JP2018128740A - Information processing device, information processing method, information processing program and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a settlement procedure corresponding to progress of an event.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: receiving means which receives an input of event information about an event which makes a settlement of a commodity or service by virtual currency, and shop information about the commodity or service handled by a shop participated in the event; and conversion rate setting means for setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and distribution currency on the basis of the event information and the shop information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an information processing program, and an information processing system.

  At festivals and events, cash transactions and small payments occur, so when paying with bills, there may be a shortage of change or a long time for settlement. In addition, the store may be complicated in the preparation of change, settlement processing after the end of the event, and the like. For this reason, there is a technology that uses electronic money that can be used at events to reduce the amount of time required to send and receive money, and to use the electronic points available in the facility to manage services related to event venues in an integrated manner. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP 2011-232854 A JP 2004-139226 A

  By using electronic money for events or giving points that can be used as electronic money for events, participants are more willing to purchase within the event period and try to use up electronic money. Conceivable. However, if points that can be used as electronic money for an event are given uniformly or according to the purchase amount, inventory shortage may occur depending on the remaining period of the event. In addition, when the sales price of a product or service is adjusted in consideration of the sales status such as the remaining period of the event or the number of products in stock, the procedure at the time of settlement may be complicated due to price fluctuations.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that simplifies a settlement procedure in accordance with the progress of an event.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, in an event for settlement of goods or services using virtual currency, the conversion rate between virtual currency and distribution currency is set based on the information on the event and the information on the goods or services. I made it.

  Specifically, the present invention is an information processing apparatus that accepts input of event information related to an event for settlement of a product or service using virtual currency, and store information related to a product or service handled by a store that opens in the event And conversion rate setting means for setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the event information and the store information.

  Since the information processing apparatus performs settlement using virtual currency, it is possible to shorten the time required for settlement when purchasing a product or service (hereinafter also referred to as a product). Also, a store opening for an event does not need to prepare change, and the settlement procedure is simplified. Furthermore, based on the event information and store information, by setting the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency according to the progress of the event, the conversion rate fluctuates depending on the sales situation, sales are promoted or suppressed, and inventory Management can be simplified.

  Note that the virtual currency here is a digital currency that enables settlement by exchange between computers without going through a financial institution, and is a currency that can be exchanged with a circulation currency distributed in the market as a legal currency. The event information may include information such as the event holding period, the number of virtual currency issued (hereinafter also referred to as the number of payouts), the number of store openings, the expected number of customers. The store information may include information such as the quantity, sales price, and profit margin of each product or service handled by each store. The event is not limited to a real event, but includes a virtual event realized on a computer.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus converts the amount of virtual currency held by the user participating in the event into an amount usable at the event based on the conversion rate, and the price in the virtual currency of the product or service purchased by the user May be further provided with virtual currency settlement means for performing settlement with the converted virtual currency. The information processing apparatus described above may change the actual distribution price of a product or the like without changing the price of the product or the like in virtual currency by changing the substantial value of the virtual currency based on the conversion rate. it can. Since the price of the product or the like in the virtual currency is not changed, the user and the shopkeeper can avoid the confusion due to the change of the price when the product is settled.

  Further, the event information includes information on the event period and the number of virtual currency payouts, the store information includes information on the inventory quantity and sales price of each product or service, and the conversion rate setting means determines the remaining amount of the event. Set the exchange rate based on one or more of the forecasted sales amount predicted from the period, the sales amount at the event, the number of virtual currency withdrawals, the inventory quantity and sales price of each product or service Also good. With such a conversion rate setting means, the value of the virtual currency can be changed according to the progress of the event. Therefore, the information processing apparatus can simplify procedures such as settlement processing by reducing the price of goods, etc., or inventory management by promoting users' willingness to purchase, by changing the value of the virtual currency.

  The exchange rate setting means can set the conversion rate according to the remaining period of the event, or extend the remaining period of the event and set the target sales amount even if the sales amount has not reached the target. An exchange rate may be set to achieve this. The inventory quantity is the inventory quantity of goods or the quantity that can be provided.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus may further include a refund unit that refunds the user the amount of the circulation currency corresponding to the amount of the virtual currency held by the user. The information processing apparatus can pay back to the user the virtual currency that the user has not used during the event as the distribution currency. The user can receive a refund without wasting the purchased virtual currency. Note that the information processing apparatus is not limited to the circulation currency, and can be refunded to the user in terms of points or electronic money provided by other service providers. In this case, the information processing apparatus may convert the amount of virtual currency held by the user into the distribution currency, and convert the converted distribution currency into the number of points provided by another service provider.

