JP2024023824A - Commodity inventory information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a user with attraction of selected products of an entire retail store such as a local convenience store and a food supermarket while increasing user convenience and also to suppress food loss at the convenience store or the like.

SOLUTION: Disclosed is a commodity inventory information providing system which provides a user with inventory information on products sold in the store. The product inventory information satisfying conditions specified by the user from the product inventory database of a plurality of stores is provided to a terminal of a user in association with store information.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act 1. Publication facts ・Date: October 2, 2020 ・Meeting name, venue: DATALYMPIC2019 Tokyo Preliminary Roppongi Grand Tower 36F, 3-2-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo WingArc Ist Co., Ltd. ・Publisher: Tomomi Jibiki ・Contents of the disclosed invention At the DATALYMPIC 2019 Tokyo qualifying round, Tomomi Jibiki commented on the product inventory information provision system invented by Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, Ken Munakata, Kenji Masubuchi, and Tadashi Kinoshita, saying, ``Convenience store antennas are too visible. It was published under the title ``Do you have any trouble?'' 2. Facts about inheritance of rights to obtain patents, etc. - Inventor of disclosed invention Tomomi Jibiki (4-5-51 Naruse, Machida City, Tokyo) Naori Honda (502 Le Grande, 2-9-2 Yokota, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture) Ken Munakata (1-3-1 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo) Kenji Masubuchi (16-2-102 Nishikigaoka, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture) Tadashi Kinoshita (1-4-2 Mikaminine, Taihaku-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi Prefecture, Tomizawajukusha 5-A401)・Person who has the right to obtain a patent at the time of the act that causes the disclosure of the invention (right holder at the time of the act) Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, Tadashi Kinoshita ・Patent applicant (person listed in the application) Satoshi Jibiki Beauty, Naori Honda, Tadashi Kinoshita ・Publisher Tomomi Jibiki ・Succession of the right to obtain a patent The invention disclosed by the act of publication described in the disclosure facts is Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, Ken Munakata, Kenji Masubuchi , was invented by Tadashi Kinoshita, and as of October 2, 2020, at the time of publication, Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, and Tadashi Kinoshita held the right to obtain a patent. On September 30, 2020, the right to receive a patent for the invention was transferred from Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, Ken Munakata, Kenji Masubuchi, and Tadashi Kinoshita to Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, and Tadashi Kinoshita. Later, on October 23, 2020, Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, and Tadashi Kinoshita filed a patent application. - Regarding the relationship between the right holder at the time of the act and the publisher (state that the publisher made the disclosure due to the act of the right holder at the time of the act) Tomomi Jibiki is the right holder at the time of the act The disclosure was made on behalf of Tomomi Jibiki, Naori Honda, and Tadashi Kinoshita as stated in the disclosure facts.

The present invention relates to a product inventory information providing system.

There are approximately 55,000 convenience stores (hereinafter referred to as convenience stores) nationwide, and the number of customers per month reaches approximately 1.5 billion nationwide. Each person visits a convenience store 10 times a month (Non-Patent Document 1). Many users purchase food such as bento boxes and side dishes from convenience stores. Convenience store companies are competing on the quality and selection of food products and have rapidly expanded their offerings in recent years. Nowadays, convenience stores can be found all over town, making it easy to purchase convenience store products and attracting the support of many users.

Japan Franchise Chain Association, “Convenience Store Statistical Survey Monthly Report August 2019”, [online], [searched on September 21, 2019], Internet <URL: https://www.jfa-fc. or.jp/particle/320.html＞.

Convenience store companies (convenience store chains) such as 7-Eleven (hereinafter referred to as S series), FamilyMart (hereinafter referred to as F series), Lawson (hereinafter referred to as L series), Ministop, and Daily Yamazaki sell products from existing manufacturers. In addition to selling products, we also sell original brand products developed in-house. Especially for products such as boxed lunches, original brands are the main focus. As a result, each convenience store chain has a different product lineup. Furthermore, convenience stores have limited shelf space compared to grocery stores, so even within the same convenience store chain, product lineups may vary. Furthermore, depending on the time of day, the product you want to purchase may be out of stock.

