JP2024040855A - Information processing apparatus, user terminal, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus that absorbs the influence of fluctuations in exchange rate on selling/buying a commodity or transactions, a user terminal, and a computer program.

SOLUTION: In an e-commerce system, a service server serving as an information processing apparatus is configured to: acquire commodity information including at least a category, a sales price, a sales quantity, and a sales period of a first commodity to be offered by a seller user; acquire information on a first sales result of a commodity of the same category as the category of the first commodity offered by the selling user in the past; acquire information on a second sales result of a commodity of the same category as the category offered by another selling user different from the selling user; estimate a first quantity of the commodities that the selling user is able to sell in the sales period, on the basis of the commodity information, the first sales result information and the second sales result information; and perform purchase processing for currency equivalent to an amount of money based on the first quantity and the sales price.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a user terminal, and a computer program.

Generally, if the price of the product involves foreign exchange (for example, if the payment is made in Japanese yen but is expected to be ultimately converted into dollars, or vice versa), setting the selling price of the product If there are fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the transaction is concluded and the time the transaction is concluded, the actual amount paid may differ from the expected amount when converted into currency.

In order to prevent such a situation, it is possible to use a mechanism called exchange reservation (see Patent Document 1). By using foreign exchange forward contracts, even if a certain period of time has passed from the time the sales price is set to the time the sale is concluded, the payment amount will be converted into cash at the exchange rate at the time of price setting, so the exchange rate within the certain period Unaffected by rate fluctuations.

JP2019-220108A

However, in order to make a foreign exchange contract, the amount and period must be determined in advance, and it is difficult to make an appropriate foreign exchange contract in fields such as retail (including cross-border e-commerce) where it is not known in advance when and how much will be sold. Met. In addition, the procedures are complicated for users, so they lack convenience.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that makes it possible to absorb the effects of exchange rate fluctuations in product sales and transactions.

The present invention, which corresponds to a certain aspect of solving the above problems, is an information processing device that communicates with a user terminal of a listing user who lists a product on an electronic commerce (EC) site via an EC server that operates the EC site. And,
The information processing device includes a processor, a memory, and a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
acquiring product information regarding a first product that the listing user intends to list, which includes at least the category, sales price, number of units sold, and sales period of the first product;
acquiring information on a first sales record of a product in the same category as the first product that the exhibiting user has exhibited in the past;
obtaining information on a second sales record of a product in the same category as the category exhibited by another exhibiting user different from the exhibiting user;
estimating a first number of products that the listing user can sell during the sales period from the product information, the first sales performance information, and the second sales performance information;
executing a purchase process of currency corresponding to an amount based on the first number and the sales price;
The selling price is indicated in a first unit of currency, and the unit of currency purchased in the purchase process is a second unit different from the first unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for absorbing the influence of exchange rate fluctuations in product sales and transactions.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an electronic commerce system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server device according to an embodiment. 5 is a timing chart corresponding to an example of processing executed in the electronic commerce system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a product information input screen corresponding to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a rate guarantee approval screen corresponding to the first embodiment. 5 is a timing chart corresponding to another example of processing executed in the electronic commerce system according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of sales prediction processing corresponding to the first embodiment. 5 is a timing chart corresponding to an example of processing executed in the electronic commerce system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product information input screen corresponding to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a rate guarantee approval screen corresponding to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the product information input screen corresponding to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the approval aspect of rate guarantee corresponding to the second embodiment. 5 is a timing chart corresponding to another example of processing executed in the electronic commerce system according to the second embodiment. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of sales prediction processing corresponding to the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 shows a general configuration of an electronic commerce (EC) system 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. Here, a service server 101, which is an information processing device that provides a rate guarantee service corresponding to this embodiment, and an EC company that provides services to users on an EC site (provide services to users across countries) are used. Products are bought and sold via the EC server 102 of a retail company (also referred to as a "cross-border EC company") and the retail server 103 of a retail company that sells purchased products to general consumers. User terminals 104 (A to C) used by customers and a money merchant system 105 of a financial instruments business operator that buys and sells currency in accordance with order instructions from the service server 101 communicate via a network 106 such as the Internet. It is connected. The user terminal 104 is configured with a general-purpose personal computer, a smartphone, or the like. Although the service server 101, EC server 102, and retail server 103 are shown as independent nodes in FIG. 1, they may be combined into one or more nodes.

In this embodiment, a user using the user terminal 104 can list products and sell them to other users on the EC site provided by the EC server 102 via the network 106. Further, the user of the user terminal 104 can purchase products exhibited on the EC site. In this way, a user who is a seller (exhibiting user) can list a product on an EC site, set a selling price, and sell the product to other users (purchasing users) on the EC site. . In this embodiment, the products that can be exhibited on the EC site are any objects that can be traded.

Next, the hardware configuration of the service server 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The service server 101 can be configured from, for example, one or more personal computers as an information processing device. In FIG. 2, a CPU 201 as a processor controls the service server 101 using programs, data, etc. stored in a RAM (Random Access Memory) 202 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 205 as memories. Processing corresponding to the embodiment (FIGS. 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11) is executed. The RAM 202 includes an area for reading processing programs stored in the internal storage device 207 and information stored in the external storage device 208, and also includes a work area used when the CPU 201 executes various processes.

The input unit 203 is an input unit that receives input from the administrator of the service server 101, and is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. A communication I/F (interface) 204 functions as an I/F for connecting to the network 106 and the like. The ROM 205 stores programs (for example, a boot program, etc.) that control the entire service server 101. The display unit 206 is a display unit as a display screen, and is configured with a liquid crystal display device or the like.

The internal storage device 207 is mainly composed of a hard disk, and stores programs and various application data for the service server 101 to execute processing. The data stored here is read out to the RAM 202 as needed. The external storage device 208 is a database, and stores product information, past transaction information, etc. as needed. Bus 209 provides interconnection of each of the blocks described above.

The hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 can be similar to the EC server 102, retail server 103, and financial merchant system 105 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the basic hardware configuration of the user terminal 104 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2.

Next, the processing executed in the electronic commerce system 10 will be explained. FIG. 3 is a timing chart illustrating an overview of the process flow when registering an item for sale according to this embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the user sells products on the EC site provided by the EC server 102 on the network 106. To this end, first, in S301, input of product information is accepted at the user terminal 104.

Here, the selling user can input information regarding the product such as the product name, category (product attributes), local currency, sales price, reference price, etc. of the product desired to be sold on the EC site as product information. The unit of currency of the sales price can be input in the unit of currency of the country where the purchasing user who is the customer resides. For example, if the purchasing user who is expected to purchase the product is a user residing in Japan, the value can be specified in Japanese yen.

Further, as the local currency, the unit of currency of the country where the exhibiting user resides can be specified. For example, if the country where the user resides is the United States, the US dollar can be specified as the local currency. Regarding currency units, candidate currency units may be automatically presented on the user terminal 104 side based on location information.

In this embodiment, the selling user can set the selling price arbitrarily, but if the selling user lives outside Japan (for example, the United States) and wants to sell the product to a purchasing user who lives in Japan, set the selling price, but the amount paid must be converted into US dollars. At this time, there were fluctuations in the exchange rate between the time the selling price was set, the transaction contract was established between the selling user and the purchasing user, and the amount equivalent to the selling price (in Japanese yen) was paid by the purchasing user. In this case, specifically, if the yen depreciates, the dollar amount that the selling user can receive will be reduced. As a result, the profit of the selling user decreases. In particular, if it takes a certain period of time to sell and the yen depreciates significantly, the amount after deducting the purchase price and handling fees could become negative.

In order to deal with such a situation, the present embodiment provides a mechanism that allows payment to be received at the exchange rate at the time of product registration. This mechanism is called "rate guarantee" in this embodiment. By using the rate guarantee, the selling user will be able to pay the price at the exchange rate at the time of product registration at the time of settlement after the product is sold, even if the exchange rate fluctuates in the future.

In S302, a setting as to whether or not to perform rate guarantee is accepted. In settings where rate guarantee is performed, guarantee information can be further set. Specifically, in the subsequent S303, input of information regarding rate guarantee (guarantee information) is accepted. Specifically, the guarantee information includes the guaranteed number of products specified in S301, the sales period to which the rate guarantee is applied (corresponding to the guarantee period and the sales period), and the like. For example, if you want to sell lipstick as a product, the guaranteed number can be set to 10, and the sales period can be set to 3 weeks, that is, the warranty period can be set to 3 weeks later. In this case, as long as the specified 10 items are sold within 3 weeks, the customer wishes to have the exchange rate guaranteed at the time of registration. It is necessary to ask the service server 101 to decide whether or not this request will actually be granted.

