JP2023163697A - Point issue system, portable terminal, information processing terminal, point issue server, and point issue method - Google Patents

Abstract

To maximize profits of a retail store by optimizing balance between sales promotion of commodities sold at a fixed price and reduction in commodity disposal cost.SOLUTION: A commodity information management server has a commodity database which manages production information of commodities (including information of one or both of best-before dates and expiration dates as well as sell-by dates of commodities and costs required for return and disposal of the commodities) and sales information (including regular sales prices and purchase prices of the commodities) in association with commodity identification information uniquely identifying the commodities. On the basis of a regular sales price, a purchase price, a cost required for return, a cost required for disposal, one or both of a best-before date and an expiration date as well as a sell-by date of a target commodity and a sales date of the target commodity, a point issue server calculates the number of discount purchase points available for the target commodity so that a target profit may be exceeded, and issues the calculated number of discount purchase points to a purchaser of the target commodity when a difference between the best-before date or the expiration date of the target commodity and the sales date of the target commodity falls within a prescribed period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a point issuing system, a mobile terminal, an information processing terminal, a point issuing server, and a point issuing method.

In order to reduce the cost of disposing of unsold items such as food at retail stores, some items that are expected to be disposed of are being sold at discounted prices.

Note that Patent Document 1 discloses a point issuing system that can promote the purchase of products with a short grace period until the best-before date by providing an incentive for purchasing products with a short best-before date.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-169090

However, too much sales of discounted products leads to a decline in sales of regular priced products, resulting in large amounts of still-edible food being thrown away. As a result, a large amount of food is lost in food distribution, causing huge economic losses including disposal costs.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to optimize this trade-off, optimize the balance between promoting sales of regular-priced products and reducing product disposal costs, and maximize profits for retailers. The purpose is to

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the point issuing system according to the present invention includes a product information management server that manages product information, and a point issue server that issues discount purchase points to product purchasers, which are connected to a network. The point issuing system is connected via a point issuing system, wherein the product information management server has a database that stores product manufacturing information and sales information in association with product identification information that uniquely identifies the product; The manufacturing information includes information on the expiration date and/or expiration date of the product, information on the sell-by date, and information on the cost of returning the product and the cost of disposing of the product, and the sales information includes the regular selling price of the product. and purchasing price information, and the point issuing server determines which of the regular selling price, the purchasing price, the return cost, the disposal cost, the best-before date, and the expiration date of the target product. one or both, and a calculation means for calculating the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so as to exceed the target profit based on information on the sell-by date and the sale date and time of the target product; If the difference between the expiration date or expiration date of the target product and the sales date and time of the target product is within a predetermined period, the purchaser is issued the discount purchase points of the number calculated by the calculation means. The present invention is characterized by comprising a point issuing means.

In addition, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the product may be a fresh food or a prepared dish.

Furthermore, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server may have a database that stores information on the purchaser's points derived from a subscription.

Furthermore, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server may have a database that stores information about the purchaser's points granted by a supporting organization.

Furthermore, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the points given to the purchaser by the supporting organization may vary depending on the purchaser's economic condition.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server estimates the estimated total amount of discarded items at any time on the day of sale, and an algorithm that does not deteriorate the retailer's profits due to discounted sales. The method may further include determining means for determining the sales amount of discounted products to be sold at a discount out of the total amount of waste products estimated by the means and the discount purchase points.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the algorithm is: "List price × ("Sales volume by regular price sales" + "Sales volume when the discount purchase points are introduced") - the discount purchase points × "The discount purchase points" The profit when introducing the discount purchase points, which is defined by the calculation formula "Conversion ratio of purchase points to money" - disposal cost x "amount of waste when the discount purchase points are introduced", and "List price x " It may also be possible to make the difference between the profit when selling at a fixed price, which is defined by the calculation formula ``sales volume when selling at a fixed price - disposal cost x amount of waste when selling at a fixed price'', be larger than zero.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server may include an allocation means for allocating the discount purchase points determined by the algorithm to the purchaser.

In the point issuing system according to the present invention, the allocating means may assign to the purchaser who is a subscription member a portion of the discount purchase points that is proportional to the monthly purchase points of the subscription held by the member. may be assigned.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the product information management server may include a sales product information transmitting means for transmitting target discount sales product information including the sales product name to the customer's mobile terminal in real time.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the sales product information transmitting means transmits the target discount sales product information using AR (Augmented Reality) information, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) information, or barcode information. You may.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the product information management server has a display room and an opening covered with a translucent door that can be opened and closed, and only the member can access the product information from the opening through the display room. It may have a database that stores information on display locations of the discounted items displayed in a display warehouse that is accessible to the display room.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server may include a database that stores information on the discount purchase points used during the current month, and a database that stores information on point issuing stores. good.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server may have a database that stores information on the purchaser's regular price purchase points that can be used for purchasing regular price items from the next month onwards, and the point issuing server means for calculating the difference between the discount purchase points used by the purchaser during the current month and the discount purchase points issued to the purchaser; and means for registering the difference in the database as the regular price purchase points. and may also be provided.

Furthermore, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server may have a database that stores monetary provision information from supporting organizations.