  The present invention can also be understood from a method aspect. For example, the present invention includes a reception step for receiving input of event information related to an event in which a computer settles a product or service using virtual currency, and store information related to a product or service handled by a store that opens at the event, and the event information and the store. An information processing method that executes a conversion rate setting step of setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the information may be used.

The present invention can also be understood from the aspect of a computer program. For example, the present invention includes a reception step of receiving, on a computer, event information related to an event for settlement of a product or service using virtual currency, and store information related to a product or service handled by a store opening in the event, and the event information and the store. An information processing program that executes a conversion rate setting step of setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the information may be used.

  The present invention can also be understood from the aspect of the system. For example, the present invention relates to an information processing system including a server and a store terminal, and the server relates to event information related to an event for settlement of a product or service using virtual currency, and a product or service handled by a store opening the event. Owned by accepting means for accepting input of store information, conversion rate setting means for setting a conversion rate between virtual currency and distribution currency based on event information and store information, and users participating in the event based on the conversion rate A virtual currency settlement means for converting the amount of virtual currency to be used to an amount that can be used in the event, and settles the price of the product or service purchased by the user in the virtual currency after conversion, for store use The terminal has a payment acceptance means for accepting payment processing of goods or services purchased by the user, and a target of payment processing. It notifies the prices due to the virtual currency of certain goods or services to the server, and a settlement instruction means for instructing the execution of the settlement processing to the server.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which simplifies the payment procedure according to progress of an event can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the server according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the store terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the server according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the store terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the event information table. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a store table. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product table. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual currency table. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall processing flow associated with the settlement using the virtual currency at the time of the event. FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the relationship between sales results, sales predictions, and conversion rates in an event. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation screen for virtual currency held by a user. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a payment process when purchasing a product or the like. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a refund process after the end of the event.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the following aspect.

  In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus, in an event for settlement of goods or services in virtual currency, determines whether the virtual currency and the distribution currency are based on information about the event and information about the product or service handled by the store that opens the event. Set the exchange rate. The information processing apparatus can simplify the inventory management and the settlement procedure by changing the conversion rate according to the progress of the event.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. The information processing system 10 includes a server 1 and a shop terminal 2 and can communicate with each other via a network N. The store terminal 2 reads user information stored in the medium 3.

  The server 1 is a computer installed by an event organizer or the like, and stores information related to the event, information on stores that open stores in the event, information on products or services provided by the stores, and information on virtual currency used in the events. Hold. Event information is registered in the server 1 by an event organizer or the like. Store information including store information, merchandise or service information is registered in the server 1 by a store opening person for an event. The server 1 issues a virtual currency according to the purchase procedure of the user. The server 1 holds the issued virtual currency information in association with the user. The server 1 is an example of an “information processing apparatus”.

  The store terminal 2 is a terminal including the reading unit 28 and instructs the server 1 to perform a settlement process for a product purchased by the user. The reading unit 28 reads information for identifying a user and information such as a purchased product from the medium 3, and transmits the information to the server 1 via the network N. The store terminal 2 is not limited to one, and a plurality of terminals may be installed. For example, the store terminal 2 may be installed for each store that opens an event.

  The medium 3 stores information regarding virtual currency purchased by users who participate in the event. The medium 3 may store an identifier for identifying the user who owns the medium 3 among the virtual currency information stored in the server 1. The server 1 can acquire virtual currency information associated with the user based on the identifier. The medium 3 includes, for example, a card printed with a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) indicating a user identifier, an IC card that stores the user identifier, a smartphone that manages the user identifier with a predetermined application, and the like. Mobile terminal. The user identifier may be printed on a part of the body with ink that emits light with a black light in consideration of the risk of loss.

  The network N is a global public packet communication network such as the Internet, and connects the server 1 and the shop terminal 2 to each other. The network N may be a WAN (Wide Area Network) or other communication network instead of the Internet.

<Server hardware configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the server according to the embodiment. The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13, an auxiliary storage device 14, an NIC (Network Interface Controller) 15 connected to the Internet via a gateway and the like. It is a computer provided with. The server 1 may be realized by a dedicated processor, a dedicated circuit, or the like instead of a general-purpose processor such as the CPU 11.

