JP3724721B2 - Sales promotion method, sales promotion system, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program for promoting sales using IT (information technology) in various stores such as supermarkets, chain stores, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Currently, as expressed simply in terms of mega competition, store retailers such as supermarkets are exposed to unprecedented intense competition. In the era of things, the overall market cannot be expected to grow significantly in the cold of consumption, and the current situation is that they are competing for a limited number of pie. In such an environment, each company continues to make efforts to overcome the competition in terms of business conditions, store facilities, product procurement, and the like.
[0003]
Under such intense competition, promotion of how many customers are attracted to their stores becomes very important. As a conventional promotion, an advertisement using a flyer or the like is mainly used, but recently, a method of issuing a point corresponding to the purchase amount and giving a gift certificate when a certain amount of points is accumulated has been adopted. In addition, a mass retailer or the like often employs a cashback method that discounts a certain percentage of the purchase price at the next purchase.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the basic problem with such promotions is that they are uniform without taking into account the characteristics of customers and stores. In mature markets, it is important to promote detailed purchases and encourage purchases according to market characteristics, customer attributes, target buyer characteristics, and the like. However, the conventional promotion is only a uniform one that does not consider the attributes of such stores and customers.
[0005]
For example, regarding the method of issuing a gift certificate based on the point system, if points are accumulated without taking into account any attribute of the customer, only a privilege is given. Whether you are earning points or not, you are promoting to customers who are shopping at the store, as well as high-liquidity customers who will leave if you don't earn points. This is the same with the conventional cashback method. By the way, the same can be said for advertisements such as flyers. The same cost for customers who come to the store simply because the store is close to their home without worrying about the flyer, or for customers who want to buy a store that is cheaper than 1 yen compared to the leaflets of many stores. I have a promotion.
[0006]
In such an old-fashioned promotion, there is a problem that a sufficient promotion effect cannot be obtained for the investment cost because it is not detailed according to the attributes of the customer and the characteristics of the store. The invention of the present application has been made in order to solve such problems, and has technical significance to provide a method and system that enables fine sales promotion according to customer attributes and store characteristics.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application isA database file recording step in which the recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
  A computer that can read the membership ID recorded on the membership card reads the membership ID recorded on the membership card brought by the customer.Each customer visits the store or purchases goods or services at the storeRecognizeA recognition step;
  In the recognition stepComputer recognizedIndividual customer visits or purchases of goods or services at stores,Recording part isA recording step for automatic recording;
  Recorded by recording unit in recording stepPurchase of goods or services at individual customers or in storesThe computer reads the individual customer visits or purchases of goods or services at the store within each period by executing the installed program.An aggregation step to aggregate,
A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the results totaled by the computer in the totaling step for each period;
The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A determination step in which the computer determines by running an installed program whether it has decreased compared to the purchase of goods or services;
The computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period. In such cases, it is granted only to customers whose visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer who grants the special privilege that is a special privilege,
The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number A notification step in which the computer transmits information that the special benefit is granted to the customer,
The notification step is a step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits the information by executing the installed program.It has the composition.
  In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 2 is the configuration of claim 1,In the determination step, the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period. If it is determined, the recording unit records a special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition together with the member ID,
  In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease.It has the composition.
  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, invention of Claim 3 is the following.A database file recording step in which the recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
  The computer that can read the member ID recorded on the member card reads the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer and that each customer has come to the store or has purchased goods or services at the store A recognition step to recognize;
A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
The computer reads the purchase of goods or services at the store or store of each customer recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the total of points given according to the purchase of the product or service at the store or store is installed A first counting step that the computer counts by executing the program;
Based on the result of the computer counting in the first counting step, the computer is executed by executing the installed program to determine whether the total number of points has reached the number of points set as the number of points to which the normal privilege is granted. A first determination step for determining,
The computer reads the purchase of goods or services at individual customers 'visits or stores recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the purchase of goods or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period is installed. A second counting step that the computer counts by executing the program;
A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the result of totaling by the computer in the second totaling step for each period;
The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A second determining step in which the computer determines whether the product or service has been reduced compared to the purchase of the product by executing the installed program;
The computer determined that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period was less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in the previous period. In such cases, it is granted only to customers whose visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer to whom the special privilege that is a special privilege is given;
The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number A notification step in which the computer transmits information that the special benefit is granted to the customer,
The notification step is a step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits the information by executing the installed program.It has the composition.
  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, invention of Claim 4 is the following.In the configuration of claim 3 above, the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period is less than the purchase of products or services at the store or the store in a previous period. When the computer determines in the second determination step, the recording unit records a special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition together with the member ID,
  When the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, the notification step Both are the steps in which the computer transmits information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID to the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address or FAX number of the member,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease.It has the composition.
  In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 5A recording unit that records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
A computer that can read the membership ID recorded on the membership card, and the customer ID that was recorded on the membership card brought by the customer was read and each customer visited or purchased goods or services at the store. A computer that recognizes
A recording unit that automatically records each customer's visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store, as recognized by the computer;
Reading the purchase of goods or services at individual customers 'visits or stores recorded by the recording unit, and executing the installed program to purchase goods or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period And a computer to count by
A recording unit for recording the results of the computer for each period;
Reads the counting results recorded by the recording unit, and visits to the store in a certain period or purchases of goods or services at the store compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period A computer that determines whether it has been reduced by running an installed program;
If the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a period of time has decreased compared to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in an earlier period Benefits granted only to customers who have reduced their visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the period compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A recording unit for recording a member ID of the customer as a customer who grants a special privilege;
A computer for reading the member ID of the customer recorded by the recording unit as the customer to whom the special privilege is given;
A computer that retrieves the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number data by searching the database file recorded by the recording unit using the read member ID as a search key;
Special privilege granting information that a special privilege is granted to the customer when the customer visits the store next time or purchases a product at the next store for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address or FAX number of the member A computer to transmit,
The computer that transmits the special privilege grant information is a computer that automatically and actively transmits the special privilege grant information by executing the installed program.It has the composition.
  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, invention of Claim 6 is the following.In the configuration of claim 5 above, the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period is less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period. The recording unit that records the customer's member ID when the computer determines that the special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition is recorded together with the member ID.
The computer that transmits the special privilege grant information reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and corresponds to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Information on the special benefits that have been made,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition in which more privilege is given as the range of decrease is larger, or Is a condition to give more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increase in the period before the decreaseIt has the composition.
  In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 7 provides:A recording unit that records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
A recognition unit that reads the member ID recorded on the member card is provided, and the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer is read to recognize that each customer has visited the store or purchased a product or service at the store. A computer,
A recording unit that automatically records each customer's visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store, as recognized by the computer;
Read the purchase of goods or services at the store or store of each customer recorded by the recording unit, the first tabulation that is the total of the points given according to the purchase of goods or services at the store or store, A computer that runs by running the installed program;
Based on the result of the first tabulation performed by the computer, it is determined by executing the installed program whether or not the total number of points has reached the number of points set as the number of points to which normal benefits are granted. A computer,
The computer reads out the purchase of goods or services at individual stores or stores at the stores recorded by the recording unit, and is the total of purchases of products or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period A computer running the installed program, and a total of two
A recording unit that records the results of the second tabulation performed by the computer for each period;
Read the result of the second tabulation recorded by the recording unit, visit the store in a certain period or visit the store in the period before the purchase of goods or services at the store, or goods or services at the store A computer that determines whether it has been reduced compared to the purchase of by running an installed program;
If the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a period of time has decreased compared to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in an earlier period Benefits granted only to customers who have reduced their visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the period compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A recording unit for recording a member ID of the customer as a customer to whom a special privilege is granted;
A computer for reading the member ID of the customer recorded by the recording unit as the customer to whom the special privilege is given;
A computer that retrieves the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number data by searching the database file recorded by the recording unit using the read member ID as a search key;
Special privilege granting information that a special privilege is granted to the customer when the customer visits the store next time or purchases a product at the next store for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address or FAX number of the member A computer to transmit,
The computer that transmits the special privilege grant information is a computer that automatically and actively transmits the special privilege grant information by executing the installed program.It has the composition.