Further, in the point issuing system according to the present invention, the point issuing server is a means for requesting a portion of the discount amount from the manufacturer for the discounted item purchased using the discount purchase points and to be returned to the manufacturer. may be provided.

Further, the mobile terminal according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a purchasing means for regularly purchasing the discount purchase points issued by the point issuing system and usable at a specific target store.

Note that the mobile terminal according to the present invention may be provided with an acquisition means for acquiring the discount purchase points issued by the point issuing system free of charge by applying to a supporting organization.

Further, the mobile terminal according to the present invention may include an inventory display control means for displaying the inventory of the discounted items in real time.

Furthermore, the mobile terminal according to the present invention may include a history display control means for displaying a purchase history of products purchased using the discount purchase points.

Furthermore, the mobile terminal according to the present invention may include menu display control means for displaying a cooking menu using the product purchased with the discount purchase points.

Further, the mobile terminal according to the present invention may include a current day's allocated point display control means for displaying the discount purchase points allocated on that day.

Further, the mobile terminal according to the present invention may include an unused point balance display control means for converting the unused discount purchase point balance into the regular price purchase points and displaying the converted value.

Further, the information processing terminal according to the present invention is configured to transmit the discount purchase points according to income to the mobile terminal based on an application transmitted from the mobile terminal that includes information for specifying the amount of income. It is characterized by comprising a transmission means.

In addition, the point issuing server according to the present invention also provides information on the expiration date and/or expiration date of the product, sell-by date, and information regarding product returns, in association with product identification information that uniquely identifies the product. A product information management server connected via a network to a product information management server that has a database that stores manufacturing information, including information on costs and disposal costs, and sales information, including information on the product's regular selling price and purchasing price. A point issuing server that issues discount purchase points to a purchaser, and includes the regular selling price of the target product, the purchase price, the return cost, the disposal cost, the best-before date, and the expiration date. Calculation means for calculating the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so as to exceed the target profit based on one or both of the above, and information on the sell-by date and the sales date and time of the target product; If the difference between the expiration date or expiration date of the target product and the sale date and time of the target product is within a predetermined period, the purchaser will receive the discount purchase points of the number calculated by the calculation means. and point issuing means for issuing.

In addition, the point issuing method according to the present invention provides information on the expiration date and/or expiration date of the product, information on the sell-by date, and information on the return of the product by associating it with product identification information that uniquely identifies the product. A product information management server connected via a network to a product information management server that has a database that stores manufacturing information, including information on costs and disposal costs, and sales information, including information on the product's regular selling price and purchase price. A point issuing method executed by a point issuing server that issues discount purchase points to a purchaser, the method comprising: the regular selling price of the target product, the purchase price, the return cost, the disposal cost, and the Based on one or both of the expiration date and the expiration date, the sell-by date, and the information on the sales date and time of the target product, calculate the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so as to exceed the target profit. calculating, if the difference between the expiration date or expiration date of the target product and the sales date and time of the target product is within a predetermined period, the calculated and issuing a number of the discount purchase points.

According to the present invention, it is possible to optimize the balance between promoting sales of regular priced products and reducing product disposal costs, thereby maximizing the profits of retail stores.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a point issuing system 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the product information management server 2 and the point issuing server 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 4. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the supporting organization terminal 5 and the manufacturer terminal 6. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of point issuing processing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

<Point issuing system 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a point issuing system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the point issuing system 1 is configured by connecting a product information management server 2, a point issuing server 3, a user terminal 4, a supporting organization terminal 5, a manufacturer terminal 6, etc. via a network 7. Each configuration will be explained below.

(Product information management server 2)
The product information management server 2 is a server that manages information on products (for example, fresh foods or delicatessen dishes). The product information management server 2 has a database (hereinafter referred to as "product database") that stores product manufacturing information and sales information.

In the product database, product manufacturing information and sales information are registered in association with registered product IDs.

The registered product ID is a product ID registered in the database. The product ID is an ID that uniquely identifies each product (packaging material). The product ID may be an ID that combines a JAN code and a management number. The JAN code is a universal identification number that indicates "which product from which company" and is a fixed number for each product group (product name). The management number is an identification number that uniquely identifies each product (packaging material) and is a random number. The product ID may be any ID that uniquely identifies each product. For example, the JAN code may be omitted and only the management number may be used. The product ID does not need to be a number, and may be, for example, an alphabet, or a combination of numbers and alphabets.

The product ID or a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code generated from the product ID may be printed on the packaging material used to fill the product. Furthermore, a label with a product ID or code printed thereon or an IC tag with the product ID or code stored in a storage area may be attached to the packaging material. The code generated from the product ID may be a code called GS1-128, a stack type code in which data bars are stacked in multiple stages (for example, GS1 data bar extended multi-layer type), a QR code (registered trademark), or the like.

Manufacturing information includes the manufacturing date and time, "best-before date and/or expiration date," sell-by date, return costs (e.g., logistics costs required to return the product to the warehouse), and disposal costs (e.g. This includes information such as the logistics costs required to return the product to the warehouse, the garbage disposal costs required to dispose of the product, etc.), and the contents. Product manufacturing information may be registered by the manufacturer terminal 6.

