JP7486801B2 - Product sales data processing system and product sales data processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product sales data processing system and a product sales data processing method.

There is known technology that allows customers to use coupons selected from those displayed on a tablet (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2017/065187

It is preferable to encourage customers to use coupons as much as possible.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to encourage customers to use coupons more actively.

One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a product sales data processing system in which a customer uses a mobile terminal to register a product and a payment process is performed using payment information based on the results of the product registration, the product sales data processing system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring product information of the product that is the subject of registration using the mobile terminal; a specification means for identifying coupons related to the product information acquired by the acquisition means that have been declared for use by the customer; and a display control means for displaying information on the coupons identified by the specification means on an operation screen displayed on the mobile terminal.

A product sales data processing method in a product sales data processing system in which a customer uses a mobile terminal to register a product and payment processing is performed using payment information based on the product registration results, the product sales data processing method includes an acquisition step of acquiring product information of the product that is the subject of registration using the mobile terminal, a specification step of identifying coupons related to the product information acquired by the acquisition step that have been declared for use by the customer, and a display control step of presenting information on the coupons identified by the specification step on an operation screen displayed on the mobile terminal.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a shopping system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of installation of a settlement device in this embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a settlement device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a settlement device in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a customer terminal device in the present embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a transaction management device in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a coupon management server according to the present embodiment. 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating an example of customer information, store information, and cart information according to the present embodiment. A sequence diagram showing an example of processing procedures executed by a customer terminal device, a settlement device, and a transaction management device in this embodiment in response to the accounting of one transaction in self-service operation. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a shopping application in the present embodiment. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example of a registered product presentation screen and a screen displayed on a settlement device in this embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a coupon list screen and a coupon details screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a product-related coupon screen in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a settlement screen in the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a settlement screen in the present embodiment. 5 is a diagram showing an example of coupon management information in the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of coupon usage history information in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a product master in the present embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the customer terminal device and the transaction management device in the present embodiment in relation to the presentation of coupon-related information at the product registration stage.

<Embodiment>
[Example of shopping system configuration]
Fig. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a shopping system (an example of a product sales data processing system) according to this embodiment. The shopping system in Fig. 1 corresponds to accounting (customer terminal-compatible accounting) in which, for example, a customer takes out a product to be purchased from a product shelf, registers the taken-out product using a customer terminal device 50, and the same customer also settles the payment for the registered product using a settlement device 40. The accounting here refers to a procedure carried out in response to one transaction, including the registration of the product and the settlement of the registered product.
The shopping system of this embodiment includes a management device 10, a transaction management device 60, a settlement device 40, a customer terminal device 50, a coupon management server 80, and a credit card settlement server 70.

The management device 10 and the settlement device 40 are installed in the store and are communicatively connected via a LAN 19 (which may be wired or wireless). The management device 10 is a business terminal used by store staff for store management and the like, and is capable of communicating with the transaction management device 60.
Although four settlement devices 40 are illustrated in FIG. 1, the number of settlement devices 40 within one store is not particularly limited.

The coupon management server 80 provides coupon services to customers who are registered as coupon members (an example of coupon users).
A coupon use application corresponding to the coupon service provided by the coupon management server 80 is installed in the customer terminal device 50. By operating the customer terminal device 50 on which the coupon use application runs, a customer can perform a usage declaration operation to register in advance a coupon that the customer wishes to use when shopping from among electronic coupons (hereinafter also simply referred to as coupons) issued by the coupon management server 80.
When a customer purchases an item at a store, if the item being registered corresponds to an applicable item for which a coupon declared for use is to be applied, the item is registered so that the coupon's benefits, such as a discount, are reflected.

In other words, in the product sales data processing system of this embodiment, a customer who is a member of a coupon service corresponding to the coupon management server 80 can purchase products at a store using a coupon provided by the coupon service.

The customer terminal device 50 is operated by customers (such as shoppers who are members of the store, hereafter also referred to simply as customers). In addition to typical communication and imaging functions (camera), the customer terminal device 50 has a recognition function that scans barcodes attached to products to read product codes, that is, recognizes barcodes attached to products. Note that the recognition function of the customer terminal device 50 only needs to be able to read product codes, and does not need to be able to recognize which product the read product code belongs to. In other words, the customer terminal device 50 only needs to be able to read the product code from the barcode when a barcode is present as an object in an image captured by the imaging function (an image acquired as a through image).

Such a customer terminal device 50 may be a smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like owned by the customer. A shopping application having a function of registering products in accordance with the shopping system of this embodiment is installed on the smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like serving as the customer terminal device 50.

The customer terminal device 50 may be, for example, a terminal loaned to a customer by a store. An application having a function of registering products in accordance with the shopping system of this embodiment is also installed in the customer terminal device 50 loaned to a customer by the store. The customer terminal device 50 loaned to a customer by the store may be one that is held by the customer or may be one that is attached to a shopping cart and used by the customer.

The customer terminal device 50 also captures an image (e.g., releases the shutter) of the product (e.g., the surrounding area with a barcode) and generates a captured image (image data). The customer terminal device 50 may capture an image by releasing the shutter in response to an operation by the customer who is the operator, but in this embodiment, it is preferable that the customer terminal device 50 captures an image by releasing the shutter at its own discretion.

The customer terminal device 50 may also be equipped with image recognition technology that extracts feature points from an image (through image, captured image) and recognizes the captured subject (object, etc.). For example, the customer terminal device 50 may use image recognition technology to identify (estimate) the captured product.

The settlement device 40 is a settlement device that is capable of at least cash payment as a settlement method. The settlement device 40 is configured to be able to communicate with the transaction management device 60. Note that the settlement device 40 may be configured to be able to communicate with the transaction management device 60, for example, via a relay of the management device 10.

The transaction management device 60 manages transactions carried out in accordance with the shopping system of this embodiment.

The credit card payment server 70 executes payment processing corresponding to the credit card in response to a credit card payment request sent from the settlement device 40, customer terminal device 50, etc.

[About the payment device]
Fig. 2 shows an example of the installation of the settlement device 40. Fig. 2(A) is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 and other components as seen from the customer side. Fig. 2(B) is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 and other components as seen from the store clerk side. As shown in Fig. 2(A), a counter is placed on the right side of the settlement device 40 as seen from the customer side.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing an example of the appearance of the settlement device 40. Fig. 3A is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 as seen from the customer side. Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the settlement device 40 as seen from the store clerk side.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the settlement device 40. In Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the same parts are given the same reference numerals.

Below, an example of the configuration of the settlement device 40 shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The settlement device 40 comprises a CPU 401, a ROM 402, a RAM 403, a hard disk 404, a customer display unit 405, a customer scanner unit 406, a card payment unit 408, a change machine 409, a store clerk display unit 410, a key operation unit 411, a store clerk scanner unit 412, a printing unit 413, an audio output unit 414, and a communication unit 415. These can communicate with each other via a bus.

The CPU 401 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the settlement device 40 by reading and executing programs stored in the ROM 402 .
The ROM 402 is a read-only memory, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 401, including programs.

RAM 403 is a read/write memory that stores various information. For example, RAM 403 stores information read from ROM 402 or hard disk 404, information acquired from the outside, information generated during processing, etc.

The hard disk 404 stores various information. For example, instead of the ROM 402, the hard disk 404 may store programs executed by the CPU 401. Also, instead of the RAM 403, the hard disk 404 may store information read from the ROM 402, information obtained from the outside, information generated during processing, etc.

The customer-side display unit 405 is a touch display for customers, which displays various information to customers and accepts various inputs from customers.
The customer-side scanner unit 406 is a scanner unit for customers, and for example, scans a barcode attached to a product and reads the product code. The customer-side scanner unit 406 may also scan a code (barcode, two-dimensional code, etc.) printed on a bill (registered trademark) and read information required for payment. The customer-side scanner unit 406 may also scan a code (two-dimensional code, etc.) displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal device 50 and read information required for payment.

The customer-side scanner unit 406 is used when a customer registers an item, but the customer may register the item using other methods. For example, if a preset key (a button for ordering the item) corresponding to the item is displayed on the customer-side display unit 405, the customer may operate (press) the preset key to register the item.

The card payment unit 408 is a payment mechanism that uses various cards (credit cards, prepaid cards such as transportation cards, etc.). The card payment unit 408 of this embodiment includes a card recognition unit (reading unit), a display unit, and an operation unit, but it is sufficient that it includes at least the card recognition unit. Note that the card recognition unit may also recognize various cards that are not directly used for payment (settlement) (e.g., membership cards, point cards, etc.).

The change machine 409 (cash settlement section) is a cash settlement mechanism that has an input port for banknotes and coins and an output port for banknotes and coins, calculates the amount inserted into the input port, calculates the change amount, which is the difference between the input amount and the purchase amount, and outputs the change from the output port. The change machine 409 faces the customer and is operated by the customer. When banknotes or coins are inserted into the input port, they are detected by a sensor (detecting that they have been inserted, detecting the number of coins by denomination, etc.).

In other words, the change machine 409 is used when the price of registered products is settled with cash (money) in the settlement device 40. The change machine 409 has a banknote insertion port for inserting banknotes, a coin insertion port for inserting coins, a banknote discharge port for discharging banknotes, a coin discharge port for discharging coins, a counting unit for counting the inserted or discharged coins, a coin transport mechanism between the insertion port or discharge port and the storage unit, the above-mentioned sensor, etc. The banknote insertion port and coin insertion port are also referred to as deposit insertion ports. The banknote discharge port and coin discharge port are also referred to as change discharge ports. The banknote insertion port and the banknote discharge port may be a common port, and the coin insertion port and the coin discharge port may be a common port.

The change machine 409 also counts the coins replenished during the closing process and stores them in the storage section. The change machine 409 also counts the coins to be dispensed during the closing process and releases them from the change outlet. The closing process is a process of adjusting the amount of money stored in the change machine 409 (cash on hand/cash on hand) to a reference amount after the store is closed or before it is opened.

The store clerk's display unit 410 is a touch display for the store clerk, which displays various information to the store clerk and receives various inputs from the store clerk.
The key operation unit 411 is made up of various keys (buttons) and receives various inputs from the store clerk.
The store clerk scanner unit 412 is a scanner unit for store clerks, and for example, scans barcodes attached to products and reads product codes. The store clerk scanner unit 412 also scans barcodes attached to store clerk nametags and reads store clerk codes.

The clerk-side scanner unit 412 is used when the clerk registers a product, but the clerk may register the product using other methods. For example, if a key corresponding to a product (such as a key corresponding to a sports newspaper) is located on the key operation unit 411, the clerk may operate (press) that key to register the product. Also, if a preset key corresponding to a product is displayed on the clerk-side display unit 410, the clerk may operate that preset key to register the product.