  In order to solve the above problem, an invention according to claim 8 is the configuration of claim 7,When the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to the visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period The said recording part which records the member ID of the customer records special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege given according to special privilege provision conditions with member ID,
The computer that transmits the special privilege grant information is a special privilege content recorded by the recording unit. The ID is read, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID is transmitted to the telephone number, e-mail address or FAX number of the retrieved member.
The special privilege granting condition is a condition for giving a lot of benefits as the range of decrease is large, or a condition for giving a lot of privileges as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the reduction. Have
  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 9 is a computer program used in a sales promotion system for giving a privilege to a customer in accordance with the visit of each customer or purchase of goods or services. hand,
A database file recording step in which a recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
The computer that can read the member ID recorded on the member card reads the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer and that each customer has come to the store or has purchased goods or services at the store A recognition step to recognize;
A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
The computer reads individual customer visits to the store or the purchase of goods or services at the store recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the computer purchases the products or services at each customer visit or store within each period The aggregation step that
A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the results totaled by the computer in the totaling step for each period;
The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A determination step in which the computer determines whether or not the purchase of the product or service has decreased,
The computer determined that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period was less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in the previous period. In some cases, benefits granted only to customers whose visits to a store or purchases of goods or services at a store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to a store or purchases of goods or services at a store in an earlier period A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer who grants the special privilege,
The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number And a notice step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits information that the special privilege is granted to the customer.It has the composition.
  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 10 is the structure according to claim 9, wherein the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store. If the computer determines in the determination step that the number of items or services purchased at the store or the purchase of goods or services at the store is reduced, the member receives a special privilege content ID corresponding to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting conditions. Including a step of recording by the recording unit together with the ID,
  In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition for giving a lot of benefits as the range of decrease is large, or a condition for giving a lot of privileges as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the reduction. Have
  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 11 is a computer program used in a sales promotion system for giving a privilege to a customer in accordance with the visit of each customer or purchase of goods or services. hand,
A database file recording step in which the recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
The computer that can read the member ID recorded on the member card reads the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer and that each customer has come to the store or has purchased goods or services at the store A recognition step to recognize;
A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
The computer reads the visit of each customer to the store recorded by the recording unit in the recording step or purchase of the product or service at the store, and the computer gives the total of points given in accordance with the purchase of the product or service at the store or store The first aggregation step that
A first determination step in which the computer determines whether or not the total number of points has reached the number of points set as the number of points to which a normal privilege is granted, based on the result of the computer counting in the first counting step;
In the recording step, the computer reads the purchases of the products or services at the customers 'stores or stores recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the computer totals the purchases of the products or services at the customers' stores or stores during each period. A second aggregation step;
A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the result of totaling by the computer in the second totaling step for each period;
The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A second determination step in which the computer determines whether the purchase has been reduced compared to the purchase of goods or services;
The computer determined that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period was less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in the previous period. In such cases, it is granted only to customers whose visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer to whom the special privilege that is a special privilege is given;
The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number And a notification step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits information that the special privilege is given to the customer.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 12 is the configuration according to claim 11, wherein the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store. Special privilege content according to the content of the special privilege granted in accordance with the special privilege granting condition when the computer determines in the second determination step that it has decreased compared to the store or the purchase of goods or services at the store The recording unit records the ID together with the member ID,
  In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition for giving a lot of benefits as the range of decrease is large, or a condition for giving a lot of privileges as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the reduction. Have
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a sales promotion system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system shown in FIG. 1 is suitable mainly when used in a supermarket chain store or the like. This system basically promotes a system in which points are given when a customer visits one of the chain stores and a privilege is given when the points are accumulated in a certain amount.
[0009]
More specifically, the system shown in FIG. 1 includes a recognition means for recognizing that an individual customer has visited the store, a recording section for automatically recording visits of individual customers recognized by the recognition means, Totaling means for counting the number of visits of the customer, and determination means for automatically determining a privilege to be given to each customer according to a predetermined condition based on the totaling result by the totaling means.
[0010]
First, each store is provided with an information terminal 1 that plays an important role in the hardware configuration of the system. This information terminal 1 is an integrated type having various functions, and is hereinafter referred to as an in-store integrated terminal. The functions of the in-store integrated terminal 1 are the issuance and addition of points to customers who have visited the store, the granting of privileges when it is determined that a privilege is granted according to the conditions described later, and the transmission of store visit history data.
[0011]
2 is a schematic perspective view of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the hardware configuration of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIGS.
The in-store integrated terminal 1 is a kind of computer including a CPU 11. The in-store integrated terminal 1 includes a magnetic card reader / writer 12, a display unit 13 composed of a liquid crystal display of about 12 inches, a speaker 14 for voice announcement, various interfaces (RS232C, LAN, etc.) 15, a hard disk 16, a printer 17, etc. It has. The display unit 13 also serves as a touch panel type input unit. As such an in-store integrated terminal 1, for example, a MEDIASTAFF SS model manufactured by PFU Corporation can be used. The hard disk 16 is installed with a point addition / privilege grant program 101, a visit history file 102, and the like.
[0012]
  The in-store integrated terminal 1 can read the member ID recorded on the member card. The recognizing means is constituted by the in-store integrated terminal 1. Specifically, the in-store integrated terminal 1 includes a magnetic card reader / writer 12 inside.In this system, in order for a customer to receive a privilege, it is necessary to register as a member and have a membership card issued. The customer applies for the issuance of a membership card by filling in the application form with his / her name, address, occupation, age, etc. at the counter at each store. The membership card is issued immediately, and the application form is sent to the management center of this system (mail, FAX, etc.). The issued membership card is provided with a magnetic recording unit in which a membership ID is recorded in advance. The membership card is, for example, a JIS type plastic magnetic card.
[0013]
Since the configuration of the magnetic card reader / writer 12 is a well-known technical configuration, description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-store integrated terminal 1 has a casing 10, and the magnetic card reader / writer 12 is provided in the casing 10. The casing 10 is provided with an insertion slot 18 for inserting a membership card. When a member card is inserted from the insertion slot 18, the internal magnetic card reader / writer 12 reads the data in the magnetic recording unit and then ejects it from the insertion slot 18. The in-store integrated terminal 1 is provided near the entrance of the store.
[0014]
In this embodiment, three recording units are provided. The first is the card recording unit provided in the magnetic recording unit of the membership card, the second is the in-store recording unit provided for each store, and the third is the center recording unit provided in the management center It is. The card recording unit is a predetermined area of the magnetic recording unit of the membership card. The in-store recording unit is specifically the hard disk 16 in the in-store integrated terminal 1.
[0015]
A magnetic card reader / writer 12 as a recognition unit and a hard disk 16 as an in-store recording unit are connected to the CPU 11 via an interface (not shown). The data read by the magnetic card reader / writer 12 is sent to the hard disk 16 by the CPU 11 in which the point addition / privilege grant program 101 is operating, and is recorded in the store visit history file 102.
[0016]
The store visit history file 102 is a kind of database file, and is managed as data by database software (not shown). The CPU 11 sends the member ID data recognized by the recognition means to the hard disk 16 together with data such as date and time. The sent data is automatically recorded in a store visit history file 102 in which data such as a member ID and store visit date / time are made into one record.
[0017]
A center server 2 is provided in the management center that manages each store. As shown in FIG. 1, the center server 2 is connected to the in-store integrated terminal 1 of each store via a network 3. The network 3 is often a public line such as the Internet, but it is preferable in terms of security to connect with a dedicated line. Each in-store integrated terminal 1 and the center server 2 have an interface (not shown) for transmitting and receiving data via the network 3.
[0018]
In this embodiment, two types of aggregation means are provided. One is to total the store visit points for normal privilege grant (hereinafter referred to as in-store counting means). The in-store counting means is composed of a point addition / privilege granting program 101 installed in the in-store integrated terminal 1. The in-store counting means counts points according to the customer visit. Another counting means performs counting for giving a special privilege for special promotion, and is provided in the center server 2 (hereinafter referred to as center counting means).