Here, FIG. 4A shows an example of an input screen used when the listing user inputs information regarding the listing product in steps S301 to S303. In the screen 400, the user name 401 indicates the user name registered in advance on the EC site by the seller user who is going to input product information. The user name is associated with identification information (user ID) that can uniquely identify the exhibiting user.

In the product name 402, the product name that the listing user is trying to put up for sale can be input. The product name can be arbitrarily designated by the user. In the category 403, attributes and classification of the product to be exhibited can be input. The categories 403 may be configured to be settable in stages. For example, after inputting whether it is women's or men's, it is possible to select product categories related to each gender category. The category is information useful for categorizing exhibited products, so it can be configured to be set in detail.

As the local currency 404, the selling user can set the unit of currency in which he/she wishes to convert the sales proceeds into cash. The local currency 404 can be configured to select a corresponding currency unit from predetermined options. The selling price 405 is the price of the exhibited product set by the exhibiting user, and can be set arbitrarily by the exhibitor, but it takes into consideration various expenses such as purchase price, fees paid to the EC site, credit card fees, etc. The amount will be set accordingly. The currency unit of the sales price 405 is a currency unit different from the currency unit set as the local currency 404, and is the currency unit used by the purchasing user when making a purchase. For example, if the purchasing user is assumed to be a user residing in Japan, Japanese yen is set. The reference price 406 is the normal price (market price) of the product to be exhibited, and can be presented as reference information. The currency unit of the reference price 406 follows the currency unit of the price paid by the exhibiting user when purchasing. If the selling user lives in the US and purchases the item in the US, it will be displayed in US dollars.

The rate guarantee button 407 is a button for setting rate guarantee corresponding to this embodiment, and either "YES" or "NO" can be selected. If "YES" is selected, a guaranteed number 408 and a guaranteed term 409 can be further set. The guaranteed number 408 is the number of products subject to rate guarantee, and can be arbitrarily set by the listing user. The guarantee period 409 is a period for validating the rate guarantee, and can be arbitrarily set by the exhibiting user.

The input screen shown in FIG. 4A is an example, and additional information other than the information shown in FIG. 4A may be inputtable. For example, it is possible to specify the unit of currency for the amount that the selling user receives after purchasing the listed item. In addition, information such as product photos, comments about the product, product brand name, season, color/size, delivery method, place of purchase, place of shipment, reference price, and whether or not duties are included can be included.

The above setting contents are transmitted to the EC server 102 and registered as product information when the registration button 410 is operated, and the product information is invalidated and not registered in the EC server 102 when the cancel 411 is operated.

The information input in S301 to S303 is sent to the EC server 102 as product information and warranty information, and is saved in the database of the EC server 102 in S304. The information is also provided to the service server 101 via the EC server 102. Furthermore, the EC server 102 provides the service server 101 with past transaction information related to the registered exhibited products. The service server 101 stores the received information in the internal storage device 207.

Based on the information acquired from the EC server 102, the service server 101 predicts sales of the specified product in S305, and determines rate guarantee conditions based on the prediction result in S306. The determined rate guarantee conditions are provided to the user terminal 104 via the EC server 102. The user terminal 104 displays the rate guarantee condition approval screen received in S307 on the display unit, and accepts the listing user's approval. An example of the approval screen will be described later with reference to FIG. 4B.

In S<b>308 , when the selling user approves the rate guarantee conditions, approval confirmation is provided to the service server 101 via the EC server 102 . When the service server 101 receives confirmation of approval of the rate guarantee conditions, in S309, the service server 101 purchases the currency unit specified in the product information (contents set in the local currency 404) for the price according to the sales forecast and the rate guarantee conditions. The cover transaction is executed by issuing an order to the money merchant system 105.

Specifically, for example, when guaranteeing the dollar rate for 10 products worth 3,000 yen, the exchange rate of the dollar to yen at that time is 130 yen to the dollar, and the process in S306 estimates that the selling user can sell the product. If the number of units to be sold (predicted number of units to be sold, which will be described later) is 5 units, a cover transaction is performed to purchase 115.4 dollars. Further, in S310, the product information is stored in the internal storage device 207 along with information on the rate guarantee conditions and the amount of the cover transaction. Thereafter, in S311, the EC server 102 posts the exhibited product on the EC site and accepts purchases from purchasing users.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a description will be given of the process executed in the electronic commerce system 10 when selling an exhibited product. FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an overview of the processing flow when selling an exhibited product according to this embodiment.

First, in S501, when the EC server 102 detects that a purchasing user has purchased an exhibited product, the EC server 102 notifies the service server 101 of the completion of the sale. The sales completion notification includes at least information on the user ID of the selling user, the product ID of the selling item, and the quantity. In response to receiving the sales completion notification, the service server 101 side identifies the sold product based on the product information stored in the internal storage device 207 based on the user ID, product ID, and quantity information, and in S502 Determine whether rate guarantee is set at the time of product registration.

If the product is subject to rate guarantee, settlement processing is performed in S503. Specifically, the dollar value of the sold product is delivered to the gold merchant system 105 (receipt of dollars), or a sell order is issued to the gold merchant system 105. Then, calculate the difference amount based on the dollar amount equivalent to the payment amount, or the guaranteed exchange rate at the time of product registration and the exchange rate at the time of notification of sales completion, and transfer the difference amount in yen to the e-commerce site's account, or Performs the processing of billing to the EC site.

For example, if the guaranteed exchange rate at the time of product registration is 130 yen to the dollar, and the exchange rate at the time of completion of the sale is 135 yen to the dollar, the dollar amount required to sell a product costing 3,000 yen will be the same at the time of product registration. While the price at the time of sale was 23.08 dollars, it was 22.22 dollars at the time of completion of the sale, which is 0.86 dollars less. Therefore, in this embodiment, a process is performed in which 23.08 dollars is delivered (exchanged) at the guaranteed rate price (130 yen), or the yen coin equivalent to 0.86 dollars is compensated as a difference amount to the account of the EC site. If compensation is made in Japanese yen, 0.86 x 135 = 116 yen will be paid. Note that this settlement process may be performed all at once for a certain period of time (for example, every month).

In addition, if the exchange rate between the time of the cover transaction and the current time is in the direction of a stronger yen, for example, if the guaranteed exchange rate is 130 yen to the dollar and the current exchange rate is 125 yen to the dollar, the exchange rate will be 3,000 yen. The dollar equivalent of the yen has increased from $23.08 to $24. In this case, $23.08 is delivered to the EC site, or the difference is requested ($23.08 x (130-125) = 115 yen).

The EC site account to which the service server 101 transfers the delivery amount or difference amount may be an account in which the selling user's funds are kept among the EC site accounts (bank accounts) managed by the EC server 102. can. The EC server 102 can set up an account for depositing and managing funds from each exhibiting user, and can manage the funds of each exhibiting user in the account. The sales proceeds from the exhibited products are then deposited into the account assigned to the exhibited user. The exhibition user can transfer the funds in the deposit account to his or her own bank account as needed.

When the settlement process is complete, the service server 101 sends a settlement completion notification to the EC server 102. Upon receiving the settlement completion notification, the EC server 102 transfers the amount received by the listing user (received amount) to the account of the listing user in S504. If the settlement process transfers the difference in amount at regular intervals, the received amount may be transferred before receiving the settlement completion notification.

If the received amount is to be transferred in dollars, the sales amount in Japanese yen is converted into dollars using the exchange rate at the time of product registration. In the above example, the sales amount is 23.08 dollars, or 3116 yen in Japanese yen. The amount received is calculated by subtracting various fees from the sales amount. When the transfer is made, a transfer notification is sent from the EC server 102 to the user terminal 104. The received amount transferred in S505 is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 104.

Next, details of the sales prediction process in S305 of FIG. 3 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of sales prediction processing.

First, in S601, information on the exhibiting user is acquired. Obtain the user name or identification information of the exhibiting user. The identification information may be given in advance for each user. Next, in S602, product information is acquired. The product information includes at least a category (product attribute), a sales price, and a warranty period. The category is information representing the attributes and types of products, and is a general term representing the types and classifications of products such as lipsticks and perfumes. For clothes, information such as women's or men's, type of clothing (tops, bottoms, outerwear, etc.; for tops, subcategories such as T-shirts, blouses, sweaters, etc.), material (leather, wool, silk, etc.), etc. Classified by.

The selling price is information specified by the selling user as the selling price 405 in FIG. 4A. The warranty term is information indicating the term specified by the selling user in the guarantee term 409 of FIG. 4A. The product information may include a product name, brand name, etc. in addition to the above information.

In subsequent S603, past transaction information is acquired as history information. The history information is information on the sales history of the product corresponding to the category information acquired in S602. Further, if information on the exhibiting user can be acquired, sales history information of the exhibiting user is acquired separately from history information of other users based on the user information acquired in S601.

