JP7424459B2 - Promotional devices, promotional methods and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and program for promoting sales related to tax exemption.

In Japan and many foreign countries, it is necessary to pay taxes (consumption tax, value added tax, etc.) depending on the amount of shopping. Furthermore, in order to attract tourists, Japan and many foreign countries have introduced systems that exempt non-residents from paying taxes if they make purchases that meet certain conditions. For example, in Japan, there is a system in which purchases of general goods or consumables purchased for personal use within a predetermined amount range are exempt from tax.

Normally, the customer or store clerk determines whether the purchase amount meets certain conditions (for example, the total purchase amount is 5,000 yen or more), and if the conditions are met, the customer or the store clerk takes tax exemption procedures such as preparing the necessary documents for tax exemption. conduct. The preparation of tax exemption documents can be done manually or by machine.

The tax exemption document creation device described in Patent Document 1 reads information on a customer's passport, receives product purchase information from a POS (Point of Sale) store terminal, etc., and outputs a tax exemption document based on the information. Such technology can reduce the time and effort required to prepare tax exemption documents.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-118966

If the customer's purchase price does not meet the conditions for tax exemption, tax exemption will naturally not apply. In such situations, by showing customers that purchasing additional items satisfies the tax exemption conditions, customers are more likely to benefit from the tax exemption, and the store may be able to sell additional items. There is. However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 creates tax exemption documents on the premise that the purchase price condition is met, so if the purchase price condition is not met, information encouraging the customer to purchase additional products is provided to the customer. I can't.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a sales promotion device, a sales promotion method, and a program that can present information to customers to encourage purchase when tax exemption conditions are not met. The purpose is to

A first aspect of the present invention is a sales promotion device, which includes an acquisition unit that acquires an image of a customer, an identification unit that extracts the identification information based on the image, and a recommended product using the identification information. a selection unit for making a selection; a determination unit for determining whether the total shopping amount of the customer satisfies the conditions for tax exemption; and an output unit that outputs information encouraging purchase including information indicating the recommended product.

A second aspect of the present invention is a computer-implemented sales promotion method comprising: obtaining an image of a customer; extracting the identification information based on the image; and using the identification information. a step of selecting a recommended product, a step of determining whether the total amount of shopping by the customer satisfies the conditions for tax exemption, and a step in the case where it is determined in the determining step that the condition for tax exemption is not satisfied; and outputting information encouraging the customer to purchase including information indicating the recommended product.

A third aspect of the present invention is a program, which instructs a computer to acquire a customer's image, extract the identification information based on the image, and select a recommended product using the identification information. a step of determining whether the total shopping amount of the customer satisfies the conditions for tax exemption; and a step of determining whether the total amount of shopping by the customer satisfies the conditions for tax exemption; A step of outputting information encouraging purchase including information indicating recommended products is executed.

According to the present invention, it is determined whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption, and if it is determined that the conditions for tax exemption are not satisfied, information is presented to the customer to encourage purchase. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required by a store clerk to manually determine whether or not the tax exemption conditions are met, and the customer can easily apply for tax exemption even if he or she does not know the tax exemption conditions.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sales promotion method using the sales promotion device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of a customer-side display displaying sales promotion information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a POS terminal according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of product information, carry-in prohibited information, and purchase history information according to the first embodiment. It is a figure showing a flow chart of sales promotion processing concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flowchart of customer identification processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flowchart of recommended product selection processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of a customer-side display displaying tax exemption-related information according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the sales promotion process based on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view of a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a POS terminal according to each embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In the drawings described below, parts having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof may be omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sales promotion method using a sales promotion device according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, a POS terminal (point of sale information management terminal) 100 is used as a sales promotion device. The sales promotion device may be provided separately from the POS terminal 100 and configured to receive necessary information from the POS terminal 100 and implement the sales promotion method according to the present embodiment. The POS terminal 100 is a store terminal that is installed in a store and reads product information and performs checkout. A POS terminal 100 is located between a customer A and a store clerk B at a store. The POS terminal 100 includes a customer-side display 110 facing the customer A side, and a shop-side display 120 facing the store clerk B side.

The POS terminal 100 displays information on the product being checked out, the amount of the checkout, a message directed to the clerk B, etc. on the store display 120. The POS terminal 100 displays, on the customer-side display 110, information on the product being purchased, the amount of the transaction, sales promotion information, tax exemption related information, etc., which will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a front view of customer display 110 displaying exemplary promotional information according to the present embodiment. The POS terminal 100 displays sales promotion information as shown in FIG. 2 on the customer side display 110 when the customer's purchase amount does not satisfy the tax exemption conditions. The sales promotion information includes a tax exemption category display 110a, a total amount 110b for each tax exemption category, difference information 110c indicating a shortfall in the total amount 110b with respect to the amount range of tax exemption conditions, and recommended product information 110d indicating a recommended product. The difference information 110c and the recommended product information 110d are collectively referred to as sales promotion information 110e, which is information that prompts the customer to make additional purchases by presenting the customer with the insufficient amount and recommended products for the tax exemption conditions for each tax exemption category. .