[0019]
In this embodiment, two types of determination means are employed. One is a means for determining whether to give a normal privilege, and is provided in the in-store integrated terminal 1 (hereinafter referred to as an in-store determination means). The other is a means for similarly determining whether to give a special privilege, which is provided in the center server 2 (hereinafter referred to as a center determination means). The in-store determination means is also configured by the point addition / privilege grant program 101 installed in the in-store integrated terminal 1.
[0020]
Furthermore, the system of the present embodiment includes a privilege grant unit that grants a privilege according to the determination result of the determination unit. The privilege granting means includes a point addition / privilege grant program 101, a printer 17 provided in the in-store integrated terminal 1, and the like.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of the point addition / privilege grant program 101. When the in-store integrated terminal 1 is turned on, an initial screen is displayed on the display unit 13. On the initial screen, “addition of store points / issue of coupon”, “confirm acquisition points”, and the like are displayed. When the customer who has visited the store touches the “addition of store points / issue coupon” portion, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 shown in FIG. 4 is started.
[0021]
The point addition / privilege grant program 101 first displays a screen for prompting the insertion of a member card on the display unit 13 and reads the contents recorded in the card recording unit when the member card is inserted. The card recording unit stores data such as a member ID and the number of acquired points, and these are read out. The read member ID and acquired point number data are temporarily stored in a memory variable.
[0022]
Next, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 adds points on the day. In this embodiment, it is not a simple method of adding one point for each visit to the store, but in order to give entertainment to the system, the addition point is changed by lottery. More specifically, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 determines first, second, third, etc. using a random number or the like. As for the third prize, the point to visit is determined by the lottery result, such as 1 point as usual, 5 points for the second prize, 10 points for the first prize.
[0023]
Next, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 reads the data of the number of acquired points from the memory variable, and adds the visiting points on the determined day. Then, it is determined whether the total number of acquired points is satisfied in light of the condition for granting the normal privilege. The condition for granting a normal privilege is typically whether or not the total number of acquired points has reached a certain number (hereinafter, this number is referred to as a normal coupon issue point number). For example, when the number of normal coupon issuance points is set to 50 points, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 determines whether the total number of acquired points is 50 points or more. If it is 50 points or more, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 issues a normal coupon ticket output command to the printer 17 to output the normal coupon ticket. The normal coupon is, for example, a discount coupon that allows a set specific item to be purchased much cheaper than any competitive store price.
[0024]
Next, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 records data such as the member ID stored in the memory variable and the total acquired points in the store visit history file 102. The store visit history file 102 is a database file in which data such as a member ID, store visit date and time, total earned points, etc. are made into one record, and one record is newly provided every time a member card is read.
[0025]
In addition, it is preferable that the addition determination of the visit points on the day, the total of the acquired points, the record addition to the store visit history file 102, etc. can be performed only once a day for the same member ID. This is to prevent the number of visit points from being illegally acquired by repeatedly inserting a membership card at the time of one visit. However, there may be some customers who actually visit the store more than once a day. For example, when there are two hours or more, it may be counted as a new visit.
[0026]
The major feature of the system of the present embodiment is that a special privilege is given separately from the above-mentioned normal privilege grant, and the center determination means described above plays a major role in this. ing.
The center server 2 is preferably of the multiprocessor type high-end PC server or business server dedicated machine class, and preferably has an uninterruptible power supply, a mirroring function, and the like. The center server 2 has a center recording unit 21 composed of a hard disk.
[0027]
A store visit history data collection program 201 that is a program that collects store visit history data from each in-store integrated terminal 1 and a special privilege grant program 202 that is a program for granting special privileges are installed in the center recording unit 21. ing. The center counting means and the center determination means are constituted by the hardware of the center server 2 and the special privilege granting program 202.
[0028]
The center recording unit 21 is installed with a store visit history file 203 that is a file that collects data from each store recording unit and stores the store visit history of the entire chain store as a database, and database software (not shown) that manages the file. ing. The all store visit history file 203 is a database file in which data such as store visit date / time, store name, and total earned points are recorded for each member ID. When the application form is sent to the management center, the operator in the management center adds a new member ID record to the all-visit store history file 203. Further, the center server 2 is provided with a member information master file 204 in which each member's information (name, address, occupation, age, telephone number, FAX number, e-mail address, etc.) is databased. The operator adds a new record to the member information master file 204 along with the addition of the new record to the store visit history file 203.
[0029]
In the above-mentioned application, it is selected by what means (automatic telephone, FAX, e-mail, etc.) to receive the advance notice of privilege grant. An item for specifying a means for receiving the advance notification (hereinafter referred to as “notification means selection”) is also registered in the member information master file 204.
[0030]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the store visit history data collection program 201 installed in the center server 2. First, each in-store integrated terminal 1 is given a terminal ID. The store visit history data collection program 201 automatically operates at regular intervals (for example, once a day).
The terminal ID is, for example, a simple ascending number (1, 2, 3,...). As shown in FIG. 5, when the store visit history data collection program 201 operates, the first in-store integrated terminal 1 is accessed and all the data recorded in the in-store recording unit is read out. The read data is temporarily stored in the memory of the center server 2. The data stored in the memory is data of a database structure in which the member ID and the visit date / time are a single record. The store visit history data collection program 201 reads data from the memory one record at a time and registers it in the store visit history file 203. Specifically, the store visit history file 203 is searched using the member ID as a search key, and data such as the store visit date and time are recorded in the corresponding record.
[0031]
When all the data stored in the memory variable is recorded in the store visit history file 102, the store visit history data collection program 201 removes all the data stored in the memory variable and accesses the next in-store integrated terminal 1. Similarly, after temporarily storing the data in the memory variable, the data is read one record at a time and recorded in the store visit history file 102. In this way, when data is collected from all the in-store integrated terminals 1 and recorded in the store visit history file 102, the store visit history data collection program 201 ends.
[0032]
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data example of the all-visit store history file 203 in which data collected by the store-visit history data collection program 201 is recorded. As shown in FIG. 6, the all-visit store history file 203 is a file in which store visit date and store name are recorded for each member ID. Since the store name corresponds to the terminal ID on a one-to-one basis, the store name is obtained and recorded.
[0033]
Next, the special privilege grant program 202 will be described.
The special privilege granting program 202 is appropriately determined and updated according to the sales strategy of the chain store that develops promotions by this system. A major feature of this system is that this special privilege is automatically determined independently for each customer in accordance with predetermined privilege provision conditions. The attributes of each customer include basic attributes such as occupation and age, and purchasing behavior characteristics (day of the week, time zone, special sale date, etc.). In the case of this embodiment, the change in the number of visits, especially the number of visits. Emphasis on reduction. In other words, another major feature of the present system is that the special privilege is given in a unique way of thinking different from the conventional way of giving a more advantageous privilege as the number of visits increases.
[0034]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of special privilege granting conditions in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the number of visits (store visit frequency) within a predetermined period is basically divided into four ranks A, B, C, and D (hereinafter, this month rank). For example, A rank is 11 times or more per month, B rank is 6 to 10 times per month, C rank is 1 to 5 times per month, D rank is 0 times, and so on. Moreover, the members of each rank are further subdivided from the data of the number of visits to the past.
[0035]
In FIG. 7, AA is a member of A rank in both the previous month and the current month, and BA is a member who has become A rank in the current month when the previous month was B rank. Of the B ranks, AB is a member who fell to B rank in the current month even though AB was A rank the previous month. The same applies to CA, DA, BB, BC, AC, BC, CC, and the like. Hereinafter, the rank compared with the previous month is referred to as the previous month rank.
In addition, about the member of DD, it ranks as D1 separately, and if the month before last is D rank, it ranks as D2, and if it is D rank in the past 3 months and this month, it ranks as D3. And according to each, promotion, such as dispatch of direct mail, is performed.
[0036]
Now, the special privilege granting condition is a condition for giving a privilege to a customer whose rank has fallen compared to the previous month among the above-mentioned finely classified customers. Specifically, the month-on-month rank is a condition for giving benefits to members of AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, and CD. As a content of privilege, what issues the coupon ticket (henceforth a special coupon ticket) only for a demoted person is mentioned, for example. At this time, it is possible to give more benefits as the width of demotion is larger, or to give more benefits as the rank before demotion is higher.
