JP7424744B2 - System, method, and program for issuing coupons that can be used in stores - Google Patents

Description

The disclosure herein relates to systems, methods, and programs for issuing coupons that can be used in stores.

2. Description of the Related Art Systems for issuing electronic coupons for sales promotion by stores that provide products and services have been known. Such a system for electronic coupons to be issued by a store is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-272463 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-065109 (Patent Document 2). Electronic coupons issued by stores are distributed free of charge to users' information and communication devices for promotional purposes. Since the sales promotion effect of coupons is achieved by users actually using the coupons, such systems are required to improve the coupon usage rate. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 above propose improvements to increase the coupon usage rate.

Coupon sites that provide coupons for multiple stores are known. In the coupon site, a coupon corresponding to the user's selection from among coupons from a plurality of stores is distributed to the user. By distributing coupons using a coupon site, users can easily access a variety of coupons, and stores can distribute coupons to more potential users. Groupon, Inc., headquartered in Illinois, USA, is a coupon service using such coupon sites. Groupon (trademark) provided by Rakuten, Inc. and RaCoupon (trademark) provided by Rakuten, Inc. are known.

A user of a coupon site purchases a coupon for purchasing a product or using a service in advance on the coupon site, and uses the pre-purchased coupon at a store at a later date. By using a coupon, a user can purchase products or receive services at a store. Discounts and benefits are set on coupons, and when the user uses the coupon, the user can obtain discounts and benefits depending on the coupon used. At coupon sites, coupons are purchased before purchasing products at stores or using services, so coupons issued at coupon sites are sometimes referred to as pre-purchase coupons.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-272463 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-065109

"How to use and precautions Rakuten Coupon RaCoupon", [online], [searched on August 13, 2018], Internet <URL: https://coupon.rakuten.co.jp/rule/>

A coupon is set with an expiration date within which the coupon can be used. Once the expiration date set on the coupon has passed, the user will no longer be able to purchase products or use services using the coupon. The reality is that some coupons purchased on coupon sites are not used until their expiration date has passed.

In order to improve the satisfaction of coupon site users and the sales promotion effect for stores that issue coupons via coupon sites, it is necessary to improve the usage rate of coupons purchased via coupon sites. desired.

In coupon sites, in order to encourage the use of purchased coupons, expiration notices are sent to users who hold unused coupons a predetermined period before the expiration date of the coupons. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 mentioned above discloses sending an expiration notice to a user who holds an unused coupon one week before the expiration date of the coupon. Such time limit notification can prompt the user to use the purchased coupon before the expiration date. However, if the expiration date is notified to the user a predetermined period before the expiration date, there is a risk that coupon usage will be concentrated just before the expiration date. Depending on the products and services provided by a store, it may not be possible to meet short-term intensive demand. For example, stores such as hair salons, movie theaters, and restaurants can only accommodate a certain number of customers per day. In this way, each store has a number of customers that it can accommodate, and even if there is an offer to use a coupon that exceeds this upper limit, it may not be possible to sell products or provide services in response to the offer.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide technical improvements that solve or alleviate at least some of the problems with conventional coupon sites described above. One of the more specific objectives of the present disclosure is to promote the use of issued coupons within the store's ability to supply products and services. Other objects of the present disclosure will be understood by reference to the entire description herein.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a system that includes one or more computer processors and, for each of a plurality of stores, storage that stores coupon information regarding coupons available at each store. In the system, the one or more computer processors execute computer readable instructions to generate a first coupon available at a first store of the plurality of stores for each of the plurality of users. and urge one or more target users selected from one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users to use the first coupon. Send usage promotion notices.

In one aspect of the present invention, the usage promotion notification is transmitted at least when the occupancy rate of the first store is equal to or lower than a reference occupancy rate.

In one aspect of the present invention, the usage progress notification is sent when the coupon consumption rate of the first coupon is equal to or lower than a reference consumption rate. The coupon consumption rate indicates the ratio of the number of first coupons that have been used at the first store to the total number of first coupons issued.

In one aspect of the present invention, for each of the one or more unused users, the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that have already expired is calculated, and the usage promotion notification is sent to the one or more second coupons. It is transmitted when the percentage of users whose usage rate is equal to or higher than the first reference usage rate among unused users is equal to or less than the reference number.

In one aspect of the present invention, the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that have already expired is calculated for each of the one or more unused users, and the one or more target users Alternatively, the coupon is selected from a plurality of unused users based on the usage history of the one or more second coupons.

In one aspect of the present invention, the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that have already expired is calculated for each of the one or more unused users, and the one or more target users Alternatively, the user is selected from among a plurality of unused users based on the usage rate and the second reference usage rate.

In one aspect of the present invention, for each of the one or more unused users, the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that have already expired is calculated, and the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that are included in the one or more unused users is calculated. Based on the expiration date set for the first coupon that can be used by the first unused user and the usage period of the second coupon by the first unused user, Determine whether or not to be selected as a target user.

In one aspect of the present invention, the usage promotion notification includes information regarding the first store.

In one aspect of the present invention, the coupon information of the first coupon includes first benefit information indicating a first benefit given when the first coupon is used, and the usage promotion notification includes the first benefit information and the first benefit information. includes different second benefit information, and the second benefit information indicates a second benefit given when the first coupon is used after the usage promotion notification is transmitted.

In one aspect of the present invention, the second benefit information is determined based on at least the occupancy rate of the first store.

In one aspect of the present invention, second benefit candidate information indicating one or more second benefit candidates that are candidates for the second benefit is received from the first store, and the usage promotion notification includes the plurality of second benefit candidates. It is generated to include selected second benefit information indicating the selected second benefit selected from the candidates.

One aspect of the invention relates to a method performed by one or more computer processors executing computer readable instructions. The method includes the steps of storing, for each of a plurality of stores, coupon information regarding coupons that can be used at each store; and coupon information that can be used at a first store of the plurality of stores for each of a plurality of users. issuing a first coupon to one or more target users selected from one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users; The method includes the step of transmitting a usage promotion notice that encourages the use of the coupon.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a program executed by one or more computer processors. The program includes the steps of: storing, in the one or more computer processors, coupon information regarding coupons available at each of the plurality of stores for each of the plurality of stores; a step of issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store; and one or more unused users selected from one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users. a step of transmitting a usage promotion notification to the target user urging the target user to use the first coupon.

Embodiments of the present invention make it possible to promote the use of issued coupons within the store's ability to supply products and services.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a coupon processing system according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating information stored in the coupon processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating information stored in the coupon processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating information stored in the coupon processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying a coupon list on the client device 10. FIG. It is a sequence diagram for explaining processing in a coupon processing system according to one embodiment. It is a sequence diagram for explaining processing in a coupon processing system according to one embodiment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with appropriate reference to the drawings. Identical or similar components in multiple drawings are provided with the same reference numerals.

A coupon processing system 1 according to one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a coupon processing system 1 according to an embodiment, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining information stored in the coupon processing system 1 of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a display example of a coupon list.