For example, if there are multiple convenience store options, such as the user who buys food at a convenience store on the way home from the station nearest to his home, as shown in Figure 1, which convenience store should he stop at to find the best food purchase? I won't know if it's possible until I go to the store.

For example, if a user is thinking of purchasing soup as shown in Figure 2, on that day, pork shabu soup (assumed to be a product from an L-series convenience store), gyoza soup (assumed to be a product from an F-series convenience store), and vegetable soup (supposed to be a product from an F-series convenience store). Consider, for example, a case in which purchasing priorities are determined based on the order of products (assuming the products are from a affiliated convenience store). Heading home from the nearest station, you first go to a convenience store (L series) that should be selling your first choice (for example, pork shabu soup). However, when it is confirmed that the first desired product is out of stock, the user moves to a convenience store (S series) that is supposed to carry the second desired product (eg, gyoza soup). If the product is out of stock there, the user moves to a convenience store (F series) that is supposed to carry the third-choice product (eg, vegetable soup). If the user's route home and the locations of convenience stores of each chain are as shown in FIG. 2, the user will have to go back and forth on the route home to purchase the third desired product.

For example, even if a user usually uses a certain chain of convenience stores in their neighborhood, they might wonder if there are better products at other chain of convenience stores. Sometimes I think. However, if you go to another affiliated convenience store and the desired product is not available, you will have to go to your usual convenience store. Users who want to avoid this hassle often settle for the nearest convenience store.

Furthermore, even within the same convenience store chain, the products handled may differ. For example, assume that there is a convenience store chain that sells aloe yogurt in 4-packs and aloe yogurt in 2-packs. If there are two convenience stores of the same chain as the user's nearest convenience store, a user who wants to purchase a 4-pack of aloe yogurt will not know in advance which convenience store has it in stock, so he or she will visit which convenience store first. Visiting one may be a matter of luck.

Users who want to avoid going back and forth to multiple convenience stores often settle for certain foods at the first convenience store they enter. In this case, even though the user is in an environment where they can select products from multiple convenience stores, it is not possible to purchase the optimal food. Probably most users are like this. Therefore, even though multiple convenience stores in the area offer users a large selection and attractive products, users are unable to fully enjoy them, and food such as bento boxes at convenience stores Many users still think of eating at a restaurant as an emergency measure for unavoidable situations such as when they are busy.

Incidentally, the same problem is common to any type of store, as long as it is difficult to know the store's products and inventory without visiting the store. For example, the problem is particularly noticeable in stores that handle food and daily goods, such as grocery stores, department store food counters (so-called department store basements, etc.), drug stores, cake shops, etc., but stationery, magazines, miscellaneous goods, cigarettes, flowers, etc. The same applies to stores (including convenience stores) that sell .

Furthermore, food waste has become a problem in convenience stores and supermarkets in recent years. The convenience store industry as a whole has waste disposal losses of nearly 700 billion yen annually. The SDGs aim to halve global per capita food waste at the retail and consumption level by 2030.

Regarding the issue of food waste, food supermarkets and other stores have been working to reduce waste loss by selling products at a discount from the original price just before closing time. In recent years, there have also been efforts to reward points in order to suppress the decline in internal reference prices.
On the other hand, users who are aware of the issue of waste loss may come to the store just before the store closes and actively purchase food and other products that would otherwise be discarded after the store closes. When products with different expiration dates are displayed, customers may intentionally purchase the product with an earlier expiration date.

However, in either case, users had no idea what kind of products were available in the store without visiting the store. The same goes for products with a short expiration date or products that will be discarded soon, and even if you go to buy a product with a short expiration date, it may not be on sale that day. Users were sometimes disappointed because the products they wanted were not available. Furthermore, it is difficult to compare the product lineups of multiple stores and make the optimal purchase.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide users with the appeal of the entire product lineup of retail stores such as local convenience stores and food supermarkets while increasing user convenience. .

In order to achieve the above purpose,
The product inventory information providing system of the present invention provides a user with inventory information of products sold at a plurality of stores.
A store product inventory database for registering store information, product information, and product inventory amount for each store, a storage means for storing the database, and a server for providing the product inventory information to the user through a network, The server provides the user's mobile terminal with inventory information of products that meet the conditions specified by the user and store information of stores that have the products from the store product inventory database , and displays the store information on the user's mobile terminal. It is characterized by displaying stores on the map near their actual locations.