[0037]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the special privilege grant program 202. First, the special privilege granting program 202 sets a period and totals the number of visits to each member ID. Specifically, a record registered in the all-visit history file 203 is read for each member ID, and the number of visits per month is calculated. The number of visits in this case is the total number of visits to each store of the chain store where this system is operated. That is, if the same customer visits the store X twice and the store Y once, the number of visits is three.
[0038]
On the other hand, a total history file 205 is provided in the center recording unit 21. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of data in the aggregation history file 205. As shown in FIG. 9, the total history file 205 is a file in which the current month rank and the previous month rank are stored in a database for each member ID. The data for each month in the totalization history file 205 is stored for about six to thirteen months, and then deleted sequentially.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 8, the special privilege granting program 202 totals the number of visits for the current month, and then determines the current month rank for the member according to the ranking shown in FIG. Then, the aggregation history file 205 is searched to read the data of the previous month of the member (current month rank of the previous month), and the previous month rank is determined with reference to this. Then, as described above, it is determined whether the member is a member who gives a special privilege. When it is determined that the member is a member who grants a special privilege, data such as the member ID and the special privilege content ID are temporarily recorded in the special privilege provisioning temp file. The special privilege content ID is an ID corresponding to the special privilege content, and is used when a special privilege that is different depending on the previous month rank is given. The special privilege provisioning temp file is a file temporarily provided in the center recording unit 21.
[0040]
The special privilege granting program 202 counts the number of visits for the current month, determines the current month rank, determines the previous month's rank by comparison with the previous month's data, determines whether to grant a special privilege, Data recording to the special privilege granting temp file is performed for each member ID. After performing these operations for all the member IDs, the special privilege granting program 202 transmits the contents of the special privilege granting temp file to each in-store integrated terminal 1 and sends the contents of the special privilege granting temp file to the notification means described later. Send. The contents of the transmitted special privilege granting temp file are recorded in the in-store recording unit. This completes the special privilege grant program 202.
[0041]
The point addition / privilege grant program 101 shown in FIG. 4 searches the special privilege grant temp file after recording the total earned points in the store visit history file 102, etc., and whether the member ID is a target for special privilege grant. Judge whether. If it is the target, the special privilege ID is read out, and a special coupon voucher issuing command is output to the printer 17. As a result, a special coupon ticket is issued. In other words, when a certain customer is eligible for a special privilege, when the member card visits one of the stores and records the visit of the day, a special coupon is issued from the in-store integrated terminal 1 of that store. It is.
[0042]
Yet another major feature of the present embodiment is that it includes a notification means for automatically and actively notifying each customer of the privilege to be given to each customer at the next visit to the store. is there. As shown in FIG. 1, the notification means includes a notification server 4 connected to the center server 2 via a network 3.
[0043]
The notification server 4 is a server provided with a CPU, a network interface, a FAX transmission interface, and the like. The notification server 4 includes a hard disk 41 as a recording unit for notification. The hard disk 41 includes a normal privilege notification program 401, a special privilege notification program 402, an automatic telephone transmission program 403, an automatic FAX transmission program 404, an automatic e-mail transmission program 405, a pattern-specific voice information file 406, a pattern-specific FAX form file 407, A pattern-specific e-mail form file 408 and the like are installed.
[0044]
The privilege notified by the notification means is both the normal privilege and the special privilege described above. First, the notification of the normal privilege will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 1, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 determines whether or not an output to the notification means is necessary after determining whether to give a special privilege. Specifically, according to the normal privilege granting conditions, it is determined whether or not the conditions are satisfied after another visit. Specifically, as described above, for example, in the case of normal privilege grant (ordinary coupon ticket issuance) with a total of 50 points, it is determined whether or not the total earned points have reached 49 points. When 49 points are reached, 50 points are reached at the next visit and the normal privilege granting conditions are satisfied, so “normal privilege grant notification required” is output. Specifically, a variable of “normal benefit grant notification” is registered in a logical data type, and this value is recorded in the store visit history file 102 as a true value.
[0045]
As described above, the data of the store visit history file 102 is collected in the center server 2 once a day. At this time, if the “normal privilege grant notification” is a true value, the member ID data and the true “normal privilege grant notification” data are sent to the notification server 4. Specifically, at the time of data collection once a day, all member IDs for which “normal privilege grant notification” is a true value are collected and recorded in a file, and the file is sent to the notification server 4. The sent file (hereinafter, a normal privilege notification file) is recorded on the hard disk 41.
[0046]
Similarly, the normal privilege notification program 401 installed on the hard disk 41 is executed once a day. The normal privilege notification program 401 reads the contents of the transmitted normal privilege notification file and extracts the member ID. A notification member information file 409 having the same contents as the member information master file 204 in the center server 2 is installed in the hard disk 41. The normal privilege notification program 401 searches the member information file 409 for notification using the retrieved member ID as a search key, reads the “notification means selection” data, and by what means is the notification received? Judging.
[0047]
For example, when “notification means selection” is “automatic call”, the normal privilege notification program 401 retrieves the member information file 409 for notification and extracts the data of the telephone number of the corresponding member. Then, the automatic telephone transmission program 403 is read as a subprogram and executed. At this time, the read telephone number data and the data indicating the normal privilege announcement are delivered to the automatic telephone transmission program 403 as arguments. The automatic telephone transmission program 403 extracts the normal privilege granting voice pattern from the pattern-specific automatic voice file 406 and calls the telephone number of the transferred variable. Then, when the telephone is connected, a normal privilege granting voice is announced unilaterally and automatically, and then the line is disconnected.
[0048]
When “notification means selection” is “FAX”, the normal privilege notification program 401 searches the notification member information file 409 and the FAX number of the corresponding member (may be the same as the telephone number). Retrieve the data. Then, the automatic FAX transmission program 404 is read as a subprogram and executed. At this time, the data of the read FAX number and the data indicating the normal privilege notification are delivered to the automatic FAX transmission program 404 as arguments. The automatic FAX transmission program 404 takes out the normal privilege granting form from the pattern-specific FAX form file 406, and transmits the FAX to the FAX number of the transferred variable.
[0049]
When “notification means selection” is “e-mail”, the normal privilege notification program 401 searches the notification member information file 409 and extracts the data of the e-mail address of the corresponding member. Then, the automatic e-mail transmission program 405 is read and executed as a subprogram. At this time, the data of the read e-mail address and the data indicating the normal privilege notice are delivered to the automatic e-mail transmission program 405 as arguments. The automatic e-mail transmission program 405 retrieves the normal privilege grant form from the pattern-specific e-mail form file 407, and transmits the e-mail to the e-mail address of the transferred variable.
[0050]
As described above, the contents of the notification transmitted by the automatic telephone, FAX, or e-mail are contents that a normal coupon is issued at the next visit. If such contents are automatically announced, the motivation for visiting the store will be further enhanced for the customer.
[0051]
Next, notification of special benefits will be described.
As described above, the special privilege granting program 202 transmits the special privilege granting temp file to the notification server 4. The transmitted file is recorded on the hard disk 41 of the notification server 4. The special privilege notification program 402 installed on the hard disk 41 is executed according to the transmitted special privilege provisioning temp file.
[0052]
The special privilege notification program 402 reads the special privilege granting temp file, and takes out the member ID and special privilege content ID data that are the subject of the special privilege grant, respectively. Then, the member information file for notification 409 is searched using the member ID as a search key, and the “notification means selection” data of the corresponding member is read. Thereafter, in the same manner as in the case of the normal privilege, prior notice of granting the special privilege is made by automatic telephone, FAX, or e-mail according to which means is selected. That is, a notification that the special coupon ticket is issued as a special benefit at the next visit is made. At this time, when making a difference in the content of the special privilege, a voice pattern, a FAX form, or an e-mail form is selected according to the special privilege content ID, thereby notifying the special privilege. When the data reading of “notification means selection” and the notification by any means are completed for all member IDs in the special privilege provisioning temp file, the special privilege notification program 402 ends.