The printing unit 413 prints and issues various media (receipts, bills, etc.). The printing unit 413 can freely rotate to change its orientation (direction of the media issuing port) from the clerk side to the customer side and from the customer side to the clerk side. The orientation of the printing unit 413 may be changed manually, or it may be changed automatically (mechanically controlled, etc.) in response to, for example, a transition (switching) of the operating mode described below. The correct orientation of the printing unit 413 may be detected by a sensor or the like.

The audio output unit 414 outputs audio. For example, the audio output unit 414 outputs audio guidance and the like.
The communication unit 415 communicates with other devices (other settlement devices 40 and the management device 10).

In addition, the settlement device 40 of this embodiment can be switched between a total of four operating modes: a customer terminal-responsive settlement mode, which is set to process settlement under customer terminal-responsive accounting, and three accounting modes (first to third accounting modes) which correspond to three different patterns of accounting (product registration, settlement).
The first payment mode is an operation mode in which a store clerk performs product registration operations and operations corresponding to payment on the payment device 40. The second payment mode is an operation mode in which a store clerk performs product registration operations on the payment device 40, and a customer performs operations corresponding to payment on the same payment device 40. The third payment mode is an operation mode in which a customer performs product registration operations and operations corresponding to payment on the payment device 40.
As a result, in a store that has introduced the shopping system of this embodiment, some of the multiple payment devices 40 can be set to a customer terminal compatible payment mode to accommodate customer terminal compatible payment, and the other payment devices 40 can be set to, for example, a first payment mode or a second payment mode so that a store clerk can handle payments in consultation with customers. Note that the other payment devices 40 may also include those set to the third payment mode.

[Example of configuration of customer terminal device]
5 shows an example of the configuration of the customer terminal device 50. The customer terminal device 50 in the figure includes a CPU 501, a storage unit 502, a RAM 503, a display unit 504, an operation unit 505, an imaging unit 506, and a network-compatible communication unit 507.
The CPU 501 is a central processing unit, and controls the operation of the customer terminal device 50 by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 502 .
The storage unit 502 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 501, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 501, including programs.
The RAM 503 is a main storage device for the CPU 501 .
The display unit 504 displays an image according to the display control of the CPU 501. The display unit 504 may be configured as a touch panel that allows operations to be performed on the screen.
The operation unit 505 collectively indicates various operators provided on the customer terminal device 50 and various input devices connected to the customer terminal device 50 .
The imaging unit 506 captures images under the control of the CPU 401. The imaging unit 506 of this embodiment can also function as a part that reads two-dimensional codes in a code reader that processes the two-dimensional codes.
The network-compatible communication unit 507 is a part that performs communication wirelessly via a network. The network-compatible communication unit 507 enables the customer terminal device 50 to communicate with the transaction management device 60.

[Example of transaction management device configuration]
6 shows an example of the configuration of transaction management device 60. Transaction management device 60 in the figure includes a CPU 601, a storage unit 602, a RAM 603, and a network-compatible communication unit 604.
The CPU 601 is a central processing unit that controls the operation of the transaction management device 60 by reading and executing programs stored in the memory unit 602 .
The storage unit 602 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 601, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 501, including programs.
The RAM 603 is a main storage device for the CPU 601 .
The network-compatible communication unit 604 is a part that performs communication via a network.

The memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60 stores customer information, store information, product information, and cart information.

[Example of coupon management server configuration]
7 shows an example of the configuration of the coupon management server 80. The coupon management server 80 in the figure includes a CPU 801, a storage unit 802, a RAM 803, and a communication unit 804.
The CPU 801 is a central processing unit that controls the operation of the coupon management server 80 by reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 802 .
The storage unit 602 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 801, and stores various types of information used by the CPU 801, including programs.
The RAM 803 is a main storage device for the CPU 801 .
The communication unit 804 is a part that communicates with the outside via the network. In the case of the coupon management server 80, the communication unit 804 communicates with the customer terminal device 50 and the transaction management device 60 on the cloud.

[Information stored in the transaction management device]
The customer information stored in the memory unit 602 is information for managing individual customers. The transaction management device 60 generates customer information when a customer is registered (a customer may be considered to have been registered when the customer information of that customer is stored). The transaction management device 60 also updates the customer information as appropriate based on cart information, etc. The transaction management device 60 may refer to the cart information at a specified time every day, for example, and update the customer information.

8A shows an example of customer information stored in the memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60. The customer information in this figure includes customer identification information, customer name, customer registration date, cancellation information, customer rank, number of points, etc.
The customer identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies a customer.
The customer identification information may be application identification information that is uniquely assigned to each installed shopping application when the shopping application of this embodiment is installed. The application identification information may be, for example, a number that is uniquely (for example, sequentially) assigned to each installed shopping application. Alternatively, the application identification information may be terminal identification information that is unique to the customer terminal device 50 in which the shopping application is installed. The terminal identification information may be, for example, a telephone number assigned to a customer who is a user of the customer terminal device 50, or hardware identification information that is uniquely assigned to the hardware of the customer terminal device 50, such as a MAC (Media Access Control) address.
The customer name is the customer's name or nickname, etc. The customer registration date is the date and time when the customer was registered. Cancellation information is information regarding the cancellation of a registered product after registration. The customer rank is a rank according to the customer's purchasing history. When generating customer information for a new customer, the customer identification information, customer name, and customer registration date are generated, but since this is before the start of the actual transaction (product registration), other information (cancellation information, etc.) is not generated.

The transaction management device 60 generates and stores customer identification information, for example, when registering a customer (for example, when the customer terminal device 50 downloads or installs a shopping application to use a shopping service provided by the transaction management device 60 from an external device (for example, a specified server that provides all applications, the transaction management device 60 itself)). In addition, the transaction management device 60 obtains, for example, information entered into the name field of a registration form (input form) using the customer terminal device 50 when registering a customer, and stores it as the customer name. In addition, the transaction management device 60 obtains, for example, the current date and time when registering the customer, and stores it as the customer registration date.

In addition, instead of or in addition to storing the customer information in its own memory, the transaction management device 60 may store some or all of the customer information in another device (such as a file server accessible to the transaction management device 60).

8(B) shows an example of store information stored in the memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60. The store information in the figure includes store identification information, store name (branch name), store specific information 1, and store specific information 2.
The store identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies a store. The store identification information shown in Fig. 8B is composed of a store (trade name) or company code and a branch code.
The store name is the name of the store. The store name shown in Fig. 8B is composed of the store (trade name) or company and the branch name.
The store identification information 1 is information on a two-dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark) or the like) for identifying a store in which a transaction takes place (a store where goods are bought and sold).
The store identification information 2 is store location information (GPS information) for identifying the store where the transaction is to be carried out.
In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the store identification information and the store specifying information 1 are different, but the store identification information and the store specifying information 1 may be the same.

The transaction management device 60 may obtain and store store information from an external source (such as a server (not shown) at a headquarters that oversees each store). The transaction management device 60 may also store some or all of the store information in another device (such as a file server accessible by the transaction management device 60) instead of or in addition to storing the store information in the memory unit within the device itself.

Product information is information obtained, for example, from the store management device 10, and is information about products sold in the store. Product information for one product includes information such as the product code (product identifier), product name, and price.

The cart information is information for managing individual transactions. The transaction management device 60 generates the cart information at the start of a transaction. In addition, the transaction management device 60 updates the cart information as the transaction progresses (each time a product is registered) (it may be considered that a product has been registered when the product is stored in the cart information).

FIG. 8(C) is an example of cart information stored in the memory unit 602 of the transaction management device 60.
The cart information in the figure includes cart identification information, transaction start date and time, transaction end date and time, customer identification information, registered product information, reserved product information, cancellation information, and the like.

The cart identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies the cart information, and includes, for example, store identification information, a date, and a serial number (for example, a serial number for each store and date).
The transaction start date and time is the date and time when the transaction starts. The transaction start date and time may be, for example, the date and time when the cart information is generated. The transaction start date and time may be the date and time when the first item of product is registered (the date and time when the registered product information (registered product 1) in FIG. 8(C) is stored). The date and time when the cart information is generated and the date and time when the first item of product is registered may both be stored separately.

The transaction end date and time is the end date and time of the transaction. For example, the transaction start date and time may be the settlement date and time. The customer identification information is customer identification information that identifies the customer of the transaction. When the cart information is generated, the cart identification information, transaction start date and time, and customer identification information are generated, but since this is before the start of the actual transaction (product registration), other information (transaction end date and time, etc.) is not generated. The settlement date and time may be the settlement start date and time or the settlement end date and time. Both the settlement start date and time and the settlement end date and time may be stored separately as the transaction end date and time.

Registered product information (total) is information that is updated each time a product is registered. Registered product information (total) includes the number of products (number of products), estimated subtotal amount (e.g., subtotal amount before discounts, etc. are reflected), subtotal amount, etc. Registered product information (registered product 1) is the registration information for one product item. Registered product information (registered product 2) is the registration information for two products. In the example shown in Figure 8 (C), registered product information (registered product 3) to registered product information (registered product 5) are omitted from the illustration. Registered product information (N; N is an integer) includes the product code, product name (product name), price, etc.

The registered product information (N) may include the registration date and time of the Nth item. In other words, the transaction management device 60 may store the registration date and time of the registered product as the registered product information. The registration date and time of each product may also be used as a basis for determining whether or not to apply a service such as a time service and the effect of applying the service.

The reserved product information (total) is updated each time a reserved product is registered.
A reserved product is a product that was not registered properly due to a certain reason and is registered in a temporarily reserved state.
The reserved product information (total) includes the number of reserved products (number of products), the number of NO-FILE items among the reserved products, the number of items among the reserved products that cannot be read (check for tampering), and the like.

NO-FILE refers to a product whose barcode or product code was successfully scanned at the store (the product code was read), but the product code is not stored in the product information (a product whose product information is not registered).

A "no read" refers to a failure to scan the product code at the store (the product code could not be read), or a product whose product code has not been scanned at the store. In other words, a "no read" refers to a timeout process when it is possible to determine that the product has been imaged for a certain period of time using image recognition technology but has not been able to be recognized as a barcode, or a product that has been timed out.
For example, if the barcode cannot be correctly acquired (recognized) even though the customer has performed an operation to read the barcode due to wrinkles in the package, smudges or dirt on the barcode print, or the barcode being printed on a transparent film, it will be determined that the barcode cannot be read.

Pending product information (pending product 1) is information on pending product 1. Pending product information (pending product 2) is information on pending product 2. Pending product information (pending product 3) is information on pending product 3.