According to the present invention, without having to visit multiple stores, the user can determine what to purchase at which store based on the inventory information of each store, thereby realizing optimal purchasing with minimal effort.

Map of convenience stores around Gotanda Station Steps of users considering purchasing soup at convenience stores Product inventory information provision system (each store/server) Product inventory information provision system (server/each user) Sample 1 of the screen displayed on the user's terminal Sample 2 of the screen displayed on the user's terminal Inventory information when searching by product name Inventory information when searching by genre name (pasta) Inventory information when searching by genre name (Locavo) Examples of product names belonging to the genre "soup" (soup product names at each convenience store) Hierarchically structured genres (large genre/small genre/product name) Screen when searching for multiple products Example of inventory information display screen when searching for multiple products Inventory information for products that will be discarded within 2 hours (products nearing their best-before date) at multiple stores Diagram showing the commercial area of a store Graph to understand customer loss from inventory information and search information Customer management status before introduction of the present invention Customer management status after introduction of the present invention Business model canvas of the service provider of this system (for convenience store users) Business model canvas for service providers of this system (for convenience store headquarters/member stores) Examples of genres and product names belonging to the genre Examples of genres and product names belonging to the genre Examples of genres and product names belonging to the genre Examples of genres and product names belonging to the genre Examples of genres and product names belonging to the genre

A product inventory information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

<Example 1>
<Configuration of product inventory information provision system>
The configuration of the product inventory information providing system will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The product inventory information providing system includes a store product inventory database, storage means, and a server 100.

The store product inventory database registers product information and product inventory amounts for each store (multiple stores) via a wide area network such as the Internet. The storage means stores information on the store product inventory database.

It is desirable to construct a product inventory database for a plurality of stores using electronic tags attached to products and electronic tag readers placed in the stores. By reading the information on the electronic tags attached to products with electronic tag readers placed in the store, it is possible to grasp in-store inventory information for each product in almost real time. Inventory information read by an electronic tag reader is stored in a product inventory database. This product inventory database is managed so that the inventory status of each product can be seen for each store.

The server 100 provides the user's mobile terminal with store information and inventory information of products that meet conditions specified by the user from the store product inventory database via a wide area network such as the Internet. The store product inventory database and storage means may be provided in the server 100 or may be provided separately.

A user can check the information provided by the product inventory information providing system of the present invention through an application on a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as a smartphone). 5 and 6 are samples of screens displayed on the user's terminal.

<Search by product name>
If the user has decided on a specific product that he or she wants to purchase or is looking for, he or she enters the specific product name in the "Search by product name" field. In this case, the user may select from a list of products prepared in advance (combo box, etc.). When searching for something, the same applies to other embodiments described below.

For example, if you want to check in advance where the popular "Rizap Salad" is available at the nearest convenience store, enter "Rizap Salad" as the product name in the product name input tab on the user terminal, and then check the information. is transmitted to the product inventory information providing system of the present invention (see FIG. 7). The product inventory information providing system provides inventory information of a product (product name: "Rizap Salad") that satisfies conditions specified by the user from the product inventory database of multiple stores in association with store information to the user's terminal. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the locations of F-series stores around Gotanda Station using icons, and the number of Rizap salads in stock is shown to the right of the icon.

By displaying store information and product inventory information for multiple stores on a map displayed on the user terminal as shown in Figure 7, users can choose which store to go shopping based on their current location. Users can instantly determine whether it is a good idea or what route they should take to visit the convenience stores in order to make the shortest purchase possible. For example, store information is displayed at a corresponding location on a map based on information such as the store's address, latitude and longitude. In FIG. 7, a convenience store icon and convenience store name are displayed at the corresponding position on the map based on the latitude and longitude information of each store, and inventory information is displayed in the vicinity. That is, the inventory information of products that meet the conditions specified by the user and the store information of stores that have the products are displayed on the map displayed on the user's mobile terminal near the location where the store actually exists, It is desirable to display inventory information near the display of store information.