As illustrated, the coupon processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a client terminal 10, a coupon site server device 20, store devices 30a to 30c, and a storage 60.

The client device 10, coupon site server device 20, store devices 30a to 30c, and storage 60 are communicably connected to each other via a network 50. The network 50 may be a single network or may be configured by connecting a plurality of networks. Network 50 is, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication network, or a combination thereof. As the network 50, any network that enables communication between electronic devices may be applied.

The client terminal 10 is an information terminal device used by a user. The client device 10 is a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, an electronic book reader, a wearable computer, a game console, a head-mounted display, and various other information processing devices. Client device 10 may include a display. This display is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or any other information display device capable of displaying images. The display of the client device 10 may include a touch panel capable of detecting a touch operation (contact operation) by the player. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the user of the client device 10 may be referred to as a "user."

The coupon site server device 20 is a server device that provides various services of the coupon site. By accessing the coupon site server device 20 via the client device 10, the user can receive various services provided by the coupon site server device 20.

Each of the store devices 30a to 30c is an information processing device used by a store that sells products and provides services. These stores include, for example, hotels that provide accommodation services, hair salons that provide beauty services such as haircuts, movie theaters that show movies to audiences, clothing stores that sell clothes, general stores that sell miscellaneous goods, and other stores. Includes various stores. Each of the store devices 30a to 30c manages customer information, accepts reservations, manages reservations, manages sales, sends and receives data to and from the coupon site server device 20, and processes other information in each store. can be used to perform Store devices 30a-30c may host web pages for each store. The store devices 30a to 30c provide a product purchase service for allowing the user of the client device 10 to purchase products online, a reservation function for accepting reservations for services, and various other online services through their web pages. Alternatively, it may be a server device for providing functions. The store device 30a may be an information processing device used by a store different from the store device 30b and the store device 30c. When there is no need to distinguish the store devices 30a to 30c from each other, the store devices 30a to 30c may be collectively referred to as store devices 30.

Although only one client device 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, any number of client devices 10 can be used in the coupon processing system 1.

The coupon site server device 20 includes a computer processor 21, a communication I/F 22, and a storage 23.

The computer processor 21 is an arithmetic device that loads an operating system and various programs into memory and executes instructions included in the loaded programs. The computer processor 21 is, for example, a CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, various other arithmetic devices, or a combination thereof. The processor 11 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, PLD, FPGA, or MCU.

The communication I/F 22 is implemented as hardware, firmware, communication software such as a TCP/IP driver or a PPP driver, or a combination thereof. The coupon site server device 20 can send and receive data to and from other devices via the communication I/F 22.

The storage 23 is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or various other storage devices capable of storing data. The storage 23 stores various data used in the coupon site server device 20. As illustrated, the storage 23 may store, for example, store information 23a, user information 23b, and coupon information 23c.

The information stored in the storage 23 will be explained below. An example of store information 23a is shown in FIG. As illustrated, 23a of each store that uses the coupon processing system 1 includes account information of each store and information regarding each store associated with the account information. The store account information is, for example, a store ID that identifies the store. As shown in the diagram, information associated with account information of a certain store includes coupon sales information indicating information about coupons that can be used at the store and are sold to users, and usage of coupons that can be used at the store. Store data such as coupon usage status information indicating the status and occupancy rate at the store may be included.

The coupon sales information about a certain store may be, for example, a coupon ID that identifies a coupon that can be used at the store and is sold to a user. A store can set multiple coupons as coupons for sale. Therefore, when a plurality of coupons usable at a certain store are sold, a coupon ID indicating each of the plurality of coupons may be stored in association with the store ID of the store. For example, hotel A can sell 100 coupons that can be used when receiving accommodation services at hotel A. In this case, a coupon ID is issued to each of the 100 coupons. To identify the 100 coupons sold for use at Hotel A, 100 coupon IDs A1 to A100 may be issued. In this case, 100 coupon IDs A1 to A100 are associated with the store ID of hotel A. The coupon sales information may include the sales period of the coupon. A common sales period may be set for the 100 coupons identified by the coupon IDs A1 to A100. As will be described later, when a purchase request requesting the purchase of a coupon to be sold is received from a user, a coupon issuing process is performed to issue a coupon to be purchased.

Coupon usage status information for a certain store includes the number of issued coupons indicating the total number of coupons that can be used at the store and issued to users, and the number of coupons that have already been used among the coupons issued at the store. The information may include the number of used coupons indicating the number of coupons used, the coupon consumption rate indicating the ratio of the number of used coupons to the number of issued coupons, and various other information indicating the usage status of coupons. In the above example, if 100 coupons from A1 to A100 sold by Hotel A are sold out, and 70 coupons from A1 to A70 have already been used at Hotel A, the coupons for Hotel A will be used. The rate will be 70%. The coupon consumption rate may be stored in the storage 23 as the store information 23a, or may be stored as the store information 23a. Each store may sell multiple types of coupons. The number of issued coupons, the number of used coupons, and the coupon consumption rate can be updated at any time until the sales period for the coupon has passed. Coupon usage status information about a certain store may be managed for each type of coupon sold by the store.

Store data about a certain store includes, for example, the store's occupancy rate, the store's sales target for a predetermined period, the store's sales performance, the achievement rate that is the ratio of sales performance to the sales target, and information about other stores. It can contain various information. The occupancy rate of a store is, for example, an index indicating the ratio of equipment actually in operation to equipment for providing services at the store. For example, in a beauty salon with 10 seats, if 7 of the seats provide services such as haircuts, the occupancy rate is 70%. If the monthly sales target for a store is 10 million yen and the actual sales are 8 million yen, the achievement rate is 80%. These numerical values can be stored as store data in association with the store ID of the store. The store data may include various data indicating the business status of the store in addition to the occupancy rate, sales target, and sales results.

Store information 23a for a certain store is updated at any time when a new coupon is sold by the store, when the usage status of the coupon changes, when an update of store data is received from the store, or in any other case. Can be updated. For example, when a store using the store device 30a sells a new coupon to promote a product or service, it may send a coupon sales request including various information regarding the coupon to the coupon site server device 20. Can be done. The coupon site server device 20 issues a coupon ID for identifying the coupon based on a coupon sales request for distributing the coupon, associates the coupon ID with the store ID of the store, and uses the coupon sales information as coupon sales information. It can be stored in the storage 23.

An example of the user information 23b is shown in FIG. As illustrated, the user information regarding the users who use the coupon processing system 1 may include account information of each user and various information regarding each user stored in association with the account information. The user's account information is, for example, a user ID that identifies the user. The storage 23 stores, in association with the user's account information, held coupon information indicating coupons held by the user, usage history information indicating the usage history of coupons whose expiry date has already passed (expired coupons) by the user, and Information regarding the user other than these may be included.