The reserved product information (reserved product N; N is an integer) includes the reserved product type (information indicating whether the reserved product is NO-FILE or cannot be read) and image data (image data captured when reading was NG). For example, if the Nth item is a reserved product due to NO-FILE, the reserved product information (reserved product N) includes the reserved product type "1 (NO-FILE)" and image data. Also, if the Nth item is a reserved product due to reading being NG, the reserved product information (reserved product N) includes the reserved product type "2 (cannot be read)" and image data.

In addition, instead of or in addition to storing the cart information in its own memory, the transaction management device 60 may store some or all of the cart information in another device (such as a file server accessible to the transaction management device 60).

[Example of basic processing procedure for self-operation]
The sequence diagram in Fig. 9 shows an example of a processing procedure executed by the customer terminal device 50, the settlement device 40, and the transaction management device 60 in response to the accounting of one transaction in a self-service operation. Specifically, the processing in Fig. 9 shows an example of the processing of the customer terminal device 50, the settlement device 40, and the transaction management device 60 from when a customer registers a product to be purchased from among products displayed in the store, until the settlement of the registered product is completed.

Step S1: The customer terminal device 50 acquires information that identifies the store (store identification information). For example, a two-dimensional code for identifying the store may be displayed near the entrance of the store (the two-dimensional code may be output to a display screen, a medium with the two-dimensional code printed on it may be attached, etc.), and a customer who visits the store may scan (read) the two-dimensional code with the customer terminal device 50, causing the customer terminal device 50 to acquire the store identification information. When a customer who visits the store starts a shopping application, a screen instructing the customer to scan the two-dimensional code may be displayed as an entrance screen, or when a customer who visits the store scans the two-dimensional code with the customer terminal device 50, the shopping application may be started, and a screen informing the customer that they are connected to the transaction management device 60 may be displayed as an entrance screen.

For example, since a store is identified by its location, a customer who visits the store may obtain location information (GPS information) on the customer terminal device 50 at the store (i.e., the store's location information may be obtained as store identification information). When a customer who visits the store starts a shopping application, the location information may be obtained and a screen may be displayed as a store entry screen informing the customer that they are currently connected to the transaction management device 60. If multiple stores are detected from the location information and it is not possible to identify one, a selection screen may be displayed to allow the customer to select. Alternatively, a mode may be switched to forcefully obtain a two-dimensional code.

10A shows an example of a store entry screen (store entry screen) of the shopping application displayed on the display unit 504 of the customer terminal device 50. The store entry screen in the figure displays the store name. This store name is displayed based on the store identification information acquired in step S1.
When a customer wishes to start registering a product for shopping, the customer operates a transaction start button BT10 arranged on the store entry screen.
In response to the operation of the transaction start instruction button BT10, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a transaction start request including the acquired store specific information and customer identification information to the transaction management device 60. The transaction start request may be transmitted in response to the customer's operation on the customer terminal device 50 as described above, or may be transmitted in response to the acquisition of store specific information without receiving any particular operation.
Regarding the customer identification information, when registering a customer (when downloading or installing a shopping application to the customer terminal device 50), the information entered in the name field of the registration form using the customer terminal device 50 may be stored in the customer information of the transaction management device 60, but it may also be stored in the memory of the customer terminal device 50 in addition to the transaction management device 60. When a store is identified (when the product registration initial screen described below is acquired), the store name, the services being offered (flyer information distributed on that day), and available coupon information of the store may be displayed on a screen (the product registration initial screen or a screen other than the product registration initial screen). The service and coupon information may be acquired from the transaction management device 60 as screen information, for example.

The destination information (address of the transaction management device 60) may also be obtained when registering the customer (when the shopping application is downloaded or installed on the customer terminal device 50) and stored in the memory of the customer terminal device 50. When scanning a two-dimensional code, the destination information may be converted into a two-dimensional code in addition to the store-specific information, and the customer terminal device 50 may obtain the destination information along with the store-specific information by scanning the two-dimensional code.

Step S2: The transaction management device 60, which has received the customer identification information and store identification information as a transaction start request from the customer terminal device 50, generates cart information for the transaction. Note that in the initial state in which the cart information is generated, the cart identification information, transaction start date and time, and customer identification information are stored, but since this is before the start of the actual transaction (product registration), other information (transaction end date and time, product information (registered product information, pending product information), etc.) is not stored.

As described above, the transaction management device 60 stores store information such as that shown in FIG. 8 (B), so when it receives store identification information (it also receives customer identification information) as a transaction start request from the customer terminal device 50, if the received store identification information is a two-dimensional code, it acquires the store identification information by referring to store identification information 1, and if the received store identification information is location information (GPS information), it acquires the store identification information by referring to store identification information 2. Note that if the store identification information received from the customer terminal device 50 is a two-dimensional code of the store identification information, the transaction management device 60 can simply acquire it as is.

In other words, the transaction management device 60, which receives customer identification information and store identification information from the customer terminal device 50 as a transaction start request, acquires the store identification information from the store identification information received from the customer terminal device 50, and further acquires the current date, issues (assigns) a serial number, combines the store identification information, the current date, and the serial number, and stores them as cart identification information in the cart information. In addition, the transaction management device 60, which receives store identification information and customer identification information from the customer terminal device 50 as a transaction start request, acquires the current date and time, and stores them as the transaction start date and time (generation date and time) in the cart information. In addition, the transaction management device 60, which receives store identification information and customer identification information from the customer terminal device 50 as a transaction start request, stores the customer identification information received from the customer terminal device 50 as customer identification information in the cart information.

Step S3: The transaction management device 60, which has generated the cart information for the transaction, generates product registration initial screen information (screen information for the product registration screen, which is the initial screen) and transmits it to the customer terminal device 50. Specifically, the transaction management device 60, for example, generates product registration initial screen information and transmits the generated product registration initial screen information together with cart identification information to the customer terminal device 50.

Step S4: The customer terminal device 50, which has received the cart identification information and the product registration initial screen information from the transaction management device 60, stores the cart identification information and displays the registration screen on the display unit. Specifically, the customer terminal device 50 displays, for example, the product registration initial screen as shown in FIG. 10 (B).

Step S5: In response to a customer's operation, the customer terminal device 50 scans the barcode attached to the product and reads the product code. In the figure, it is assumed that the barcode scan was successful. Steps S5 to S9 are repeated each time a barcode attached to a product is scanned.

The customer terminal device 50 that acquires the barcode transmits the cart identification information and the product registration information, including the product code obtained by scanning, to the transaction management device 60.

Step S6: The transaction management device 60 receives the product registration information (cart identification information and product code) from the customer terminal device 50 and identifies the cart information of the transaction from the cart identification information contained in the received product registration information.

Step S7: The transaction management device 60 updates the product data in the identified cart information. Specifically, if the received product registration information contains a product code for item N, the transaction management device 60 stores the product code as the product code of the registered product information (registered product N) in the identified cart information, obtains the product name and price corresponding to the product code from the product information, and stores them as the product and price of the registered product information (registered product N). The transaction management device 60 also updates the registered product information (total) in the identified cart information.

Step S8: After updating the product data in the cart information, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information (screen information of the product registration screen, which is the update screen to which the registered product has been added) and transmits it to the customer terminal device 50. Specifically, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that the customer terminal device 50 displays a product registration update screen to which the list item of the currently registered product has been added in the registered product list, as shown in FIG. 10 (C), for example, and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information.

The product registration screen (product registration update screen) shown in FIG. 10(C) is displayed on the customer terminal device 50 after "XX bread" is registered as the third product. In other words, when "XX yogurt" is stored in the cart information as the first product, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that "XX yogurt" is displayed on the customer terminal device 50 and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information. When "XX chocolate" is stored in the cart as the second product, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that "XX yogurt" and "XX chocolate" are displayed on the customer terminal device 50 and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information. When "XX bread" is stored in the cart information as the third product, the transaction management device 60 generates product registration update screen information such that "XX yogurt", "XX chocolate", and "XX bread" are displayed on the customer terminal device 50 as shown in FIG. 10(C) and transmits the generated product registration update screen information to the customer terminal device 50 together with the cart identification information.

When one product is registered, a registered product presentation screen WD1 may be displayed, presenting the currently registered product, as shown in FIG. 11(A), for example. In addition, the registered product presentation screen WD1 in the same figure shows an example in which a "Yes" button BT1 and a "No" button BT2 are arranged to confirm with the customer whether or not they would like to eat in the product, since the product in question is available for eat-in. In this case, the price of the product will be calculated so that the consumption tax rate for the product in question is different when the "Yes" button BT1 is operated and when the "No" button BT2 is operated.

Step S9: The customer terminal device 50, which has received the cart identification information and product registration update screen information from the transaction management device 60, adds the product to the registration screen. Specifically, the customer terminal device 50 displays a product registration update screen such as that shown in FIG. 10(C). As described above, the product registration screen (product registration update screen) shown in FIG. 10(C) is displayed on the customer terminal device 50 after "XX bread" has been registered as the third product item.

Step S10: The customer terminal device 50 accepts a payment instruction operation as a customer operation. For example, it accepts the touch of the "Proceed to checkout" button shown in FIG. 10 (C).

Step S11: The customer terminal device 50 that has accepted the checkout transition instruction operation generates a two-dimensional code. That is, the customer terminal device 50 converts information required to execute the checkout process for the items purchased by the customer terminal device 50 (e.g., cart identification information) into a two-dimensional code. The customer terminal device 50 that has generated the two-dimensional code displays the generated two-dimensional code on the display unit. For example, a code display screen with a two-dimensional code arranged as shown in FIG. 10 (D) is displayed on the display unit.

Step S12: The settlement device 40 scans (reads) the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal device 50. For example, the settlement device 40 scans the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit of the customer terminal device 50 that is directed by the customer within the recognition range of the customer-side scanner unit 406.

Step S13: The settlement device 40 reads the two-dimensional code displayed on the display of the customer terminal device 50 and requests the transaction management device 60 to calculate the subtotal amount. For example, the settlement device 40 sends a calculation request (subtotal calculation request information) requesting calculation of the subtotal amount to the transaction management device 60 together with the cart identification information obtained from the two-dimensional code.

Step S14: The transaction management device 60 receives the cart identification information and the sub-calculation request information from the customer terminal device 50 and identifies the cart information for the transaction from the cart identification information.

Step S15: After identifying the cart, the transaction management device 60 calculates the subtotal amount using information such as the price in the registered product information included in the cart information corresponding to the identified cart information.

Step S16: After calculating the subtotal, the transaction management device 60 updates the cart information (stores the subtotal (calculated subtotal)) and transmits the subtotal information indicating the calculated subtotal together with the cart identification information to the settlement device 40.

Step S17: Having received the cart identification information and subtotal information from the transaction management device 60, the settlement device 40 displays a settlement screen reflecting the subtotal amount on the customer display unit 405, as shown, for example, in FIG. 11 (B).