The CPU 11 is a central processing unit, and controls the RAM 12, the ROM 13, the auxiliary storage device 14 and the like by processing instructions and data of various programs developed on the RAM 12 and the like. The RAM 12 is a main storage device and is controlled by the CPU 11 to write and read various commands and data. The ROM 13 is read-only, and stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), firmware, and the like as a main storage device. The auxiliary storage device 14 is a non-volatile storage device, and information required to be persistent such as various programs loaded in the RAM 12 is written and read out. The auxiliary storage device 14 is, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.

<Hardware configuration of store terminal>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the store terminal according to the embodiment. The store terminal 2 is a computer including a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a ROM 23, an auxiliary storage device 24, a NIC 25 connected to the Internet via a gateway, an input unit 26, a display unit 27, and a reading unit 28. The store terminal 2 may be realized by a dedicated processor, a dedicated circuit, or the like instead of a general-purpose processor such as the CPU 21.

  The CPU 21 is a central processing unit, and controls the RAM 22, the ROM 23, the auxiliary storage device 24, and the like by processing instructions and data of various programs developed in the RAM 22 and the like. The RAM 22 is a main storage device and is controlled by the CPU 21 to write and read various commands and data. The ROM 23 is read-only and stores BIOS, firmware, and the like as a main storage device. The auxiliary storage device 24 is a non-volatile storage device, and information required to be persistent such as various programs loaded in the RAM 22 is written and read out. The auxiliary storage device 24 is, for example, an EEPROM, an HDD, or the like.

  The input unit 26 is, for example, a pointing device such as a touch pad, a mouse, or a touch panel, a keyboard, an operation button, and the like, and receives an operation input. The display unit 27 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, and displays the content input from the input unit 26 or the content read by the reading unit 28. To do. The reading unit 28 reads various information from the medium 3. The reading unit 28 is, for example, a bar code reader, a QR code reader, or an IC card reader / writer. Various information read by the reading unit 28 may be input via the input unit 26.

<Functional configuration of server>
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the server according to the embodiment. The server 1 reads out the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 14 to the RAM 12 and executes it by the CPU 11, whereby the event information database D 11, the store information database D 12, the virtual currency management database D 13, the reception unit F 11, It functions as a computer including an exchange rate setting unit F12, a virtual currency management unit F13, and a withdrawal unit F14.

  In the present embodiment, each function of the server 1 is executed by the CPU 11 that is a general-purpose processor. However, part or all of these functions are performed by one or more dedicated processors, hardware arithmetic circuits, and the like. May be executed. Here, the hardware arithmetic circuit refers to, for example, an adder circuit, a multiplier circuit, a flip-flop, etc. combined with logic gates. In addition, part or all of these functions may be performed by using a separate computer that can communicate with the server 1 via the network N, such as a terminal 2 for a store, a medium 3 that is a terminal such as a smartphone that can execute a program, It may be executed in a terminal or the like for a person to perform procedures such as purchase of virtual currency, confirmation of remaining amount, and refund.