[0053]
The notification means is configured to perform passive notification in addition to the above-described active notification. Specifically, an automatic telephone response program 411, an automatic FAX response program 412, and an automatic e-mail response program 413 are installed in the notification recording unit of the notification server 4.
[0054]
The automatic telephone response program 411 is a program that automatically answers the current total earned points, whether or not a special coupon ticket is scheduled to be issued, etc., when a customer calls. The member ID is input by operating the push phone of the other party's telephone, and the store visit history file 203 of the center server 2 is searched by using the member ID as a search key. Then, the current total acquired points data is read out and automatically announced to the other party by voice.
[0055]
The automatic FAX program 412 is basically the same. When a call is received from a customer, the user pushes a push button meaning that he / she wants to reply by FAX. When the push button is pressed, the data of the total earned points is read out as in the case of the automatic telephone response program 411, and the data is pasted on the FAX form and transmitted.
[0056]
The automatic e-mail response program 413 is configured to accept and send a request via the WWW server. The notification server 4 includes WWW server software (not shown), and includes an HTML file (hereinafter, mail transmission request file) (not shown) that displays an automatic e-mail response page. The automatic e-mail response program 413 is a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) program that is activated in accordance with data reception from the mail transmission request file. When data such as a member ID is transmitted from the customer's personal computer or mobile phone on which the mail transmission request file is displayed, the automatic e-mail response program 413 is activated. Similarly, the automatic e-mail response program 413 reads the data of the total earned points, pastes it on an e-mail form, and transmits an e-mail. In some cases, an HTML file for displaying the total earned points may be provided, the data may be pasted and transmitted, and displayed on the customer's personal computer or mobile phone by a browser.
[0057]
Next, the entire operation of the system according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described comprehensively while also describing the embodiment of the method invention.
The customer who has been issued the membership card brings the membership card and visits one of the stores, and inserts the membership card into the insertion slot 18 of the in-store integrated terminal 1 as described above. As a result, after the lottery, the store visit points are added, and if the total earned points have reached the number of normal coupon issuance points, the normal coupon ticket is printed out from the printer 17. In addition, data such as date and time and member ID are recorded in the store visit history file 102 as store visit records.
[0058]
The data of the store record file of each in-store integrated terminal 1 is read and collected by the center server 2 once a day. The collected data is recorded in the store visit history file 203 of the center recording unit 21.
Then, the special privilege granting program 202 is executed once a month. The special privilege granting program 202 counts the number of visits in the current month, compares it with the previous month, and determines the previous month's rank. And according to the special privilege provision conditions based on the previous month comparison rank, it is judged whether a special privilege is provided, and a special privilege provision temp file is created. This file is transmitted to each in-store integrated terminal 1 and recorded. When the corresponding member next visits and inserts a membership card, a special coupon ticket as a special privilege is issued.
[0059]
Further, in the point addition / privilege granting program executed on the in-store integrated terminal 1, when it is determined that the normal privilege is granted at the next visit, the member ID data is sent to the notification server 4, The customer is automatically and actively notified by automatic telephone, FAX or e-mail. Further, the special privilege granting temp file is transmitted, and the customer who is scheduled to be granted the special privilege is automatically and actively notified of the special privilege grant to the customer by automatic telephone call, FAX, or e-mail.
[0060]
According to the method and system of the present embodiment related to the above configuration, the privilege to be given to each customer is automatically determined independently for each customer, so the optimum according to the attribute of each customer Promotion can be done. More specifically, in the present embodiment, a privilege is given based on a concept that is 180 degrees different from that of the prior art, in which a drop in the rank of the store visit frequency is captured and compensated. For this reason, it is possible to prevent so-called customer separation for each individual customer, which is very useful for maintaining and improving the overall sales of the store.
[0061]
In addition, since it is automatically notified in advance to each customer that a privilege is granted at the next visit by the communication means, the incentive to visit is further increased. As a result, it can also make a significant contribution to improving store sales.
Note that the contents of the aggregation history file 205 shown in FIG. 9 are very effective for analyzing customer trends in stores. That is, it is possible to analyze how much each individual customer has come to the store or away from the store and analyze them over a relatively long span in time series.
[0062]
A method called decyl transition analysis is known for analyzing customer trends. This method is based on POS (Point Of Sales) data, etc., and ranks customers in 10 stages with a small amount of purchases per month, and how many customers belong to each rank. Analyze whether or not
However, the decyl transition analysis originally adds an element of comparison with the previous month to the decyl analysis method for analyzing the sales profits of customers of each rank. Such a decyl transition analysis is only an analysis of the transition of the rank relative to the transition of the overall sales of the store, so that only an inaccurate analysis can be performed. For example, if the overall sales of a store in a month drop, even if the purchase price of a customer in that month does not actually change, the rank of that customer will rise. Such inaccurate analysis cannot directly use the results as a means of sales promotion. It is only an analysis calculated from the overall trend of the month.
[0063]
On the other hand, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to identify individual customers, and analyze the transition of absolute values regarding how many times the customers have visited the store, how much money has been purchased, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to carry out direct sales promotion (issue of a coupon, etc.) to the customer using the analysis result as it is. In the actual analysis, data related to rank movement is totaled from the data of the totalization history file 205 shown in FIG. For example, this is data such as how many people who were ranked A in the previous month moved to rank B in the current month.
[0064]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the present invention. A feature of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is a sales promotion system that performs sales promotion in two or more stores, and sets different privilege grant conditions for at least two or more stores based on the characteristics and conditions of each store. It is the point which has the condition setting means to do.
[0065]
The condition setting means includes a management computer 5 and a condition setting program 501 installed in the management computer 5. The management computer 5 is connected to the center server 2 and each in-store integrated terminal 1 via the network 3. The management computer 5 includes a CPU 51, a hard disk 52 as a management recording unit, a keyboard 53, a display unit 54 such as a CRT display or a liquid crystal display, various interfaces 55, and the like.
[0066]
The condition setting program 501 installed in advance in the management recording unit is executed by an operator's operation. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen display flow in the condition setting program 501. As shown in FIG. 11, when the condition setting program 501 is activated, a store selection screen is first displayed. A store selection screen is a screen which selects the store which sets privilege provision conditions, and any one, several, or all the stores are selected on this screen.
[0067]
When a store is selected, the store ID of the selected store is stored in the memory variable, and the target privilege selection screen is displayed. The target privilege selection screen is a screen for selecting a privilege that is the target of condition setting, and displays “normal privilege”, “special privilege”, and the like. Here, when “normal privilege” is selected, a normal privilege provision condition setting screen is displayed, and when “special privilege” is selected, a special privilege provision condition setting screen is displayed.
[0068]
On the normal privilege grant condition setting screen, “normal coupon issue point number setting”, “bonus point number setting”, “day / hour setting”, and the like are selected. “Normal coupon issuance point setting” is a menu for setting the number of total points earned and normal coupon voucher is issued. This is a menu for setting whether to do (1st, 2nd, etc.) “Set every day of the week / time” is a menu for setting a store visit point for each day of the week and each time zone. For example, the visit point on Sunday is tripled as usual, or the visit point when visiting in the morning is doubled as usual.
[0069]
When the condition setting program 501 inputs data on such a normal privilege granting condition setting screen and clicks the “OK button”, the condition setting program 501 temporarily stores the data in memory variables, and then substitutes these variables. A point addition / privilege grant program 101 is newly created. Thereafter, an operation of rewriting the point addition / privilege grant program 101 in each in-store integrated terminal 1 with the new point addition / privilege grant program 101 is performed.
[0070]
If it demonstrates concretely, the same thing as the point addition and privilege provision program 101 installed in each in-store integrated terminal 1 is similarly installed as a master in the center recording unit 21 of the center server 2. In the center recording unit 21, the store ID and the point addition / privilege granting program 101 in the in-store integrated terminal 1 of the store are made into one record, and a file 206 in which these are recorded is installed in the form of a database file. (Hereinafter, this file 206 is referred to as a store-by-store program file).
[0071]
When rewriting the point addition / privilege granting program 101, the condition setting program 501 confirms the access right to the center server 2 and the program file 206 for each store by inputting a password or the like. Thereafter, the store ID is read from the memory variable, and the store-specific program file 206 is searched using this store ID as a search key. Then, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 of the corresponding store is rewritten with the newly created point addition / privilege grant program 101.