Step S18: The settlement device 40, which has displayed the subtotal amount on the customer display unit 405, executes the payment (settlement). Specifically, the settlement device 40 accepts the selection of the payment type. In the case of cash, it accepts the deposit, calculates the amount of change, and, if there is change, dispenses the change and issues a receipt. In addition, when the settlement is completed, the settlement device 40 sends settlement completion information together with the cart information to the transaction management device 60, and the transaction management device 60 stores the transaction end date and time (settlement date and time) for that cart.

The customer terminal device 50 transmits the product code to the transaction management device 60 after scanning the product (S5), but may not transmit product codes for products (e.g., products scanned at another store, etc.) other than the products scanned in the store (the store when the customer visited the store and displayed the product registration initial screen). For example, the customer terminal device 50 acquires and stores location information (GPS information) when the customer visits the store (or when the product registration initial screen is displayed). The customer terminal device 50 also acquires location information when each product is scanned, and compares the location information acquired when the customer scans the product with the location information acquired when the customer visited the store (or when the product registration initial screen is displayed). The customer terminal device 50 may permit the transmission of the product code of the product to the transaction management device 60 if the two match (or approximately match), and may prohibit the transmission of the product code of the product to the transaction management device 60 if the two do not match (or approximately match).
This makes it possible to prevent inappropriate product registration (for example, registering a product to a cart created at another store, etc.).

When the settlement device 40 prohibits the transmission of the product code as described above, it may display an error message (e.g., "Registration is not possible because this is not in store") on the customer side display unit 405 after scanning the product. The settlement device 40 may also display the above message on the store clerk side display unit 410 instead of or in addition to the message on the customer side display unit 405.

The settlement device 40 may read the two-dimensional code displayed on the display of the customer terminal device 50 and then request the transaction management device 60 to calculate the subtotal amount (S13), but may not request the calculation of the subtotal amount for products other than the product scanned in the store (for example, products scanned in other stores). For example, the settlement device 40 refers to the store identification information of the store (the settlement device 40 may store and refer to the store identification information of the store in the settlement device 40, or may refer to the store identification information stored in another accessible device), and when the settlement device 40 reads the two-dimensional code displayed on the display of the customer terminal device 50, compares the cart identification information obtained from the two-dimensional code with the store identification information of the store. The settlement device 40 may permit the request to calculate the subtotal amount if the store identification information included in the cart identification information includes the store identification information of the store, and may prohibit the request to calculate the subtotal amount if the store identification information does not include the store identification information of the store.
This makes it possible to prevent inappropriate payments (for example, payments for products registered at other stores, etc.).

When the settlement device 40 prohibits the request for the subtotal amount as described above, it may display an error message (e.g., "Settlement cannot be completed because the transaction includes products not from store X") on the customer display unit 405 after reading the two-dimensional code. The settlement device 40 may also display the above message on the store clerk display unit 410 instead of or in addition to the message on the customer display unit 405.

In the example of the processing procedure in FIG. 9, the transaction management device 60 calculates the subtotal amount. However, for example, the settlement device 40 may acquire cart information from the transaction management device 60 and calculate the subtotal amount based on the acquired cart information. Alternatively, the transaction management device 60 may send cart information to the management device 10 and request calculation of the subtotal amount, the management device 10 may calculate the subtotal amount using the received cart information, and the calculated subtotal amount may be sent to the settlement device 40 via the transaction management device 60.

During the settlement process, the transaction management device 60 may check the cancellation status of the customer's products based on the customer information and cart information for the customer, and determine whether or not to issue a warning against fraud. If it is determined that a warning should be issued, the transaction management device 60 may, for example, cause the settlement device 40 to issue a warning notification.

In addition, during checkout processing, the transaction management device 60 may determine whether the product information included in the cart information includes any reserved items, and if so, may request the checkout device 40 to provide instructions to correct the reserved items. Upon receiving a request to provide instructions to correct the reserved items, the checkout device 40 displays a message to notify the user that there are reserved items, as shown in FIG. 11(C). Upon confirming the message, the store clerk may perform an operation to release (correct) the reserved items, such as entering a price corresponding to the reserved items or canceling the reserved items.

[Presenting coupon-related information according to store entry screen operations]
A coupon list button BT11 is arranged on the shop entrance screen of Fig. 10 (A) The coupon list button BT11 is a button that is operated when a customer instructs to display a coupon list screen.
A customer who enters a store starts a shopping application on the customer terminal device 50. In response to the start of the shopping application, the customer terminal device 50 displays a store entry screen. If the customer wants to check coupons that can be used at the store before operating the transaction start instruction button BT10 on the store entry screen to start a transaction, the customer operates the coupon list button BT11 to display a coupon list screen.

Figure 12 (A) shows an example of a coupon list screen displayed on the customer terminal device 50. The coupon list screen in the figure presents a list of coupons. The coupon list screen presents a list of coupons that can be used at the store the customer has entered, among the coupons provided by the coupon management server 80. Note that, for example, the coupon list screen may be configured to present a list of coupons corresponding to products that fall into the specified category in response to an operation of specifying a product category. Also, in response to an operation of inputting a search string, it may be configured to present a list of coupons corresponding to products that fall into the search string.

In the coupon list screen of the same figure, the list item corresponding to one coupon shows the product name of the applicable product and the discount amount that will be deducted from the list price when the coupon is applied (which may be the discounted price (discounted price)).
In addition, a slide switch SW10 is disposed in the list item. The slide switch SW10 is OFF when slid to the left, and ON when slid to the right. The OFF state of the slide switch SW10 indicates that the corresponding coupon has not been declared for use by the customer, and the ON state of the slide switch SW10 indicates that the corresponding coupon has been declared for use by the customer.

In addition, customers can declare coupon use or cancel the declaration of coupon use by operating slide switch SW10. As mentioned above, customers can declare coupon use or cancel the declaration of coupon use (coupon use setting operation) at any location, for example, before entering the store, using a coupon use application. Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when a customer enters the store and the store entry screen of the shopping application is displayed, the customer can operate slide switch SW10 to perform the coupon use setting operation.

In this way, before entering the store and starting shopping, customers can check what coupons are available at the store by looking at the coupon list screen. Customers can also check which coupons they have declared for use among those available at the store. Customers can also declare for use coupons that have not been declared for use, or cancel the declared for use status of coupons to not be declared for use, by operating slide switch SW10 on the coupon list screen.

In addition, a details screen link area AR10 is provided in each list item on the coupon list screen. The details screen link area AR10 is an area in which a link to a coupon details screen that shows details about the corresponding coupon in the list item is set. When a customer wishes to check the details of a certain coupon among the coupons shown for each list item on the coupon list screen, the customer touches the details screen link area AR10 in the list item of the relevant coupon. In response to the operation of touching the details screen link area AR10, a coupon details screen for the corresponding coupon is displayed.

12B shows an example of a coupon details screen, which displays the product name, product image, discount amount, etc. of the product to which the corresponding coupon applies.
In addition, the coupon details screen in the figure includes an information area AR20. The information area AR20 is an area where information about the corresponding coupon to be provided to the customer is presented. The information presented in the information area AR20 may be, for example, an expiration date, a discount amount (discount price) according to the number of items purchased, etc.

Slide switch SW20 is also located on the coupon details screen in the figure. The slide switch SW20 is operated to set coupon use in the same way as slide switch SW10 in FIG. 12 (A). In other words, even when the coupon details screen is displayed, the customer can check whether or not the corresponding coupon has been declared for use by checking whether slide switch SW20 is on or off. In addition, even when the coupon details screen is displayed, the customer can declare the use of other corresponding coupons or cancel the declaration of use by operating slide switch SW20.

Furthermore, a sales floor map button BT21 is arranged on the coupon details screen in the figure, which is a button that is operated by a customer when the customer wishes to display a sales floor map.
When the sales floor map button BT21 is operated, the customer terminal device 50 causes the display unit 504 to display a sales floor map.

The sales floor map is displayed on the in-store map to indicate the location where the product to which the corresponding coupon is applicable is displayed. The sales floor map may be, for example, a map showing the layout of display shelves and the like in the store in a plan view, with marks of a predetermined type arranged according to the location where the product is displayed. In addition, the sales floor map may show, for example, the current location of a customer together with a mark indicating the location of the product. The current location of a customer can be identified, for example, by providing a beacon at a predetermined position in the store, and the transaction management device 60 or the management device 10 based on information indicating which beacon the customer terminal device 50 has communicated with.
Alternatively, instead of a sales floor map, the number of the shelf on which the product to which the corresponding coupon is applied is displayed, the name of the sales floor, etc. may be displayed more simply.
By looking at the sales floor map displayed in this way, customers can see in advance where in the store the products to which the coupon applies are displayed.

The coupon details screen is cleared in response to a predetermined operation. When the coupon details screen is cleared, the screen may be configured to return to the coupon list screen of FIG.
In addition, when a predetermined operation is performed while the coupon list screen is displayed, the coupon list screen is cleared. When the coupon list screen is cleared, for example, the screen may be returned to the store entry screen of FIG. 10(A).
Although not shown in the figures, the operation of clearing the coupon details screen and returning to the coupon list screen may be, for example, an operation on a predetermined button arranged on the coupon details screen. Also, although not shown in the figures, the operation of clearing the coupon list screen and returning to the store screen may be, for example, an operation on a predetermined button arranged on the coupon list screen.

In the following explanation, the coupon list screen, coupon details screen, etc. may be collectively referred to as the coupon-related screen. The coupon-related screen is a screen that presents information related to the coupon (coupon-related information).

The coupon-related screen may be displayed not only on the store entry screen (FIG. 10(A)), but also in response to an operation on a product registration screen as exemplified in FIG. 10(B), FIG. 10(C), etc. In this case, although not shown, as an example, a coupon list button BT11 may be placed at a predetermined position on the product registration screen in the manner shown in FIG. 10(B) and FIG. 10(C).

[Presenting coupon-related information at the product registration stage]
In this embodiment, the customer terminal device 50 can present coupon-related information as described below at the stage at which processing for product registration is being performed in response to the customer's operation (product registration stage).
In the product registration stage, with the product registration screen displayed on the customer terminal device 50, the customer has the customer terminal device 50 capture an image of the barcode attached to the product to be registered, so that the code is read, and the product is registered in response to the customer terminal device 50 acquiring the product code. Hereinafter, the act of the customer having the customer terminal device 50 read the barcode of the product in order to register the product is referred to as a product registration operation.

In addition, in this embodiment, when a customer performs a product registration operation, if there is a coupon (product-related coupon) that has a predetermined relationship with the product to be registered by the product registration operation, a product-related coupon screen that presents the product-related coupon is displayed on the customer terminal device 50. The product-related coupon screen is one coupon-related screen, along with a coupon list screen and a coupon details screen.