(Database)
The event information database D11 is a database that stores various types of information for managing and managing events. The store information database D12 is a database that stores various types of information related to stores that open at events and products or services handled in the stores. The virtual currency management database D13 is a database that stores various types of information for managing the virtual currency used in the event. The event information database D11, the store information database D12, and the virtual currency management database D13 are obtained by managing data stored in the auxiliary storage device 14 by a program of a database management system (DBMS, Database Management System) executed by the CPU 11. Built. The event information database D11, the store information database D12, and the virtual currency management database D13 are, for example, relational databases. The event information database D11 has an event information table. The store information database D12 has a store table and a product table. The virtual currency management database D13 has a virtual currency table.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the event information table. The event information table of the event information database D11 is used to set the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the remaining period of the event, the number of issued virtual currencies, and the like. One record stored in the event information table indicates data of a single event. In the event information table, a single event may be managed as a separate record for each date and place. The record of the event information table is added when event information is registered by the event organizer before the event is held.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the record of the event information table has fields of event number, event name, start date / time, end date / time, virtual currency issue amount, number of stores, expected number of customers and conversion rate. The event number indicates an identifier for identifying the event. The event name indicates the name of the event. The start date / time indicates the start date / time of the event. The end date / time indicates the end date / time of the event. The virtual currency issue amount indicates the total amount of virtual currency issued before and during the event. The number of stores indicates the number of stores that open in the event. The expected number of attracting customers indicates the expected number of users participating in the event. The conversion rate indicates the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency set based on the event end time and the remaining event period determined from the current time, the virtual currency issue amount, and the like. The conversion rate is set for each event, but may be set for each store according to the sales situation of each store. The conversion rate may be set for each product or service type.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a store table. The store table of the store information database D12 is used to manage stores that open for events. One record stored in the store table indicates data of a single store. The record in the store table is added when the store information is registered by the event organizer or the store branch before the event is held.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the record of the store table has fields of an event number, a store number, a store name, and a conversion rate. The event number indicates an identifier for associating the event registered in the event information table with the store. The store number indicates an identifier for identifying the store. The store name indicates the name of the store. The conversion rate is a field used when setting the conversion rate for each store. The conversion rate indicates the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency set based on the inventory remaining period of the event and the respective stock quantities of the goods or services handled in the store. The remaining event period is obtained from the end date and time and the current time of the corresponding event in the event information table. The stock quantity of each product or service handled at the store is acquired from the stock quantity field of the product or service associated with the store in the product table.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product table. The product table of the store information database D12 is used for managing products or services handled in the store. One record stored in the product table indicates data of a single product or service. The record of the product table is added when the product or service information handled in the store is registered by the store operator before the event is held.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the record of the product table has fields of store number, product name, sales quantity, inventory quantity, set price, sales price, and profit rate. The store number indicates an identifier for associating a store registered in the store table with a product or service. The product name indicates the name of the product. The number of sales indicates the quantity of products already sold. The stock quantity indicates the stock quantity of the product or the service available quantity. The set price indicates the sales amount in the circulation currency that the store operator wants to secure. For example, the set price is a cost or cost for providing goods or services. The sales price indicates the sales price in virtual currency. During the event, the actual price in the distribution currency of the product etc. is adjusted by changing the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency without changing the selling price in the virtual currency. The profit rate indicates the ratio of profit to the price of the product, for example, and is obtained by calculating the ratio of the gross profit to the actual price obtained by subtracting the cost or cost from the actual price of the product.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a virtual currency table. The virtual currency table of the virtual currency management database D13 is used to manage the virtual currency held by the user. One record stored in the virtual currency table indicates virtual currency data held by a single user. The record of the virtual currency table is added when the user purchases the virtual currency.

  In the example of FIG. 9, the record of the virtual currency table has fields for user ID, user name, purchase price, possessed virtual currency, and account number. The user ID indicates an identifier for identifying the user. The user name indicates the name of the user. The purchase amount indicates the total amount of virtual currency purchased by the user. The held virtual currency indicates the amount of the virtual currency held by the user. Note that the amount of the virtual currency is the amount before conversion by the conversion rate, and corresponds to the same amount of circulation currency. When the user additionally purchases virtual currency, the added amount is added to the amount of the held virtual currency. The account number indicates the account number of an account owned by the user. The account number is an account number of an account used for settlement of the virtual currency purchased by the user or refunding the remaining amount of the virtual currency after the event ends.

(Functions other than database)
The reception unit F11 receives input of event information and store information. The event information and the store information include information for setting a conversion rate. The reception unit F11 stores the received event information and store information in the event information database D11 or the store information database D12. The reception unit F11 is an example of a “reception unit”.

  The conversion rate setting unit F12 sets the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the event information and the store information stored in the event information database D11 or the store information database D12 by the reception unit F11. The conversion rate setting unit F12 is an example of a “conversion rate setting unit”.

  The virtual currency management unit F13 converts the virtual currency held by the user participating in the event into a usable amount based on the conversion rate set by the conversion rate setting unit F12. The virtual currency management unit F13 settles the price of the product or service purchased by the user using the converted virtual currency. The virtual currency management unit F13 is an example of “virtual currency settlement means”.

The refund unit F14 returns the amount of the circulation currency corresponding to the unused virtual currency to the user after the event ends. The amount of the circulation currency corresponding to the unused virtual currency may be the same amount as the unused virtual currency, or may be the amount of the virtual currency converted by the conversion rate at the time of refund. The amount of the circulation currency corresponding to the unused virtual currency may be calculated every time the user purchases the product etc. and stored in the virtual currency management database D13, such as the product purchased at the time of refund You may calculate by reducing the total amount. In addition, when calculating by reducing the total amount of goods purchased at the time of refund, the amount of each goods etc. is calculated according to the conversion rate at the time of purchase. In addition, the refund part F14 can acquire the conversion rate at the time of goods purchase by matching the value of a conversion rate with the change date in the event information database D11. In addition, the refund unit F14 may execute a refund process on the user who has requested a refund when the user requests a refund during or after the event. The refund unit F14 is an example of a “refund means”.