In this embodiment, the total amount is calculated for each tax exemption category of the product, and whether or not tax exemption is applicable is determined based on the total amount for each tax exemption category. Products are classified in advance into at least two tax exemption categories, and the tax exemption conditions differ for each tax exemption category. The tax exemption category specifies, for example, whether the product is a general item or a consumable item. Furthermore, depending on the product, there may be no tax exemption category, and in that case, the product is not eligible for tax exemption. The tax exemption category display 110a is information indicating which tax exemption category is currently displayed on the customer side display 110. In FIG. 2, the tax exemption category display 110a includes a character string "Consumables" indicating that the currently displayed tax exemption category is consumables.

If there are multiple tax-free categories, the POS terminal 100 may switch the tax-free category displayed as the tax-free category display 110a in response to an operation by a store clerk or the passage of a predetermined period of time. The tax exemption classification display 110a may be represented using symbols in addition to character strings. The tax exemption category display 110a is not limited to what is shown here, but may be set as appropriate depending on the actual tax exemption system. However, the present invention, which will be explained using this embodiment as an example, is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, if there are two or more tax-free categories, a configuration may be adopted in which sales promotion information is displayed on the same screen for each tax-free category. That is, the POS terminal 100 can have various display modes as long as it can display sales promotion information for each tax exemption category.

The total amount 110b is calculated by summing up the prices of products that fall under the currently displayed tax exemption category. If no tax exemption category is defined according to the actual tax exemption system, or if only one tax exemption category exists, the total amount 110b is calculated for all products. Furthermore, products for which no tax exemption category is provided are excluded from the calculation of the total amount 110b as not eligible for tax exemption.

In this embodiment, the amount range of tax exemption conditions is determined for each tax exemption category, and the amount range of each tax exemption category has at least a lower limit, and depending on the tax exemption category, it may also have an upper limit. The difference amount information 110c is displayed when the total amount 110b is less than the lower limit value of the amount range of the tax exemption category being displayed. The difference amount information 110c is a character string indicating that tax exemption can be applied if a product is purchased for more than the difference amount, along with the difference amount calculated by subtracting the total amount 110b from the lower limit of the amount range of the tax exemption category being displayed. including. As a result, the POS terminal 100 can automatically prompt the customer to make an additional purchase without the clerk manually determining the tax exemption conditions, and the customer can easily know the conditions necessary to apply for tax exemption. Can be done.

If there is an upper limit to the amount range of the tax exemption condition for the currently displayed tax exemption category, and the total amount 110b is larger than the upper limit of the amount range for the currently displayed tax exemption category, the POS terminal 100 selects the tax exemption condition from the total amount 110b. Along with the difference calculated by subtracting the upper limit of the amount range, a character string indicating that tax exemption cannot be applied because the amount exceeds the amount range of the tax exemption conditions may be displayed.

Recommended product information 110d is displayed when the total amount 110b is less than the lower limit of the amount range of the currently displayed tax exemption category. The recommended product information 110d includes products selected based on the customer's purchase history or attributes through a recommended product selection process described below. This makes it easier for customers to make additional purchases to meet the tax exemption requirements.

If the total amount 110b satisfies the amount range of the tax exemption conditions in the currently displayed tax exemption category, the POS terminal 100 displays information indicating that tax exemption is applicable on the customer display 110 instead of the sales promotion information 110e. May be displayed.

Furthermore, the POS terminal 100 converts at least part of the tax exemption category display 110a, total amount 110b, difference information 110c, and recommended product information 110d into character strings in the language of the country where the POS terminal 100 is located (Japanese in FIG. 2). It is also expressed as a character string in the language of the customer's country of residence (English in FIG. 2). The customer's country of residence is read from the customer's passport or estimated from the customer's image through customer identification processing, which will be described later. This allows the POS terminal 100 to display information in a language that is easy for the customer to understand, thereby promoting customer understanding.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the POS terminal 100 according to this embodiment. The POS terminal 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a memory 102, a storage device 103, and a communication interface 104 in addition to the customer display 110 and store display 120 described above. Further, the POS terminal 100 includes an input device 105, a camera 106, and a product information reading device 107. The POS terminal 100 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may further include other members. POS terminal 100 may consist of one or more devices, or may be configured integrally with other devices. Further, the POS terminal 100 may be connected to another server, and at least part of the processing performed by the POS terminal 100 in this embodiment may be performed by the server.

The communication interface 104 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be able to perform at least one of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 104 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, etc. necessary for the communication method. The communication interface 104 performs communication using the communication method according to a signal from the CPU 101.