In this embodiment, a product-related coupon corresponding to a product to be registered (registered product) is a coupon offered at a store that satisfies any one of the following related conditions 1 to 3.

Related condition 1: A coupon that applies to the registered product and has been declared for use.

Related condition 2: In the case where a coupon that applies to the registered product has not been declared for use, a coupon that applies to a product that is defined as a "similar product" to the registered product and that has been declared for use. A "similar product" is a product that is associated with the target product because, for example, its product classification (type) is similar.
In addition, under related condition 2, it may not matter whether or not a coupon that applies to the registered product has been declared for use.

An example of a coupon that satisfies related condition 2 is as follows. For example, if the product to be registered is orange juice from manufacturer A, orange juice from manufacturer B has been determined as a similar product to the orange juice from manufacturer A. Furthermore, a coupon that applies to orange juice from manufacturer B has been declared for use by a customer. In such a case, the coupon that applies to orange juice from manufacturer B becomes a coupon that satisfies related condition 2.
Alternatively, products that are of the same product type as the product to be registered but have different sizes or contents may be determined as similar products.

By presenting information related to coupons that meet related condition 2 (coupon-related information) on the product-related coupon screen, the customer can understand that, for the same orange juice, manufacturer A has not declared the use of a coupon (including cases where there is no applicable coupon), but manufacturer B has declared the use of a coupon. The customer can then use the coupon to shop by, for example, canceling the registration of the orange juice from manufacturer A that was registered by performing a product registration operation, and registering the orange juice from manufacturer B.

Related condition 3: Coupons that are declared for use and that apply to products that are defined as "related products" that are related to the registered product. "Related products" are products that are not similar products, but are related to the registered product by having a certain relationship with the registered product. In the case of related condition 3, it does not matter whether a coupon that applies to the registered product has been declared for use.

As a specific example of a coupon that satisfies related condition 3, for example, if the product to be registered is a curry roux, potatoes, which are commonly used as one of the ingredients in curry, are specified as one of the related products of the curry roux, and a coupon that applies to potatoes is provided. In such a case, the coupon that applies to potatoes is a coupon that satisfies related condition 3.
By presenting information related to coupons that meet related condition 3 (coupon-related information) on the product-related coupon screen, the customer can understand that the coupon applies to potatoes, as a product related to curry roux, which is the product to be registered. Also, if the customer has forgotten to purchase potatoes along with curry roux, this can be reminded. Then, if the customer has not declared that he or she will use the applicable coupon when purchasing potatoes, he or she can declare that he or she will use it and then register the potatoes as a product.

Figure 13 (A) shows an example of a product-related coupon screen. The product-related coupon screen in the figure shows an example displayed as a layer image superimposed on a product registration screen. In the layer image as the product-related coupon screen, a related coupon presentation area AR30 and a close button BT34 are arranged.

The related coupon presentation area AR30 on the product-related coupon screen in the same figure corresponds to the case where there is a product-related coupon that satisfies related condition 1.

In the related coupon presentation area AR30 in the figure, it is shown that the product to be registered is a canned beer, and the price of the canned beer is also shown.
In addition, in the related coupon presentation area AR30, a use declaration notification button BT31 is arranged in response to the declaration of use of a canned beer coupon. The use declaration notification button BT31 is coupon-related information for a coupon that satisfies related condition 1.
The use declaration notification button BT31 functions as an area for notifying the customer that the canned beer, which is the registered product, has been declared for use. The customer can confirm that he or she has already declared for use the coupon that applies to the canned beer that has been registered this time.

The use declaration notification button BT31 also functions as a button for instructing the display of a coupon details screen showing details of the coupon declared to be used in correspondence with the canned beer which is the product to be registered.
When a customer wishes to check the details of a coupon corresponding to a can of beer, the customer operates the use declaration notification button BT31. When the use declaration notification button BT31 is operated by the customer, the customer terminal device 50 transitions to display a coupon details screen showing details of the coupon declared to be used corresponding to the can of beer. The coupon details screen thus displayed also contains coupon-related information about the product-related coupon that satisfies the related condition 1.

The coupon details screen displayed in this case may be the same as that shown in Fig. 12 (B) In addition, in this case, when the coupon details screen is displayed, the slide switch SW20 is in the on state, which indicates that the coupon is declared to be used.
If a customer wishes to cancel the declaration of use of a canned beer coupon, the customer can simply turn off the slide switch SW20 located on the coupon details screen. In other words, a customer can set the coupon use declaration while performing product registration operations at a store without using a coupon use application.

When a specified operation is performed, the coupon details screen is cleared and the display returns to the product-related coupon screen shown in FIG. 13 (A).

In addition, a coupon list button BT33 is arranged in the related coupon presentation area AR30 of the product-related coupon screen in Fig. 13 (A). In response to a customer operating the coupon list button BT33, the customer terminal device 50 transitions to displaying a coupon list screen. The coupon list screen displayed in this case may be the same as that in Fig. 12 (A).
When a predetermined operation is performed, the coupon list screen is cleared, and the display returns to the product-related coupon screen of FIG. 13(A).

If the close button BT34 is operated while the product-related coupon screen is displayed, the product-related coupon screen will be cleared and the product registration screen will be displayed.

Fig. 13B shows another example of a product-related coupon screen, in which the same parts as those in Fig. 13A are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted where appropriate.
A related coupon presentation area AR30 on the product-related coupon screen in the figure corresponds to a case where a product-related coupon that satisfies related condition 2 is present.

In the related coupon presentation area AR30 in the figure, it is shown that the product to be registered is orange juice from manufacturer A (Company A), and the price of Company A's orange juice is shown. In this case, no declaration of use has been made for the coupon that applies to Company A's orange juice, so the declaration of use notification button BT31 is not provided. In this case, the customer can confirm that no declaration of use has been made for the coupon that applies to Company A's orange juice that has just been registered.

13B, a message is displayed to inform the customer that there are similar products for which a coupon has been declared for use, such as "There are similar products for which a coupon has been declared for use." In addition, one product-related coupon button BT32 is arranged together with the message.
The product-related coupon button BT32 in the figure indicates that the similar product is orange juice from manufacturer B (company B). Also, the product-related coupon button BT32 indicates by mark MK3 that a coupon for the orange juice from company B has been declared for use, and that the coupon will be applied to reduce the price by 100 yen, resulting in a total price of 200 yen after the 100 yen reduction.

In addition, the figure shows an example in which one product-related coupon button BT32 is arranged. In other words, this is an example in which there is one similar product that corresponds to the product to be registered. There may be multiple similar products that correspond to one product. If there are multiple similar products that correspond to the product to be registered, multiple product-related coupon buttons BT32 corresponding to each of the multiple similar products will be arranged.

When the product-related coupon button BT32 is operated, the customer terminal device 50 transitions to display a coupon details screen for a coupon that applies to orange juice from company B. The coupon details screen displayed in this case may be the same as that shown in Fig. 12(B). In this case, when the coupon details screen is displayed, the slide switch SW20 is in the on state, which indicates that the coupon has been declared for use.
For example, if a customer wishes to cancel the use declaration for a coupon that applies to orange juice from company B, the customer turns off the slide switch SW20 arranged on the coupon detail screen. This sets the coupon that applies to product D as not being used.
In this case, the coupon details screen is cleared in response to a predetermined operation, and the display returns to the product-related coupon screen of FIG. 13(B).

Fig. 13C shows another example of the product-related coupon screen, in which the same parts as those in Fig. 13A and Fig. 13B are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted where appropriate.
A related coupon presentation area AR30 on the product-related coupon screen in the figure corresponds to the case where there is a product-related coupon that satisfies related condition 3.

In the product-related coupon screen of FIG. 13(C), for example, "Other coupon applicable products" is displayed, and a product-related coupon button BT32 is arranged.
In the product-related coupon button BT32, it is shown that the related product of the registered product, curry roux, is potatoes, the use of the potato coupon has been declared, and a discount of 50 yen will be obtained by applying the coupon.

If a coupon for the product to be registered has been declared for use, a declaration of use notification button BT31 similar to that shown in FIG. 13(A) will be displayed.

In the case of the product-related coupon screen of the same figure, when there are multiple related products corresponding to one registration target product, multiple product-related coupon buttons BT32 corresponding to each of the multiple related products are arranged.
Also, in the case of the product-related coupon screen of the same figure, when the product-related coupon button BT32 is operated, the customer terminal device 50 transitions to display a coupon details screen for a coupon that applies to potatoes.

In addition, even if related condition 1 and related condition 2 are met, instead of the product-related coupon screens in Figures 13(A) and 13(B), the product-related coupon screens in the same format may be displayed.

[Presenting coupon-related information at checkout]
In the shopping system of this embodiment, even at the stage when a customer uses the settlement device 40 to settle the bill (the settlement stage), coupon-related information can be presented at the settlement device 40 as described below.

When the customer has completed the product registration operations for all products to be purchased, they perform a checkout transition instruction operation to display a two-dimensional code on the customer terminal device 50. The customer then has the checkout device 40 read the displayed two-dimensional code. In response to reading the two-dimensional code, the checkout device 40 displays a checkout screen based on the customer's cart information on the customer side display unit 405. In this embodiment, coupon-related information is presented on the checkout screen displayed in this manner.

14 shows an example of the checkout screen in this embodiment. The checkout screen in this figure includes a total area AR41 and a registered product list area AR42.
The total area AR41 is an area that displays information regarding the total of registered products, such as the number of registered products and the total price corresponding to the registered products.
In addition, a total discount amount area AR411 is arranged in the total area AR41. The total discount amount area AR411 shows the total amount (total discount amount) of discounts due to the application of coupons to each registered product among the registered products. In addition, by placing a mark MK1 in the total discount amount area AR411, the customer can know that the total discount amount area AR411 is an area showing coupon-related information.

The registered product list area AR42 is an area that presents a list of products registered in the corresponding transaction. In the registered product list area AR42, a corresponding list item is arranged for each product. In each list item, the product name and price of the corresponding product are shown.
In addition, in a list item corresponding to a product that has been registered with a coupon applied, a mark MK2 indicating that the product has been registered with a coupon applied is placed. The price in the list item with the mark MK2 placed indicates the discounted price.
In addition, the list items of products registered with a coupon applied may be distinguished from the list items of products registered without a coupon applied in a predetermined manner, for example by setting different background colors.
In addition, the format of the list items of products registered with coupons applied may be modified so that it is possible to distinguish between list items of products applied with coupons that had already been declared for use before entering the current store and list items of products applied with coupons that have been declared for use through a coupon use setting operation after entering the current store.

In such a checkout screen, for example, in response to an operation of touching mark MK1 located in total discount amount area AR411, a screen showing a breakdown of the discount amount for each registered product with the coupon applied may be displayed.