The held coupon information for a certain user is, for example, a coupon ID that identifies a coupon held by the user. When a certain user holds a plurality of coupons, a plurality of coupon IDs that identify each of the plurality of coupons held by the user may be stored in association with the user ID of the user. When a user uses a coupon held by the user at a store, the coupon ID of the used coupon is deleted from the held coupon information. Further, even if a held coupon remains unused and its expiration date has arrived, the coupon ID of the coupon whose expiration date has come is deleted from the held coupon information. As will be described later, the user of the coupon processing system 1 can hold the coupon by accessing the coupon site server device 20 and purchasing the coupon.

The usage history information about a certain user is information indicating the usage history of the coupon by the user. The usage history information of a certain user may include various information about expired coupons whose usage period has already reached among the coupons purchased by the user. Expired coupons include both coupons used before the expiration date and coupons that are not used until the expiration date has passed. For example, a user's usage history information includes coupon IDs of expired coupons (i.e., coupons purchased by the user whose expiration date has already passed), information indicating coupons used before the expiration date (e.g., Information other than the above information indicating the coupon ID of the coupon used, the date and time when the coupon was used, and the usage history of the coupon by the user may be included. A user's usage history information includes a coupon usage rate that indicates the ratio of the total number of used coupons to the total number of expired coupons (that is, the total number of coupons that have expired among the coupons purchased by the user). It's okay to be The maturity coupon is an example of a "second coupon."

The user information 23b may be updated at any time in response to the purchase of a coupon by a user, the use of a coupon, and the actions regarding the coupon by other users. For example, when a user newly purchases a coupon, a coupon ID indicating the purchased coupon is added to the held coupon information. Further, when the user uses a coupon, usage history information can be updated based on the store where the coupon was used, the time of use, and other information regarding the use of the coupon.

An example of the coupon information 23c is shown in FIG. As illustrated, the coupon information related to the coupons used in the coupon processing system 1 includes coupon identification information that identifies each coupon, and various information related to the coupons that is stored in association with the coupon identification information. The coupon identification information is, for example, a coupon ID that identifies a coupon. Coupon information for a certain coupon includes a used flag indicating whether the coupon has been used or not, product service information indicating the content of the product or service provided by using the coupon, and an expiration date for the coupon. It includes expiration date information and benefit information indicating the content of benefits provided to the user when using the coupon. The benefit indicated by the benefit information included in the coupon information 23c is an example of a "first benefit."

The used flag is, for example, binary flag information. For example, the used flag is set to "1" when the coupon has been used, and set to "0" when the coupon is unused. For example, when a user purchases a coupon, the used flag is set to "0", and when the coupon is used at a store thereafter, the used flag is set to "1".

The product service information is information indicating the content of the product or service provided to the user by using the coupon. For example, if a coupon can be used at a beauty salon, the content of the services provided at the store where the coupon can be used, such as "cut", "perm", "nails", "makeup", and other services other than those mentioned above, can be expressed in text. stored in format. The product and service information for a certain coupon includes the name of a store where the coupon can be used, access information for the store where the coupon can be used, and various information for using products or services associated with other coupons. can be included.

The expiration date information regarding a certain coupon may be data indicating the date and time when the coupon is due to be used. For example, if a certain coupon can be used until September 30, 2018, but cannot be used after that, September 30, 2018 will be stored as expiration date information in association with the coupon identification information of the coupon. be done.

Benefit information regarding a certain coupon is information indicating the content of benefits given to the user by using the coupon. The benefit information is stored, for example, in text format. The benefit information includes, for example, discount information indicating the discount rate or amount of the usage fee, additional service information indicating the content of additional services that can be received in addition to the basic service provided by using the coupon, and Information other than these may be included.

Coupon information 23c may be updated at any time based on information from store device 30. As described above, when selling a new coupon, a store using the store device 30a can send a coupon sales request including various information regarding the coupon to the coupon site server device 20. This coupon sales request includes information indicating the contents of products or services that can be used by using the coupon, information indicating the expiration date of the coupon, benefit information indicating the benefits given to the user who uses the coupon, The sales period of the coupon and the sales quantity of the coupon may be included. Instead of the information indicating the expiration date of the coupon, the coupon sales request may include information indicating the usable period during which the coupon can be used after purchasing the coupon. The coupon site server device 20 issues a coupon ID for identifying the coupon based on the coupon sales request for distributing the coupon, and associates it with the coupon ID to display information regarding the coupon received together with the coupon sales request. Various information can be stored in the storage 23 as coupon information 23c. Coupon IDs may be issued in a number corresponding to the sales quantity of coupons included in the coupon sales request.

The store device 30 may include a storage capable of storing various data. Part or all of the above store information 23a, user information 23b, and coupon information 23c may be stored in the storage of the store device 30 instead of or in addition to the storage 23. Further, part or all of the store information 23a, user information 23b, and coupon information 23c may be stored in the storage 60.

Next, the functions of the coupon site server device 20 will be explained. By executing computer-readable instructions, the processor 21 of the platform server device 20 provides, for example, a coupon information providing section 21a, a coupon issuing section 21b, a coupon usage management section 21c, a usage promotion processing section 21d, and a benefit determining section 21e. functions as The processor 21 of the platform server device 20 may be configured to perform various other functions for realizing the services provided by the coupon site by executing computer-readable instructions.

In one embodiment, the coupon information providing unit 21a is configured to provide the user of the client device 10 with information regarding coupons distributed from the coupon site server device 20. For example, in response to receiving a coupon information viewing request from the client device 10, the coupon information providing unit 21a can transmit part or all of the list of issuable coupons to the client device 10. . The list of issuable coupons sent to the client device 10 is created based on, for example, the store information 23a and/or the coupon information 23c. The list of coupons sent to client device 10 may be customized based on the interests of the user of client device 10. For example, if the user of client device 10 is interested in movies and restaurants, a list may be created that includes coupons available at movie theaters and restaurants. The coupon information providing unit 21a may provide a coupon search function. That is, the coupon information providing unit 21a may create a list including coupons selected based on the search key provided by the client device 10, and may return the list to the client device 10.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a coupon list displayed on the display 11 of the client device 10. When the client device 10 receives information indicating a list of coupons from the coupon site server device 20, it can generate a display screen including each coupon included in the list, and display the generated display screen on the display 11. In the illustrated embodiment, display elements 12a-12c are displayed on display 11 of client device 10, indicating information regarding Coupon A, Coupon B, and Coupon C, respectively. The display element 12a may display part or all of the coupon information regarding the coupon A. For example, the display element 12a associated with coupon A includes information indicating the content of services available by using coupon A, information indicating the expiration date of coupon A, and details of benefits obtained by using coupon A. information may be displayed. Various information regarding these coupons A may be displayed in the display area 12a, or all of the various information may not be displayed in the display area 12a, but a link to another page for displaying details of the various information may be provided. May be included. Similarly, part or all of coupon information regarding coupon B and coupon C is displayed in display area 12b and display area 12c, respectively.