The storage device 103 stores programs executed by the POS terminal 100, data resulting from processing by the programs, and the like. The storage device 103 includes a read-only ROM (Read Only Memory), a read/write hard disk drive, a flash memory, and the like. Additionally, the storage device 103 may include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 102 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) and the like that temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 101 and data read from the storage device 103.

The CPU 101 temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 102, reads a program recorded in the storage device 103, and performs various calculations, controls, determinations, etc. on the temporary data according to the program. A processor that performs processing operations. Further, the CPU 101 records data on the processing results in the storage device 103 and transmits the data on the processing results to the outside via the communication interface 104.

The input device 105 includes a keyboard and the like for instructing the execution of processing, mainly accepts input from a store clerk, and transmits the input contents to the CPU 101 as a signal.

The camera 106 is a reading device that reads an image of a passport or a customer's image as information for identifying the customer. The camera 106 includes an imaging device such as a camera or a scanner that acquires an image using an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor.

Camera 106 may be provided in a terminal different from POS terminal 100. In that case, the other terminal reads the passport image or the customer's image with the camera 106 and transmits those images to the POS terminal 100.

When an image of the customer is captured by the camera 106, the POS terminal 100 performs person recognition processing on the image of the customer captured by the camera 106, and generates an identifier for identifying the customer based on the customer's face and clothes. Obtain customer identification information such as customer ID, customer's country of residence, age, and gender. The customer ID is, for example, a feature amount generated from an image of the customer, and the same customer ID is assigned to a person who has a high probability of being the same customer. A well-known technique may be used as a specific person recognition process. Additionally, the POS terminal 100 may transmit the customer's image to another terminal to perform person recognition processing, and receive the results.

When the camera 106 captures an image of the passport, the POS terminal 100 performs OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing on the passport image captured by the camera 106 to identify the customer's passport number written on the passport. , obtain passport information such as name, country of issue, etc. A well-known technique may be used as a specific OCR process. Further, the POS terminal 100 may transmit the image of the passport to another terminal, have it perform OCR processing, and receive the result.

The POS terminal 100 may read passport information from an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip mounted on the passport instead of the passport image. In that case, the POS terminal 100 is equipped with a reader that reads the recorded contents of the IC chip without contact. The POS terminal 100 reads passport information such as the customer's passport number, name, and issuing country from the recorded contents of the IC chip of the passport acquired by the reader. Further, the POS terminal 100 may read information input by a store clerk or a customer using the input device 105 as passport information.

The product information reading device 107 is a reading unit that reads product information, and includes any imaging device such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. In this embodiment, the product information includes information for identifying the product (for example, an identifier such as a JAN code), and is represented using a barcode. Product information is not limited to barcodes, and may be obtained by any method such as reading an IC tag attached to a product or inputting it using the input device 105. The product information reading device 107 may be provided in a terminal different from the POS terminal 100. In that case, the other terminal reads the product information using the product information reading device 107 and transmits the product information to the POS terminal 100.

The customer side display 110 and the shop side display 120 are display units that display information. As the customer side display 110 and the shop side display 120, any display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display or a liquid crystal display may be used. Customer-side display 110 and store-side display 120 display predetermined information according to signals from CPU 101.

FIG. 4(a) is a schematic diagram of exemplary product information according to the present embodiment. The product information includes a product ID, which is a unique identifier for identifying the product, a product name, and a tax exemption category. The tax exemption category defines, for example, whether the product having the product ID is a general product or a consumable product, or whether it is not subject to tax exemption. In the sales promotion process according to the present embodiment, product IDs of general products and product IDs of consumables are separately tallied based on product information. Tax exemption categories are not limited to those shown here, and may be set as appropriate depending on the actual tax exemption system. In FIG. 4A, the tax exemption category is shown as a character string, but information such as a code value representing the tax exemption category may be used. Product information is recorded in advance in the storage device 103 of the POS terminal 100.

FIG. 4(b) is a schematic diagram of exemplary carry-in prohibited information according to the present embodiment. The prohibited information includes a country in which the product is prohibited from being brought into the country, which is associated with the product ID. The product ID is the same as that included in the product information. The prohibited countries specify the countries to which the product having the product ID cannot be brought into the country. In FIG. 4(b), countries where import is prohibited are shown as character strings, but information such as a code value representing the country where import is prohibited may be used. The prohibited information is recorded in advance in the storage device 103 of the POS terminal 100.

FIG. 4(c) is a schematic diagram of exemplary purchase history information according to the present embodiment. The purchase history information includes the date and time of shopping (accounting), the product ID of the purchased product, the customer's passport number, country of residence, age, and gender. Purchase history information is generated by the POS terminal 100 every time a transaction is made and recorded in the storage device 103. If a passport number is not obtained at the time of shopping, purchase history information is recorded using the customer ID instead of the passport number.