In addition, on this type of checkout screen, when an operation is performed to touch and select a list item of a product that has been registered to which a coupon has been applied in the registered product list area AR42 (this may be an operation to touch mark MK2 in the list item area), a coupon details screen for the corresponding coupon may be displayed.

Figure 15 shows another example of a settlement screen in this embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as in Figure 14 are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted. The settlement screen in Figure 14 corresponds to a size in which the display surface of the customer display unit 405 is vertically long, whereas the settlement screen in Figure 15 corresponds to a size in which the display surface of the customer display unit 405 is horizontally long.

[Example of configuration related to presentation of coupon-related information at product registration stage]
An example of a configuration for presenting coupon-related information at the product registration stage in the shopping system of this embodiment will be described below.

The coupon management server 80 is operated by a coupon providing company that has a contract with a store that has a shopping system, and manages coupons provided by the coupon providing company.
The coupon management server 80 stores coupon management information for managing issued coupons. Fig. 16 shows an example of the coupon management information. Coupons are issued by, for example, product manufacturers. The issuers register coupons to be issued in the coupon management server 80.

The coupon management information in FIG. 2 stores coupon identification information, coupon information, and coupon providing store information for each issued coupon.
The coupon identification information is identification information that uniquely identifies the corresponding coupon.
The coupon information includes various details of the corresponding coupon, such as the coupon name, the product code of the target product (e.g., JAN code), the benefits of applying the coupon, an image for the coupon, the expiration date, the number of times the coupon can be used, and the area where the coupon is available.
The providing store information is information that stores store identification information indicating a store (coupon providing store) that has registered to provide a corresponding coupon to a customer. A coupon management staff member at a store can, for example, operate a specified terminal at the store to log in to a coupon provision registration website provided by the coupon management server and register (provided coupon registration) a coupon to be provided to customers at the store from among the coupons provided by the coupon providing company. The providing store information stores store identification information of a store that has registered a provided coupon in this manner.

The transaction management device 60 also stores store coupon management information, which is information that associates a provided coupon that has been registered with a product code of a product that is eligible for the provided coupon among products sold at the store.
When there are multiple stores under transaction management device 60, transaction management device 60 stores store coupon management information for each store.

A customer can perform coupon usage setting operations by operating the customer terminal device 50 in which the coupon usage application is installed. In other words, the customer can select the coupon he or she wishes to use from among the coupons issued by the coupon management server 80, and register the selected coupon. The coupon registered in this manner becomes the coupon declared for use by the customer. In addition, the customer can also perform operations to cancel the declaration of use of a coupon that has been declared for use, by operating the coupon usage application.
In addition, a customer may operate a web browser running on a personal computer, for example, to log in to a coupon management website and perform coupon usage setting operations.
Furthermore, as described above, a customer can perform coupon usage setting operations for coupons offered by the store they have entered by performing operations on the coupon list screen (Figure 12 (A)) or coupon details screen (Figure 12 (B)) displayed on the customer terminal device 50 on which the shopping application has been launched.

The coupon management server 80 manages the history of coupon usage declared for use by the customer as described above. For this reason, the coupon management server 80 stores coupon usage history information that indicates the usage history of coupons declared for use for each customer.

An example of coupon usage history information is shown in Fig. 17. The coupon usage history information in Fig. 17 is information in which coupon usage history by coupon member is associated with coupon member identification information indicating a coupon member (customer).
The coupon member-specific usage history is information indicating the usage history of each coupon declared for use by the corresponding coupon member. The coupon member-specific usage history is information in which the coupon member-specific usage history is associated with coupon identification information indicating the coupon declared for use by the corresponding coupon member.
The coupon usage history shows the usage status of the corresponding coupon. In the example shown in the figure, the coupon with coupon identification information "cp0001" is shown to be "unused." The coupons with coupon identification information "cp0002" and "cp0003" are shown to be "used." The coupon with coupon identification information "cp0004" is shown to have "remaining number of available coupons: 2."
Some coupons have an upper limit of 2 or more times that they can be used. A coupon with coupon identification information "cp0004" has an upper limit of 3 or more times that they can be used. If such a coupon is used less than the upper limit, the remaining number of times it can be used is shown in the coupon usage history.
Note that a coupon may have an upper limit on the number of purchases that can be made instead of the number of times it can be used. In this case, the coupon usage history may show the remaining number of purchases that can be made instead of the remaining number of purchases that can be made.

The memory unit 602 (or RAM 603) of the transaction management device 60 also stores a product master table. The product master table is information for managing products that are the subject of sale in a store, and is a table that stores product management information corresponding to each product that is the subject of sale in a store.
An example of a product master table is shown in Fig. 18. One record (one row) in the product master table in the figure is product management information corresponding to one product.
The figure shows an example in which product management information corresponding to one product stores information items such as product code, classification, product name, manufacturer name/place of origin, quantity/contents/size, unit price, similar products, and related products.
The information items of similar products can be divided into major, medium and minor categories. For example, for alcoholic beverages, the major category can be "alcoholic beverages," the medium categories can be "distilled alcohol,""brewedalcohol," and "mixed alcohol," and the minor categories can be "wine,""beer,""brandy,""liqueurs," and so on.
By using such a product master table, it is possible to determine, for example, similar products or related products corresponding to one registration target product, for example, products with different sizes, contents, or manufacturers as similar products. Furthermore, by subdividing the classification information items as described above, it is possible to determine, as similar products or related products, products that belong to the same major classification as the registration target product but have different intermediate or minor classifications as similar products or related products. Furthermore, for example, when setting a product that is an ingredient used in a dish that uses the registration target product as one of the ingredients as an associated product of a certain registration target product, it is also possible to set a product from the same place of origin, for example, in line with the idea of local production and consumption.

The flowchart in FIG. 19 shows an example of a processing procedure executed by the customer terminal device 50 and the transaction management device 60 in relation to the presentation of coupon-related information at the product registration stage.

First, an example of a processing procedure executed by the customer terminal device 50 will be described.
Step S101: The customer terminal device 50 determines whether or not a product registration operation has been performed while the product registration screen is displayed on the display unit 504. In other words, the customer terminal device 50 determines whether or not a two-dimensional code has been detected (scanned) from the captured image obtained by the imaging unit 506.

Step S102: In response to the product registration operation, the customer terminal device 50 obtains the product code of the product to be registered from the read two-dimensional code.

Step S103: The customer terminal device 50 transmits the product registration information, including the product code acquired in step S102, to the transaction management device 60.

Step S104: In response to the transmission of the product registration information in step S103, the transaction management device 60 transmits update screen information. The customer terminal device 50 updates the product registration screen based on the received update screen information. In the updated product registration screen, the list items of the products to be registered by the current product registration operation are added to the list of registered products.

Step S105: The customer terminal device 50 determines whether the received update screen information includes product-related coupon screen information. The product-related coupon screen information is information about coupons that apply to similar products or related products that are associated with the product to be registered.

Step S106: If it is determined in step S105 that the product-related coupon screen information is included in the updated screen information, the customer terminal device 50 uses the product-related coupon screen information included in the updated screen information to display a product-related coupon screen of the type exemplified in Figures 13(A), 13(B), 13(C), etc., on the product registration screen.

Step S107: With the product-related coupon screen being displayed, the customer terminal device 50 determines whether or not an operation for instructing the display of the coupon-related screen (coupon-related screen display instructing operation) has been performed.
The operation to instruct the display of the coupon-related screen, in correspondence with the product-related coupon screens illustrated in Figures 13 (A), 13 (B), and 13 (C), is either an operation on the usage declaration notification button BT31, an operation on the product-related coupon button BT32, or an operation on the coupon list button BT33.

Step S108: If it is determined in step S107 that a coupon-related screen display instruction operation has been performed, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a coupon-related screen request to the transaction management device 60.
When an operation is performed on the usage declaration notification button BT31 as a coupon-related screen display instruction operation, the customer terminal device 50 sends a coupon-related screen request requesting a coupon details screen for a coupon whose usage has been declared corresponding to the product to be registered.
In addition, when an operation is performed on the product-related coupon button BT32 as a coupon-related screen display instruction operation, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a coupon-related screen request for requesting a coupon details screen of the corresponding product-related coupon.
In addition, when the coupon list button BT33 is operated as a coupon-related screen display instruction operation, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a coupon-related screen request for requesting a coupon list screen.

Step S109: In response to the coupon-related screen request sent in step S108, the transaction management device 60 sends a coupon-related screen. The customer terminal device 50 displays the received coupon-related screen.
As a result, when the customer operates the coupon usage declaration notification button BT31 as a coupon-related screen display instruction operation, a coupon details screen of the coupon that has been declared to be used in correspondence with the registration target product is displayed.
Furthermore, when the customer operates the product-related coupon button BT32 as a coupon-related screen display instruction operation, a coupon details screen of the corresponding product-related coupon is displayed.
Furthermore, when the customer operates the coupon list button BT33 as a coupon-related screen display instruction operation, a coupon list screen is displayed.

Step S110: In response to a specified operation being performed by the customer, the customer terminal device 50 erases the coupon-related screen displayed in step S109, and returns to displaying the product-related coupon screen before the coupon-related screen was displayed.

Step S111: If it is determined in step S107 that the coupon-related screen display instruction operation has not been performed, or after the processing of step S110, the customer terminal device 50 determines whether an operation to instruct the deletion of the product-related coupon screen (product-related coupon screen deletion instruction operation) has been performed. The product-related coupon screen deletion instruction operation is an operation on the close button BT34 on the product-related coupon screen.
If it is determined that the product-related coupon screen deletion instruction operation has not been performed, the process returns to step S107.

Step S112: If it is determined in step S111 that an instruction to delete the product-related coupon screen has been performed, the customer terminal device 50 deletes the product-related coupon screen and returns to a state in which the product registration screen is displayed.

Step S113: If it is determined in step S101 that the product registration operation has not been performed, or if it is determined in step S105 that the product-related coupon screen information is not included in the update screen information, or after the process of step S112, the customer terminal device 50 determines whether or not a payment instruction operation has been performed while the product registration screen is displayed. If a payment instruction operation has not been performed, the process of step S101 is returned to.
When the payment transfer instruction operation is performed, the process in FIG. 10 is terminated. At this time, the customer terminal device 50 causes the display unit 504 to display the code display screen (FIG. 10(D)) from the product registration screen.

Next, an example of a processing procedure executed by the transaction management device 60 will be described.
Step S201: The transaction management device 60 determines whether or not product registration information transmitted from the customer terminal device 50 in step S103 has been received.