Display areas 12a to 12c may include purchase buttons for purchasing coupons corresponding to each display area. When a purchase button for a certain coupon is selected through the operation of the client device 10, based on the selection of the purchase button, the client device 10 sends a coupon for purchasing the coupon to the coupon site server device 20. A purchase request is submitted. For example, the display area 12a where coupon information regarding coupon A is displayed may include a purchase button for purchasing coupon A. When the purchase button in the display area 12a is selected, a coupon purchase request requesting the purchase of coupon A is transmitted to the coupon site server device 20.

In one embodiment, the coupon issuing unit 21b is configured to perform coupon issuing processing for issuing a purchased coupon to the user of the client device 10 based on a coupon purchase request from the user of the client device 10. Ru. For example, when the coupon site server device 20 receives a coupon purchase request requesting the purchase of coupon A from the client device 10, the coupon site server device 20 performs payment processing for the purchase, and the payment processing is completed. Then, the coupon issuing unit 21b issues the coupon A requested for purchase to the user of the client device 10. Specifically, when the user completes the payment process for purchasing coupon A, the user information 23b is updated so that the coupon ID indicating coupon A is stored in association with the user's user ID. Thereby, the coupon site server device 20 can recognize that the user holds the coupon A.

The coupon issuing unit 21b may be configured to issue a coupon as a lottery prize. When coupons are issued as lottery prizes, stores sell multiple types of coupons with different benefits. For example, Hotel A may sell four different types of coupons for its lodging services to be prized in a lottery. Different discount rates may be set as benefits for these four different types of coupons. For example, discount rates of 10%, 30%, 50%, and 100% (that is, free accommodation) are set as benefits for four types of coupons, respectively. A user transmits a request to purchase a lottery ticket from a certain store to the coupon site server device 20 via the client device 10 . When the coupon site server device 20 receives a purchase request requesting the purchase of a lottery ticket from a certain store, the coupon issuing unit 21b determines a winning coupon from among the coupons sold by the store. For example, when a purchase request requesting the purchase of a lottery ticket for Hotel A is received, the coupon issuing unit 21b determines a winning coupon from among the four different types of coupons mentioned above, and sends the winning coupon to the user. Issued against. Different winning probabilities may be set for different types of coupons. For example, in the above example of four types of coupons sold by Hotel A with different discount rates, the coupon with the highest discount rate of 100% has the lowest probability of winning. The winning probability of each coupon may be set such that the winning probability of the coupon with the lowest discount rate of 10% is the highest.

When the payment process for the user to purchase the coupon A is completed, a coupon ticket indicating the coupon A is issued to the user. The coupon ticket indicating coupon A may be an electronic ticket or may be a physical ticket such as paper carrying coupon information of coupon A. If the coupon ticket is issued in the form of an electronic ticket, the electronic ticket may be sent to the user's client device 10 via the network 50. Instead of the client device 10, the electronic ticket may be sent to a ticket issuing terminal installed at a convenience store or other location. When an electronic ticket is sent to a ticket issuing terminal, the user can receive the ticket from the ticket issuing terminal by operating the ticket issuing terminal. If the coupon ticket is a physical ticket, the physical ticket may be delivered to the user's home or other delivery location.

A user who has purchased a coupon can receive the product or service corresponding to the coupon ticket by presenting the coupon ticket corresponding to the coupon ticket to a store. For example, a user who has purchased a coupon A can buy the product or service associated with the coupon A by presenting the coupon ticket corresponding to the coupon A at the store specified in the coupon information of the coupon A. You can receive the offer. Depending on the product or service associated with Coupon A, users who wish to use Coupon A may purchase the product through the store's website or other reservation website before actually visiting the store. Or you need to make a reservation to use the service. For example, if Coupon A is a coupon for receiving accommodation service at Hotel A, a user who wishes to receive accommodation service using Coupon A may find that there is a vacant room at Hotel A on the desired accommodation date. If there is a vacant room, you can make a reservation to use Hotel A on the desired date before staying at Hotel A.

When a coupon is used at a store, the store transmits coupon usage information indicating the usage details of the coupon to the coupon site server device 20 via the store device 30 or other devices. The coupon usage information includes the coupon ID that identifies the used coupon, the user ID that identifies the user who used the coupon, the store ID of the store where the coupon was used, the usage time when the coupon was used, and the date and time of the coupon. It may include sales data indicating sales from products or services provided through use, and various data regarding used coupons other than those described above. Part or all of the coupon usage information may be transmitted from the client device 10 of the user who used the coupon to the coupon site server device 20.

In one embodiment, the coupon usage management unit 21c is configured to update data related to coupon usage stored in the storage 23 or other storage based on coupon usage information received from the store. . For example, the coupon usage management unit 21c can update at least part of the data stored as the store information 23a, user information 23b, and coupon information 23c based on the coupon usage information received from the store. Specifically, the coupon usage management unit 21c updates (increases) the number of used coupons associated with the store ID and the coupon ID, based on the store ID and coupon ID included in the coupon usage information. )be able to. Further, the coupon usage management unit 21c can update the user information 23b by referring to the user ID and other information included in the coupon usage information.

In one embodiment, when a coupon that can be used at a certain store is issued to a plurality of users, the usage promotion processing unit 21d identifies an unused user who has not used the issued coupon, The system is configured to select target users to whom usage promotion notifications are to be sent from among the identified non-users. The usage promotion processing unit 21d can transmit a usage promotion notification urging the selected target user to use the unused coupon.

The usage promotion notification may include, for example, a text message that urges the receiving user to use the coupon. The text message included in the usage promotion notification may be displayed on the display 11 of the client device 10. As will be described later, the usage promotion notification may include an additional benefit (second benefit) given only to the target user, or may be sent to the target user together with the second benefit.

A usage promotion notification that urges the use of a coupon available at a certain store may include store data regarding the store, or may be sent to the target user together with the store data. This store data may be, for example, store data stored as store information 23a. The store data included in the usage promotion notification or transmitted to the target user together with the usage promotion notification may include occupancy rate data indicating the occupancy rate of the store. By knowing the store's occupancy rate, the target user is prompted to use coupons available at the store. For example, if a target user receives a usage promotion notification regarding an available coupon and learns that the occupancy rate of the store where the available coupon can be used is 70%, the target user will understand that the store is not very crowded. Therefore, it is likely that the target user will make a subsequent reservation for the service provided at the store.

In one embodiment, the usage promotion processing unit 21d is configured to send a usage promotion notification to the target user when a notification condition is satisfied. A notification condition for transmitting a usage promotion notification for promoting the use of coupons available at a certain store may be, for example, that the occupancy rate of the store is equal to or lower than the reference occupancy rate. The occupancy rate of the store can be confirmed based on the store information 23a, for example. As mentioned above, the occupancy rate of a certain store means the ratio of the equipment in operation to the equipment for providing services at the store. For a hotel with 100 rooms, the occupancy rate is the ratio indicating how many of the 100 rooms are being used. For example, if 70 out of 100 rooms are occupied, the occupancy rate of the hotel is considered to be 70%. The standard occupancy rate may be determined for each store, or a common standard occupancy rate may be determined for all stores. If the standard occupancy rate applied to Hotel A is 75% and the occupancy rate of Hotel A specified by store information 23a is 90%, the occupancy rate of Hotel A exceeds the standard occupancy rate, so the notification condition is not satisfied. If the standard occupancy rate applied to Hotel A is 75% and the occupancy rate of Hotel A specified by the store information 23a is 60%, the notification condition is as the occupancy rate of Hotel A is below the standard occupancy rate. If the conditions are met, a usage promotion notification will be sent to the target user.