[0072]
With the above, the condition setting program 501 for setting the normal privilege granting conditions is completed, but when the point addition / privilege granting program 101 of the center server 2 is rewritten, an automatic transmission program (not shown) installed in the center server 2 Starts. The automatic transmission program transmits the rewritten point addition / privilege grant program 101 to the predetermined in-store integrated terminal 1 according to the store ID, and rewrites the point addition / privilege grant program 101 in the in-store integrated terminal 1. In this way, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 of the in-store integrated terminal 1 of the corresponding store is finally rewritten, and thereafter, the store is promoted under the newly set privilege grant conditions. become.
[0073]
Next, the setting of special privilege granting conditions will be described. As can be seen from FIG. 11, on the special privilege granting condition setting screen, one (or all) of “descending rank attribute setting”, “personal information attribute setting”, and the like can be selected. The “descending rank attribute setting” is a menu for setting the special privilege for the descending rank person described above, and the amount of the special coupon ticket (discount amount) to be given for each rank such as AB, AC. ) Is set.
[0074]
When these data are input and the “OK button” is clicked, the condition setting program 501 rewrites the special privilege granting program 202. A new special privilege grant program 202 is created on the management computer 5 as in the case of the normal privilege. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the special privilege grant program 202 is created for each store, and the file 207 in which the store ID and the special privilege grant program 202 are made into one record is stored in the center recording unit 21 in a database file state. It is recorded. The condition setting program 501 transmits the created new special privilege grant program 202 to the center server 2 after confirming the access right, etc., and overwrites the special privilege grant program 202 of the corresponding store.
[0075]
In the present embodiment, the registration item of the member information master file 204 includes an item of “handling store”. This is a store that the member has selected as a store for shopping mainly when applying for a membership card. Store ID is recorded in the item of “handled store”. In the present embodiment, the selection program is executed prior to the execution of the special privilege grant program 202. The selection program sequentially reads each record of the member information master file 204 and reads the store ID of the customer's “handled store”. Then, the file is searched using the store ID as a search key, and the special privilege granting program 202 of the corresponding store is read and executed. For all customer IDs, a search by store ID of “handled store” is performed, and the special privilege granting program 202 of the corresponding store is executed.
[0076]
On the other hand, the above-mentioned “personal information attribute setting” is a menu for setting conditions for granting a special privilege according to the personal information of the member. For example, for a customer who lives alone and works for a company, shopping is often a weekend. In this case, while shopping a lot on Saturdays and Sundays, the number of visits will be less than for regular housewives. Therefore, in the case of such a customer, it is unfair in the condition of granting the same benefits as a general housewife. Therefore, such customers should be promoted to increase store visit points on Saturdays and Sundays.
[0077]
On the “personal information attribute setting” screen, one or a plurality of requirements for conditions for granting the special privilege are selected, and the content of the special privilege is input. The content of the special privilege is to select whether to issue a special coupon ticket as described above or to change the store visit point grant conditions. In the above example, as requirements, “living alone” is specified in the item of living form, and “company employee” is specified in occupation. Then, as the contents of the special privilege, the change of the store visit point grant condition is selected and the weekend is set to be three times the normal.
[0078]
When data is input in this way, the condition setting program 501 stores the data in a memory variable. Then, the condition setting program 501 changes the point addition / privilege granting program 101 described above based on the data of the memory variable, and creates a point addition / privilege granting program (hereinafter referred to as a special visit point granting program) that increases the number of points visited. .
[0079]
The special store point grant program is installed in the in-store integrated terminal 1. Specifically, the condition setting program 501 sends the created special store point grant program, the personal information data, and the selected store ID data to the center server 2 after confirming the access right and the like. The condition setting program 501 searches the member information master file 204 using the personal information data and the store ID as search keys. The application form described above includes an item for selecting “Living alone” or “Living with family” as the item of living form, and the selected data is registered in the member master file. The condition setting program 501 searches the member information master file 204, satisfies the condition of “living style” = “living alone” and “occupation” = “company employee”, and the store ID of the “handling store” is sent. If there is a record that matches, the member ID is read out. Then, the data of the member ID and the transmitted special store point grant program are transmitted from the center server 2 to each in-store integrated terminal 1 of the corresponding store ID and recorded in a dedicated file in the in-store recording unit. The
[0080]
The point addition / privilege grant program 101 in the in-store recording part searches the above-mentioned dedicated file to determine whether the member ID is the target of special visit point grant after reading the member ID with the member card. to decide. If it is an object of special visit point grant, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 stops its execution and newly executes the special visit point grant program. As a result, when this customer of this store visits the store, according to the above-mentioned example, the store visit point is given on the condition that it is three times the normal if the visit date is a Saturday and Sunday, and as usual if it is a weekday. .
[0081]
In the method and system of this embodiment, in the management computer 5, the condition setting program 501 is operated by an operator's operation, and different normal privilege grant conditions or different special privilege grant conditions are set for each store. As a result, a privilege is granted under the optimum conditions according to the attributes of each store, and it is possible to perform a detailed promotion for each store. For example, in a store where a large competing store is opened nearby, it may be possible to change the conditions so that more benefits are granted than other stores.
[0082]
Next, in each embodiment described above, a configuration optimized for the privilege to be granted will be described.
First, in each embodiment mentioned above, a normal coupon ticket and a special coupon ticket may be a coupon ticket which can be used in the store of other affiliated stores or stores of other chain stores. For example, there may be a way of granting a privilege such that a certain supermarket is affiliated with a theme park, and a free admission ticket to the theme park can be obtained when a certain amount of store visit points are accumulated.
[0083]
Also, in the case of a complex type shopping center that is often found in the suburbs recently, there are cases in which a customer can freely select a store in the shopping center and issue a coupon that can be used in the store. In this case, when the point addition / privilege grant program 101 or the special privilege grant program 102 determines that the normal privilege or special privilege is to be granted, the display unit 13 displays a screen for selecting a coupon ticket of which store. And according to a customer's selection, the coupon of the selected store is output from the printer 17. In the case of such a configuration, coupon paper sheets of a format common to various coupons are set in the paper feeding unit of the printer 17. The printer 17 prints the content of the selected store coupon on the coupon sheet.
[0084]
If the store where the coupon is issued (hereinafter referred to as the “issue”) and the store that is the target of the coupon (the store where the discount is actually performed, hereinafter referred to as the “target store”) are usually different depending on the customer. Is issued, an amount corresponding to the value of the coupon is charged from the target store to the issuing store. However, there may be cases where the counter value of the exercised coupon is not charged, such as when a coupon issuance is made in cooperation with each other. In addition, since the issue of coupons increases the ability to attract customers at the target store, the issue store may charge a coupon ticket issue fee to the target store.
[0085]
In addition, coupons may be different according to customer attributes. That is, the point addition / privilege grant program 101 and the special privilege grant program 102 may be programmed to grant different privileges according to customer attributes. For example, a toy ticket for children and a coupon for cosmetics for women. When the point addition / privilege grant program 101 or the special privilege grant program 102 determines that a privilege is to be granted, it accesses the member information master file 204 and acquires personal information such as the age, sex, and occupation of the member. Then, a privilege is selected according to the personal information, and an output command is issued to the printer 17 to print the selected privilege and output a coupon.
[0086]
The personal information may be recorded in the card recording unit. In this case, it is preferable that the member information master file 204 need not be accessed. Further, when there are several types of benefits, the customer may select a privilege type in advance. For example, there are different types of benefits such as kids courses, family courses, fashion courses, etc., and when applying for a membership card, the user chooses which course benefits to receive. Information on the course is recorded in the member information master file 204 or the card recording unit, and is read out when a privilege is given.
[0087]
In each of the above embodiments, the recognition means recognizes the customer's visit, but it may recognize the purchase of the product by the customer. In this case, the number of purchases is totaled and a privilege is given accordingly, and it is performed for each customer under independent conditions to notify the privilege grant. In this case, the recognition means is typically provided in the cash register of the store or in the vicinity of the cash register. In this case, it is possible to incorporate the contents of the present invention into a conventional POS system.