The method of providing information to the user is not limited to this method; the store name (convenience store branch name) and inventory quantity may be combined and displayed on the user's terminal as shown on the right side of Figure 7 (also in all of the following examples). similar). For example, for a user whose only options are the regular convenience stores around his/her residence, the location of the convenience store is known, so information on the location of the convenience store is not necessary. It is sufficient to know the inventory information of each store's products.
In addition, the number of items in stock does not have to be indicated as a specific number. For example, (1) Out of stock/In stock, (2) Out of stock/Only a few left/Available in stock, (3) Out of stock/5 items or less in stock/10 items or less in stock. In general, the number of products in stock (especially the maximum number of products in stock) is important information for store management, so store managers may want to keep it as secret as possible. Since the presence or absence of inventory is important to the user and they do not necessarily want to know the exact number of items in stock, it is acceptable for the user not to accurately indicate the number of items in stock (the same applies to all of the following embodiments). Note that when the number of items in stock is small, such as 10 or less or 5 or less, it is desirable to display the number of items in stock as much as possible. There is a problem with the time lag in which products are sold out between the time a user checks the inventory on their user terminal and the time they arrive at the store. If the number of items in stock is low, if the number of items in stock is displayed accurately, users can predict in advance the risk that the desired product will be sold out by the time they arrive at the store. In other words, if the number in stock is 1, there is a high risk of it being sold out, and if the number in stock is about 3, it can be predicted that there will be about 1 item left by the time it arrives.

<Search by genre name>
If the user does not have a specific product or the like to purchase, he or she can search by category name (product category) to find out the inventory status of products belonging to the specified category at the nearest convenience store.
For example, FIG. 8 shows the results of a search using the category name pasta. The number of pasta products in stock at each store is displayed on the screen of the user terminal. On the left side of FIG. 8, information on the location of the convenience store on the map and the number of items in stock are shown. Furthermore, it is desirable to display information on the user's terminal showing a breakdown of the pasta inventory. On the right side of FIG. 8, pasta inventory information for each store is displayed along with the store name and product name. When the user clicks around the convenience store icon on the left side of FIG. 8, the pasta inventory information of that convenience store may be displayed together with the store name and product name.
As in the present invention, when you want to know the inventory of stores belonging to multiple convenience store chains all at once, it is particularly effective to search by genre name. For example, the same pasta product may have different product names at different convenience store chains. By first narrowing down the search by genre name and then performing a more detailed search if necessary, users can easily check the inventory information they need.

There are various product categories to which this embodiment can be applied. For example, Japanese food, Western food, Chinese food, pasta, soba, udon, ramen, rice bowl, curry, meat-based, vegetable-based, soup, salad, prepared food, chilled food, frozen food, low calorie, high calorie, low sugar, children's food, For the elderly, for men, for women, stamina, additive-free, organically grown, seasonal, limited time, new products, trendy items in short supply, drinking water, alcohol, ice cream, cakes, desserts, sweets, seasonings , magazines, collaboration products, low price range, medium price range, high price range, etc. are applicable. A person implementing the system of the present invention needs to set in advance what kind of products belong to each genre. Alternatively, the user may be allowed to freely customize the genre name and the products belonging to that genre. For example, FIG. 10 is a sample list of product names belonging to the genre name "soup." Furthermore, examples of genre names and products belonging to the genres are shown in FIGS. 21 to 25. For example, the product category "Japanese food" includes products such as "Okonomi Makunouchi", "Shrimp Tendon", "Fried Karaage Bento", "Salmon Bento", and "Katsudon". Of course, the list is not limited to these, and Japanese food products can also be set. Further, the same product may belong to multiple genres. For example, katsudon belongs to the "Japanese food" and "donburi" genres.

The genre names may be set hierarchically as shown in FIG. For example, the left column in FIG. 11 is a large genre, and the middle column is a small genre. For example, the small genres of pasta, udon/soba, and ramen belong to the large category of noodles, and the actual product names such as meat sauce and Neapolitan belong to the small category of pasta. By setting genre names hierarchically, even users who cannot immediately find the genre name when searching can easily find the desired genre or product name.