The sales information includes information on the store, normal sales price (list price), purchase price (price purchased by the store), purchaser, and the like. Product sales information may be registered by a store terminal that is a POS (Point of Sale) register installed at a store. Note that the store terminal has a function of performing product sales processing (accounting processing) and transmitting sales information (store, sales date and time, purchaser, etc.) of the sold products to the point issuing server 3. The product information management server 2 may have a function of receiving sales information transmitted from a store terminal and registering it in the product database.

In this way, the product database manages manufacturing information and sales information for each product, ensuring traceability of the products.

Here, the product information management server 2 may further include a database that stores information on display locations of discounted products (products sold at discounted prices) displayed in a display warehouse installed at the store. The display warehouse has a display room and an opening covered by a translucent door that can be opened and closed, and only subscription members can access the display room through the opening, such as a showcase. It is something.

In addition, the product information management server 2 sends target discount sales product information to the user terminal 4, which is a customer's mobile terminal, which is information on discount products to be sold to the customer, including the sales product name and regular sales price. It may be transmitted in real time (for example, when a customer is in a store or when a certain product is set to be eligible for a discount). For example, the product information management server 2 may transmit target discount sales product information to the user terminal 4 using AR (Augmented Reality) information, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) information, or barcode information, , email, or SNS to the user terminal 4.

(Point issuing server 3)
The point issuing server 3 is a server that issues discount purchase points that can be used in place of money when purchasing a product to the purchaser of the product. The point issuing server 3 calculates the points based on the regular selling price, purchase price, return cost, disposal cost, "best before date and/or expiration date", sell-by date, and sales date and time of the target product. , an information processing means (calculation means) that calculates the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so that the target profit of the target product is exceeded (the target profit of the target product is achieved); Information processing means (issuance means) for issuing a calculated number of discount purchase points to the purchaser of the target product when the difference between the expiration date and the sales date and time of the target product is within a predetermined point issuance period. . Note that the sale date and time is before the sell-by date and time, and after the sell-by date and time, the product will be discarded or returned. This makes it possible to optimize the balance between promoting sales of regular priced products and reducing product disposal costs, thereby maximizing the profits of retailers (sales outlets). Regarding discount purchase points, one point is not limited to one yen.

In addition, based on the information stored in the product information management server 2, the point issuing server 3 takes into account the profits lost due to discounts and the increase in sales opportunities due to discounts, and selects discounted product quantities and products that can maximize profits. The discount amount per item may be calculated, and the number of discount purchase points to be allocated to each purchaser may be calculated based on the calculated quantity of discounted items, discount amount per item, and expected number of purchasers. . Here, the quantity of discounted items and the discount amount per item that can maximize profits may be calculated using a calculation method based on the empirical rules of each store, or using well-known methods (for example, Organizational Science, Vol. 54 No. .2 16-25 (2020) etc.).

The point issuing server 3 may have a database that stores information about purchasers' points derived from subscriptions. In this case, the point issuing server 3 may allocate all discount purchase points to the purchaser according to the number of points of the purchaser derived from the subscription, and may also allocate all the discount purchase points to the purchaser according to the number of points of the purchaser derived from the subscription. The total number of discount purchase points may be calculated by increasing the amount of derived points. The sources of discount purchase points include the total discount at the store, the subscription purchase amount, donations from supporting organizations, and refunds from product manufacturers. Regarding refunds, for example, there may be a case where a part of the return cost is refunded or a case where the purchase price is reduced in advance. The point issuing server 3 collects points (for example, points that fluctuate depending on the economic condition of the purchaser) of the purchaser granted by a supporting organization (specifically, a company, government, local government, or NPO corporation, etc.). It may also have a database for storing information. In this case, the point issuing server 3 may calculate the total number of discount purchase points by adding points provided by the supporting organization to the discount amount borne by the store.

The point issuing server 3 includes an information processing means (estimation means) for estimating the total amount of waste products at any time on the day of sale, and an algorithm (for example, Information processing means (determination means) that determines the sales volume of discounted items out of the estimated total amount of waste products and the discount purchase points using the method described in Academic Journal, Vol.69, No.2 (2018) ) and may also be provided. Here, the point issuing server 3 calculates, for example, the weather of the same period in the past, the same Estimate the total amount of discarded items by searching for the purchasing status, sales price, and sales status of similar or similar sales products and predicting that the same amount of discarded items as in the past will be generated on the same day due to the same sales as in the past. You may. In addition, the point issuing server 3 uses machine learning that uses past periods, weather, purchasing status, sales prices, and sales status of certain sales items as training data to calculate sales and disposal information when the period, weather, and sales items are input. It is also possible to create a model that can make predictions and use the created model to estimate the total amount of waste. In addition, the algorithm is, for example, "List price × ("Sales volume by regular price sales" + "Sales volume when discount purchase points are introduced") - Discount purchase points × "Exchange ratio of discount purchase points to money" - Revenue when introducing discount purchase points, which is defined by the calculation formula ``disposal cost x ``amount of waste when introducing discount purchase points'', and ``list price x ``sales volume due to list price sales'' - disposal cost x list price sales. It may also be possible to make the difference between the profit and the profit if regular price sales are continued, which is defined by the calculation formula "Amount of waste when Introducing discount purchase points will increase the number of sales. Here, the sales volume through regular price sales represents the sales volume that would be sold at the regular price without introducing discount purchase points.