The occupancy rate of the store used for determining the notification condition may be an average value or a median value of the occupancy rate in a predetermined period. This predetermined period may span multiple business days. For example, this predetermined period is, for example, a period of three days before the day on which the normal conditions are determined for a certain store. To determine the average or median occupancy rate for a period spanning multiple business days, first calculate the daily occupancy rate for each business day during the period, and then calculate the average or median occupancy rate for each day during the period. It may be calculated by calculating the minimum value. For example, if the daily operating rates for three days before the determination date are 70%, 90%, and 80%, respectively, the average value of the operating rates for the three-day period is 80%. When the average value or median value of the operating rates for a plurality of business days is used to determine the normal condition, the operating rates for the plurality of business days are stored as store information 23a. The average value or median value of the operating rate in a predetermined period may be calculated based on the monitoring result by monitoring the operating rate in real time.

In one embodiment, the notification condition regarding a coupon that can be used at a certain store may be that the minimum value of the daily occupancy rate in a predetermined period including a plurality of days is equal to or lower than the reference occupancy rate. For example, if the daily occupancy rate for the three days before the judgment date is 70%, 90%, and 80%, and the standard occupancy rate is 75%, then the minimum daily occupancy rate for the relevant period is 70%, so the notification condition is met.

In one embodiment, the notification condition regarding a coupon that can be used at a certain store is that the number of days in which the daily occupancy rate is less than or equal to the reference occupancy rate during a predetermined period including multiple days is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of days. There may be. In a more specific example, the notification condition is that the number of days in which the daily occupancy rate is 75% or less, which is the standard occupancy rate, during the five-day period before the day on which the normal condition determination is made is three or more days. It may be something. In this case, if the daily occupancy rate for the five days before the judgment date is 70%, 90%, 80%, 65%, and 70%, then the daily occupancy rate in the relevant period is the standard occupancy rate. % or less, so the notification condition is met.

In this way, when the store's occupancy rate is below the standard occupancy rate, it is possible to send usage promotion notifications to unused users, so if the store's occupancy rate is low and there is still supply capacity, it is possible to send coupons at the store. It can promote usage.

In one embodiment, the notification condition for a coupon that can be used at a certain store is that the coupon consumption rate for the store is equal to or lower than a reference consumption rate. The coupon consumption rate for a coupon that can be used at a certain store indicates the ratio of the number of used coupons to the number of issued coupons, which indicates the total number of issued coupons. The coupon digestibility of a coupon that can be used at a certain store is confirmed based on the store information 23a, for example. For example, if Hotel A sets 100 coupons for sale, 50 of which are purchased by users, and 30 of which are used, the coupon redemption rate will be 60%. . The standard consumption rate may be determined for each store, or a common standard consumption rate may be determined for all stores. If the store is Hotel A, the standard redemption rate applied to Hotel A is 80%, and the coupon redemption rate for Hotel A specified by the store information 23a is 90%, then the coupon redemption rate for Hotel A is exceeds the standard consumption rate, so the notification condition is not met. If the standard consumption rate applied to Hotel A is 80% and the coupon consumption rate for Hotel A specified by the store information 23a is 70%, then the coupon consumption rate for Hotel A is below the standard consumption rate. Therefore, the notification conditions are met and a usage promotion notification is sent to the target user. The standard consumption rate used to determine the notification conditions regarding coupons that can be used at a certain store is the number of days from the time of determination to the expiration date for each unused coupon out of all coupons issued by the store. (remaining days) may be calculated and changed based on this remaining number of days. In one embodiment, the standard consumption rate may be set to increase as the average value of remaining days of unused coupons decreases. In another embodiment, the standard consumption rate is set to an initial value, and the standard consumption rate is increased in response to the average number of remaining days of unused coupons becoming equal to or less than the first standard remaining number of days. Good too. For example, the initial value of the standard consumption rate may be set to 50%, and the standard consumption rate may be increased to 60% in response to the average remaining days of unused coupons becoming 15 days or less. . Further, the standard consumption rate may further increase in response to the fact that the average value of the remaining days of unused coupons becomes equal to or less than the second standard remaining number of days, which is smaller than the first standard remaining number of days. For example, the standard consumption rate may increase to 70% in response to the fact that the average number of remaining days of unused coupons has become 10 days or less. In order to increase the standard usage rate, an additional standard remaining number of days is set in addition to the first standard remaining days and second standard remaining days, and when this additional standard remaining number of days is exceeded, the standard usage rate is increased. It may rise further. In this way, when the coupon consumption rate for a store is below the standard consumption rate, a usage promotion notice can be sent to unused users, so if the ratio of unused coupons among the coupons issued at a certain store is high, , it is possible to promote the use of coupons at the store.

In one embodiment, the notification conditions for the usage promotion notification regarding a coupon that can be used at a certain store are determined based on the past usage history of the coupon of an unused user (for example, the coupon usage rate of an expired coupon). For example, the notification condition in one embodiment is that the percentage of unused users whose coupon usage rate is equal to or higher than the first reference usage rate is equal to or less than the reference number. As described above, the coupon usage rate indicates the ratio of the total number of expired coupons used to the total number of coupons whose usage period has passed (expired coupons) among the coupons purchased by each user. For example, store A using coupon processing system 1 issues 100 coupons A1 to A100 to users U1 to U100, respectively, and 30 coupons A1 to A30 remain unused. , it is assumed that the first reference utilization rate is set to 80% and the reference number is set to 10. Among the users U1 to 30 who hold these coupons A1 to A30 unused, respectively, users with high usage propensity whose coupon usage rate is 80% or more are identified. The coupon usage rate of each unused user can be specified by referring to the user information 23b. Next, it is determined whether the number of users with high usage tendency is 10 or less, and if there are 10 or less users with high usage tendency, the notification condition is satisfied, and if there are more than 10 users with high usage tendency, the notification condition is satisfied. is not satisfied. In this way, by sending the usage promotion notification when the number of users with a high propensity to use the coupon is less than the reference number, it is possible to send the usage promotion notification depending on the usage probability of non-users.

In one embodiment, the usage promotion processing unit 21d selects the usage promotion notification target from among the unused users based on the usage history of the expired coupons (for example, the coupon usage rate of the expired coupons) of each unused user. Select the target users. For example, an unused user whose coupon usage rate is equal to or higher than the second reference usage rate may be selected as the target user. The second reference utilization rate can be arbitrarily determined. The second reference utilization rate can take a value between 50% and 100%, for example. By setting the second standard usage rate high, usage promotion notifications can be efficiently sent to users who have a high propensity to use coupons among unused users. Conversely, by not transmitting usage promotion notifications to users who have a low propensity to use coupons, it is possible to suppress the use of the computer resources of the coupon site server device 20.