Step S202: When the product registration information is received, the transaction management device 60 performs a process of confirming whether or not the customer (user) of the customer terminal device 50 that transmitted the received product registration information has declared the use of a coupon that can be used at the store for the product (registered product) indicated by the received product registration information. This step S202 is a confirmation of the presence or absence of a coupon that satisfies related condition 1.
For this purpose, the transaction management device 60 transmits to the coupon management server 80 a usage declaration inquiry including the coupon member identification information contained in the registered product registration information and the product code of the product to be registered.
The usage declaration inquiry includes coupon member identification information, the product code of the product to be registered, and store identification information. The coupon member identification information, the product code of the product to be registered, and store identification information may be included in the product registration information received in step S201.

The coupon management server 80 acquires the product code and store identification information contained in the received use declaration inquiry. The coupon management server 80 searches the coupon management information for coupon identification information that associates coupon information including the acquired product code with provided store information including the acquired store identification information. If no coupon identification information is found, it means that the product to be registered this time has not been declared for use by the customer because there is no usable coupon for the product in the first place. In this case, the coupon management server 80 transmits a response to the transaction management device 60 indicating that use has not been declared.
When the coupon identification information is searched from the coupon management information, the coupon management server 80 acquires the coupon member identification information from the received usage declaration inquiry. The coupon management server 80 acquires the consumer-specific usage history associated with the acquired coupon member identification information from the coupon usage history information. The coupon management server 80 refers to the acquired consumer-specific usage history to determine whether or not the coupon indicated by the searched coupon identification information has been declared for usage (whether or not the coupon-specific usage history is "unused").

If the coupon has been declared for use, the coupon management server 80 sends a response to the transaction management device 60 indicating that the coupon has been declared for use. In this case, the coupon management server 80 includes the corresponding coupon information in the response and sends it. In addition, if the coupon has not been declared for use, the coupon management server 80 sends a response to the transaction management device 60 indicating that the coupon has not been declared for use.

In response to the sending of the usage declaration inquiry, the transaction management device 60 can confirm whether or not the customer has declared the usage of a coupon that can be used at the store for the registered product based on the contents of the response sent from the coupon management server 80 as described above.

Step S203: The transaction management device 60 also checks for similar product coupons as product-related coupons for the product currently being registered. Similar product coupons are coupons that meet related condition 2.

To check for similar product coupons, the transaction management device 60 obtains, from the product master, the product codes of similar products that correspond to the product code included in the received product registration information.
The transaction management device 60 transmits a similar product coupon inquiry to the coupon management server 80. The similar product coupon inquiry is a command for inquiring whether or not there is a similar product coupon corresponding to the similar product obtained from the product master.

The coupon management server 80 determines whether there is a coupon that is usable in the store and that has been declared for use by the customer, corresponding to the similar product indicated by the product code included in the received similar product coupon inquiry.
For this purpose, the coupon management server 80 acquires the product code and store identification information included in the received similar product coupon inquiry. The coupon management server 80 searches the coupon management information for coupon identification information that associates the coupon information including the acquired product code with the provided store information including the acquired store identification information. If no coupon identification information is found, it means that the customer has not declared that the similar product will be used, since there is no usable coupon for the similar product.
In this case, coupon management server 80 transmits a response to transaction management device 60 indicating that there are no similar product coupons.
When the coupon identification information is searched for in the coupon management information, the coupon management server 80 acquires the coupon member identification information from the received similar product coupon inquiry. The coupon management server 80 acquires the consumer-specific usage history associated with the acquired coupon member identification information from the coupon usage history information. The coupon management server 80 determines whether or not the coupon indicated by the searched coupon identification information has been declared for usage by referring to the acquired consumer-specific usage history.

If the coupon is declared for use, the coupon management server 80 sends a response to the transaction management device 60 indicating that a similar product coupon exists. In this case, the coupon management server 80 sends a response including coupon information for the similar product coupon. In addition, if the coupon is not declared for use, the coupon management server 80 sends a response to the transaction management device 60 indicating that no similar product coupon exists.

In response to the transmission of the similar product coupon inquiry, the transaction management device 60 can check whether or not there is a similar product coupon based on the contents of the response sent from the coupon management server 80 as described above. Furthermore, if there is a similar product coupon, the transaction management device 60 can obtain coupon information for the similar product coupon.

Step S204: The transaction management device 60 also checks for associated product coupons as product-related coupons for the product currently being registered. The associated product coupons are coupons that meet related condition 3.

To check for an associated product coupon, the transaction management device 60 obtains, from the product master, the product code of the associated product that is associated with the product code included in the received product registration information.
The transaction management device 60 transmits an associated product coupon inquiry to the coupon management server 80. The associated product coupon inquiry is a command for inquiring whether or not there is an associated product coupon corresponding to the associated product obtained from the product master.

The coupon management server 80 determines whether or not there is a coupon available at the store for the associated product indicated by the product code included in the received associated product coupon inquiry. The associated product may or may not be available to the customer.
For this purpose, the coupon management server 80 acquires the product code and store identification information included in the received associated product coupon inquiry. The coupon management server 80 searches the coupon management information for coupon identification information that associates the coupon information including the acquired product code with the provided store information including the acquired store identification information. If the coupon identification information is not found, it means that there is no associated product-related coupon.
In this case, coupon management server 80 transmits a response to transaction management device 60 indicating that there is no associated product coupon.
When the coupon identification information is found from the coupon management information, the coupon management server 80 transmits a response indicating the presence of an associated product coupon to the transaction management device 60. In this case, the coupon management server 80 transmits the response including the coupon information of the associated product coupon.

In response to the transmission of the associated product coupon inquiry, the transaction management device 60 can check whether or not there is an associated product coupon based on the contents of the response sent from the coupon management server 80 as described above. Furthermore, if there is an associated product coupon, the transaction management device 60 can obtain coupon information for the associated product coupon.

Step S205: The transaction management device 60 updates the cart information by adding the product to be registered, which is indicated by the product registration information received in step S201, to the corresponding cart information.

Step S206: The transaction management device 60 generates updated screen information according to step S205 and transmits the generated updated screen information to the customer terminal device 50.

In step S206, the transaction management device 60 generates, as update screen information, information corresponding to the product registration screen that reflects the results of updating the cart information in step S205.

Then, in step S206, if the transaction management device 60 confirms in step S202 that a coupon has been declared for use for the registered product, it generates product-related coupon screen information on which a usage declaration notification button BT31 is located.
Furthermore, in step S206, if the transaction management device 60 confirms in step S203 that there is a similar product coupon, it generates product-related coupon screen information in which a product-related coupon button BT32 corresponding to the similar product coupon is arranged.
Furthermore, in step S206, if the transaction management device 60 confirms in step S204 that there is an associated product coupon, it generates product-related coupon screen information in which a product-related coupon button BT32 corresponding to the associated product coupon is arranged.
When the transaction management device 60 generates the product-related coupon screen information in step S206 in this manner, the transaction management device 60 includes the generated product-related coupon screen information in the updated screen information.

Step S207: If it is determined in step S201 that product registration information has not been received, or after the processing of step S206, the transaction management device 60 determines whether a coupon-related screen request has been received. If a coupon-related screen request has not been received, the process returns to step S201.

Step S208: When it is determined in step S207 that a coupon-related screen request has been received, the transaction management device 60 generates the coupon-related screen requested by the received coupon-related screen request and transmits the generated coupon-related screen to the customer terminal device 50.

If the coupon-related screen request received in step S207 is a request for a coupon details screen for a coupon declared for use corresponding to the product to be registered, the customer terminal device 50 generates a coupon details screen as a coupon-related screen in step S208 as follows. In other words, the customer terminal device 50 generates a coupon details screen using the coupon information corresponding to the product to be registered obtained from the coupon management server 80 in step S202.

In addition, if the coupon-related screen request received in step S207 is a request for a coupon details screen for a product-related coupon, the customer terminal device 50 generates a coupon details screen as a coupon-related screen in step S208 as follows.
In this case, the received coupon-related screen request includes coupon identification information of the coupon corresponding to the product-related coupon button BT32 operated on the customer terminal device 50. The customer terminal device 50 generates a coupon details screen by using the coupon information indicated by the coupon identification information included in the received coupon-related screen request from the coupon information of the product-related coupon acquired from the coupon management server 80 in step S203 or step S204.

If the coupon-related screen request received in step S207 is a request for a coupon list screen, the customer terminal device 50 generates a coupon list screen as a coupon-related screen in step S208 as follows: In this case, the customer terminal device 50 transmits a coupon list request to the coupon management server 80. The coupon list request includes store identification information indicating the store where the current transaction is being conducted.
In response to receiving the coupon list request, coupon management server 80 uses the coupon management information to generate a coupon list that is offered at the store identified by the store identification information included in the received coupon list request. Coupon management server 80 transmits the generated coupon list to transaction management device 60. Coupon management server 80 generates a coupon list screen using the received coupon list.
After the process of step S208, the process returns to step S201.

<Modification>
Modifications of the present embodiment will be described below. The modifications described below may be combined with the above embodiment and other modifications as appropriate.

[First Modification]
In the above embodiment, if there are multiple product-related coupons (similar product coupons, related product coupons) that meet related condition 2 or related condition 3, product-related coupon buttons BT32 are placed for each of the multiple product-related coupons in the related coupon presentation area AR30 displayed on the customer terminal device 50.
Furthermore, in this modified example, when there are multiple product-related coupons, a priority order may be set among the multiple product-related coupons, and the coupons may be displayed in the related coupon presentation area AR30 so as to reflect the set priority order.

As an example, the priority order of multiple product-related coupons may be set in descending order of the benefit to the customer. Specifically, the priority order of multiple product-related coupons may be set in descending order of the discount amount, the number of points given to the customer based on the discounted price, the coupon expiration date, etc. In addition, when there are multiple product-related coupons corresponding to multiple products of the same product type but with different capacities or sizes, the priority order may be set in descending order of the capacity or size.
As another example, the priorities of multiple product-related coupons may be set in descending order of profitability for the store. Specifically, the priorities of multiple product-related coupons may be set in descending order of profitability or in descending order of stock quantity (or in descending order of stock quantity).
Such priority setting may be performed by the transaction management device 60 using the product master and coupon information when checking product-related coupons in steps S203 and S204 of FIG.

As a display mode in the related coupon presentation area AR30 that reflects the priority order set for multiple product-related coupons, for example, the product-related coupon buttons BT32 corresponding to each of the multiple product-related coupons may be arranged based on the priority order. Specifically, for example, in the related coupon presentation area AR30, the product-related coupon buttons BT32 may be arranged from top to bottom in order of priority order. Also, in the related coupon presentation area AR30, for example, the product-related coupon buttons BT32 corresponding to a predetermined number of product-related coupons with high priority orders may be arranged, and the remaining product-related coupon buttons BT32 with lower priorities may be hidden. In addition, the remaining product-related coupon buttons BT32 with lower priorities may be displayed in response to an operation being performed on a predetermined button, for example.

