory, by a wireless communication unit of the multi-function mobile terminal; and
Operating the inventory management program received by the wireless communication unit by a web browser of the multi-function mobile terminal;
The web browser includes a step of displaying a display column of product information and an input column of the quantity and position of each product,
In the display field, product information represented by a product code acquired through the wireless communication unit is shown,
2. The inventory management method according to claim 1, wherein the input to the input field is performed by a numeric keypad displayed on the web browser. An inventory management program for executing an inventory management method for performing inventory using a multifunctional mobile terminal having an operating system,
It is a web application for taking inventory,
When operating on a web browser of the multi-function mobile terminal, the web browser shows a display column for product information and an input column for the quantity and position of each product,
In the display column, the multi-function mobile terminal indicates product information represented by a product code acquired via a wireless communication unit included in the multi-function mobile terminal,
An inventory management program for causing an input to the input field to be performed by a numeric keypad displayed on the web browser. A product search device for specifying a location of a product desired by a consumer on a store guide map,
Shelf allocation data DB in which the shelf allocation data including the product information of each item and the position of each item in the store is stored as a record;
Based on a search keyword input by a consumer, an extraction unit for extracting the record having relevance to the search keyword from the shelf allocation data DB using the product information as a key;
A product search apparatus comprising: a presentation unit that presents the extracted record on the guide map. A product search device for specifying a position on a map of a product desired by a consumer,
Location data DB in which the location information including the product information of each product, the location of the store that handles each product, and the location of each product in the store is stored as a record;
Based on a search keyword input by a consumer, an extraction unit for extracting the record having relevance to the search keyword from the location data DB using the product information as a key;
A product search apparatus comprising: a presentation unit that presents the extracted record on a map.   The said extraction part extracts the thing where the location of the said store is near the said consumer's present location using the present location information of the computer which the said consumer used for the input of the said search keyword. Item 15. A product search device according to Item 14.   15. The product search device according to claim 14, wherein the extraction unit extracts only stores that can purchase products having relevance to the search keyword in real time.

Images