In one embodiment, when the usage promotion processing unit 21d selects a target user from unused users for an available coupon available at a certain store, the usage period set for the available coupon, The target user may be selected based on the usage timing of each expired coupon of each unused user. For example, if the time to use an expired coupon for a certain unused user is within the period from the time when the target user selection process is performed (judgment time) to the expiry date of the available coupon held by the user, Unused users are set as target users. In this determination, the usage time of the expiry coupon and the period from the determination time to the expiration date of the usable coupon held by the user may be expressed in units of months and days. More specifically, user U1 among the unused users used the coupon on October 15, 2017, the determination time was October 1, 2018, and the available coupons held by the user U1 In the case where the expiry date of the coupon is December 31, 2018, when determining whether the user U1 becomes a target user, the expiration date of October 15th, which is expressed as the month and day, is the expiration date of the coupon. , since the determination time is within the period between October 1st, expressed in months and days, and December 31st, expressed in months and days as the expiry date of the available coupon, the usage promotion processing unit 21d Select as the target user. If the user U1 has never used a coupon during the period between October 1st and December 31st, the user U1 will not be selected as a target user. The usage timing of the expiry coupon for each unused user is specified based on the user information 23b, for example.

In one embodiment, the benefit determining unit 21e is configured to determine an additional benefit to be given to the target user to whom the usage promotion notification is sent. As described above, when a user purchases a coupon, the coupon is associated with a benefit that will be given to the user at the time of use. A benefit that is set on a coupon when the user purchases the coupon is called a first benefit. In addition to this first benefit, the benefit determining unit 21e, when transmitting a usage promotion notice to the target user, provides a first benefit that is different from the first benefit that is given to the target user when the coupon is used by the target user. Decide on benefits. The benefit determined by the benefit determination unit 21e and granted only to the target user may be referred to as a second benefit. Therefore, the benefit determining unit 21e is configured to determine the second benefit to be given to the target user.

The second benefit is set to encourage the target user to use the available coupon. In one embodiment, the benefit determination unit 21e refers to the user information 23b of the target user to identify the expired coupon of the target user, and also refers to the used flag included in the coupon information 23c to identify the expired coupon. Determine whether or not it has been used. Next, the benefit determining unit 21e can refer to the benefit information associated with the coupon ID that has been used based on the used flag, and set this benefit information as the second benefit information. According to this, it is possible to determine the benefit set in the coupon that was actually used in the past as the second benefit, so that the coupon that can be used by the target user who has received the usage promotion notice including the second benefit can be determined as the second benefit. It can encourage usage.

In another embodiment, the benefit determination unit 21e is configured to determine a benefit related to the first benefit set in the available coupon as the second benefit. For example, if the first benefit is a benefit that provides a first discount rate, a second discount rate higher than the first discount rate is set as the second benefit. In another example, if the first benefit is that the accommodation fee is free, the second benefit is that the paid optional service (for example, a service that provides breakfast) that is attached to the accommodation service is free of charge. be done. In the coupon site server device 20, the storage 23 may store a benefit information management table in which second benefit information indicating a second benefit is managed in association with first benefit information indicating a first benefit. The benefit determination unit 21e can determine the second benefit related to the first benefit by referring to the benefit information management table.

In another embodiment, the benefit determining unit 21e is configured to determine the second benefit based on the occupancy rate of the store where the available coupon can be used. For example, when the occupancy rate of a store where the available coupon can be used is a second occupancy rate that is lower than the first occupancy rate, the benefit determination unit 21e determines the high occupancy rate that is given in the case of the first occupancy rate. A low operating rate benefit that is more useful for the target user than the benefit can be set as the second benefit. In a more specific example, the benefit determining unit 21e sets the first discount rate (for example, 30% discount) as the second benefit when the occupancy rate of the store where the available coupon can be used is the first occupancy rate. However, if the occupancy rate of the store is a second occupancy rate lower than the first occupancy rate, a second discount rate higher than the first discount rate (for example, 50% discount) is set as the second benefit. Can be done. Thereby, it is possible to provide the target user with an incentive according to the occupancy rate of the store where the available coupon is used. Therefore, it is possible to provide the target user with an incentive according to the supply capacity of the store where the available coupon is used.

In another embodiment, the benefit determining unit 21e is configured to determine the second benefit based on the sales target and sales performance of the store where the available coupon can be used. The sales target and sales performance of each store can be specified, for example, by referring to the store information 23a. In a more specific example, when the sales performance is less than the sales target, the benefit determination unit 21e can set a benefit that leads to an increase in sales as the second benefit in order to increase the sales performance. This benefit that leads to increased sales is, for example, the provision of discounts. The benefit determining unit 21e may set the second benefit such that the larger the amount of unachieved sales results with respect to the sales target, the higher the discount rate. In another example, if the sales performance exceeds the sales target, a benefit for improving user satisfaction is set as the second benefit, although it does not lead to an increase in sales or makes a small contribution to the increase in sales. Such a benefit for improving user satisfaction is, for example, a benefit in which an optional service that is normally provided for a fee (for example, a service that provides breakfast at a hotel) is provided free of charge.

The benefit determining unit 21e may be configured to select the second benefit from second benefit candidates that are candidates for the second benefit received from the store. Depending on its own supply capacity and other business conditions, the store can transmit an incentive that is desirable to provide as a second benefit to the coupon site server device 20 via the store device 30 as a second benefit candidate. . In the coupon site server device 20 , second benefit candidate information indicating the second benefit candidate received from the store device 30 is stored in the storage 23 . The second benefit candidate information may be stored in the storage 23 as store information 23a, for example. The benefit determining unit 21e can select a second benefit to be provided to the target user along with the usage promotion notification from the second benefit candidates stored in the store information 23a. Thereby, a benefit according to the store's supply capacity and other management resources is set as the second benefit.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a coupon usage process for a user to use a coupon distributed from a coupon site at a store will be described. In the coupon usage process, first, in step ST11, the store that distributes and uses coupons in the coupon processing system 1 uses the store device 30 to request the coupon site server device 20 to sell a predetermined coupon. Submit a coupon sale request. A coupon sales request sent from a store can include a store ID that identifies the store and information regarding the coupon to be sold. In response to receiving the coupon sales request, the coupon site server device 20 issues a coupon ID for identifying the coupon, associates the coupon ID with the store ID of the store, and stores it as coupon sales information. It can be stored in 23.

Next, in step ST12, the coupon site server device 20 provides the client device 10 with a list of coupons that can be purchased by the user. By accessing the coupon site server device 20, the client device 10 can obtain a list of the coupons that can be purchased. The list of purchasable coupons includes information about coupons whose sale period has not yet passed. A list of coupons whose sales period has not yet passed can be created, for example, by referring to coupon sales information included in the store information 23a. The process in step ST12 is performed by, for example, the coupon information providing section 21a described above.