Next, in S604, based on the acquired history information, first, from the past history information of the selling user, the history information of the product corresponding to the category of the product that the selling user is trying to list is extracted, and the specified selling price and Identify sales performance during the sales period based on the warranty period. In this process, first, for products in the same category as the specified category, sales performance in the same season for products in the same price range as the specified sales price (for example, price difference ±10 to 20%) is identified. .

Specifically, the number Nn of products sold during the period Tn is specified. To identify the sales performance, for example, for each exhibiting user, the period Tn is made to match the sales period T specified based on the currently specified warranty period, and the number Nn of products sold during that period is specified. There is a way. Alternatively, there is a method of matching the number Nn of products with the currently specified guaranteed number N, and specifying the period Tn required for each listing user to sell N products. Next, sales performance in the same season for a price range different from the specified sales price is similarly identified.

Next, in S605, based on the history information, history information corresponding to the product attributes that the seller is trying to sell is extracted from the past history information of other sellers, and sales at the specified sales price and sales period are extracted. Identify achievements. In this process, first, for products with the same product attributes as the specified product attributes, sales results in the same season for products in the same price range as the specified sales price (for example, price difference ±10 to 20%) are calculated. Identify. Next, the sales performance in the same season in a price range different from the specified sales price is identified. The sales results here can be specified in the same manner as described in S604.

In subsequent S606, the current sales quantity is estimated based on the sales record of the same product category of the exhibiting user obtained in S604 and the sales record of the same product attribute of other exhibiting users obtained in S605. The estimated result of the sales quantity is the number of units that can be sold within the specified sales period T. For example, if the specified guaranteed number is N, then N, N/2, 2N/3, 3N/4, 4N/ It can be obtained as a variance, such as the sales probability of 5th grade. For example, if a selling user wishes to sell N=10 items, 10% for 5 items on 10/2, 10% for 6 items on 20/3, 10% for 7 items on 30/4, The probability of selling within the specified period is calculated as 50% for 8 items of 40/5, 10% for 9 items, 10% for 10 items, etc.

For example, in the past 10 sales results, a listing user has sold 10 items once, 9 items once, 8 items 5 times, and 7 items once. , if 6 items are sold once and 5 items are sold once, the probability that the number of items that can be sold during the listing period T is 10 is 10%, the probability that 9 items is 10%, and the probability that 8 items is sold. is 50%, the probability that there are 7 pieces is 10%, the probability that there are 6 pieces is 10%, and the probability that there are 5 pieces is 10%. At this time, the total probability exceeds 50% (10+10+10+50 =80>50). In addition, if the number specified from the sum of the probabilities in descending order of the number of objects is different from the number specified from the sum of the probabilities in descending order of the number of objects, the average value or intermediate value of the specified number is taken. You can do it like this.

In estimating the number of sold items in S606, for example, if the exhibiting user has a rich sales record in the same product category and the same price range, the sales record of the exhibiting user can be estimated with priority. On the other hand, if the sales performance of the exhibiting user is poor, the sales performance of other users can be prioritized for estimation. At that time, if the selling user has a rich sales record in other price ranges, based on the difference between the sales record in the other price range and the sales record of other users in the same price range, The estimation based on the user's sales performance may be revised. Specifically, if the selling user's sales performance in other price ranges is 20% higher than the sales performance of other users in the same price range, the estimated number of sales can be obtained from the sales performance of other users. The number can be increased by 20%.

For example, in the past 10 sales records of other price ranges, a selling user has sold 12 items in the listing period T, and the total probability exceeds 50%, whereas the average performance of other selling users is Assuming that the number of items sold during the exhibition period T is 10 and the total probability exceeds 50%, the performance of the exhibition user is 20% higher than that of other users. In such a case, the estimated value of the selling user's sales performance in the same price range is set to be 20% higher than the average sales performance of other users.

Next, in S607, based on the sales record of the same product attribute of the exhibiting user obtained in S604 and the sales record of the same product attribute of other exhibitors obtained in S605, it is necessary to sell the specified number of items. Estimate the period. The estimation result of the sales period can be obtained as the sales probability within the specified period T for the specified number of products, for example, where T is the period until the warranty expiration date (designated period). If the specified number of items can be sold within the specified period T (sales probability 100%), the probability is calculated for the sales period until all the specified number of items are sold. Furthermore, even if the specified number of items cannot be sold within the specified period, the probability of the sales period required to sell out the specified number of items is calculated.

For example, in the past 10 sales records, the selling user has sold 10 items once on the 33rd, once on the 34th, 5 times on the 35th, and once on the 36th. , if there is one sale on the 37th and one sale on the 38th, and if the listing period T is 40 days, the probability of selling all 10 items in 33 days is 10%, and if it is 34 days, the same probability is 10%, if it is the 35th, the probability is 50%, if it is the 36th, the probability is 10%, if it is the 37th, the probability is 10%, and if it is the 38th, the probability is 10%. In this case, the total probability exceeds 50% (10+10+50=70>50) for the sum of 33 days, 34 days, and 35 days (or the sum of days 38 to 35, in order of shortest period). becomes. In addition, if the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of shortest period and the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of longest period are different, the average value or median value of the specified period is taken. You can do it like this.

Also, for example, in the past 10 sales records, the period required for a selling user to sell 10 items was 39 days once, 40 days once, 41 days 5 times, and 42 days once. If the listing period T is 40 days, the probability of selling all 10 items in 39 days is 10%, and if it is 40 days, the probability is the same. is 10%, if it is 41 days, the probability is 50%, if it is 42 days, the probability is 10%, if it is 43 days, the probability is 10%, and if it is 44 days, the probability is 10%. In this case, the total probability exceeds 50% (10+10+50=70>50) for the sum of 39 days, 40 days, and 41 days (or the sum of days 44 to 41, in order of shortest period). becomes. In addition, if the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of shortest period and the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of longest period are different, the average value or median value of the specified period is taken. You can do it like this.

For the prediction in S607, for example, if the exhibiting user has a rich sales record in the same product category and the same price range, the prediction can be made with priority given to the exhibiting user's sales record. On the other hand, if the sales performance of the exhibiting user is poor, predictions can be made with priority given to the sales performance of other users. At that time, if the selling user has a rich sales record in other price ranges, based on the difference between the sales record in the other price range and the sales record of other users in the same price range, The forecast may be modified based on the user's sales performance. Specifically, if the selling period of the selling user in another price range is 10% shorter than the selling period of other users in the same price range, the predicted selling period can be obtained from the selling period of other users. The period can be set to be 10% shorter than the period.

For example, in the past 10 sales records of other price ranges, a selling user takes 27 days to sell 10 products and the total probability exceeds 50%, whereas other If the selling user's average performance is that it takes 30 days to sell 10 products and the total probability exceeds 50%, then the selling user has a sales period of 10% compared to other users. Becomes shorter. In such a case, the selling user's sales performance in the same price range can be made 10% shorter than the average sales performance of other users.

Next, in S608, the number n of products that can be sold within the specified period T (expected sales number) is determined based on the estimated number of products obtained in S606 and S607 and the sales period. For example, in S606, the number of items for which the sum of the probabilities is equal to or greater than the threshold value of 50% is set as the number n. In the case of the above example, the total probability exceeds 50% if there are eight, so the number n is set to eight. Note that the threshold value may be any value other than 50%. On the other hand, if it is possible to sell all the specified number of N items within the specified period T, the sales will be made within the specified period T based on the difference between T and the period until N items calculated in S607 are sold. Calculate the maximum possible number. For example, if N items can be sold in a period of 2T/3, 3N/2 items is calculated as the predicted sales number. In this manner, in this embodiment, it is also possible to return a sales number that is greater than the number specified by the user as a prediction result.

Based on the above description of FIG. 6, the process for determining rate guarantee conditions in S306 will be described. In this process, the recommended number of items for rate guarantee and the amount of the exchange rate to be guaranteed (exchange guarantee rate) are determined according to the result of the sales prediction in S305. The predicted sales number obtained in S608 of FIG. 6 is set as the recommended number of products, and a cover transaction is performed for the price of this number of products. However, this number may deviate from the guaranteed number originally specified by the exhibiting user. In the above example, the predicted sales number is 8 against the guaranteed number of 10.

In such a case, if the selling user wishes to guarantee a rate for a larger number than the recommended number or a guaranteed number, the amount exceeding the recommended number will not be covered by the cover transaction, creating a risk for the cover transaction. It happens. This risk varies depending on the difference between the guaranteed number of items desired by the selling user and the recommended number. For example, if the guaranteed number and the recommended number match, the risk becomes small, and if the guaranteed number significantly exceeds the recommended number, the risk increases. Therefore, the rate guarantee amount is adjusted depending on the level of risk of the cover transaction. Specifically, the amount of risk is calculated based on the number of items not covered, the unit price of the product, the probability of occurrence, etc., and added to the guaranteed exchange rate.