In Figures 4(a) to 4(c), product information, prohibited information, and purchase history information are expressed as character strings for visibility, but they may be expressed in any data format (file format). It may be, for example, binary data or text data. Further, product information, prohibited information, and purchase history information may be recorded in the storage device 103 as a binary file or a text file, or may be recorded in the storage device 103 as a database table. The product information, prohibited information, and purchase history information are not limited to those shown here, and may be divided, merged, or include other information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart of sales promotion processing executed in the POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The sales promotion process is performed, for example, on the POS terminal 100 during the customer's checkout for shopping (for example, at the timing when product information of all products included in the checkout is read).

First, the POS terminal 100 performs customer identification processing, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, and acquires customer identification information (step S110). Next, the POS terminal 100 generates purchase history information based on the customer identification information and shopping details acquired in step S110, and records it in the storage device 103 (step S101). If the customer identification process is performed without receiving a passport in step S110, the passport number is not acquired, and therefore the purchase history information is recorded using the customer ID instead of the passport number. Next, the POS terminal 100 calculates the total amount by summing the prices of the products for each tax exemption category (step S102). The following steps are performed for each tax exemption category.

The POS terminal 100 determines whether the total amount calculated in step S102 satisfies predetermined tax exemption conditions (step S103). The tax exemption conditions are, for example, if the tax exemption category is general goods, the total amount must be 5,000 yen or more, and if the tax exemption category is consumables, the total amount must be 5,000 yen to 500,000 yen. It is.

If the shopping satisfies the tax exemption conditions (YES in step S104), the POS terminal 100 performs processing to apply tax exemption (step S105). The processing for applying the tax exemption is, for example, displaying that the tax exemption conditions are met, issuing documents necessary for applying the tax exemption, or executing the tax exemption (paying out a refund, etc.) by the POS terminal 100 itself.

If the shopping does not satisfy the tax exemption conditions (NO in step S104), the POS terminal 100 performs recommended product selection processing, which will be described later using FIG. 7, and selects recommended products based on the customer identification information acquired in step S110. is selected (step S120). Then, the POS terminal 100 outputs sales promotion information for each tax exemption category based on the total amount calculated in step S102 and the recommended product information acquired in step S120 (step S106). The sales promotion information includes information on the amount of money missing from tax exemption conditions and information on products recommended to customers. The promotional information may be displayed on the customer display 110, as illustrated in FIG. 2, or by any method capable of presenting the information to the customer, such as audio output from a speaker, paper printout from a printer, etc. May be output.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of customer identification processing executed in the POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The customer identification process is executed in step S110 in the flowchart of FIG.

First, the POS terminal 100 determines whether or not a passport has been presented by the customer. For example, when a store clerk receives a passport from a customer, he or she performs a predetermined acceptance operation (pressing a button, pressing a touch panel, etc.) from the input device 105, and the POS terminal 100 detects the acceptance operation and accepts the presentation of the passport from the customer. Determine whether it has been received. The presentation of the passport may be accepted before the promotional process begins or during the promotional process. When the customer presents a passport (YES in step S111), the POS terminal 100 uses the camera 106 to acquire an image of the passport (step S112). The POS terminal 100 performs well-known OCR processing on the passport image acquired in step S112, and reads the customer's passport information written on the passport (step S113). The passport information may be obtained from the image of the passport, information read from an IC chip mounted on the passport, or information input from the input device 105. Then, the POS terminal 100 extracts customer identification information including the passport number, country of residence (country of passport issuance), age, gender, etc. necessary for sales promotion processing from the passport information acquired in step S113, and stores it in the memory 102. (step S114).

If the customer does not present a passport (NO in step S111), the POS terminal 100 uses the camera 106 to acquire an image of the customer (step S115). The POS terminal 100 performs well-known person recognition processing on the customer's image acquired in step S115 (step S116). Then, the POS terminal 100 extracts customer identification information including the customer ID, country of residence, age, gender, etc. required for the sales promotion process from the result of the person recognition process performed in step S116, and temporarily stores it on the memory 102. Record (step S117).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flowchart of recommended product selection processing executed in the POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The customer identification process is executed in step S120 in the flowchart of FIG.

First, the POS terminal 100 acquires customer identification information acquired in the customer identification process shown in FIG. 6 (step S121). Next, the POS terminal 100 acquires purchase history information of the same customer as the shopping customer indicated by the customer identification information from among the purchase history information recorded in the storage device 103 (step S122). The identity of the customers is determined by whether the passport numbers read from the passports or the customer IDs assigned through person recognition processing are the same.

If there is purchase history information of the same customer (YES in step S123), a recommended product is selected based on the past purchase history of the customer who is shopping (step S124). Recommended products are based on arbitrary rules, such as products randomly selected from the same customer's past purchase history, products similar to products included in the purchase history, or products included in the purchase history the most. may be selected. This makes it possible to recommend appropriate products based on the same customer's preferences, thereby increasing the customer's desire to purchase.