Next, in step ST13, when a purchase button for a certain coupon is selected from the list of purchasable coupons through the user's operation on the client device 10, based on the selection of the purchase button, the client device 10 A coupon purchase request for purchasing the coupon is sent to the coupon site server device 20.

Next, in step ST14, a coupon purchase request from the client device 10 is accepted by the coupon site server device 20, and based on the accepted coupon purchase request, the coupon desired to be purchased is sent to the user of the client device 10. The process for issuing the document is then performed. Specifically, the coupon site server device 20 performs payment processing for the coupon requested for purchase, and upon completion of the payment processing, the coupon requested for purchase is issued to the user of the client device 10. be done. If the coupon ticket corresponding to this issued coupon is an electronic ticket, the coupon ticket is transmitted to the client device 10. The process in step ST14 is performed by, for example, the coupon issuing unit 21b described above.

Next, in step ST15, the user who has acquired the coupon ticket uses the client device 10 or other device to apply for use of the coupon to the store.

Next, in step ST16, after applying for the use of the coupon, the user visits a store where the coupon can be used and receives a product or service from the store. If the store is an electronic shopping site, you can access the store's website for providing products or services without visiting the actual store, and provide products or services via the website. Can receive.

Next, in step ST17, the user performs payment processing for the product or service provided. For example, a user pays for a product or service provided by using a coupon. At this time, you can receive the benefits set for the coupon you use. If this benefit is a 30% discount, you can receive a 30% discount at the time of payment. If the benefit is that you can receive an optional service for free or at a discounted rate, you can receive the optional service.

As described above, in the coupon processing system 1, the user purchases a coupon sold from a store, and by using the purchased coupon at the store, the user can purchase the product or service corresponding to the coupon from the store. You can receive offers and benefits.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a usage promotion notification transmission process will be described. The usage promotion notification transmission process shown in FIG. 7 can be executed in parallel with the coupon usage process shown in FIG. 6.

In the usage promotion notification transmission process, first in step ST21, it is determined whether notification conditions are satisfied. As mentioned above, the notification conditions for the usage promotion notification include, for example, the occupancy rate of the store is below the standard occupancy rate, the coupon consumption rate of the store is below the standard consumption rate, and the coupon usage rate is the first standard. The percentage of unused users with a usage rate or higher is less than or equal to the reference number, or other conditions exist.

If it is determined in step ST21 that the notification condition is satisfied, the usage promotion notification transmission process proceeds to step ST22. In step ST22, target users to whom the usage promotion notification is sent are identified.

The process of determining whether the notification condition is satisfied in step ST21 and the process of identifying the target user in step ST22 are executed by, for example, the above-mentioned usage promotion processing unit 21d.

When the target user is specified in step ST22, the usage promotion notification transmission process proceeds to step ST23. In step ST23, a second benefit to be given to the target user is determined. The second benefit determination process in step ST23 is executed, for example, in the benefit determining section 21e described above.

Next, a usage promotion notification is sent to the target user identified in step ST24. As mentioned above, the usage promotion notification includes a text message encouraging the use of unused coupons, an expiration date for unused coupons, occupancy rate information indicating the store's occupancy rate, second benefit information indicating the second benefit, and Other information may also be included.

Next, in step ST25, a usage promotion notice is displayed on the client terminal 10. The usage promotion notification displayed on the client device 10 includes a text message urging the use of unused coupons, an expiration date for unused coupons, operating rate information indicating the operating rate of the store, and other information. This usage promotion notification can encourage the user of the client device 10 to use the unused coupon. In particular, when the second benefit information is displayed, an incentive can be given to the user to use the unused coupon.

As described above, a usage promotion notification for encouraging the use of unused coupons is sent to a target user selected from unused users who hold unused coupons.

In the processing procedure explained in the above flowchart, it is possible to omit some of the processes (steps) that make up the processing procedure, add a process that is not specified as a process that makes up the processing procedure, and It is possible to change the order of the steps, and such omissions, additions, and changes in the order of processing procedures are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the coupon usage application process in step ST15 does not need to be performed by the client device 10. For example, a user may bring an issued coupon ticket to a store without applying for use in advance, thereby attempting to receive the product or service corresponding to the coupon. Further, the benefits set in the coupons are given to the user at a timing that corresponds to the content of the benefits. For example, if the benefit is a discount on the usage fee, the benefit may be given to the user in step ST17 where payment is made, as described above. When the benefit is provision of an optional service, the benefit may be given to the user in step ST16, where the product or service associated with the coupon is provided to the user.

The effects of the above embodiment will be described below. In one embodiment, a target user is selected from among one or more unused users who have not used a coupon available at a certain store, and the unused coupon is used for the selected target user. A usage promotion notice will be sent to encourage users to use the service. In this way, by sending usage promotion notifications to a subset of target users rather than all unused users, it is possible to prevent unused coupons from being used intensively in a short period of time just before the expiration date. .

In one embodiment, when the occupancy rate of a certain store is below the standard occupancy rate, it is decided to send a usage promotion notification to unused users who have unused coupons that can be used at the store. be done. Thereby, when the store's operating rate is low and supply capacity remains, a usage promotion notification can be sent to encourage unused users to use unused coupons. On the other hand, if the occupancy rate of the store is high, the usage promotion notification will not be sent because there is a possibility that the number of usage applications will exceed the supply capacity. In this manner, according to the embodiment described above, whether or not to send a usage promotion notification is determined depending on the supply capacity of the store.

In one embodiment, when the coupon consumption rate of a coupon that can be used at a certain store is below the standard consumption rate, a usage promotion notification for promoting the use of the coupon is sent. Thereby, when the coupon consumption rate of coupons available at a certain store is low, it is possible to send a usage promotion notification to unused users.

In one embodiment, the usage rate of past coupons (expired coupons) is calculated for each unused user who holds unused coupons that can be used at a certain store, and this calculated usage rate When the percentage of users whose usage rate is below one standard is below the standard number, a usage promotion notification for promoting the usage of the coupon is sent. It is assumed that users with a low usage rate of past coupons are likely not to use coupons that will expire in the future. In addition, by sending usage promotion notifications when the number of unused users with a high past usage rate is below the standard number, usage promotion notifications can be sent based on the likelihood that unused coupons will be used by unused users. can be sent.

In one embodiment, target users to whom usage promotion notifications are sent are selected from unused users based on past coupon usage history (expiration coupon usage history). For example, among unused users, users whose usage rate of expired coupons is equal to or higher than the second reference usage rate are selected as target users. In another specific example, if the usage period of a past coupon of a certain unused user is included in the period from the determination time to the expiration date of the unused coupon held by the unused user, the unused user Selected as a target user. According to these embodiments, usage promotion notifications are sent to users who are expected to use unused coupons by the expiration date based on the usage history of past purchased coupons among unused users. be able to. Thereby, the calculation resources of the coupon site server device 20 required for issuing the usage promotion notification can be suppressed.