In this embodiment, if the coefficient representing this risk is Rn1, other transaction fees are Mt1, and the exchange rate at the time of registration is Rc1, then the guaranteed exchange rate Rg1 can be expressed as Rg1=Rc1+Rn1+Mt1. Among these, Rn1 and Mt1 can be changed according to the number desired by the user.

In this embodiment, the recommended quantity and guaranteed exchange rate thus determined are transmitted to the user terminal 104 as an approval screen, and approved by the listing user. FIG. 4B shows an example of a rate guarantee approval screen. In the approval screen 410, the user name 401, product name 402, local currency 404, selling price 405, and warranty period 409 are inherited from the screen shown in FIG. 4A, so their explanations are omitted here. The guaranteed rate quantity 412 and the guaranteed rate price 413 are areas for presenting information regarding the guaranteed rate conditions determined by the processing on the service server 101 side, and the guaranteed rate quantity 412 includes the recommended quantity (expected sales quantity) as an initial value. Is displayed. Furthermore, the guaranteed rate price 413 displays the guaranteed exchange rate Rg1 calculated based on the recommended number of items. Note that, of the guaranteed exchange rate Rg1, the risk coefficient Rn1 and the transaction fee Mt1 may be separately notified when the guaranteed exchange rate is displayed. The listing user checks this approval screen 410 and selects the approval button 414 if he/she approves the item under the displayed conditions. When the cancel button 415 is operated, listing of the product is canceled.

The exhibition user can change the value of the guaranteed rate quantity 412 on the approval screen 410. When the number of items is changed, the guaranteed rate price 413 is changed to a value corresponding to the changed number of items. The range of numerical value changes may be allowed up to a predetermined multiple of the initial value, or may be unlimited. In either case, a guaranteed rate price 413 corresponding to the changed quantity is displayed. The value of the guaranteed rate price 413 accompanying the change in the guaranteed rate quantity 412 is provided by the service server 101.

According to Embodiment 1 above, even if there is a change in exchange rate between the listing and the sale of the product, the selling user who lists the product on the EC site can You will be able to receive the price converted at the exchange rate at the time of listing. This eliminates the need for sellers to worry about exchange rate fluctuation risks and allows them to set prices more flexibly.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which a rate guarantee is provided to an exhibition user who has exhibited a product on an EC site managed by the EC server 102 of an EC company. In contrast, in this embodiment, a case will be described in which a rate guarantee is provided to a retailer who sells purchased products to general consumers.

In general, currency risk hedging carried out by retailers who purchase products and sell them to general consumers can be broadly divided into ``comprehensive hedging'' and ``individual hedging.'' “Comprehensive hedging” is a method of hedging a fixed amount over a fixed period of time (for example, three months to one year), independent of individual transactions. In the case of comprehensive hedging, it often depends on the discretion of the financial officer (for example, management), so while it has the advantage of being able to hedge efficiently if the judgment is correct, it lacks versatility. Blanket hedges may cover an entire retailer or a specific group of products. On the other hand, "individual hedging" involves hedging each order (receiving/placement) of individual purchased products, and although it lacks efficiency, it has the advantage of not relying on a specific individual/team. On the other hand, in the retail (BtoC) business (unlike BtoB), the number of products handled is enormous, and products may be replaced frequently, making orders too small.・If you don't know when and how much it will sell, you can't carry out individual hedging.

In this embodiment, by using rate guarantee, "individual hedge" and "comprehensive hedge" in retail business are efficiently realized.

The system configuration in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 1, so the explanation here will be omitted. In this embodiment, a user using the user terminal 104 can purchase products at an EC site or retail store provided by a retail server 103 of a retailer via a network 106.

The flow of processing in this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an overview of the processing flow when registering a hedged target according to this embodiment.

In S701, the retail server 103 receives input of information regarding the hedged item. When performing the above-described individual hedging, the retail server 103 can input information regarding the product such as the product name, category (product attribute), exchange rate of the hedge target, purchase price, etc. of the hedge target product as product information. The purchase price can be entered in the currency of the country where the product is purchased. For example, if you purchase a product in the United States, you can specify it in US dollars. In addition, the exchange rate is indicated by the currency unit of the purchase price and the currency unit of the country where the purchased product is imported. can do.

On the other hand, when performing the above-mentioned comprehensive hedging, the retail server 103 does not input information on individual products, but can input information on the guarantee amount and the exchange rate to be hedged. The guaranteed amount can be entered in the currency of the customer's country. For example, if you are planning to purchase a product in the United States, you can specify it in US dollars. In addition, the exchange rate is indicated by the currency unit of the country of the business partner and the currency unit used by the customer.For example, when importing and selling products purchased in the United States to Japan, the exchange rate is US dollar - Japanese yen. It can be done.

In S702, a setting as to whether or not to perform rate guarantee is accepted. In settings where rate guarantee is performed, guarantee information can be further set. Specifically, in the subsequent S703, input of information regarding rate guarantee (guarantee information) is accepted. In the case of individual hedges, the guarantee information includes the guaranteed number of products to be purchased specified in S701, the guarantee period of the rate guarantee, and the like. For example, if you want to purchase electronic circuit components as a product, you can set the guaranteed quantity to 100,000 pieces and set the warranty expiration date to a date 6 months later, or simply 6 months. Such cases can be handled by a business model that sells electronic circuit components at a fixed price for six months, and then orders additional parts when inventory runs out. In this case, as long as the specified 100,000 units are purchased within a six-month period, the customer wishes to have the exchange rate guaranteed at the time of registration. In addition, with comprehensive hedging, customers wish to hedge based on monthly or seasonal sales forecasts without specifying the product, so it is possible to set the guaranteed amount, exchange rate, and guaranteed period.

Here, FIGS. 8A and 9A show examples of input screens used when information is input in steps S701 to S703 in the retail server 103. FIG. 8A shows an example of an input screen for individual hedges. FIG. 9A shows an example of an input screen for comprehensive hedge.

First, in the screen 800 of FIG. 8A, the product name of the hedged product can be input in the product name 801. The product name can be specified arbitrarily. In the category 802, attributes and classification of the product can be input. The categories 802 may be configured to be settable in stages. For example, in the case of electronic circuit components, subcategories such as transistors and capacitors can be selected. Categories are information useful for categorizing products, and can be configured to be set in detail.

The exchange rate 803 is indicated by the currency unit of the purchase price and the currency unit of the import destination of the purchased product. The example in FIG. 8A shows a case where the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Japanese yen is selected. In the purchase price 804, the planned purchase price can be set in the currency unit of the supplier's country (US dollars in the above example). The rate guarantee button 805 is a button for setting rate guarantee corresponding to this embodiment, and either "YES" or "NO" can be selected. If "YES" is selected, a guaranteed number 806 and a guaranteed term 807 can be further set. The guaranteed number 806 is the number of products subject to rate guarantee, and can be set arbitrarily. The guarantee period 807 is the period for which the rate guarantee is valid, and can be set arbitrarily.

The above setting contents are registered as input information in the retail server 103 when the registration button 808 is operated, and when the cancel 809 is operated, the input information is invalidated and not registered.

Next, in the screen 900 of FIG. 9A, the total amount of money for which rate guarantee is applied is set in guarantee amount 901. The guaranteed amount can be entered in the currency of the customer's country. For example, if you are planning to purchase a product in the United States, you can specify it in US dollars. Further, the exchange rate 902 is indicated by the currency unit of the business partner's country and the currency unit used by themselves. For example, if a product purchased in the United States is imported and sold in Japan, the exchange rate can be US dollar - Japanese yen.

The rate guarantee button 903 is a button for setting rate guarantee corresponding to this embodiment, and either "YES" or "NO" can be selected. If "YES" is selected, a warranty period 904 can be further set. The guarantee period 904 is a period during which the rate guarantee is valid, and can be set arbitrarily. The above setting contents are registered as input information in the retail server 103 when the registration button 905 is operated, and when the cancel 906 is operated, the input information is invalidated and not registered.

The information input in S701 to S703 is sent to the service server 101 along with past transaction information, and the service server 101 stores the received information in the internal storage device 207. In the present embodiment, the retail server 103 accumulates past transaction results for 10 to 20 years on a monthly basis and provides them.