If there is no purchase history information for the same customer (NO in step S123), a recommended product is selected based on the attributes of the customer who is shopping (step S125). The customer attributes are information indicating characteristics to which at least one of the customers belongs, such as the customer's country of residence, age, and gender. The POS terminal 100 calculates the degree of similarity between the customer's attributes and the attributes included in each purchase history information recorded in the storage device 103, and selects recommended products from the purchase history for which the degree of similarity is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value. Select. As the attribute similarity, for example, Euclidean distance between values included in the attributes may be used. Recommended products can be selected according to arbitrary rules, such as products randomly selected from the purchase history corresponding to the customer's attributes, products similar to products included in the purchase history, or products included in the purchase history the most. may be selected based on This makes it possible to recommend appropriate products based on the customer's attributes, thereby increasing the customer's desire to purchase.

In steps S124 and S125, recommended products are preferably selected excluding products that cannot be brought into the customer's country of residence. Whether or not each product can be brought into the customer's country of residence is determined based on the customer identification information acquired in the customer identification process and the information that is not allowed to be brought into the storage device 103 . Specifically, the POS terminal 100 acquires from the prohibited countries from the prohibited countries associated with the product ID of the products included in the transaction, and if the prohibited countries include the country of residence of the customer identification information. It is determined that the product cannot be brought into the country. This allows customers to avoid displaying recommended products that they cannot bring into their country of residence.

In steps S124 and S125, it is desirable that a recommended product having a price equal to or greater than the shortfall in the total amount for the amount range of the tax exemption condition is selected. As a result, the tax exemption conditions are satisfied just by purchasing one additional recommended product, thereby increasing the customer's desire to purchase.

The POS terminal 100 outputs recommended product information including the name, price, etc. of the recommended product selected in steps S124 and S125, and temporarily records it on the memory 102 (step S126).

In this embodiment, the CPU 101 of the POS terminal 100 is the main body for each step (process) included in the processing shown in FIGS. 5 to 7. Specifically, the CPU 101 includes a recording unit that executes step S101, a calculation unit that executes step S102, a determination unit that executes step S103, an output unit that executes step S106, an identification unit that executes step S110, and step S120. It functions as a selection section that executes. The CPU 101 reads a program for executing the processes shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 from the memory 102 or the storage device 103, and executes the program to control each part of the POS terminal 100, thereby executing the processes shown in FIGS. Execute. Furthermore, at least part of the processes shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 may be performed by a dedicated device or electric circuit instead of the CPU 101.

The POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment can present various tax exemption related information in addition to sales promotion information. 8(a) to 8(c) are front views of the customer-side display 110 displaying exemplary tax exemption related information according to the present embodiment. The tax exemption related information shown in FIG. 8(a) is displayed when the transaction includes products that cannot be brought into the customer's country of residence, and displays the tax exemption category display 110a, the prohibited product display 110f, and the prohibited product 110g. include. The carry-in prohibited display 110f includes a character string that explains to the customer that the product cannot be brought into the country of residence. The prohibited products 110g is information about products included in the customer's account that cannot be brought into the customer's country of residence. Whether or not each product can be brought into the customer's country of residence is determined based on the customer identification information acquired in the customer identification process and the information that is not allowed to be brought into the storage device 103 .

If there are a plurality of products 110g that are not allowed to be brought in, the POS terminal 100 may switch the displayed products 110g that are not allowed to be brought in according to an operation by a store clerk or the elapse of a predetermined period of time. In this way, the customer can be informed of the products that cannot be brought into the country of residence. Similar to products that cannot be brought in, the POS terminal 100 may display products that are not eligible for tax exemption. Whether a product is exempt from tax exemption or not is determined based on product information recorded in the storage device 103.

The tax exemption related information shown in FIG. 8(b) is displayed when the total amount exceeds a predetermined amount, and includes a tax exemption category display 110a, a total amount 110b for each tax exemption category, and a passport request display 110h. In an actual tax exemption system, if the total amount in a certain tax exemption category exceeds a predetermined amount (for example, 1 million yen), a copy of the passport may be required to be kept. Therefore, the passport request display 110h includes a character string indicating that a copy of the passport is required. By alerting the clerk or customer in this way, it is possible to prevent them from forgetting to make a copy of their passport.

The tax exemption related information shown in FIG. 8(c) is displayed when the total amount exceeds a predetermined amount, and includes a tax exemption category display 110a, a total amount 110b for each tax exemption category, and a tax exemption not possible display 110i. In an actual tax exemption system, if the total amount in a certain tax exemption category exceeds a predetermined amount (for example, 500,000 yen), tax exemption may not apply. Therefore, the tax exemption not applicable display 110i includes a character string indicating that tax exemption cannot be applied. By alerting store staff or customers in this way, it is possible to prevent a situation where tax exemption cannot be applied due to the total amount exceeding the tax exemption range.

As shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(c), the POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment uses information common to sales promotion processing in addition to sales promotion information to provide customers with tax exemptions. Various such information can be presented.

The POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the customer's shopping satisfies the tax exemption conditions, and if not, presents the tax exemption conditions to the customer and urges the customer to make additional purchases. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required by the store clerk to manually determine the tax exemption conditions, and the customer can easily know the conditions necessary to apply for tax exemption. Furthermore, since the POS terminal 100 displays recommended products selected based on the customer's past purchase history or attributes, the customer can easily make additional purchases to satisfy the tax exemption conditions.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, tax exemption conditions are determined for one transaction, whereas in this embodiment, tax exemption conditions are determined for multiple transactions of the same customer. As a result, even if accounts for the same customer can be combined in an actual tax exemption system, sales promotion information can be appropriately presented. In this embodiment, a POS terminal 100 having a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment is used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of sales promotion processing executed in the POS terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. The sales promotion process is performed, for example, on the POS terminal 100 during the customer's checkout for shopping (for example, at the timing when product information of all products included in the checkout is read).

First, the POS terminal 100 performs the customer identification process shown in FIG. 6 and obtains customer identification information (step S110). However, since it is necessary to identify the same customer with high precision here, the customer is identified using the image of the passport rather than the image of the customer.

The POS terminal 100 generates purchase history information based on the customer identification information and shopping details acquired in step S110, and records it in the storage device 103 (step S201). Next, the POS terminal 100 identifies the customer who is shopping as indicated by the customer identification information acquired in step S110 among the purchase history information of the current day (that is, the same date as the current shopping) recorded in the storage device 103. Purchase history information of the same customer is acquired (step S202). The identity of the customer is determined by whether the passport numbers read from the passports are the same.

If there is purchase history information for the same customer on that day (YES in step S203), the POS terminal 100 adds up the prices of products included in the purchase history information for the same customer on that day for each tax exemption category. The total amount paid is calculated (step S204). The following steps are performed for each tax exemption category. The POS terminal 100 determines whether the total amount acquired in step S204 satisfies predetermined tax exemption conditions (step S205). The tax exemption conditions are, for example, if the tax exemption category is general goods, the total amount must be 5,000 yen or more, and if the tax exemption category is consumables, the total amount must be 5,000 yen to 500,000 yen. It is.

If there is no purchase history information for the same customer on that day (NO in step S203), the POS terminal 100 calculates the current total amount by summing the prices of the products included in the current transaction for each tax exemption category. (Step S206). The following steps are performed for each tax exemption category. The POS terminal 100 determines whether the current total amount acquired in step S206 satisfies predetermined tax exemption conditions (step S207). The tax exemption conditions are the same as in step S205.

If it is determined in step S205 or S207 that the tax exemption conditions are satisfied (step S208: YES), the POS terminal 100 performs processing to apply tax exemption (step S209). The processing for applying the tax exemption is, for example, displaying that the tax exemption conditions are met, issuing documents necessary for applying the tax exemption, or executing the tax exemption (paying out a refund, etc.) by the POS terminal 100 itself.

If it is determined that the tax exemption conditions are not satisfied in steps S205 and S207 (NO in step S208), the POS terminal 100 performs the recommended product selection process shown in FIG. A recommended product is selected (step S120). Then, the POS terminal 100 outputs sales promotion information based on the recommended product information acquired in step S120 (step S210). The sales promotion information includes information on the amount of money missing from tax exemption conditions and information on products recommended to customers. The promotional information may be displayed on the customer display 110, as illustrated in FIG. 2, or by any method capable of presenting the information to the customer, such as audio output from a speaker, paper printout from a printer, etc. May be output.

This embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment, and can display sales promotion information by determining tax exemption conditions based on multiple purchases (accounts) by the same customer.

(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, information is presented to the customer using the display of the POS terminal 100, whereas in this embodiment, information is presented to the customer using a mobile terminal owned by the customer. In this embodiment, a POS terminal 100 having a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment is used.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the mobile terminal 200 according to this embodiment. Mobile terminal 200 includes a display 210 on the front. The mobile terminal 200 receives promotional information from the POS terminal 100 and displays the promotional information on the display 210 as shown in FIG. The sales promotion information includes a tax exemption category display 210a, a total amount 210b for each tax exemption category, difference information 210c indicating a shortfall in the total amount 210b with respect to the amount range of tax exemption conditions, and recommended product information 210d indicating a recommended product. The difference information 210c and the recommended product information 210d are collectively referred to as sales promotion information 210e, which is information that prompts the customer to make additional purchases by presenting the customer with the amount of money short of tax exemption conditions and the recommended product. The contents of the tax exemption category display 210a, total amount 210b, difference information 210c, and recommended product information 210d are the same as in the first embodiment.