The discount purchase points to be determined are determined for each store, and the algorithm calculates the difference between the total revenue when introducing discount purchase points for each target product in the store and the total revenue when regular price sales are continued. may be larger than zero.

The point issuing server 3 may include information processing means (allocation means) that allocates the discount purchase points determined by the algorithm to the purchaser. For example, the point issuing server 3 may allocate discount purchase points to a purchaser who is a subscription member in proportion to the monthly purchase points of the subscription held by the member.

When determining the day's discount purchase points, the point issuing server 3 converts a portion of the monthly purchase points held by the subscription member (for example, points divided by the number of days in the month by 30) into a monetary amount. , it may be added to the total revenue when introducing discount purchase points for individual target products in the store. At this time, the retail store provides the necessary resources to make the difference between the total revenue when introducing discount purchase points for individual target products in the store and the total revenue when regular price sales are continued to be greater than zero. Discount purchase points can be lower than without a subscription.

The point issuing server 3 may have a database that stores information on discount purchase points used during the current month, and a database that stores information on point issuing stores (sales stores). In the case where the point issuing server 3 has the former database, for example, the point issuing server 3 can allocate discount purchase points that cannot be used up in the current month as regular price purchase points that can be applied to products other than discounted products in the next month. Furthermore, if the latter database is provided, the point issuing server 3 can be operated by limiting the stores where points can be used, for example, to one store in a retail store chain.

The point issuing server 3 may have a database that stores information on the purchaser's regular price purchase points that can be used to purchase regular price items from the next month onward. Means for calculating the difference between discount purchase points and all discount purchase points issued to the purchaser, and means for registering the difference in the database as regular price purchase points that can be used for purchasing regular price items from the next month onward. It's okay.

The point issuing server 3 may have a database that stores monetary provision information from supporting organizations. Here, the money provision information represents the amount expressed in Japanese yen or the currency of each country, and the attribute information of the money. Since 1 point does not necessarily equal 1 yen, the amount provided by the supporting organization will be saved. The attribute information distinguishes cases in which money is provided directly (for example, cases in which money is provided as a tax refund). Incidentally, the case where the tax is returned is a case where support from a sponsoring organization according to the purchaser's economic condition is provided by reducing the amount that the store pays to the local government, such as waste disposal costs. By having the database, the point issuing server 3 can use money provided by the supporting organization as part of the source of discount purchase points.

When determining the discount purchase points for the day, the point issuing server 3 calculates a portion of the points provided by the supporting organizations (for example, the total number of points provided in a certain month divided by the number of days in the month, 30). The value obtained when converted into a monetary amount may be added to the total revenue when discount purchase points are introduced for individual target products in the store. At this time, the retail store provides the necessary resources to make the difference between the total revenue when introducing discount purchase points for individual target products in the store and the total revenue when regular price sales are continued to be greater than zero. The number of discount purchase points can be reduced compared to when discount purchase points are not provided by the supporting organization.

The point issuing server 3 includes information processing means (request means) for requesting a portion (certain percentage) of the discount amount from the manufacturer for discounted items purchased using discount purchase points and subject to return to the manufacturer. Good too. For example, the point issuing server 3 may bill the manufacturer by creating bill data addressed to the manufacturer and transmitting the created bill data to the manufacturer terminal 6. As a result, a fixed amount of the manufacturer's disposal cost reduction can be refunded to the retailer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the product information management server 2 and point issuing server 3 described above. As shown in the figure, each server can be realized by, for example, a computer configured by connecting a control section 21, a storage section 22, a communication section 23, etc. via a bus 28. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various configurations can be adopted depending on the use and purpose.

The control unit 21 is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The CPU calls a program stored in a storage medium such as the storage unit 22 or ROM to a work area on the RAM and executes the program. ROM is a nonvolatile memory that permanently stores programs such as a boot program and BIOS, data, and the like. The RAM is a volatile memory that temporarily stores programs and data loaded from the storage unit 22, ROM, etc., and includes a work area used by the control unit 21 to perform various processes.

The storage unit 22 is a hard disk drive, solid state drive, flash memory, or the like, and stores programs executed by the control unit 21, data necessary for program execution, an OS, and the like. These programs and data are read and executed by the control unit 21 as necessary. The communication unit 23 is a communication interface that mediates communication via the network 7 and the like, and communicates with each server, each terminal, and the like.

(User terminal 4)
The user terminal 4 is a mobile terminal owned by a purchaser of the product, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, or the like. The user terminal 4 can request the point issuing server 3 to issue points and receive points. The process of issuing points using the user terminal 4 (point issuing process) will be described later (FIG. 5).

The user terminal 4 may include information processing means (purchase means) for regularly purchasing discount purchase points issued by the point issuing system 1 and usable at a specific target store.