The service server 101 performs a sales forecast in S704 based on the information acquired from the retail server 103, and determines the amount and rate guarantee conditions based on the sales forecast in S705. The determined rate guarantee conditions are provided to the retail server 103 together with the sales forecast. The retail server 103 displays the approval screen for the sales forecast, amount, and rate guarantee conditions received in S706 on the display unit, and accepts the approval. An example of the approval screen will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8B and 9B.

In S707, when the rate guarantee conditions are approved, approval confirmation is provided to the service server 101. When the service server 101 receives confirmation of approval of the rate guarantee conditions, it executes a cover transaction in S708 to purchase the purchase amount derived from the purchase price and the predicted sales quantity or the predicted sales amount. Specifically, when it is predicted that 100,000 products worth 10 dollars will be sold as a sales forecast for individual hedges, an order to purchase 1 million dollars is issued to the gold merchant system 105 to perform a cover transaction. Further, when predicting sales of 1 million dollars as a guarantee amount for comprehensive hedge, a cover transaction is performed by issuing an order to purchase 1 million dollars to the gold merchant system 105. In S709, information such as rate guarantee conditions, guarantee amount, guarantee number, etc. is stored in the internal storage device 207.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, a description will be given of a process executed in the electronic commerce system 10 when a transaction occurs and payment is required within the rate guarantee range. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an overview of the flow of processing corresponding to this embodiment.

First, in S1001, when the retail server 103 detects that an additional order has been placed and payment is required, it notifies the service server 101 of the payment amount or the quantity and purchase price. I do. This notification also includes an ID for identifying the retail server 103, a product ID of the purchased product, and the like. In response to receiving the quantity/amount notification, the service server 101 side specifies the registered information stored in the internal storage device 207 based on information such as ID, product ID, quantity, etc., and in S1002, the rate guarantee at the time of registration is confirmed. Determine whether the setting is present or not.

If the transaction is subject to rate guarantee, settlement processing is performed in S1003. Specifically, a sell order for the price of the purchased product is issued to the gold merchant system 105. Then, processing is performed to transfer an amount corresponding to the notified purchase price, an amount specified from the notified information, or a difference amount to a predetermined account (bank account) of the retailer. Specifically, in a situation where a rate guarantee is provided for $100,000, if a transaction for $30,000 occurs, a delivery or sell order for $30,000 is sent to the gold merchant system 105. Issued against. Then, the difference in exchange rate between the time of exchange at the guaranteed rate price or the cover transaction and the current time is calculated as the difference amount. For example, if the exchange rate at the time of the cover transaction was 130 yen to the dollar and the current exchange rate was 135 yen to the dollar, the Japanese yen equivalent to 30,000 dollars would change from 3.9 million yen to 4.05 million yen, which would be 150,000 yen. It has increased. Therefore, in this embodiment, a process is performed in which 3.9 million yen is received from a retailer and converted into 30,000 dollars at 130 yen, or this 150,000 yen is compensated as the difference amount. This leaves $70,000 left. If the requested amount exceeds the remaining amount, a notification of insufficient amount is returned.

In addition, if the exchange rate between the time of the cover transaction and the current time is in the direction of the yen's appreciation, for example, the exchange rate at the time of the cover transaction was 130 yen to the dollar, and the current exchange rate was 125 yen to the dollar. In this case, the Japanese yen equivalent to $30,000 has decreased by 150,000 yen from 3.9 million yen to 3.75 million yen. In this case, the customer receives 3.9 million yen from the retailer and exchanges it into 30,000 dollars at the guaranteed rate (130 yen to the dollar), or requests the retailer for the difference.

When the payment process is completed, the service server 101 sends a payment completion notification to the retail server 103. Upon receiving the settlement completion notification, the retail server 103 displays and notifies the amount transferred in S1004 on the display unit. Further, based on the acquired amount, the amount is received and paid in S1005.

Next, details of the sales prediction process in S704 in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of sales prediction processing.

Information is acquired in S1101. In the case of individual hedges, this information includes information such as the category (product attributes) of the target product, purchase price, warranty period, and number of products guaranteed. In the case of comprehensive hedges, information on the guaranteed amount and guarantee period is also obtained. These are the information input in steps S701 to S703 and the like and provided to the service server 101.

In subsequent S1102, past transaction information is acquired as history information. In the case of individual hedging, the history information is information on the monthly sales performance of the product corresponding to the category information acquired in S1101. In the case of comprehensive hedges, this is information about the retailer's monthly performance.

Next, in S1103, sales results are identified based on the history information. In the case of individual hedges, the sales performance during the sales period based on the specified purchase price and warranty period is determined from the historical information of the product corresponding to the category. In this process, first, we identify the sales performance in the same season for products in the same category as the specified category and in the same price range as the specified purchase price (for example, price difference ±10 to 20%). do.

Specifically, the number Nn of products sold during the period Tn is specified. As a method for specifying the sales performance, for example, there is a method of matching the period Tn with the sales period T specified based on the currently designated warranty period, and specifying the number Nn of products sold during that period. Alternatively, there is a method of matching the number Nn of products with the currently specified guaranteed number N, and specifying the period Tn required to sell N products. Next, sales performance in the same season for a price range different from the specified sales price is similarly identified. In the case of comprehensive hedging, previous sales performance in the company's performance is specified, for example by month.

In subsequent S1104, sales are estimated based on the sales results obtained in S1103. In the case of individual hedging, the sales estimate is based on the number of units that can be sold within the specified sales period T. For example, if the specified guaranteed number is N, the sales estimate is N, N/2, 2N/3, 3N/4, It can be obtained as a variance, such as each sales probability such as 4N/5. For example, if a selling user wishes to sell N=100,000 units, 10% will be sold for 50,000 units (100,000/2), 10% for 66,000 units (200,000/3), and 10% for 66,000 units (300,000/4). The probability of selling within the specified period is calculated as 50% for 75,000 units, and 10% each for 80,000, 90,000, and 100,000 units. At this time, the total probability exceeds 50% for the sum of 50,000, 66,000, and 75,000 pieces (or the sum of 10, 9, 8, and 75,000 pieces). 10+10+50=70>50). In addition, if the number specified from the sum of the probabilities in descending order of the number of objects is different from the number specified from the sum of the probabilities in descending order of the number of objects, the average value or intermediate value of the specified number is taken. You can do it like this.

In the case of a comprehensive hedge, the sales estimate is based on the sales within the specified guarantee period T, the amount M specified as the guaranteed amount, M, M/2, 2M/3, 3M/4, 4M/5, etc. It can be obtained as a variance, such as the probability of realization. For example, if a guaranteed amount of M = 100,000 dollars is desired, 10% for 50,000 dollars (100,000/2), 10% for 66,000 dollars (200,000/3), 10% for 66,000 dollars (200,000/3), 300,000/4 The probability of sales that can be realized within the warranty period is calculated as 50% for $75,000, and 0% for $80,000, $90,000, and $100,000. At this time, the total probability is 50% for $50,000, $66,000, and $75,000 (or the total of $100,000, $90,000, $80,000, and $75,000). (10+10+50=70>50). In addition, if the amount specified from the sum of probabilities in descending order of amounts is different from the amount specified from the sum of probabilities in descending order of amounts, the average value or intermediate value of the specified amounts is taken. You can do it like this.

Next, in S1105, the guaranteeable period is estimated based on the sales results specified in S1103. In the case of individual hedges, the guaranteeable period is estimated by calculating the sales probability within the guarantee period T for the designated number of guarantees, for example, where T is the period until the guarantee expiration (guarantee period). If the specified number of products can be sold within the guarantee period T (sales probability 100%), the probability is calculated for the sales period until all the guaranteed products are sold. Furthermore, even if the specified number of items cannot be sold within the warranty period T, the probability of the sales period required to sell all the specified number of items is calculated.

For example, in a retail company's past sales results, the period it took to sell 100,000 units was once 150 days, once 155 days, 5 times 160 days, once 165 days, and 170 days. If the warranty period T is 180 days, the probability of selling all 100,000 units in 160 days is 50%, and the remaining 150 days, 155 days, and 165 days. , 170 days, and 175 days, the probability of selling all 100,000 units is 10%. At this time, the total probability exceeds 50% (10+10+50=70>50) for the 150th, 155th, and 160th days (or the total for 160th to 175th days). In addition, if the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of shortest period and the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of longest period are different, the average value or median value of the specified period is taken. You can do it like this.

For example, in past sales results, the period required to sell 100,000 units was once in 175 days, once in 180 days, five times in 185 days, once in 190 days, and once in 195 days. If the warranty period T is 180 days, the probability of selling all 100,000 units in 185 days is 50%, 175 days, 180 days, 190 days, 195 days. In 200 days, the probability of selling all 100,000 units is 10%. At this time, the total probability exceeds 50% (10+10+50=70>50) for 175 days, 180 days, and 185 days (or the total for 185 to 200 days). In addition, if the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of shortest period and the period specified from the sum of probabilities in order of longest period are different, the average value or median value of the specified period is taken. You can do it like this.