The mobile terminal 200 displays at least part of the tax exemption category display 210a, total amount 210b, difference information 210c, and recommended product information 210d in the language of the customer's country of residence (or the country set on the mobile terminal 200) (in FIG. 10, Japanese Represented by a string of characters (words). This allows the mobile terminal 200 to display information in a language that is easy for the customer to understand, thereby promoting customer understanding. Similar to the first embodiment, promotional information may be displayed in both the language of the country where the POS terminal 100 is located and the language of the country of residence.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 200 according to this embodiment. In addition to the above-described display 210, the mobile terminal 200 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, and a mobile communication unit 204. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 200 includes an input device 205 and a non-contact IC communication section 206. The mobile terminal 200 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 11 as long as it can realize the functions according to this embodiment. For example, mobile terminal 200 may be a dedicated terminal capable of receiving and displaying promotional information.

The mobile communication unit 204 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and executes mobile communication. The mobile communication unit 204 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, etc. necessary for mobile communication. The mobile communication unit 204 performs communication using mobile communication according to a signal from the CPU 201. The mobile terminal 200 may communicate using wireless communication such as a wireless LAN instead of or in addition to mobile communication.

The storage device 203 stores programs executed by the mobile terminal 200, data resulting from processing by the programs, and the like. The storage device 203 includes a read-only ROM, a read/write hard disk drive, a flash memory, and the like. Storage device 203 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 202 includes a RAM and the like that temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 201 and data read from the storage device 203.

The CPU 201 temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 202, reads a program recorded in the storage device 203, and performs various calculations, controls, determinations, etc. on the temporary data according to the program. A processor that performs processing operations. Further, the CPU 201 records data on the processing results in the storage device 203 and transmits the data on the processing results to the outside via the mobile communication unit 204.

Display 210 is a display unit that displays information to the user. As the display 210, any display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display may be used. Display 210 displays predetermined information according to a signal from CPU 201. The input device 205 includes buttons, a touch panel, and the like, receives input from the user, and transmits the input contents to the CPU 201 as a signal.

The non-contact IC communication unit 206 is a communication unit for performing communication for receiving sales promotion information from the POS terminal 100. In this embodiment, the non-contact IC communication unit 206 is configured to communicate using NFC (Near Field Communication), which is non-contact IC communication, and controls an antenna for transmitting and receiving signals and power, and communication. Contains electrical circuits. Further, the POS terminal 100 is also provided with a similar non-contact IC communication section. As the communication method executed by the non-contact IC communication unit 206, any method that allows communication between the POS terminal 100 installed in the store and the mobile terminal 200 owned by the customer may be used. For example, instead of contactless IC communication, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

The sales promotion information is displayed by the mobile terminal 200 at a predetermined time, such as when the checkout at the POS terminal 100 is completed or when the customer leaves the store. By notifying customers of sales promotion information at the moment they leave the store, it is possible to prevent customers from forgetting to make additional purchases. Determination that the customer has left the store is performed by positioning the mobile terminal 200 using GPS (Global Positioning System), Bluetooth, or the like. When displaying promotional information using the mobile terminal 200, it is desirable that the mobile terminal 200 generate vibrations, sounds, etc. in order to proactively notify customers.

This embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment and can display sales promotion information using the mobile terminal 200. Therefore, sales promotion information can be presented at more various times, such as not only at the time of checkout but also at the time of leaving the store.

(Other embodiments)
FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of the POS terminal 100 according to each of the embodiments described above. FIG. 12 shows an example of a configuration in which the POS terminal 100 functions as a sales promotion device that presents information encouraging purchase to a customer when the tax exemption conditions are not met. The POS terminal 100 includes a determination unit that determines whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption, and if the determination unit determines that the total amount of shopping by the customer does not satisfy the conditions for tax exemption, the customer It includes a CPU 101 that functions as an output unit that outputs information that prompts the user to perform the following tasks.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

A program that operates the configuration of each embodiment described above so as to realize the functions of the embodiment (for example, a program that causes the POS terminal 100 to execute the processes shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and 9) is recorded on a recording medium, and A processing method in which a program recorded on a recording medium is read as a code and executed on a computer is also included in the scope of each embodiment. That is, computer-readable recording media are also included within the scope of each embodiment. Furthermore, not only the recording medium on which the above-described computer program is recorded, but also the computer program itself is included in each embodiment.

As the recording medium, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, and a ROM can be used. In addition, each embodiment is not limited to a program that executes a process by itself recorded on the recording medium, but also a program that executes a process by operating on the OS in collaboration with other software and functions of an expansion board. included in the category of

Part or all of the above embodiments may be described as in the following additional notes, but are not limited to the following.

(Additional note 1)
a determination unit that determines whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption;
an output unit that outputs information encouraging the customer to purchase when the determination unit determines that the tax exemption conditions are not satisfied;
A sales promotion device comprising:

(Additional note 2)
The products included in the shopping are classified into at least two categories with different tax exemption conditions,
The determining unit determines for each category whether the total amount calculated for each category satisfies the tax exemption condition,
The sales promotion device according to appendix 1, wherein the output unit outputs information that urges the customer to purchase for each category.