<Summary search>
Furthermore, it may be possible to search for multiple products or multiple genres at the same time. For example, if you want to purchase both "salmon rice balls" and "seaweed salad" at one store, search by specifying salmon rice balls and seaweed salad as product names as shown in FIG. 12. Then, the product inventory information providing system provides inventory information of products (salmon rice balls and seaweed salad) that meet the conditions specified by the user from the product inventory databases of the plurality of stores to the user's terminal in association with the store information. For example, inventory information can be displayed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, inventory information of stores A, B, C, and D are displayed in order from the user's current location. The user can confirm before visiting store C that both salmon rice balls and seaweed salad can be purchased at store C. The search target is not limited to two products, but may be searched for three or more products.

<Products nearing expiry date>
The product inventory database used in the product inventory information providing system of the present invention may hold the expiration date of each product as data. Normally, food retailers do not display products in stores until the very end of their best-before dates, and remove products from shelves after a certain amount of time has passed. If the time at which unsold products are scheduled to be removed from the product shelf is defined as the product removal time, the product inventory database can hold the time up to the product removal time as data. In the present invention, for example, the time until the product removal time is referred to as "time until disposal".

For example, Figures 8 and 9 show the results of a user's search for inventory information using the genre names "Pasta" and "Locavo (Product)." It is possible to inform the user of the ``time until destruction'' as shown in the following example. Users who understand the problem of food waste may actively purchase products that take less time to dispose of. Users can select a store to purchase a product, taking into consideration the time it takes to dispose of the product.

A product nearing its best-before date in the present invention refers to a product that will soon reach its best-before date and will be removed from a store's sales floor, or a product that will soon be discarded.Specifically, it refers to the "time until discarded" mentioned above. means something that exists within a certain period of time. A user of the product inventory information providing system of the present invention can arbitrarily set how long it takes to discard a product to be considered as a product that is close to its expiration date. For example, if the time until disposal is within 2 hours, the product can be considered to be close to its expiration date.
These products that are close to their expiration date are also called "rescue products" because store managers preferentially purchase them from users to help reduce food waste.

FIG. 14 is an example of a display screen of inventory information of each store when searching by specifying "time until disposal". In FIG. 14, inventory information (number of items in stock) of products that will take two hours to discard (products nearing their best-before date) at a convenience store near the user is displayed on a map. In the right table of FIG. 14, specific product names in stock at each store are displayed. Previously, users had to go to a store to find out if a product was close to its expiry date, but now users can check inventory information without going to the store. In particular, the present invention provides the user with inventory information of a plurality of stores, so it is possible to realize optimal purchasing from the information of a plurality of stores.

Furthermore, in addition to "time until discard" as a user search condition, product names and genre names may also be added to the search conditions. Specifying such conditions is preferable for users who are only interested in specific products or genres.

Furthermore, the present invention can more simply provide the user with inventory information on products that are close to their expiration date. For example, by setting buttons or icons such as "products nearing expiry date" or "rescue products" on the user's search screen, the user can simply press these buttons to search for the nearest convenience store or a convenience store specified in advance. Inventory information for products nearing their expiry date is provided to the user's terminal.
By setting the category ``products nearing expiration date'' and its conditions (e.g. time until disposal) in advance, users can select the category ``products nearing expiration date'' and shop at the nearest convenience store or at a specified location in advance. Inventory information of convenience store products that are close to expiration dates may be provided to the user's terminal.

<Rescue Point>
When a user purchases a product near its expiration date and rescues the product from discarded product, a few percent to several tens of percent of the list price may be given as rescue points, for example. It is desirable that rescue points be exchangeable for points that can be used at convenience stores.

<Stores with different managers>
The plurality of stores of the present invention can include stores managed by different managers. Further, the plurality of stores of the present invention can include stores belonging to different franchisees. In particular, users in urban areas or those traveling by car can select multiple stores, so they do not only use one store. For such users, if inventory information of stores run by different managers or belonging to different franchisees is provided in one system, they can easily make optimal purchases.

<Specification of multiple stores>
The plurality of stores according to the present invention can be stores specified by the user. The stores that users use on a daily basis may be predetermined to some extent, such as the convenience store closest to their home, the convenience store closest to their workplace, or the convenience store on their commuting route between home and work. A user using the product inventory information providing system of the present invention can set in advance a plurality of stores to which inventory information is provided by the system.