Next, in S1106, based on the sales estimation results obtained in S1104 and S1105 and the estimation result of the warranty period, the number n that can be sold within the warranty period T (expected sales number), sales forecast, and the warranty period are determined. . For example, in the case of individual hedges, in S1104, the number for which the total probability is 50% or more is set as the number n. In the case of the above example, if there are 75,000 pieces, the total probability is 50% or more, so the number n is set to 75,000 pieces. Further, in the case of comprehensive hedge, in S1104, the amount for which the sum of the actual probabilities is 50% or more is set as the sales forecast. In the above example, if the sales price is 75,000 dollars, the total probability exceeds 50%, so the sales forecast is set at 75,000 dollars. Note that these threshold values may be any value other than 50%.

On the other hand, if it is possible to sell 100% of the specified number of N items within the warranty period T, then the specified number of items will be sold within the specified period T based on the difference between T and the period until N items calculated in S1105 are sold. Calculate the maximum number of items that can be sold. For example, if N items can be sold in a period of 2T/3, 3N/2 items is calculated as the predicted sales number. In this manner, in this embodiment, it is also possible to return a sales number that is greater than the number specified by the user as a prediction result. Even if the specified guarantee amount can be processed within the guarantee period T, the guarantee amount can be adjusted upward in the same manner.

Based on the above description of FIG. 10, the process for determining rate guarantee conditions in S705 will be described. In this process, the recommended number of items or recommended sales for rate guarantee and the amount of the exchange rate to be guaranteed (exchange guarantee rate) are determined according to the result of the sales prediction in S704. In the case of individual hedging, the predicted sales quantity obtained in S1106 of FIG. 11 is used as the recommended quantity, and a cover transaction is performed for the price of this quantity. Furthermore, in the case of a comprehensive hedge, a cover transaction will be performed for the sales forecast obtained in S1106 of FIG. 11.

However, there may be a discrepancy between the predicted sales quantity and sales forecast and the guaranteed quantity and guarantee amount initially specified by the retailer. In the above example, in the case of individual hedging, the predicted sales volume is 75,000 units against the guaranteed volume of 100,000 units. Furthermore, in the case of a comprehensive hedge, the guaranteed amount is $100,000, but the sales forecast is $75,000.

In such a case, if the retailer wishes to guarantee a higher rate than the recommended quantity or sales forecast, the amount exceeding the recommended quantity or sales forecast will not be covered by the cover transaction. This creates a risk for cover transactions. This risk varies depending on the difference between the guaranteed number of products desired by the retailer and the recommended number, or the difference between the guaranteed amount and the sales forecast. For example, if the guaranteed number and the recommended number match, the risk becomes small, and if the guaranteed number significantly exceeds the recommended number, the risk increases. The same applies to the relationship between the guaranteed amount and sales forecast. Therefore, the rate guarantee amount is adjusted depending on the level of risk of the cover transaction. Specifically, the risk amount is calculated based on the number of items that are not covered, the unit price of the product, the amount, the probability of occurrence, etc., and added to the guaranteed exchange rate.

In this embodiment, if the coefficient representing this risk is Rn2, other transaction fees are Mt2, and the exchange rate at the time of registration is Rc2, then the guaranteed exchange rate Rg2 can be expressed as Rg2=Rc2+Rn2+Mt2. Of these, Rn2 and Mt2 can be varied according to the number and price desired by the retailer.

In this embodiment, the recommended quantity, recommended amount, and guaranteed exchange rate thus determined are transmitted to the user terminal 104 as an approval screen, and approved by the listing user. The guaranteed exchange rate approval screen includes an individual hedge screen shown in FIG. 8B and a comprehensive hedge screen shown in FIG. 9B.

FIG. 8B shows an example of a rate guarantee approval screen for individual hedges. In the approval screen 810, the product name 801, exchange rate 803, purchase price 804, and warranty period 807 are inherited from the screen shown in FIG. 8A, so their explanations are omitted here. The guaranteed rate quantity 811 and the guaranteed rate price 812 are areas for presenting information regarding the guaranteed rate conditions determined by the processing on the service server 101 side, and the guaranteed rate quantity 811 displays the expected sales quantity as an initial value. In addition, the guaranteed rate price 812 displays the guaranteed exchange rate Rg2 calculated based on the guaranteed rate quantity. Note that, of the guaranteed exchange rate Rg2, the risk coefficient Rn2 and the transaction fee Mt2 may be separately notified when the guaranteed exchange rate is displayed.

The retailer checks this approval screen 810 and selects the approval button 813 if he approves the displayed conditions. When the cancel button 814 is operated, the transaction is canceled.

The retailer can change the value of the guaranteed rate quantity 811 on the approval screen 810. When the number of items is changed, the guaranteed rate price 812 is changed to a value corresponding to the changed number of items. The range of numerical value changes may be allowed up to a predetermined multiple of the guaranteed rate number, or may be unlimited. In either case, a guaranteed rate price 812 is displayed that corresponds to the number of items after the change. The value of the guaranteed rate price 812 accompanying the change in the guaranteed rate quantity 811 is provided by the service server 101.

FIG. 9B shows an example of a rate guarantee approval screen for comprehensive hedge. In the approval screen 910, the exchange rate 902 and the guarantee period 904 are inherited from the screen shown in FIG. 9A, so their explanations will be omitted here. The rate guarantee amount 911 and the rate guarantee price 912 are areas for presenting information regarding rate guarantee conditions determined by processing on the service server 101 side, and the rate guarantee amount 911 displays the sales forecast amount as an initial value. . Furthermore, the guaranteed rate price 912 displays the guaranteed exchange rate Rg2 calculated for the sales forecast. Note that, of the guaranteed exchange rate Rg2, the risk coefficient Rn2 and the transaction fee Mt2 may be separately notified when the guaranteed exchange rate is displayed.

The retailer checks this approval screen 910 and selects the approval button 913 if he approves the displayed conditions. When the cancel button 914 is operated, the transaction is canceled.

The retailer can change the value of the guaranteed rate amount 911 on the approval screen 910. When the amount is changed, the guaranteed rate price 912 is accordingly changed to a value corresponding to the changed amount. The range of numerical value changes may be allowed up to a predetermined times the guaranteed rate amount, or a certain limit value may be set. In either case, a guaranteed rate price 912 corresponding to the changed amount is displayed. The value of the guaranteed rate price 912 accompanying the change in the guaranteed rate amount 911 is provided by the service server 101.

According to Embodiment 2 above, the retailer can apply the rate guarantee to the amount to which the rate guarantee is applied even if there is a fluctuation in the exchange rate for transactions by product or for transactions over a certain period that do not specify a product. Within this range, it is possible to pay the amount at the time of settlement using the exchange rate at the time of applying for rate guarantee. As a result, retailers no longer need to worry about exchange rate fluctuation risks, and will be able to conduct business more soundly and stably.

[Embodiment 3]
In the embodiment described above, it is assumed that the price of the product will not change during the period in which the rate guarantee is applied. However, if price changes are allowed, the risk of exchange rate fluctuations can be hedged by changing the product price in accordance with exchange rate fluctuations in the above embodiment. On the other hand, in BtoC businesses, buyers do not want product prices to fluctuate in the short term. However, instead of the price changing frequently every minute, hour, or day, the price does not change for a certain period of time, for example, the price changes at time intervals such as once a month or once every three months. If it changes, there is a possibility that it will be accepted.

Therefore, regarding the warranty period in the above embodiment, if the interval between price changes is determined in advance, it can be made to match that sense. As a result, you only need to hedge the exchange rate risk for the period until the price changes, making it easier to predict orders (what will sell, when, and how much will be sold) by limiting the period, making it more accurate. We can guarantee a high rate.

<Summary of embodiments>
The above embodiments disclose at least the following information processing apparatus and computer program.

(1) An information processing device that communicates with a user terminal of a listing user who lists products on an electronic commerce (EC) site via an EC server that operates the EC site,
a processor;
memory and
a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
acquiring product information regarding a first product that the listing user intends to list, which includes at least the category, sales price, number of units sold, and sales period of the first product;
acquiring information on a first sales record of a product in the same category as the first product that the exhibiting user has exhibited in the past;
obtaining information on a second sales record of a product in the same category as the category exhibited by another exhibitor user different from the exhibitor user;
estimating a first number of products that the listing user can sell during the sales period from the product information, the first sales performance information, and the second sales performance information;
carrying out a purchase process of currency corresponding to an amount based on the first number and the sales price;
run the
The information processing device wherein the sales price is indicated in a first unit of currency, and the unit of currency purchased in the purchase process is a second unit different from the first unit.