The user terminal 4 may include an information processing means (acquisition means) for acquiring discount purchase points issued by the point issuing system 1 free of charge by applying to a supporting organization.

The user terminal 4 displays information on the inventory of discounted products in real time (for example, when a purchaser who owns the user terminal 4 is in a store, or when a certain product is set to be eligible for a discount). A processing means (inventory display control means) may be provided.

The user terminal 4 may include information processing means (history display control means) that displays the purchase history of products purchased with discount purchase points.

The user terminal 4 may include information processing means (menu display control means) for displaying a cooking menu using the product (food) purchased with discount purchase points.

The user terminal 4 may include information processing means (today's allocated point display control means) for displaying the discount purchase points allocated on that day.

The user terminal 4 may include an information processing means (unused point balance display control means) that converts and displays the balance of unused discount purchase points into regular price purchase points that can be used to purchase regular price items from the next month onwards. .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 4. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the user terminal 4 includes a control section 41, a storage section 42, a display section 43, an input section 44, a communication section 45, a camera 46, etc., connected via a bus 48. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various configurations can be adopted depending on the use and purpose.

The functions of the control section 41, storage section 42, and communication section 45 are substantially the same as those of the control section 21, storage section 22, and communication section 23 described with reference to FIG. The display section 43 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal panel. The input unit 44 inputs data and includes, for example, an input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, and a numeric keypad. Via the input unit 44, operation instructions, operation instructions, data input, etc. can be given to the computer. Note that the display section 43 and the input section 44 may be integrated like a touch panel display. The storage unit 42 stores a dedicated application (“point issuing application”) for receiving points issued by the point issuing server 3.

(Supporting organization terminal 5)
The supporting organization terminal 5 is a computer owned by the supporting organization, and displays the number of discount purchase points provided by the supporting organization in the point issuing server 3, and if the party to whom the discount purchase points are provided is a specific purchaser, that purchaser. Send information such as the name of the person. The supporting organization terminal 5 may include information processing means (receiving means) for receiving the billed amount when the point issuing server 3 charges the amount corresponding to the number of discount purchase points provided. The supporting organization terminal 5 uses information processing means (point processing means) for transmitting discount purchase points according to income to the user terminal 4 based on an application transmitted from the user terminal 4 that includes information for specifying the discount purchase points based on income. (transmission means).

(Manufacturer terminal 6)
The manufacturer terminal 6 is a computer owned by a manufacturer that manufactures products such as food and beverages, and by introducing discount purchase points, the sales volume increases and the number of returns to the manufacturer decreases, resulting in a reduction in return costs. It has an information processing means (receiving means) for receiving billing information when a portion of the money is billed from the point issuing server 3 as a resource for discount purchase points.

The manufacturer terminal 6 transmits product manufacturing information to the product information management server 2 and registers it in the product database. The manufacturer terminal 6 is installed, for example, in a product manufacturing factory (manufacturing line), and after the product (contents) is filled into the packaging material at the manufacturing factory (manufacturing line), the manufacturer terminal 6 receives the product ID printed on the packaging material. At the same time, input of product manufacturing information (manufacturing factory, manufacturing date and time, expiration date, contents, etc.) is accepted through operations such as the operator. Then, the manufacturer terminal 6 may transmit the product ID and manufacturing information (manufacturing factory, manufacturing date and time, expiration date, contents, etc.) to the product information management server 2, and register it in the product database.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the supporting organization terminal 5 and the manufacturer terminal 6 described above. As shown in the figure, the supporting organization terminal 5 can be realized by a computer configured by, for example, a control section 51, a storage section 52, a display section 53, an input section 54, a communication section 55, etc. connected via a bus 58. . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various configurations can be adopted depending on the use and purpose.

The functions of the control section 51, storage section 52, and communication section 55 are substantially the same as those of the control section 21, storage section 22, and communication section 23 described with reference to FIG. The functions of the display section 53 and input section 54 are substantially the same as those of the display section 43 and input section 44 described with reference to FIG.

<Point issuing process>
Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 5, a description will be given of a process in which a purchaser of a product issues points using his/her own user terminal 4. Note that the user terminal 4 owned by the user has a dedicated application (hereinafter referred to as "point issuing application") installed to request the point issuing server 3 to issue points and receive points. shall be.

The point issuing application has a function of reading a product ID using the camera 46 of the user terminal 4, a function of transmitting the read product ID to the point issuing server 3 and requesting the issuance of points, and a function of transmitting information on points issued by the point issuing server 3. It has the function of receiving, etc.

The point issuing server 3 has a user database that stores user information of point issuing applications. The user database stores the user ID, password, name, etc. of each user of the point issuing application. The user ID, password, name, etc. are registered on the user registration screen of the point issuing application, for example, when or after the point issuing application is installed.

Here, the user who issues points (the purchaser of the product) is the user who purchased the product "Tempura" with the registered product ID "49XXXXXXXXXXXYYYYYYY", and the user of the point issuing application linked to the user ID "0001". Assuming that the user is "user X", the process of issuing points will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the user X activates the point issuing application of the user terminal 4, photographs the product ID printed on the packaging material of the purchased product using the camera 46, and reads the product ID (step S21). Subsequently, the user terminal 4 transmits the read product ID, user ID, and password (purchaser information) to the point issuing server 3, and requests issuing of points (step S22). That is, here, the user terminal 4 transmits the product ID "49XXXXXXXXXXXYYYYYYY", the user ID "0001", and the password "######", and requests the point issuing server 3 to issue points.