<Functional configuration of store terminal>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the store terminal according to the embodiment. The store terminal 2 functions as a computer including the payment accepting unit F21 and the payment instruction unit F22 when the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24 is read into the RAM 22 and executed by the CPU 21.

  In the present embodiment, each function of the store terminal 2 is executed by the CPU 21 which is a general-purpose processor. However, part or all of these functions are performed by one or more dedicated processors and hardware arithmetic circuits. Or the like. Here, the hardware arithmetic circuit refers to, for example, an adder circuit, a multiplier circuit, a flip-flop, etc. combined with logic gates. Also, some or all of these functions may be executed on a separate computer, for example, the medium 3 that is a terminal such as a smartphone capable of executing the program.

  The settlement acceptance unit F21 reads information for identifying the user from the medium 3 when the user purchases a product or the like. Further, the settlement acceptance unit F21 accepts input of information such as a product number, a purchase quantity, and a price of a purchased product. The settlement acceptance unit F21 may acquire various types of information such as products by reading a barcode or the like attached to the product. The settlement acceptance unit F21 is an example of a “settlement acceptance unit”.

  The payment instruction unit F22 transmits information identifying the user read by the payment reception unit F21 and various types of information such as received products to the server 1 and instructs the server 1 to execute payment processing. The settlement instruction unit F22 is an example of a “settlement instruction unit”.

<Process flow>
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall processing flow associated with the settlement using the virtual currency at the time of the event. Before the event is held, the organizer inputs event information to the server 1 (P10). In addition, the organizer or the store operator inputs store information to the server 1 (P11).

  The server 1 sets the initial value of the conversion rate based on the event information and the store information (P12). The initial value of the conversion rate can be set to 1, for example. If the number of virtual currency issued is less than the total sales price of the goods or services provided at the event, the initial value of the exchange rate can be made larger than 1 to suppress the surplus of goods, etc. Become. For example, when the conversion rate is 1.2, the circulation currency and the virtual currency are exchanged at a ratio of 1: 1.2. That is, the circulation currency of 100 yen can be used as the virtual currency of 120 yen.

  During the event, the user purchases virtual currency (P20). Note that the user may be able to purchase virtual currency before the event is held. When purchasing the virtual currency, the user notifies the server 1 of the purchase amount and the account number for settlement. In addition, when purchasing with cash, notification of an account number is omissible. Also, the procedure for purchasing virtual currency is executed via the terminal 2 for a store, a terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user, or directly input to the server 1 based on the description on the application form filled out by the user. Can be executed.

  When the server 1 accepts an application for purchase of virtual currency from the user, the server 1 issues the virtual currency of the amount notified by the user (P21). When the account number of the user is notified, the price of the purchased virtual currency is withdrawn from the account. The server 1 stores information such as the purchase price of the virtual currency for each user in the virtual currency table of the virtual currency management database D13. When the virtual currency is additionally purchased, the amount of the virtual currency held in the virtual currency table is updated. The server 1 issues a medium 3 that stores information on the purchased virtual currency to the user. The medium 3 only needs to store at least an identifier for associating the user with the purchased virtual currency, and may store the purchase amount of the virtual currency and the amount of the held virtual currency.

  The server 1 updates the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency according to the progress of the event (P22). The conversion rate may be updated every predetermined time interval, for example, every 30 minutes. For example, the server 1 can calculate the conversion rate by multiplying by a predetermined coefficient that increases as the remaining event time decreases. If the event is held over a plurality of days, the conversion rate may be calculated based on a predetermined coefficient corresponding to the remaining event period.

  The server 1 may further calculate a conversion rate by multiplying by a coefficient proportional to the inventory quantity of the product or the service provisionable quantity. For example, if the inventory quantity of a product or the like exceeds the sales forecast quantity for the remaining time of the event, the price in the distribution currency of the product or the like can be lowered by increasing the conversion rate to 1. On the other hand, if the inventory quantity of the product is lower than the sales forecast quantity for the remaining time of the event, the price of the product etc. in the circulation currency is raised by making the conversion rate smaller than 1.