The plurality of stores according to the present invention may be determined based on the user's location information. When a user is in an unfamiliar area, it may be difficult to know where convenience stores are located. Therefore, there are cases where a person enters a convenience store that catches his eye and makes a compromise and purchases the products that are sold at that store. In the present invention, convenience stores within a predetermined range from the user's location can be defined as the plurality of stores of the present invention based on the location information of the user's terminal (smartphone, etc.). It can be set arbitrarily within the predetermined range. For example, if a user considers it acceptable to walk for a distance of about 200 meters in order to purchase a better product, the product inventory information providing system of the present invention may be within a radius of 200 meters from the location information (e.g. latitude and longitude information) of the user's terminal. can be set to provide convenience store inventory information.

The plurality of stores of the present invention can be stores in a predetermined area. The predetermined area can be specified by an address, such as Nishigotanda (Nishigotanda 1-chome to Nishigotanda 8-chome) in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, or the user can set the range on the map. You can also specify the region by

<Store information>
The store information of the present invention can include at least one piece of information related to a store name or one piece of information related to store location information. The information related to the store name is, for example, information related to the store name, such as "7-Eleven ○○○ store." The information related to the location information of the store is information related to the address of the store, such as "Nishi Gotanda 1-chome", for example. The product inventory information providing system of the present invention is assumed to be used by users through their mobile terminals when actually shopping. Therefore, it is desirable to provide product inventory information together with information that allows the location of the store to be quickly identified, such as information related to the store name or information related to the location information of the store.

<Store information on the map>
In the present invention, store information and inventory information of the store can be displayed on the map displayed on the user's terminal. For example, the convenience store icon shown on the map in Figures 7, 8, and 9 is "store information on the map displayed on the user's terminal", and the icon in Figures 7, 8, and 9 is "store information on the map displayed on the user's terminal". Inventory information is also displayed. The product inventory information providing system of the present invention is assumed to be used by users through their mobile terminals when actually shopping. Therefore, by displaying the location and inventory information of multiple stores on a map in this way, users can decide which store to go shopping for based on their current location, and what route they should take to reach a convenience store. If you go around the store, you can instantly determine if the best purchase is possible within the shortest distance.
(The same applies to Example 2 below).

The product inventory database used in the present invention is preferably constructed from electronic tags attached to products and electronic tag readers placed in the store. By reading the information on the electronic tags attached to products with electronic tag readers placed in the store, it is possible to grasp in-store inventory information for each product in almost real time. Inventory information read by an electronic tag reader is stored in a product inventory database. This product inventory database is managed so that the inventory status of each product can be seen for each store.
It is possible to acquire inventory information more easily than with conventional POS systems. Inventory information such as product installation, purchase, and disposal can be automatically compiled into a database in real time.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has agreed with 7-Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, Ministop, and New Days to use electronic tags on all products they handle (estimated at 100 billion items per year) by 2025, under certain conditions. The government is formulating the ``Declaration of 100 Billion Electronic Tags for Convenience Stores.'' Electronic tags will soon be used to manage individual items not only at convenience stores but also at food supermarkets.

<Example 2>
In the product inventory information providing system of the present invention, when a user uses the system, the user's usage history such as search words and location information are accumulated in a database. By using this database, useful information can be obtained for convenience store managers and convenience store headquarters.

<Trade area analysis>
There is a certain convenience store (hereinafter referred to as store A) in the center of the concentric circles in Figure 15, and the pin marked on the map is when a user uses an app on a mobile device to check inventory information of store A. This is the position of It can be seen that at the location where this pin exists, the user thought that if there was something he wanted to purchase at store A, he would be able to visit the store. Then, the range where these pins are shown can be said to be the business area of store A. In the product inventory information providing system of the present invention, store trade area information can be created in this way. For convenience store managers, being able to understand the trade area has the advantage of making it easier to predict inventory by linking to information on various events (exhibitions, academic conferences, concerts, sports days, etc.) within the trade area.