[0088]
Further, the amount of purchase by the customer may be recognized, and a privilege may be given accordingly. When the purchase amount reaches a certain amount, a privilege is granted. In this case as well, the condition is set and given independently according to the attributes of each customer. The idea of the present invention can also be applied to a cash back system. The ratio of cashback at the time of the next purchase is changed according to the attribute of each customer, or the cashback amount currently accumulated is automatically and actively notified by communication means.
[0089]
In the above-described embodiment, the number of visits is totaled when the special privilege is granted, but it may be a total of store visit points. As described above, when the points that can be obtained at a single store visit differ depending on the lottery, the number of store visits does not match the total number of points earned. Although it is theoretically preferable to give special benefits by counting the number of visits to the store, the total number of points earned may be totaled and ranked every month. Therefore, “total of store visits” is a concept including the total count of store visits and the total of store visit points. In addition, “total purchase” includes a total number of purchases and a total purchase amount.
[0090]
Moreover, the privilege in this invention is not restricted to the coupon as a discount coupon as mentioned above. For example, it may be a voucher or prize for a specific product or service. In the above-described example, the special privilege is the issue of a special coupon. However, the special privilege may be such that a special increase in the number of visit points for obtaining a coupon is available. That is, for example, for a descending rank person, a privilege is given such that the point of visit is doubled at the next visit.
[0091]
Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, the recognition means is a means for reading the magnetic recording part of the member card, but it may be a bar code reader. In this case, the membership card only displays the barcode corresponding to the membership ID, and there is no portion to write information, so the data such as the total number of acquired points is stored in the center server or in-store integrated terminal, etc. It is recorded in the recording unit. As the recognition means, means for recognizing the customer's fingerprint, means for recognizing the customer's retina, etc. may be employed. In this case, the membership card is not used, and the store visit point is recorded in the in-store recording unit. However, a membership card may be used in combination with the store point record.
[0092]
Moreover, in the structure of this invention, it is also possible to give the judgment means of giving a privilege to the card which an individual customer brings. For example, a card with a large recording capacity (for example, an IC card) is adopted as a membership card, and the point addition / privilege grant program 101 is installed in the card recording unit. Then, when the customer visits the store, the point addition / program 101 is read from the membership card together with the points acquired up to now and executed. If it does in this way, it will become possible to make point addition and privilege grant program 101 itself according to the attribute of the customer. In other words, according to personal information such as occupation and age received at the time of application for membership card, select the most suitable one from several point addition / program 101 and install it in the card recording department and issue membership card To do.
[0093]
In addition, store visit data and purchase data of individual customers may be recorded in the card recording unit. That is, how many times the customer has visited the store in the month and how much the customer has purchased are recorded in the card recording unit. Furthermore, the special privilege granting program 202 can also be installed in the card recording unit. Also in this case, the optimal special privilege granting program 202 is installed according to the personal information sent when applying for the membership card. Further, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may have a function of rewriting (updating) the point addition / privilege granting program 201 and the special privilege granting program in the card recording unit according to the subsequent store visit status and purchase status.
In any case, as a result of the membership card being provided with such means, the in-store integrated terminal 1 and the center server 2 are not necessary or unnecessary. For this reason, the investment fund of each store can be cheap, and introduction is easy.
[0094]
Further, although the in-store integrated terminal 1 is provided near the entrance of the store, it may be installed in another place for a specific purpose. For example, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may be installed in the innermost part of the store. This is because the customer has to go to the deepest part of the store for the addition of store visit points, and purchase of goods and services in the middle can be expected. In addition, when there is an area where special sales or campaigns are held in the store, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may be installed near the area for the purpose of promoting attracting customers to the area. Furthermore, the in-store integrated terminal 1 may be installed near the cash register. This may be the case when a point system is used when purchasing goods or services, or when an employee keeps a member card at a cash register for reading.
[0095]
Next, an embodiment of the invention of the computer program will be described.
First, as an embodiment of the invention of the privilege grant program, the special privilege grant program described above corresponds to this. Further, the embodiment of the invention of the notification program corresponds to the above-described normal privilege notification program and special privilege notification program.
[0096]
When an existing system is already in operation, the effects described above may be obtained simply by installing such a program. That is, when the in-store integrated terminal 1 and the center server 2 are already installed, the point addition / privilege granting program 101 described above is installed in each in-store integrated terminal 1, and the store visit history totaling program 201 or the special privilege granting program 202 is installed. Is installed in the center server 2 to obtain the same effect. Further, when the same hardware as the notification server 4 has already been installed, the same effect can be obtained by installing the normal privilege notification program 401 or the special privilege notification program 402. Note that the program may be installed via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or downloaded via a network such as the Internet.
[0097]
In the above description, the store retail business is assumed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is effective in promoting sales of all commodities. Moreover, it is effective not only for goods but also for sales of services. For example, the method and system of the present invention can also be used in chain stores in barber shops, chain stores in restaurants and izakayas (restaurant industry), and the like.
[0098]
【The invention's effect】
  As explained above,According to the invention of each claim, visits or purchases in each period are aggregated, and the customer who has reduced the number of visits or purchases is notified that special benefits will be granted at the next visit or purchase, This makes it possible to effectively prevent customers from leaving and greatly helps to maintain and improve the overall sales of the store. Special benefits are given to customers who have reduced their visits or purchases, so they can prevent customers from leaving customers while reducing waste of investment costs..In particular, the transmission of the special privilege information is automatically and actively performed by telephone, FAX, or e-mail, so that the incentive to visit the store is further increased.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a sales promotion system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIG.
3 is a block diagram showing an outline of a hardware configuration of the in-store integrated terminal 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of a point addition / privilege grant program 101;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of a store visit history data collection program 201 installed in the center server 2;
6 is a diagram schematically showing a data example of an all-visit history file 203 in which data collected by the visit history data collection program 201 is recorded. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a special privilege granting condition in the embodiment.