In one embodiment, the usage promotion notification includes information regarding the first store. Thereby, the user who has received the usage promotion notification can refer to the information of the store for using the unused coupon and decide whether or not to use the unused coupon.

In one embodiment, the usage promotion notification includes second benefit information indicating a second benefit. By changing the benefits given when using the first usage promotion notification coupon, it is possible to further encourage the target user who received the usage promotion notification to use the unused coupon.

In one embodiment, the second benefit information included in the usage promotion notice for encouraging the use of the unused coupon is determined based on the operating rate of the store where the unused coupon can be used. Thereby, the second benefit can be determined such that the number of users is expected to be in accordance with the operating status of the store where the unused coupon can be used.

In one embodiment, second benefit candidate information indicating a second benefit candidate that is a candidate for the second benefit is received from the store, and the selected second benefit information includes selected second benefit information indicating a selected second benefit selected from the two benefit candidates. A usage promotion notice will be generated. Thereby, a benefit that meets the store's intention can be set as the second benefit.

The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist thereof. For example, some or all of the functions executed by the processor 21 may be implemented by a processor not illustrated in the above embodiments, unless it departs from the spirit of the invention. Although processor 21 is illustrated as a single component in FIG. 1, processor 21 may be a collection of multiple physically separate computer processors. In this specification, a program described as being executed by the processor 21 or instructions included in the program may be executed by a single processor, or may be executed in a distributed manner by a plurality of processors. Further, the program executed by the processor 21 or the instructions included in the program may be executed by a plurality of virtual computer processors.

Even if processes and procedures described herein are described as being performed by a single device, software, component, or module, such processes or procedures may be performed by multiple devices, software, components, or modules. components and/or multiple modules. Additionally, even if data, tables, or databases described herein are described as being stored in a single memory, such data, tables, or databases are not included in a single device. The data may be stored in a distributed manner in a plurality of memories or in a plurality of memories distributed and arranged in a plurality of devices. Additionally, the software and hardware elements described herein can be implemented by integrating them into fewer components or decomposing them into more components.

1 Coupon processing system

Claims (13)

one or more computer processors;
storage for storing coupon information regarding coupons available at each store for each of the plurality of stores;
Equipped with
The one or more computer processors execute computer-readable instructions to:
issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store among the plurality of stores to each of the plurality of users;
Identifying one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users at a predetermined determination point before the expiration date of the first coupon,
Sending a usage promotion notice urging one or more target users selected from the identified one or more unused users to use the first coupon;
The system wherein the usage promotion notification is sent at least when the occupancy rate of the first store is equal to or lower than a reference occupancy rate . one or more computer processors;
storage for storing coupon information regarding coupons available at each store for each of the plurality of stores;
Equipped with
The one or more computer processors execute computer-readable instructions to:
issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store among the plurality of stores to each of the plurality of users;
Identifying one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users at a predetermined determination point before the expiration date of the first coupon,
Sending a usage promotion notice urging one or more target users selected from the identified one or more unused users to use the first coupon;
The usage promotion notification is sent when the coupon digestion rate of the first coupon is less than or equal to the standard digestion rate,
The coupon consumption rate indicates the ratio of the number of first coupons that have been used at the first store to the total number of first coupons issued.
system . For each of the one or more unused users, the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that have already expired is calculated, and the usage promotion notification is sent to the one or more unused users. Sent when the percentage of users whose rate is equal to or higher than the first standard usage rate is equal to or lower than the standard value,
The system according to claim 1 or 2 . For each of the one or more unused users, calculate the usage rate of the one or more second coupons that have already expired,
The one or more target users are selected from among the one or more unused users whose usage rate is equal to or higher than a second reference usage rate.
A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . Between the predetermined determination time and the expiration date set on the first coupon that can be used by the first unused user included in the one or more unused users, the first unused user , if there is a time when one or more second coupons that have already expired have been used , the first unused user is selected as the target user ;
A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The usage promotion notification includes information including store data of the first store,
A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The coupon information of the first coupon includes first benefit information indicating a first benefit given when using the first coupon,
The usage promotion notification includes second benefit information different from the first benefit information,
The second benefit information indicates a second benefit that is given when the first coupon is used after the usage promotion notification is sent.
A system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The second benefit is determined such that the lower the occupancy rate of the first store , the greater the benefit for the target user .
The system according to claim 7 . receiving second benefit candidate information indicating one or more second benefit candidates that are candidates for the second benefit from the first store;
The usage promotion notification is generated to include selected second benefit information indicating a selected second benefit selected from the plurality of second benefit candidates.
The system according to claim 7 or claim 8 . A method performed by one or more computer processors executing computer readable instructions, the method comprising:
storing, for each of the plurality of stores, coupon information regarding coupons available at each store;
issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store among the plurality of stores to each of the plurality of users;
identifying one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users at a predetermined determination point before the expiration date of the first coupon;
A usage promotion notice urging the first coupon to be used is sent to one or more target users selected from the identified one or more unused users, and the usage promotion notice includes at least the first coupon. A process that is sent when the occupancy rate of one store is below the standard occupancy rate ;
How to prepare. A method performed by one or more computer processors executing computer readable instructions, the method comprising:
storing, for each of the plurality of stores, coupon information regarding coupons available at each store;
issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store among the plurality of stores to each of the plurality of users;
identifying one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users at a predetermined determination point before the expiration date of the first coupon;
A usage promotion notice is sent to one or more target users selected from the identified one or more non-users to encourage the use of the first coupon; A step in which the coupon consumption rate is transmitted when the coupon consumption rate of the coupon is equal to or lower than a standard consumption rate, and the coupon consumption rate indicates a ratio of the number of the first coupons that have been used at the first store to the total number of issued first coupons. and,
How to prepare. A program that is executed by one or more computer processors,
the one or more computer processors;
storing, for each of the plurality of stores, coupon information regarding coupons available at each store;
issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store among the plurality of stores to each of the plurality of users;
identifying one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users at a predetermined determination point before the expiration date of the first coupon;
A usage promotion notice urging the first coupon to be used is sent to one or more target users selected from the identified one or more unused users, and the usage promotion notice includes at least the first coupon. A process that is sent when the occupancy rate of one store is below the standard occupancy rate ;
A program to run. A program that is executed by one or more computer processors,
the one or more computer processors;
storing, for each of the plurality of stores, coupon information regarding coupons available at each store;
issuing a first coupon that can be used at a first store among the plurality of stores to each of the plurality of users;
identifying one or more unused users who have not used the first coupon among the plurality of users at a predetermined determination point before the expiration date of the first coupon;
A usage promotion notification is sent to one or more target users selected from the identified one or more non-users to encourage the use of the first coupon, and the usage promotion notification includes the first coupon. A step in which the coupon consumption rate of the coupon is transmitted when the coupon consumption rate is below a standard consumption rate, and the coupon consumption rate indicates a ratio of the number of the first coupons that have been used at the first store to the total number of issued first coupons. and,
A program to run.