(2) The first sales performance and the second sales performance include the sales performance in the same first price range as the price range of the first product, and the price of the first product, respectively. The information processing device according to (1), which includes at least one of sales results in a second price range different from the band.

(3) Estimating the number of the first products includes:
estimating a first probability as a realization probability of each number of items that can be sold within the sales period;
Among the number of items that can be sold within the sales period, when the first probabilities are summed in ascending order of the number of products or in descending order of the number of products, the total value exceeds the threshold value. The information processing device according to (1) or (2), further comprising: calculating the number of pieces.

(4) In estimating the first number,
When information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user exists, the estimation is performed by giving priority to the information on the first sales performance over the information on the second sales performance,
The information processing device according to (3), wherein the estimation is performed based on information on the second sales performance when there is no information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user.

(5) When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device:
further estimating a period during which the listing user can sell the number of items sold from the product information, the first sales performance information, and the second sales performance information;
Estimating the sales period includes:
Estimating a second probability as a probability that all of the sales quantities will be available for sale in each of a plurality of periods;
Estimating the period in which the total value exceeds a threshold when the second probabilities are summed in order of shortest period or longest period among the plurality of periods as the period in which sales are possible. The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (4), including:

(6) In estimating the sales period,
If information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user exists, the estimation is performed by giving priority to the information on the first sales performance over the information on the second sales performance,
The information processing device according to (5), wherein if the information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user does not exist, the estimation is performed based on the information on the second sales performance.

(7) When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device:
transmitting to the user terminal screen information for accepting approval from the exhibiting user, including the first number and a first exchange rate determined based on the first number;
changing the first exchange rate to a second exchange rate in accordance with the second number when receiving an instruction to change the first number to a second number from the user terminal; ,
further accepting approval from the exhibiting user for the second exchange rate;
The information according to (1) to (6), wherein the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate are exchange rates between the first unit of currency and the second unit of currency. Processing equipment.

(8) The information processing device according to (7), wherein the second exchange rate is set according to a difference between the first number and the second number.

(9) When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device:
receiving a sales completion notification of the first product from the EC server;
upon receiving the notification of the completion of the sale, based on a third exchange rate between the first unit of currency and the second unit of currency at that time and the second approved exchange rate; Executing payment processing;
further execute
The payment processing includes: billing or depositing a change in the sales price based on the third exchange rate and the second exchange rate to a predetermined account of the EC site; and invoking or depositing the sales price at the third exchange rate. The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the information processing device includes at least one of currency exchange at.

(10) A user who is an exhibition user who exhibits a product on an electronic commerce (EC) site, who communicates with the information processing device set forth in any one of (1) to (7) via an EC server that operates an electronic commerce (EC) site. A terminal,
a processor;
memory and
a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal
accepting input of product information regarding a first product that the listing user intends to list, including a category of the first product and a sales price expressed in a first unit of currency;
accepting the designation of a second unit of currency different from the first unit;
When the first product is sold, payment is made by converting the sales price using the exchange rate between the first unit of currency and the second unit of currency at the time of registration of the first product. accept the choice of whether or not to receive the warranty; and
If receiving the payment guarantee is selected, further accepting input of information on the number of units sold and the sales period of the first product;
Notifying the information processing device via the EC server of the information for which the input has been accepted;
A user terminal that executes.

(11) When the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal receives
receiving, via the EC server, a notification of a first number of products as an estimation result of the number of products that can be sold within the sales period, which is transmitted by the information processing device;
accepting approval of the estimated results contained in said notification;
The user terminal according to (10), further comprising notifying the information processing device of the approval via the EC server.

(12) The notification of the estimation result includes a first exchange rate determined based on the first number,
The content of the notification is displayed on a display screen of the user terminal,
When the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal receives
receiving an instruction to change the first number to a second number;
In response to the change to the second number, displaying on the display screen a second exchange rate that has been changed from the first exchange rate in accordance with the second number;
The user terminal according to (11), wherein the user terminal further executes, and the approval is accepted for the second exchange rate.

(13) When the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal receives
receiving a notification of an amount to be received when the first item is sold, converting the sales price to the second approved exchange rate;
The user terminal according to any one of (10) to (12), further comprising displaying the received amount on a display unit.

(14) An information processing device that communicates with a retail server of a retailer that sells purchased products,
a processor;
memory and
a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
Obtaining information related to product sales and exchange rate information related to purchase of the product in a first period;
obtaining information on the past sales performance of the retailer;
predicting the sales performance of the retailer in the first period from information related to sales of the product and information on the sales performance;
carrying out a purchase process for a currency corresponding to the predicted sales performance;
run the
The exchange rate is expressed in units of a first currency and a unit of a second currency, purchases of the products are performed in units of the first currency, and sales of the purchased products are performed in units of the second currency. An information processing device, wherein the currency purchase process is executed in units of the first currency.

(15) The information related to the sales of the product includes at least the category, purchase price, and quantity of the purchased product,
The information on past sales performance of the retailer includes at least information on past sales performance regarding products in the same category as the purchased product,
The information according to (14), wherein predicting the sales performance in the first period includes predicting a third number of the purchased products that can be purchased at the purchasing price in the first period. Processing equipment.

(16) When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device:
Sending to the retail server screen information for accepting approval from the retailer, including the third number and a fourth exchange rate determined based on the third number;
When receiving an instruction to change the third number of pieces to a fourth number from the retail server, changing the fourth exchange rate to a fifth exchange rate in accordance with the fourth number of pieces; ,
The information processing device according to (15), further comprising accepting approval from the retailer for the fifth exchange rate.

(17) The information processing device according to (16), wherein the fifth exchange rate is set according to a difference between the third number and the fourth number.

(18) When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device:
receiving a notification related to a transaction of the product from the retail server;
Based on the transaction amount included in the notification, executing a settlement process based on a sixth exchange rate at that time and the fifth exchange rate;
further execute
The settlement process includes billing or depositing a change in the transaction amount based on the sixth exchange rate and the fifth exchange rate into a predetermined account of the retailer, and invoking or depositing the transaction amount at the fifth exchange rate. The information processing device according to (16) or (17), which includes at least one of currency exchange at.

(19) Predicting the third number of the purchaseable products that can be purchased includes:
estimating a third probability as the realization probability of each number of the purchased products that can be purchased within the first period;
Out of the number of items that can be purchased within the first period, when the third probability is summed in order of decreasing number of items or increasing number of items, the total value exceeds the threshold value. The information processing device according to any one of (15) to (18), further comprising predicting the third number of the purchased products that can be purchased.

(20) The predicted sales performance includes a first sales forecast,
When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
The retail server displays screen information for receiving approval from the retailer, including a first guaranteed amount based on the first sales forecast and a seventh exchange rate determined based on the first sales forecast. and send it to
When an instruction to change the first guaranteed amount to a second guaranteed amount is received from the retail server, the seventh exchange rate is changed to an eighth exchange rate in accordance with the second guaranteed amount. to do and
accepting an approval by the retailer for the eighth exchange rate;
The information processing device according to (14), wherein the purchase process is performed for a currency corresponding to the first guarantee amount.

(21) The information processing device according to (20), wherein the eighth exchange rate is set according to a difference between the first guarantee amount and the second guarantee amount.

(22) The information related to the sales of the product includes at least the expected sales amount in the first period,
Predicting the sales performance in the first period includes:
estimating a fourth probability as the probability of realizing each sales amount based on the expected sales amount as the sales amount within the first period;
As the sales amount within the first period, when the fourth probability is summed in descending order of amount or in order of increasing amount, the sales amount for which the total value exceeds the threshold value is set as the sales performance. The information processing device according to (14), further comprising predicting.

(23) When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device:
receiving a notification related to a transaction of the product from the retail server;
Based on the transaction amount included in the notification, executing a settlement process based on a ninth exchange rate at that time and the eighth exchange rate;
Further, the settlement process includes: billing or depositing a change in the transaction amount based on the ninth exchange rate and the eighth exchange rate to a predetermined account of the retailer; The information processing device according to (20) or (21), which includes at least one of currency exchange at the eighth exchange rate.

(24) A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of (1) to (9) and (14) to (23).

(25) A program for causing a computer to function as the user terminal according to any one of (10) to (13).

[Other embodiments]
The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the invention. Therefore, to set out the scope of the invention, the following claims are hereby appended. Further, the information processing device according to the present invention can also be realized by a computer program that causes one or more computers to function as the information processing device. The computer program can be provided/distributed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium or via a telecommunications line.