  The server 1 may set the conversion rate so that the price of the commodity or service in the currency of distribution does not fall below the corresponding set price. The server 1 may set the conversion rate so that the sales amount when a product or the like is sold at a set price exceeds the sales forecast. When setting the conversion rate for each store, the server 1 may set the conversion rate lower than that of the other stores if the average value of the profit rate of the products handled in the store is higher than that of the other stores. Good. A specific example of setting the conversion rate will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the relationship between sales results, sales predictions, and conversion rates in an event. The vertical axis on the left shows the sales amount. The vertical axis on the right shows the conversion rate of virtual currency. The horizontal axis shows the elapsed time from the start of the event. The graph S1 and the graph S2 plot the predicted value and the actual value of the sales amount, respectively. Estimated value of sales amount is the number of stores that will open in the event, the expected number of customers attracted to the event, the issue amount of virtual currency, the sales price or inventory quantity of products etc. It can be calculated from a simulation using a power approximation curve, a moving average, or the like.

  The graph S3 is a plot of the virtual currency conversion rate set by the server 1. Graph S4 and graph S5 are approximate power curves for the predicted value and the actual value of the sales amount, respectively. As shown in the graphs S4 and S5, the actual value of the sales amount changes without deviating from the predicted value within T1 surrounded by a one-dot chain line. For this reason, the conversion rate of the virtual currency does not change from the initial value set at the beginning of the event.

On the other hand, in T2 surrounded by a dotted line, the actual value of the sales amount falls below the predicted value together with the elapsed time of the event, and may not reach the target sales amount predicted at the end of the event. In this case, the server 1 increases the conversion rate of the virtual currency. For example, in graph S3, the virtual currency rate is 1.3 after 10 hours from the start of the event. In other words, 100 virtual currencies purchased at the start of the event, 13 hours after the start of the event,
Value fluctuates to 0 virtual currency. Since the price in the virtual currency of the merchandise to be sold does not fluctuate, the user can purchase more merchandise etc. as the conversion rate of the virtual currency increases. This increases the willingness of users to purchase and promotes sales.

  Note that the server 1 may calculate the value of the conversion rate so that the rate of increase in the actual value of the sales amount is not more than a predetermined threshold value so as to increase by a predetermined rate with respect to the current conversion rate. Further, the server 1 sets a higher conversion rate by multiplying a predetermined coefficient for a certain period as a time service period when the growth rate of the actual value of the sales amount is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined period. You may make it do. Further, the server 1 may set the conversion rate so that the predicted value of the sales amount does not fall below the cost or cost of the product etc. to be sold.

  After the conversion rate is changed, the amount of virtual currency held by the user is converted into an amount usable in the event according to the conversion rate (P23 in FIG. 10). When the medium 3 is a terminal such as a smartphone that can communicate with the server 1 and has a display unit, the user should display and confirm the converted virtual currency amount received from the server 1 by the medium 3. Can do. In addition, the user holds the bar code, QR code, etc. stored in the medium 3 issued at the time of purchasing the virtual currency over a predetermined terminal, thereby converting the virtual after conversion through the display unit provided in the predetermined terminal. You can check the currency amount. The predetermined terminal is, for example, a terminal for a store 2 or a terminal that is installed in an event venue and allows a user to perform procedures such as confirmation of the remaining amount of virtual currency. FIG. 12 illustrates a screen for confirming the converted virtual currency amount on the medium 3 or a predetermined terminal.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation screen for virtual currency held by a user. The name of the user who holds the virtual currency is displayed on A1 of the confirmation screen. A2 of the confirmation screen displays the amount of virtual currency held. A3 of the confirmation screen displays the current conversion rate value updated in P22 of FIG. A4 of the confirmation screen displays the converted virtual currency amount. In the example of FIG. 12, the amount of virtual currency held by the user is 6,200 yen, and the current conversion rate is 1.2. Therefore, 7,440 yen can be used as the amount of virtual currency after conversion. Is displayed.