When receiving a point issuance request from the user terminal 4, the point issuing server 3 performs user authentication processing by comparing the user ID and password received from the user terminal 4 with the user database (step S23). When the user is successfully authenticated, the point issuing server 3 sends the product ID and purchaser information (for example, user ID "0001") received from the user terminal 4 to the product information management server 2, and requests the purchaser's registration. Then, a request is made to obtain the regular selling price, etc. corresponding to the product ID (step S24).

When the product information management server 2 receives the product ID and purchaser information from the point issuing server 3, it searches the product database for the corresponding registered product ID (registered product ID that matches the product ID), and searches the product database for the registered product ID that matches the product ID. The purchaser information received from the point issuing server 3 is registered in the purchaser field of the sales information of the ID (step S25). For example, when receiving the user ID "0001" as the purchaser's information from the point issuing server 3, the product information management server 2 registers the user ID "0001" in the purchaser's field of the corresponding registered product ID "49XXXXXXXXXXXYYYYYYY". . At this point, all manufacturing and sales information is registered, ensuring traceability of the product to the final consumer.

The product information management server 2 also retrieves from the product database the regular selling price, purchase price, return cost, disposal cost, and one of the "best before date" and "expiration date" corresponding to the searched registered product ID. or both", the sales deadline, and the sales date and time (step S26), and transmits all the acquired information to the point issuing server 3 (step S27).

The point issuing server 3 receives the information sent from the product information management server 2, and includes the received regular selling price, purchasing price, return cost, disposal cost, and either the "best before date" or "expiration date". or both", the sell-by date, and the sales date/time, the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the product with the searched registered product ID is calculated so as to exceed the target profit of the store (step S28). Specifically, the point issuing server 3 receives the received regular selling price, purchase price, return cost, disposal cost, "best-before date and/or expiration date", sell-by date, and sales Based on the date and time, calculate the quantity of discounted items and the discount amount per item that will maximize profit, taking into account the profits lost due to discounting and the increase in sales opportunities due to discounting. The number of discount purchase points to be allocated to each purchaser is calculated based on the discount amount per purchase and the expected number of purchasers.

If the difference between the expiration date or expiration date and the sales date and time is within a predetermined point issuance period, the point issuing server 3 issues the number calculated in step S28 to the purchaser of the product with the searched registered product ID. Discount purchase points are issued (step S29).

The point issuing server 3 transmits the information on the issued points to the user terminal 4 (step S30), and the user terminal 4 receives the information on the points issued by the point issuing server 3, and displays the information on the display unit 43 (display screen). (Step S31).

The display unit 43 (display screen) displays information on issued points, a message of gratitude for social contribution, and the like. User X can, for example, present this screen to a sales operator at a store (sales outlet) to use the points for future product purchases. For example, 1 point = 1 yen, and points can be applied to all or part of the price. Alternatively, points can be exchanged for benefits such as prizes, coupons, participation in events, and application for campaigns.

This embodiment has been described above. According to this embodiment, in the point issuance process (FIG. 10), the point issuance server 3 determines whether the normal selling price, purchase price, return cost, disposal cost, "best-before date" or "expiration date" Based on "one or both", sell-by date, and sales date and time, the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the product with the searched registered product ID is calculated to exceed the store's target profit, and the best-before date or use-by date is calculated. If the difference between and the sales date and time is within a predetermined point issuance period, the calculated number of discount purchase points is issued. This makes it possible to optimize the balance between promoting sales of regular priced products and reducing product disposal costs, thereby maximizing the retailer's profits.

Here, in order to reduce the cost of disposing of unsold products such as food products at retail stores, some products that are expected to be discarded are sold at a discount. However, too much sales of discounted products leads to a decline in sales of regular priced products, resulting in large amounts of still-edible food being thrown away. As a result, a large amount of food is lost in food distribution, causing huge economic losses including disposal costs. In this embodiment, this trade-off is optimized, the balance between promotion of sales of regular priced products and reduction of product disposal costs is optimized, and the profit of the retail store can be maximized. Additionally, each retail store may set items to be disposed of at a certain time each day depending on weather, purchasing, and sales conditions, and may allocate a purchasing quota for the items to be disposed of on that day to each customer member. . Then, the subscription member may earn points for the purchase quota of the item to be disposed of, and may acquire the right to purchase the item to be disposed of. This will enable society as a whole to optimally allocate food resources by reducing food loss and disposal costs.