10: Electronic commerce system, 101: Service server, 102: EC server, 103: Retail server, 104 User terminal, 105: Money merchant system, 106: Network

Claims (25)

An information processing device that communicates with a user terminal of an exhibiting user who exhibits a product on an electronic commerce (EC) site via an EC server that operates the EC site,
a processor;
memory and
a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
acquiring product information regarding a first product that the listing user intends to list, which includes at least the category, sales price, number of units sold, and sales period of the first product;
acquiring information on a first sales record of a product in the same category as the first product that the exhibiting user has exhibited in the past;
obtaining information on a second sales record of a product in the same category as the category exhibited by another exhibitor user different from the exhibitor user;
estimating a first number of products that the listing user can sell during the sales period from the product information, the first sales performance information, and the second sales performance information;
carrying out a purchase process of currency corresponding to an amount based on the first number and the sales price;
run the
The information processing device wherein the sales price is indicated in a first unit of currency, and the unit of currency purchased in the purchase process is a second unit different from the first unit. The first sales performance and the second sales performance include sales performance in a first price range that is the same as the price range of the first product, and a price range of the first product, respectively. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device includes at least one of sales results in a different second price range. Estimating the first number includes:
estimating a first probability as a realization probability of each number of items that can be sold within the sales period;
Among the number of items that can be sold within the sales period, when the first probabilities are summed in ascending order of the number of products or in descending order of the number of products, the total value exceeds the threshold value. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising: determining the number of information processing devices. In estimating the first number,
When information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user exists, the estimation is performed by giving priority to the information on the first sales performance over the information on the second sales performance,
The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the estimation is performed based on information on the second sales performance when information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user does not exist. When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
further estimating a period during which the listing user can sell the number of items sold from the product information, the first sales performance information, and the second sales performance information;
Estimating the sales period includes:
Estimating a second probability as a probability that all of the sales quantities will be available for sale in each of a plurality of periods;
Estimating the period in which the total value exceeds a threshold when the second probabilities are summed in order of shortest period or longest period among the plurality of periods as the period in which sales are possible. The information processing device according to claim 1, comprising: In estimating the sales period,
If information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user exists, the estimation is performed by giving priority to the information on the first sales performance over the information on the second sales performance,
The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein when information on the first sales performance of the exhibiting user does not exist, the estimation is performed based on information on the second sales performance. When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
transmitting to the user terminal screen information for accepting approval from the exhibiting user, including the first number and a first exchange rate determined based on the first number;
changing the first exchange rate to a second exchange rate in accordance with the second number when receiving an instruction to change the first number to a second number from the user terminal; ,
further accepting approval from the exhibiting user for the second exchange rate;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate are exchange rates between the first unit of currency and the second unit of currency. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second exchange rate is set according to a difference between the first number and the second number. When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
receiving a notification of completion of sale of the first product from the EC server;
upon receiving the notification of the completion of the sale, based on a third exchange rate between the first unit of currency and the second unit of currency at that time and the second approved exchange rate; Executing payment processing;
Further, the payment processing includes: billing or depositing a change in the sales price based on the third exchange rate and the second exchange rate to a predetermined account of the EC site; The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of currency exchange at the third exchange rate is included. A user terminal of an exhibition user who exhibits a product on an electronic commerce (EC) site, which communicates with the information processing device according to claim 1 via an EC server that operates an electronic commerce (EC) site,
a processor;
memory and
a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal
accepting input of product information regarding a first product that the listing user intends to list, including a category of the first product and a sales price expressed in a first unit of currency;
accepting the designation of a second unit of currency different from the first unit;
When the first product is sold, payment is made by converting the sales price using the exchange rate between the first unit of currency and the second unit of currency at the time of registration of the first product. accept the choice of whether or not to receive the warranty; and
If receiving the payment guarantee is selected, further accepting input of information on the number of units sold and the sales period of the first product;
Notifying the information processing device via the EC server of the information for which the input has been accepted;
A user terminal that executes. When the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal receives
receiving, via the EC server, a notification of a first number of products as an estimation result of the number of products that can be sold within the sales period, which is transmitted by the information processing device;
accepting approval of the estimated results contained in said notification;
The user terminal according to claim 10, further comprising notifying the information processing device of the approval via the EC server. The notification of the estimation result includes a first exchange rate determined based on the first number,
The content of the notification is displayed on a display screen of the user terminal,
When the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal receives
receiving an instruction to change the first number to a second number;
In response to the change to the second number, displaying on the display screen a second exchange rate that has been changed from the first exchange rate in accordance with the second number;
12. The user terminal of claim 11, wherein the authorization is accepted for the second exchange rate. When the program is executed by the processor, the user terminal receives
receiving a notification of an amount to be received based on an amount obtained by converting the selling price to the approved second exchange rate when the first item is sold;
The user terminal according to claim 12, further comprising: displaying the received amount on a display unit. An information processing device that communicates with a retail server of a retailer that sells purchased products,
a processor;
memory and
a program stored in the memory, and when the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
Obtaining information related to product sales and exchange rate information related to purchase of the product in a first period;
obtaining information on the past sales performance of the retailer;
predicting the sales performance of the retailer in the first period from information related to sales of the product and information on the sales performance;
carrying out a purchase process for a currency corresponding to the predicted sales performance;
run the
The exchange rate is expressed in units of a first currency and a unit of a second currency, purchases of the products are performed in units of the first currency, and sales of the purchased products are performed in units of the second currency. An information processing device, wherein the currency purchase process is executed in units of the first currency. The information related to sales of the product includes at least the category, purchase price, and quantity of the purchased product,
The information on past sales performance of the retailer includes at least information on past sales performance regarding products in the same category as the purchased product,
The information according to claim 14, wherein predicting the sales performance in the first period includes predicting a third number of the purchased products that can be purchased at the purchasing price in the first period. Processing equipment. When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
Sending to the retail server screen information for accepting approval from the retailer, including the third number and a fourth exchange rate determined based on the third number;
When an instruction to change the third number of pieces to a fourth number is received from the retail server, changing the fourth exchange rate to a fifth exchange rate in accordance with the fourth number of pieces; ,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising accepting approval from the retailer for the fifth exchange rate. The information processing device according to claim 16, wherein the fifth exchange rate is set according to a difference between the third number and the fourth number. When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
receiving a notification related to a transaction of the product from the retail server;
Based on the transaction amount included in the notification, executing a settlement process based on a sixth exchange rate at that time and the fifth exchange rate;
further execute
The settlement process includes billing or depositing a change in the transaction amount based on the sixth exchange rate and the fifth exchange rate into a predetermined account of the retailer, and invoking or depositing the transaction amount at the fifth exchange rate. The information processing device according to claim 16, wherein the information processing device includes at least one of currency exchange at. Predicting the third number of the purchaseable products that can be purchased includes:
estimating a third probability as the realization probability of each number of the purchased products that can be purchased within the first period;
Among the number of items that can be purchased within the first period, when the third probability is summed in order of decreasing number of items or increasing number of items, the total value exceeds the threshold value. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising predicting the third number of the purchased products that can be purchased. The predicted sales performance includes a first sales forecast,
When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
The retailer displays screen information for receiving approval from the retailer, including a first guarantee amount based on the first sales forecast and a seventh exchange rate determined based on the first sales forecast. sending it to the server;
When an instruction to change the first guaranteed amount to a second guaranteed amount is received from the retail server, the seventh exchange rate is changed to an eighth exchange rate in accordance with the second guaranteed amount. to do and
accepting an approval by the retailer for the eighth exchange rate;
The purchase process is performed for a currency corresponding to the first guarantee amount,
The information processing device according to claim 14. The information processing device according to claim 20, wherein the eighth exchange rate is set according to a difference between the first guaranteed amount and the second guaranteed amount. The information related to the sales of the product includes at least the expected sales amount in the first period,
Predicting the sales performance in the first period includes:
estimating a fourth probability as the probability of realizing each sales amount based on the expected sales amount as the sales amount within the first period;
As the sales amount within the first period, when the fourth probability is summed in descending order of amount or in order of increasing amount, the sales amount for which the total value exceeds the threshold value is set as the sales performance. The information processing device according to claim 14, further comprising: predicting. When the program is executed by the processor, the information processing device
receiving a notification related to a transaction of the product from the retail server;
Based on the transaction amount included in the notification, executing a settlement process based on a ninth exchange rate at that time and the eighth exchange rate;
further execute
The settlement process includes billing or depositing a change in the transaction amount based on the ninth exchange rate and the eighth exchange rate into a predetermined account of the retailer, and invoking or depositing the transaction amount at the eighth exchange rate. The information processing device according to claim 20, wherein the information processing device includes at least one of currency exchange at. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and 14 to 23. A program for causing a computer to function as a user terminal according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

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