(Appendix 3)
further comprising a selection unit that selects recommended products based on the total price,
The sales promotion device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the information encouraging purchase includes information indicating the recommended product.

(Additional note 4)
The sales promotion device according to appendix 3, wherein the selection unit selects, as the recommended product, a product having a price that is equal to or more than the amount that the total price is insufficient for the tax exemption condition.

(Appendix 5)
an identification unit that acquires identification information for identifying the customer;
further comprising a selection unit that selects recommended products using the identification information,
The sales promotion device according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the information encouraging purchase includes information indicating the recommended product.

(Appendix 6)
The sales promotion device according to appendix 5, wherein the selection unit acquires the customer's purchase history using the identification information and selects the recommended product based on the purchase history.

(Appendix 7)
7. The sales promotion device according to appendix 5 or 6, wherein the selection unit acquires attributes of the customer from the identification information and selects the recommended product based on the attributes.

(Appendix 8)
Any one of appendices 5 to 7, wherein the selection unit acquires the customer's country of residence from the identification information and selects the recommended products excluding products that cannot be brought into the country of residence. The sales promotion device according to paragraph 1.

(Appendix 9)
The determination unit obtains the customer's purchase history having the same date as the shopping using the identification information, and determines whether the total amount calculated by summing up the purchase history having the same date is the tax-free purchase history. The sales promotion device according to any one of appendices 5 to 8, characterized in that the sales promotion device determines whether a condition is satisfied.

(Appendix 10)
9. The sales promotion device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein the information encouraging purchase includes information indicating an amount that the total amount is insufficient for the tax exemption condition.

(Appendix 11)
The sales promotion device according to any one of appendices 1 to 10, characterized in that the information encouraging the purchase is transmitted to the customer's mobile terminal.

(Appendix 12)
a step of determining whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption;
If it is determined in the determining step that the tax exemption conditions are not met, outputting information encouraging the customer to purchase;
A sales promotion method comprising:

(Appendix 13)
to the computer,
a step of determining whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption;
If it is determined in the determining step that the tax exemption conditions are not met, outputting information encouraging the customer to purchase;
A program to run.

100 POS terminal 101, 201 CPU
102, 202 Memory 103, 203 Storage device 104 Communication interface 105, 205 Input device 106 Camera 107 Product information reading device 110 Customer side display 120 Store side display 200 Mobile terminal 204 Mobile communication section 206 Contactless IC communication section 210 Display

Claims (12)

an acquisition unit that acquires images of customers;
an identification unit that extracts identification information based on the image;
a selection unit that selects recommended products using the identification information;
a determination unit that determines whether the total amount of shopping by the customer satisfies conditions for tax exemption;
an output unit that outputs information urging the customer to purchase including information indicating the recommended product when the determination unit determines that the tax exemption conditions are not satisfied;
A sales promotion device comprising: The products included in the shopping are classified into at least two categories with different tax exemption conditions,
The determining unit determines for each category whether the total amount calculated for each category satisfies the tax exemption condition,
The sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information that urges the customer to purchase for each category. The selection unit selects recommended products based on the total price,
3. The sales promotion device according to claim 1, wherein the information encouraging purchase includes information indicating the recommended product. 4. The sales promotion device according to claim 3, wherein the selection unit selects, as the recommended product, a product whose price is equal to or greater than the amount that the total price is insufficient for the tax exemption condition. . According to any one of claims 1 to 4, the selection unit acquires the customer's purchase history using the identification information and selects the recommended product based on the purchase history. promotional equipment. The sales promotion device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the selection unit acquires attributes of the customer from the identification information and selects the recommended product based on the attributes. . 7. The selection unit acquires the country of residence of the customer from the identification information, and selects the recommended products by excluding products that cannot be brought into the country of residence. The sales promotion device according to item (1). The determination unit obtains the customer's purchase history having the same date as the shopping using the identification information, and determines whether the total amount calculated by summing up the purchase history having the same date is the tax-free purchase history. The sales promotion device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it determines whether a condition is satisfied. The sales promotion device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the information encouraging purchase includes information indicating an amount that the total amount is insufficient for the tax exemption condition. . The sales promotion device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the information encouraging the purchase is transmitted to the customer's mobile terminal. A computer-implemented sales promotion method, comprising:
obtaining an image of the customer;
extracting identification information based on the image;
selecting a recommended product using the identification information;
determining whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption;
If it is determined in the determining step that the tax exemption conditions are not met, outputting information encouraging the customer to purchase including information indicating the recommended product;
A sales promotion method comprising: to the computer,
obtaining an image of the customer;
extracting identification information based on the image;
selecting a recommended product using the identification information;
determining whether the total amount of the customer's shopping satisfies the conditions for tax exemption;
If it is determined in the determining step that the tax exemption conditions are not met, outputting information encouraging the customer to purchase including information indicating the recommended product;
A program to run.

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