Additionally, the retail store may provide members with live information on the items to be disposed of on that day on the app. Then, the member may check the points awarded for the day at a certain time every day and use them to purchase target products at a specific store. Additionally, members may acquire membership rights for a fixed monthly fee and earn points. For example, you can earn 3,000 points by paying 3,000 yen a month. Then, the retail store determines the discount purchase points for the day at a certain time according to the sales situation on that day, and the maximum number of points (for example, 100 points) that can be used that day out of the points the member has is given to the member. You may contact.
The member may check the upper limit of discount purchase points and the eligible products for which discount purchase points can be used on the user terminal through the app, SNS, or email before visiting the store, or check the upper limit of discount purchase points on the user terminal after visiting the store. While checking the discount purchase points, the user may confirm that the product that he or she has picked up with interest is a target product for which discount purchase points can be used through the product ID, AR, RFID, or the like.
When the member brings the product to be purchased to a product purchase settlement location such as a cash register and pays for the product, the member may be able to use the maximum available purchase points in place of money.
Even if a certain store has discount purchase points on the day, if a certain member's points are all used by the previous day and are zero, the member does not need to be able to use the points.
Additionally, if a member checks out a product and all discount purchase points for that day at that store have been used, even if the member has points and is assigned the maximum number of points that can be used that day, the member It is not necessary for the user to be able to allocate points to purchase eligible products for which discount purchase points can be used.
Furthermore, the retail store may notify the member of the remaining amount of discount purchase points at a certain point in time that the member wishes to confirm.
If the points used do not reach the right acquisition points (3000 points in this case) in the month, from the following month onward, you can use regular price purchase points to purchase all products at a discount, including products other than those for which discount purchase points can be used. It may be possible to convert to For example, this situation may occur even if you have the aforementioned points but cannot use them.
In addition, poor households may be given points free of charge or at a low cost, depending on their income, in cooperation with the government/local government. The government/local government may pay retail stores money based on discount purchase points, or reduce the processing costs paid to the government/local government for disposing of waste products produced by retail stores. Additionally, as an accompanying service, the app may suggest to the member a health menu that uses items purchased with points and scheduled for disposal as main products. Furthermore, when a member purchases a health app provided by a predetermined manufacturer or a product from a predetermined manufacturer, benefits such as points may be provided.

Note that a mechanism may be provided in which information on products for which points are issued can be confirmed in advance. That is, the user terminal 4 transmits a confirmation request for the target product for which points are issued to the point issuing server 3, and upon receiving the confirmation request, the point issuing server 3 sends the product name, point issuing period, and issuing points of the target product. information, expiration date obtained from the product database, store information, etc. are transmitted to the user terminal 4. This allows the user to check information about the product for which points are issued before purchasing the product.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which points are issued using a dedicated application installed on the user terminal 4, but points may also be issued on the membership site (website) of the point issuing server 3. good. In this case, the user starts the web browser pre-installed on the user terminal 4, accesses the login page of the member site of the point issuing server 3, enters the member ID and password registered in advance, and accesses the member site. log in. Then, the product ID printed on the packaging material of the purchased product is photographed with the camera 46, the photographed image is uploaded to the member site of the point issuing server 3, and a point issuance request is made. When a photographed image is uploaded to a member site and a point issuance request is received, the point issuing server 3 acquires a product ID from the photographed image and executes point issuing processing. The point issuing process is similar to steps S24 to S29 in FIG. 5. Information on issuing points can be confirmed on the member page of the member site, and can also be confirmed on a user terminal etc. by sending it to a pre-registered email address.

Although preferred embodiments of the point issuing system and the like according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. For example, in the above embodiment, the product information management server 2 and the point issuing server 3 are configured as separate servers, but as shown below, the product information management server 2 and the point issuing server 3 are configured as one server. It's okay.

The present invention can be implemented and is particularly useful in the retail industry.

1: Point issuing system 2: Product information management server 3: Point issuing server 4: User terminal 5: Supporting organization terminal 6: Manufacturer terminal 7: Network

Claims (26)