  Next, the payment process at the time of purchasing goods etc. is demonstrated. The user purchases a product or the like at the event (P24 in FIG. 10). A store seller who sells products and the like inputs information such as purchased products to the store terminal 2. The store opening person may input information on the purchased product or the like by causing the reading unit 28 to read the barcode hidden on the product or the like. Further, the store owner holds the medium 3 storing the virtual currency information held by the user over the reading unit 28 of the store terminal 2. The shop terminal 2 transmits the information read from the medium 3 by the reading unit 28 to the server 1, and instructs the server 1 to execute a settlement process (P25). Based on the information received from the store terminal 2, the server 1 executes settlement using virtual currency such as a product purchased by the user (P26). The settlement process by the server 1 will be described in detail in the description of FIG.

  After the event, the server 1 stops using the virtual currency (P30). By stopping the use of the virtual currency, the closing process after the event is simplified. After stopping the use of the virtual currency, the server 1 executes a refund process according to the balance of the virtual currency held by each user (P31). The refund process by the server 1 will be described in detail in the description of FIG. Note that the refund process may be executed when there is a request from the user.

(Flow of payment processing)
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a payment process when purchasing a product or the like. The process shown in FIG. 13 shows the details of the process of P26 of FIG. This process flow starts, for example, when a user purchases a product or the like at an event.

  First, in step S <b> 101, the virtual currency management unit F <b> 13 receives from the settlement instruction unit F <b> 22 of the store terminal 2 an instruction to execute a settlement process for a product purchased by the user. The virtual currency management unit F13 also receives information such as the price of the product purchased by the user in virtual currency, and information for identifying the user, together with an instruction to execute the settlement process.

  In step S102, the virtual currency management unit F13 acquires information such as a price and a purchase quantity in a virtual currency such as a product purchased by the user from the information received in step S101.

  In step S103, the virtual currency management unit F13 acquires the current exchange rate. The current conversion rate can be acquired from the event information table of the event information database D11. When the conversion rate is set for each store, the virtual currency management unit F13 may acquire the conversion rate of the store where the product or the like is purchased from the store table of the store information database D12.

  In step S104, the virtual currency management unit F13 determines whether or not the balance of the virtual currency held by the user is insufficient with respect to the price of the product or the like purchased by the user. Specifically, the virtual currency management unit F13 first acquires information for identifying the user from the information received in step S101. The virtual currency management unit F13 refers to the virtual currency table and acquires the balance of the virtual currency held by the user from the information for identifying the user (user ID in the example of FIG. 9). When it is determined that the balance of the virtual currency held by the user is insufficient (S104; YES), the process proceeds to step S105. When it is determined that the balance of the virtual currency held by the user is not short (S104; NO), the process proceeds to step S106.

  In step S105, the virtual currency management unit F13 determines whether or not the virtual currency has been additionally purchased by the user. Note that the virtual currency can also be purchased by an operation on the store terminal 2 when a product is settled. When the virtual currency is additionally purchased by the user (S105; YES), the process proceeds to step S106. When the virtual currency is not additionally purchased by the user, the settlement process is not executed and the process shown in FIG. 13 ends.

  In step S <b> 106, the virtual currency management unit F <b> 13 settles a product purchased by the user using the virtual currency held by the user. Specifically, first, the virtual currency management unit F13, the virtual currency management unit F13, converts the balance of the virtual currency held by the user to the amount of available virtual currency based on the conversion rate acquired in step S103. Convert. The virtual currency management unit F13 reduces the price of the product purchased by the user from the converted virtual currency amount. The virtual currency management unit F13 returns the reduced amount to the virtual currency amount that has not been converted according to the conversion rate, stores the virtual currency amount that has not been converted into the virtual currency table, and the processing illustrated in FIG. 13 ends. .

(Refund processing flow)
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a refund process after the end of the event. The process shown in FIG. 14 shows the details of the process of P31 in FIG. The flow of this process starts, for example, when the server 1 stops using the virtual currency after the end of the event, or when the user requests a refund process.

  First, in step S201, the refund unit F14 receives an instruction to execute a refund process. The refund unit F14 can receive a refund processing execution instruction from the server 1 after the end of the event, and execute the refund process for each user who has purchased the virtual currency. Further, the refund unit F14 may execute a refund process for the user during the event or after the event, upon request from the user who purchased the virtual currency.

  In step S202, the withdrawal unit F14 acquires the amount of virtual currency held by the user. For example, the withdrawal unit F14 may acquire the amount of the virtual currency held in the virtual currency table of the virtual currency management database D13. Note that the field of virtual currency held in the virtual currency table is the amount of distribution currency equivalent to the amount of virtual currency converted based on the conversion rate, and the price of products purchased by the user reduced in virtual currency. That is, the amount of virtual currency that is not converted by the conversion rate is stored.