8 is a flowchart showing an outline of a special privilege granting program 202. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an example of data in a count history file.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram showing a flow of screen display in a condition setting program 501. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 In-store integrated terminal
101 point addition / privilege grant program
2 Center server
201 Store visit history collection program
202 Special benefits grant program
3 network
4 Notification server
5 Management computer

Claims (12)

A database file recording step in which the recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
That there is a computer capable of reading a member ID, which is recorded in the membership card, customers who purchase goods or services by or store individual customer reads the member ID, which is recorded in the membership card that you bring has visited A recognition step to recognize ;
A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
The computer reads the purchase of goods or services at individual customers 'visits or stores recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the purchase of goods or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period is installed. An aggregation step that the computer aggregates by executing the program ;
A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the results totaled by the computer in the totaling step for each period;
The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A determination step in which the computer determines by running an installed program whether it has decreased compared to the purchase of goods or services;
The computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period. In such cases, it is granted only to customers whose visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer who grants the special privilege that is a special privilege,
The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number A notification step in which the computer transmits information that the special benefit is granted to the customer,
The notice step is a step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits the information by executing the installed program . In the determination step, the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period. If it is determined, the recording unit records a special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition together with the member ID,
In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or is a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before reduction. The sales promotion method according to claim 1. A database file recording step in which the recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number ;
The computer that can read the member ID recorded on the member card reads the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer and that each customer has come to the store or has purchased goods or services at the store A recognition step to recognize;
A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
The computer reads the purchase of goods or services at the store or store of each customer recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the total of points given according to the purchase of the product or service at the store or store is installed A first counting step that the computer counts by executing the program;
Based on the result of the computer counting in the first counting step, the computer is executed by executing the installed program to determine whether the total number of points has reached the number of points set as the number of points to which the normal privilege is granted. A first determination step for determining,
The computer reads the purchase of goods or services at individual customers 'visits or stores recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the purchase of goods or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period is installed. A second counting step that the computer counts by executing the program;
A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the result of totaling by the computer in the second totaling step for each period;
The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A second determining step in which the computer determines whether the product or service has been reduced compared to the purchase of the product by executing the installed program;
The computer determined that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period was less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in the previous period. In such cases, it is granted only to customers whose visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer to whom the special privilege that is a special privilege is given;
The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number A notification step in which the computer transmits information that the special benefit is granted to the customer,
The notice step is a step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits the information by executing the installed program . In the second judgment step, the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to purchases of goods or services at the store or the store in a previous period. When the computer determines, the recording unit records a special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition together with the member ID,
In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
  The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease. The sales promotion method according to claim 3. A recording unit that records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
A computer that can read the membership ID recorded on the membership card, and the customer ID that was recorded on the membership card brought by the customer was read and each customer visited or purchased goods or services at the store. A computer that recognizes
A recording unit that automatically records each customer's visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store, as recognized by the computer;
Reading the purchase of goods or services at individual customers 'visits or stores recorded by the recording unit, and executing the installed program to purchase goods or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period And a computer to count by
A recording unit for recording the results of the computer for each period;
Reads the counting results recorded by the recording unit, and visits to the store in a certain period or purchases of goods or services at the store compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period A computer that determines whether it has been reduced by running an installed program;
If the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a period of time has decreased compared to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in an earlier period Benefits granted only to customers who have reduced their visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the period compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A recording unit for recording a member ID of the customer as a customer who grants a special privilege;
A computer for reading the member ID of the customer recorded by the recording unit as the customer to whom the special privilege is given;
A computer that retrieves the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number data by searching the database file recorded by the recording unit using the read member ID as a search key;
Special privilege granting information that a special privilege is granted to the customer when the customer visits the store next time or purchases a product at the next store for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address or FAX number of the member A computer to transmit,
The sales promotion system, wherein the computer that transmits the special privilege grant information is a computer that automatically and actively transmits the special privilege grant information by executing an installed program . When the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to the visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period The said recording part which records the member ID of the customer records special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege given according to special privilege provision conditions with member ID,
The computer that transmits the special privilege grant information reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and corresponds to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Information on the special benefits that have been made,
The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease. The sales promotion system according to claim 5, characterized in that: A recording unit that records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
  A recognition unit that reads the member ID recorded on the member card is provided, and the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer is read to recognize that each customer has visited the store or purchased a product or service at the store. A computer,
  A recording unit that automatically records each customer's visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store, as recognized by the computer;
  Read the purchase of goods or services at the store or store of each customer recorded by the recording unit, the first tabulation that is the total of the points given according to the purchase of goods or services at the store or store, A computer that runs by running the installed program;
  Based on the result of the first tabulation performed by the computer, it is determined by executing the installed program whether or not the total number of points has reached the number of points set as the number of points to which normal benefits are granted. A computer,
  The computer reads out the purchase of goods or services at individual stores or stores at the stores recorded by the recording unit, and is the total of purchases of products or services at individual customers' visits or stores within each period A computer running the installed program, and a total of two
  A recording unit for recording the result of the second tabulation performed by the computer for each period;
  Read the result of the second tabulation recorded by the recording unit, visit the store in a certain period or visit the store in the period before the purchase of goods or services at the store, or goods or services at the store A computer that determines whether it has been reduced compared to the purchase of by running an installed program;
  If the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a period of time has decreased compared to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in an earlier period Benefits granted only to customers who have reduced their visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the period compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A recording unit for recording a member ID of the customer as a customer to whom a special privilege is granted;
  A computer for reading the member ID of the customer recorded by the recording unit as the customer to whom the special privilege is given;
  A computer that retrieves the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number data by searching the database file recorded by the recording unit using the read member ID as a search key;
  Special privilege granting information that a special privilege is granted to the customer when the customer visits the store next time or purchases a product at the next store for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address or FAX number of the member A computer to transmit,
  The sales promotion system, wherein the computer that transmits the special privilege grant information is a computer that automatically and actively transmits the special privilege grant information by executing an installed program. When the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to the visit to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period The said recording part which records the member ID of the customer records special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege given according to special privilege provision conditions with member ID,
  The computer that transmits the special privilege grant information reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and corresponds to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Information on the special benefits that have been made,
  The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease. 8. The sales promotion system according to claim 7, wherein A computer program used in a sales promotion system for granting a privilege to a customer in accordance with an individual customer visit or purchase of goods or services,
  A database file recording step in which a recording unit records a database file that includes a member ID and data of the member's telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number;
  The computer that can read the member ID recorded on the member card reads the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer, and that each customer has visited the store or purchased goods or services at the store. A recognition step to recognize;
  A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
  The computer reads individual customer visits to the store or the purchase of goods or services at the store recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the computer purchases the products or services at each customer visit or store within each period The aggregation step that
  A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the result of totaling by the computer in the totaling step for each period;
  The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A decision step in which the computer decides whether or not it has been reduced compared to the purchase of goods or services;
  The computer determined that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period was less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in the previous period. In some cases, benefits granted only to customers whose visits to a store or purchases of goods or services at a store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to a store or purchases of goods or services at a store in an earlier period A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer who grants the special privilege,
  The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number A computer program comprising a notification step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits information that the special privilege is given to the customer. In the determination step, the computer determines that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in a previous period. If it is determined, the recording unit records a special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition together with the member ID,
In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
  The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease. 10. The computer program according to claim 9, wherein A computer program used in a sales promotion system for granting a privilege to a customer in accordance with an individual customer visit or purchase of goods or services,
  Includes data on the member ID and the member's phone number, email address or fax number. A database file recording step in which the recording unit records a database file that has been converted into a database;
  The computer that can read the member ID recorded on the member card reads the member ID recorded on the member card brought by the customer, and that each customer has visited the store or purchased goods or services at the store. A recognition step to recognize;
  A recording step in which the recording unit automatically records visits of individual customers recognized by the computer in the recognition step or purchase of goods or services at the store;
  The computer reads the visits of individual customers to the store or the purchase of goods or services at the store recorded by the recording unit in the recording step, and the computer gives the total of points given according to the purchase of the products or services at the store or store The first aggregation step that
  A first determination step in which the computer determines whether the total number of points has reached the number of points set as the number of points to which a normal privilege is granted, based on the result of the computer totaling in the first counting step;
  In the recording step, the computer reads the purchases of the products or services of the individual customers visiting the store or store recorded by the recording unit, and the computer totals the purchases of the products or services of the individual customers visiting the store or store within each period. A second aggregation step;
  A totaling result recording step in which the recording unit records the result of totaling by the computer in the second totaling step for each period;
  The computer reads out the counting results recorded by the recording unit in the counting result recording step, and the store visits the store in a certain period or the purchase of goods or services at the store before the store visit or the store in the store A second determination step in which the computer determines whether the purchase has been reduced compared to the purchase of goods or services;
  The computer determined that the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period was less than the number of visits to the store or purchase of goods or services at the store in the previous period. In such cases, it is granted only to customers whose visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in a certain period have been reduced compared to visits to the store or purchases of goods or services at the store in the previous period. A special privilege grant recording step in which the recording unit records the member ID of the customer as a customer to whom the special privilege that is a special privilege is given;
  The computer reads the member ID recorded by the recording unit in the special privilege grant recording step, and the computer searches the database file recorded by the recording unit in the database file recording step using the read member ID as a search key. When a member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number is retrieved, the next time the customer visits the store or purchases a product at the next store, the retrieved member's phone number, e-mail address or fax number A computer program comprising a notification step in which the computer automatically and actively transmits information that the special privilege is given to the customer. In the second judgment step, the number of visits to a store or purchase of goods or services at a store in a certain period has decreased compared to purchases of goods or services at the store or the store in a previous period. When the computer determines, the recording unit records a special privilege content ID according to the content of the special privilege granted according to the special privilege granting condition together with the member ID,
In the notification step, the computer reads the special privilege content ID recorded by the recording unit, and information on the special privilege content corresponding to the special privilege content ID for the retrieved telephone number, e-mail address, or FAX number of the member. Is transmitted by the computer,
  The special privilege granting condition is a condition that gives more benefits as the range of decrease is larger, or a condition that gives more benefits as the number of visits or purchases increases in the period before the decrease. The computer program according to claim 11, wherein the computer program is characterized.

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