A point issuing system in which a product information management server that manages product information and a point issuing server that issues discount purchase points to product purchasers are connected via a network,
The product information management server is
It has a database that stores product manufacturing information and sales information in association with product identification information that uniquely identifies the product,
The manufacturing information includes one or both of the expiration date and expiration date of the product, information on the sell-by date, and information on the cost of returning the product and the cost of disposing of the product,
The sales information includes information on the regular sales price and purchase price of the product,
The point issuing server is
The normal selling price of the target product, the purchase price, the return cost, the disposal cost, either or both of the best-before date and expiration date, the sell-by date, and the sales date and time of the target product. calculation means for calculating the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so as to exceed the target profit based on the information;
If the difference between the expiration date or expiration date of the target product and the sale date and time of the target product is within a predetermined period, the purchaser will receive the discount purchase points of the number calculated by the calculation means. a point issuing means for issuing;
A point issuing system characterized by comprising: The said product is a fresh food or a delicatessen item;
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The point issuing server has a database that stores information on the purchaser's points derived from the subscription;
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The point issuing server has a database that stores information on the purchaser's points granted by a supporting organization;
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The points granted to the purchaser by the supporting organization vary depending on the purchaser's economic condition;
The point issuing system according to claim 4, characterized by: The point issuing server is
an estimation means for estimating the total amount of waste products at any time on the day of sale;
determining means for determining the sales volume of discounted products to be sold at a discount out of the total amount of waste products estimated by the estimation means and the discount purchase points using an algorithm that does not deteriorate the profits of the retailer due to discounted sales;
to have
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The algorithm is: "List price x ("Sales volume by list price sales" + "Sales volume when the above discount purchase points are introduced") - The above discount purchase points x "Exchange ratio of the above discount purchase points to money" - Disposal cost × ``Amount of waste when introducing the discount purchase points'', which is defined by the calculation formula, and ``List price x ``Sales volume by list price sales'' - Disposal cost x List price sales. The difference between the profit and the profit if regular price sales are continued is greater than zero, which is defined by the formula "Amount of waste when the product is disposed of"
The point issuing system according to claim 6, characterized by: The point issuing server includes an allocation means for allocating the discount purchase points determined by the algorithm to the purchaser;
The point issuing system according to claim 7, characterized by: The allocating means allocates, to the purchaser who is a subscription member, a portion of the discount purchase points that is proportional to the monthly purchase points of the subscription held by the member;
The point issuing system according to claim 8, characterized by: The product information management server includes a sales product information transmitting means for transmitting target discount sales product information including sales product names to the customer's mobile terminal in real time;
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sales product information transmitting means transmits the target discount sales product information using AR (Augmented Reality) information, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) information, or barcode information;
The point issuing system according to claim 10, characterized by: The product information management server is displayed in a display cabinet that has a display room and an opening covered by a translucent door that can be opened and closed, and that only the member can access the display room through the opening. having a database that stores information on display locations of the discounted products;
The point issuing system according to claim 9, characterized by: The point issuing server is
a database that stores information on the discount purchase points used during the current month;
A database that stores information on point-issuing stores;
to have,
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The point issuing server has a database that stores information on the purchaser's regular price purchase points that can be used for purchasing regular price items from the next month onward;
The point issuing server includes means for calculating a difference between the discount purchase points used by the purchaser during the current month and the discount purchase points issued to the purchaser;
means for registering the difference in the database as the regular price purchase point;
to have
The point issuing system according to claim 13, characterized by: The point issuing server has a database that stores monetary provision information from supporting organizations;
The point issuing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The point issuing server includes means for requesting a portion of the discount amount from the manufacturer for the discounted item purchased using the discount purchase points and subject to return to the manufacturer;
The point issuing system according to claim 8, characterized by: comprising purchasing means for regularly purchasing the discount purchase points issued by the point issuing system according to claim 8 and usable at a specific target store;
A mobile device featuring: comprising an acquisition means for acquiring the discount purchase points issued by the point issuing system according to claim 8 free of charge by applying to a supporting organization;
The mobile terminal according to claim 17, characterized by: comprising an inventory display control means for displaying the inventory of discounted items in real time;
The mobile terminal according to claim 17, characterized by: comprising a history display control means for displaying the purchase history of products purchased with the discount purchase points;
The mobile terminal according to claim 17, characterized by: comprising menu display control means for displaying a cooking menu using the products purchased with the discount purchase points;
The mobile terminal according to claim 17, characterized by: comprising a current day allocated point display control means for displaying the discount purchase points allocated on that day;
The mobile terminal according to claim 17, characterized by: comprising an unused point balance display control means that converts and displays the unused discount purchase point balance into regular price purchase points that can be used to purchase regular price items from the next month onward;
The mobile terminal according to claim 17, characterized by: The method further comprises point transmitting means for transmitting the discount purchase points according to income to the mobile terminal according to an application transmitted from the mobile terminal according to claim 18 and including information for specifying the amount of income. Was it,
An information processing terminal featuring: Manufacturing information that includes the product's expiration date and/or expiration date, sell-by date information, and information on product return costs and disposal costs, in association with product identification information that uniquely identifies the product. The system is connected via a network to a product information management server that has a database that stores sales information including information on regular sales prices and purchase prices of products, and issues discount purchase points to purchasers of products. A point issuing server,
The normal selling price of the target product, the purchase price, the return cost, the disposal cost, either or both of the best-before date and expiration date, the sell-by date, and the sales date and time of the target product. calculation means for calculating the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so as to exceed the target profit based on the information;
If the difference between the expiration date or expiration date of the target product and the sale date and time of the target product is within a predetermined period, the purchaser will receive the discount purchase points of the number calculated by the calculation means. a point issuing means for issuing;
A point issuing server characterized by comprising: Manufacturing information that includes the product's expiration date and/or expiration date, sell-by date information, and information on product return costs and disposal costs, in association with product identification information that uniquely identifies the product. The system is connected via a network to a product information management server that has a database that stores sales information including information on regular sales prices and purchase prices of products, and issues discount purchase points to purchasers of products. A point issuing method executed by a point issuing server,
The normal selling price of the target product, the purchase price, the return cost, the disposal cost, either or both of the best-before date and expiration date, the sell-by date, and the sales date and time of the target product. based on the information, calculating the number of discount purchase points that can be used for the target product so as to exceed the target profit;
If the difference between the expiration date or expiration date of the target product and the sale date and time of the target product is within a predetermined period, the purchaser of the target product is eligible to purchase the calculated number of discounted items. a step of issuing points;
A point issuing method characterized by including.

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