  In step S203, the refund unit F14 determines whether or not to refund the refund amount to the user's account. The refund unit F14 may determine whether or not to refund the refund amount to the user's account depending on whether or not the account number is registered in the virtual currency table. In addition, the withdrawal unit F14 may determine by making a selection as to whether or not to pay back to the account when there is a request for refund processing from the user. When it is determined that the refund amount is refunded to the user's account (S203; YES), the process proceeds to step S204. If it is determined that the refund amount is not refunded to the user's account (S203; NO), the process proceeds to step S205.

  In step S204, the withdrawal unit F14 transfers the amount of circulation currency corresponding to the amount of virtual currency held by the user to the account owned by the user. For example, the withdrawal unit F14 executes a withdrawal process by depositing a distribution currency having the same amount as the amount of the virtual currency held in an account owned by the user, and the process illustrated in FIG. 14 ends.

  In step S205, the refund unit F14 returns the amount of the virtual currency held by the user to the user by a method other than remittance to the account, for example, cash, and the process shown in FIG. 14 ends. In the case of cash-back, the user can receive cash at, for example, the store terminal 2 or a terminal used by the user to purchase a virtual currency.

<Effect>
In the embodiment described above, the server 1 can simplify the settlement procedure because the settlement time is shortened by the settlement with the virtual currency and the preparation of change is not required. Moreover, the server 1 changes the conversion rate according to the sales situation by setting the conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency according to the progress of the event. Since it is not necessary to change the price of the commodity or the like in the virtual currency, the settlement procedure at the event is simplified.

  Further, by changing the conversion rate, the server 1 sets the conversion rate so that it does not fall below the set price of the product etc., even if the substantial price (distribution price) of the product etc. falls. The desired profit is ensured. Furthermore, since the server 1 pays back to the user the amount corresponding to the virtual currency that was not used during the event, the user does not waste the purchased virtual currency.

  10. Information processing system: 1. Server, information processing device: 2. Store terminal: 3. Medium: 11, 21. CPU: 12, 22. RAM: 13, 23. ROM: 14 Auxiliary storage devices: 15, 25 NIC: 26 Input unit: 27 Display unit: 28 Reading unit: N Network

Claims (7)

Accepting means for accepting input of event information related to an event for settlement of goods or services in virtual currency, and store information related to the goods or services handled by a store that opens in the event;
A conversion rate setting means for setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the event information and the store information,
Information processing device. Based on the conversion rate, the virtual currency amount held by the user participating in the event is converted into an amount usable in the event, and the product purchased by the user or the virtual currency of the service is used. A virtual currency settlement unit that settles the price in the converted virtual currency;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The event information includes information on a period of the event and the number of payouts of the virtual currency,
The store information includes information on each stock quantity and sales price of the product or the service,
The conversion rate setting means includes the remaining period of the event, the sales amount in the event, the number of payouts of the virtual currency, the inventory quantity of each of the goods or the service, and the sales prediction amount predicted from the sales price Setting the conversion rate based on one or more data of
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Refund means for refunding the amount of the circulation currency corresponding to the amount of the virtual currency held by the user to the user,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Computer
An accepting step for receiving input of event information relating to an event for settlement of goods or services in virtual currency, and store information relating to goods or services handled by a store opening in the event;
A conversion rate setting step of setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the event information and the store information,
Information processing method. On the computer,
An accepting step for receiving input of event information relating to an event for settlement of goods or services in virtual currency, and store information relating to goods or services handled by a store opening in the event;
A conversion rate setting step for setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the event information and the store information;
Information processing program. An information processing system including a server and a store terminal,
The server
Accepting means for accepting input of event information related to an event for settlement of goods or services in virtual currency, and store information related to the goods or services handled by a store that opens in the event;
A conversion rate setting means for setting a conversion rate between the virtual currency and the distribution currency based on the event information and the store information;
Based on the conversion rate, the virtual currency amount held by the user participating in the event is converted into an amount usable in the event, and the product purchased by the user or the virtual currency of the service is used. Virtual currency settlement means for settlement of the price in the converted virtual currency,
The store terminal is
Payment accepting means for accepting payment processing of the product or service purchased by the user;
A payment instructing means for notifying the server of the price of the commodity or the service that is the object of the payment processing in the virtual currency, and instructing the server to execute the payment processing;
Information processing system.

Images