<Search information x inventory information>
By combining search information with inventory data and analyzing it, you can understand if you are losing customers. FIG. 16 shows search information and inventory data of a certain convenience store (hereinafter referred to as store B). The bar graph in the figure shows the number of Makunouchi bento boxes in stock at store B. For example, the reason why the number of items in stock increases from 2 to 8 at 7 o'clock is because store B has received inventory. From there, the inventory gradually decreases as users make purchases, until it reaches zero at 1:00 p.m. Thereafter, the state of zero inventory will continue until the inventory is received again at 3:00 p.m.
The line graph in FIG. 16 shows the change in the number of searches for Makunouchi bento by users of this store. For example, the number of searches at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. is 17 and 10, respectively, which indicates that the store was out of stock and therefore lost users. The present invention allows the user to visualize the process leading up to purchase to some extent. Since customer management using conventional POS systems is limited to information about users who have made purchases, the present invention has a great effect.

For reference, the situation before and after the introduction of the present invention is summarized in Figures 17 and 18. Furthermore, the business model of a system operator using the present invention is organized using a business model canvas in FIGS. 19 and 20.

Although the embodiments described above have all been explained using a convenience store as an example, the present invention can be applied to any type of store as long as the products and inventory of the store cannot be known without visiting the store. For example, the problem is particularly noticeable in stores that handle food and daily goods, such as grocery stores, department store food counters (so-called department store basements, etc.), drug stores, cake shops, etc., but stationery, magazines, miscellaneous goods, cigarettes, flowers, etc. The same applies to stores (including convenience stores) that sell .

In this embodiment, foods such as boxed lunches are taken as an example. It is particularly effective for foods with short expiration dates and are prone to stockouts, but is also applicable to other non-food products such as drinking water, alcohol, ice cream, cakes, desserts, sweets, seasonings, magazines, and collaborative products. is possible.

Note that the dashboard of the present application (FIGS. 1, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16, etc.) was created using Motion Board from Wingarc1st.

Claims (14)

In a product inventory information providing system that provides users with inventory information on products sold at multiple stores,
A store product inventory database that registers store information, product information, and product inventory for each store;
storage means for storing the database;
comprising a server for providing inventory information of the product to the user through the network,
The server provides the user's mobile terminal with inventory information of products that meet conditions specified by the user and store information of stores that have the products from the store product inventory database;
A product inventory information providing system characterized in that the store information is displayed on a map displayed on a user's mobile terminal near the location where the store actually exists. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the product that satisfies the conditions specified by the user is a product that includes a product name specified by the user. In the store product inventory database, each product is assigned a product category.
3. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the product that satisfies the conditions specified by the user is a product that includes a product name belonging to a product category specified by the user. The product categories include bento, Japanese food, Western food, Chinese food, pasta, soba, udon, ramen, rice bowl, curry, meat-based, vegetable-based, soup, salad, prepared food, chilled bento, frozen food, low calorie, high calorie, Low carbohydrate, for children, for the elderly, stamina, additive-free, organically grown, seasonal, limited time, new products, trendy items in short supply, drinking water, alcohol, ice cream, cakes, desserts, sweets, seasonings 4. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the product inventory information providing system includes at least one genre related to , magazines, or collaboration products. 5. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the conditions specified by the user include a plurality of conditions. 6. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of conditions include at least two product names specified by the user. The product inventory information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the product that satisfies the conditions specified by the user is a product that is close to its expiration date. In a product inventory information providing system that provides users with inventory information on products sold at multiple stores,
A store product inventory database that registers store information, product information, and product inventory for each store;
storage means for storing the database;
comprising a server for providing inventory information of the product to the user through the network,
The server provides the user's mobile terminal with inventory information regarding products that are close to expiration dates, products that have been reduced in price, or products that have been given a coupon, and store information of stores that have the products, from product inventory databases of multiple stores. A product inventory information providing system characterized by: Providing product inventory information according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the plurality of stores include stores managed by different managers, or the plurality of stores include stores belonging to different franchisees. system. 10. The plurality of stores are stores specified by the user, stores determined based on location information of the user's mobile terminal, or stores in a predetermined area. Product inventory information provision system. 11. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the store information includes at least one of information related to a store name or store location information. 12. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the store product inventory database is constructed from electronic tags attached to products and electronic tag readers placed in the store. 11. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 10, wherein trade area information of the store is created based on location information of a user's mobile terminal. 11. The product inventory information providing system according to claim 10, wherein the product inventory information providing system determines whether a customer is missing out on the store based on search information of the store's inventory information and inventory information of a user of the store.