[Second Modification]
The transaction management device 60 may be configured to check the product-related coupon corresponding to the registration target product based on the related condition that the coupon is available for the private brand product if there is a private brand product corresponding to the registration target product. When the transaction management device 60 checks the product-related coupon according to the related condition, a product-related coupon button BT32 corresponding to the coupon for the private brand product corresponding to the registration target product is arranged in the related coupon presentation area AR30.
Generally, private brand products are priced lower than similar non-private brand products. Therefore, by presenting a coupon for a private brand product to a customer as a product-related coupon as in this modified example, the customer can reduce the amount of payment by canceling the registration of the product to be registered and registering the private brand product instead.

[Third Modification]
In this embodiment, the coupon is provided by, for example, a manufacturer of the target product. That is, the manufacturer registers coupons for its products in the coupon management server 80. The registered coupons can be used on a coupon use application installed in the customer terminal device 50.
Furthermore, in this modified example, a manufacturer may set up a coupon that is targeted at a specific product that the manufacturer has registered, for example in order to compete with another specific manufacturer, so that when a similar product (or related product) from the other specific manufacturer is designated as the registered target product, the coupon is presented as a product-related coupon.
As a specific example, when Company A registers a coupon that applies to its own cola drinks, if Company B's cola drink is selected as the registered product as a similar product from a specific other manufacturer, the coupon can be set to be presented as a product-related coupon.

The registration contents of such a coupon can be defined as a related condition (referred to as related condition 4) that applies to products set as similar products (or related products) to a registered target product of a specific other manufacturer. In this case, under related condition 4, it does not matter whether a coupon that applies to a registered target product of a specific other manufacturer is declared for use. It also does not matter whether a coupon that applies to a product set as a similar product (or related product) is declared for use.

When a coupon from Company A is registered in this manner, when a customer has the customer terminal device 50 read the product code of a cola drink from Company B and designates it as a product to be registered, the coupon information for Company A's cola drink (product-related coupon button BT32) is presented on the product-related coupon screen.

[Fourth Modification]
When a customer is carrying customer terminal device 50 and moving around the sales floor in the store to register a product, and the customer approaches a location where a product to which a coupon that the customer has declared that he or she will use is displayed, coupon-related information about the coupon may be presented on customer terminal device 50. In this case, in addition to presenting the coupon-related information, the customer may be notified that a product to which the coupon is applied is displayed nearby.
To present such coupon-related information, for example, beacons installed at predetermined positions in the store may be used. In other words, the customer terminal device 50 is located within the communication range of the beacon and communicates with the beacon, thereby identifying the location of the customer terminal device 50 within the store. The transaction management device 60 stores, for example, information on the display position of each product in the product master.
The transaction management device 60 identifies the position of the customer terminal device 50 in the store by communicating with the beacon, and searches for coupons for products displayed at the identified position that have been declared for use by the corresponding customer. When a coupon is found, the transaction management device 60 transmits coupon-related information for the searched coupon to the corresponding customer terminal device 50. This notifies the customer at the customer terminal device 50 that a product to which the declared-for-use coupon applies is displayed nearby.

[Fifth Modification]
In the above embodiment, a customer can know that there is a coupon for a product related to the product to be registered by checking the product-related coupon information (related coupon presentation area AR30, coupon details screen, coupon list screen) presented in the related coupon presentation area AR30 of the product-related coupon screen. If the customer wants to purchase another related product instead of the product to be registered using the coupon, the customer can cancel the registration of the product to be registered and register the other related product. In addition, even if the customer checks the product-related coupon information presented in the related coupon presentation area AR30, the customer may still decide to purchase the product to be registered and not use the presented product-related coupon to purchase the related product.

As described above, the results of an analysis of coupon usage (coupon usage analysis) obtained based on information regarding coupon-related operations performed on a shopping application by a customer after entering a store provide useful information for, for example, a store, a manufacturer, a coupon providing company, etc. Therefore, in this modified example, for example, the transaction management device 60 performs the coupon usage analysis.
As an example, the transaction management device 60 is configured to perform coupon usage analysis as follows: For each transaction, the transaction management device 60 is configured to store a history of coupon-related operations on the customer terminal device 50 after the store entry screen on the shopping application is displayed.
Coupon-related operations here include operations on the shopping application to display coupon-related screens (coupon details screen, coupon list screen), operations related to declaring use of product-related coupons (including operations to cancel declarations of use), and operations related to canceling registered products in conjunction with declarations of use of product-related coupons.
The transaction management device 60 obtains statistics on the customer's operations related to coupons based on the history of coupon-related operations. Specifically, the transaction management device 60 may obtain the following statistics for each coupon, for example. That is, the transaction management device 60 may obtain the number of times that the coupon details screen was displayed, the number of times that an operation related to a use declaration (an operation to declare use or an operation to cancel a use declaration) was performed by an operation on the coupon details screen, and the number of times that a coupon details screen that was once displayed was closed without an operation related to a use declaration being performed. Furthermore, the transaction management device 60 may obtain the number of times that a use declaration or a use declaration was canceled by an operation on the coupon list screen, for each coupon.

The transaction management device 60 then performs coupon usage analysis based on the above statistical results. The coupon usage analysis can determine, for example, coupons that customers are likely to be interested in and use, coupons that customers are likely to be interested in by displaying a coupon details screen but are likely not to use, coupons that customers are likely not to use because they have low interest in them, and coupons that customers are interested in and use while shopping without knowing about the existence of the coupon beforehand.

In addition, such coupon usage analysis may be performed by a server with analysis functions other than the transaction management device 60.

[Sixth Modification]
In addition, the coupon in this embodiment is not limited to a benefit that provides a discount on the applicable product, but may be, for example, a benefit that increases the number of items purchased per unit price, a benefit that awards points, or a benefit that gives a gift to the customer.

[Seventh Modification]
A store manager may apply reduction services such as discounts or discounts to specific products as appropriate, for example, on a business day basis or during a specific time period within a business day. Such reduction services differ from coupons in that they are provided by the product manufacturer, whereas discount services are provided by store managers. However, from the customer's perspective, they are the same in that the price is reduced when purchasing the applicable product, just like a coupon.
Therefore, in this modified example, when a similar product or related product to a product that a customer has registered by reading the product code with the customer terminal device 50 is eligible for the discount service, information on the similar product or related product eligible for the discount service may be presented on the customer terminal device 50. In this case, the information may be presented by displaying it in a manner similar to the coupon details screen, for example.
As an example, a customer registers a cola drink of company A by having the product code read by the customer terminal device 50. In this case, the customer terminal device 50 may present (display) information to the customer that a cola drink of company B, which is registered as a similar product to the cola drink of company A, is currently eligible for a discount service.
Information such as whether or not a discount service is applied to each product and the details of the discount service (discount service information) may be stored in the product master. When the transaction management device 60 receives the product code of the product to be registered from the customer terminal device 50, it searches for products that are currently eligible for the discount service among similar products or related products of the product with the received product code. When a product is searched for, the transaction management device 60 generates discount service related information indicating the details of the discount service for the searched product and transmits it to the customer terminal device 50. The customer terminal device 50 uses the received discount service related information to present information about the products eligible for the discount service.

[Seventh Modification]
In addition, in order to realize the functions of presenting coupon-related information, discount services, and analyzing coupon usage in the present embodiment and the modified examples described above, the processing performed by each device included in the shopping application may be modified as appropriate.
For example, the transaction management device 60 may store coupon management information corresponding to coupons provided for at least the stores under its management, and coupon usage history information of store members corresponding to at least the stores under its management. In this case, the transaction management device 60 can execute the processes such as steps S202, S203, S204 that were executed by the coupon management server 80 in cooperation with the transaction management device 60 in the explanation of FIG. 19.

<Overview of the embodiment>
[Technical field]
The present invention relates to a product sales data processing system and a product sales data processing method.
[Background Art]
There is known a technique for setting a coupon displayed on a tablet so that the customer can use the selected coupon (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233663).
[Prior Art Literature]
[Patent Documents]
[Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO 2017/065187 [Summary of the Invention]
[Problem to be solved by the invention]
It is preferable to encourage customers to use coupons as much as possible.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to encourage customers to use coupons more actively.

[Means for solving the problem]
(1) As described above, one aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system (e.g., a shopping system) in which a customer uses a customer terminal device (50) to register a product and payment processing is performed using payment information based on the results of the product registration, the product sales data processing system comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring product information (e.g., a product code) of a product that has been registered using the customer terminal device; an identification means (e.g., steps S202, S203, S204) for identifying a coupon that is related to the product information registered by the acquisition means and that has been declared for use by the customer; and a display control means (e.g., step S208) for presenting information on the coupon identified by the identification means on an operation screen displayed on the mobile terminal.
According to the above configuration, when a customer enters a store and registers a product, if there are coupons that apply to the product that is registered by the product registration operation (registered product) and are associated with the registered product and that the customer has declared that they will use, information about the coupons is presented on the customer terminal device 50. This increases the opportunities for customers to use coupons, and encourages customers to use coupons more actively.

(2) One aspect of this embodiment is the product sales data processing system described in (1), wherein the identification means applies to products associated with the product corresponding to the product information acquired by the acquisition means, and identifies coupons that have been declared to be used by the customer.
According to the above configuration, information regarding coupons that are applicable to products similar to the product to be registered, or coupons that are applicable to products related to the product to be registered, and that have been declared to be used by the customer, can be presented on the customer terminal device 50.

(3) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system as described in (1) or (2), wherein the acquisition means acquires the product information based on an image obtained by the customer terminal device capturing the product information, and the display control means presents coupon information on the operation screen in response to the customer terminal device capturing the image of the product information.
According to the above configuration, coupon information can be appropriately presented on the screen of the customer terminal device 50 at the time the product code is acquired in response to a customer capturing an image of the product code attached to the product in order to register the product using the customer terminal device 50.

(4) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the display control means displays, in response to a specified operation on the operation screen, information (e.g., a coupon details screen) relating to a coupon selected in response to the specified operation.
According to the above configuration, the customer can check detailed information about the coupon presented on the customer terminal device 50.

(5) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system described in any one of (1) to (4), wherein the display control means displays a list of coupons (e.g., a coupon list screen) in response to a specified operation on the operation screen.
According to the above configuration, a customer can check detailed information about available coupons when entering a store and running a shopping application on the customer terminal device 50 .

(6) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing system described in any one of (1) to (5), wherein the display control means displays information (e.g., a sales floor map) indicating the location of a product associated with the identified coupon in response to a specified operation on an operation screen on which information of the coupon identified by the identification means is presented.
According to the above configuration, a customer can use the customer terminal device 50 to know where in the store the product to which the coupon applies is located.

(7) One aspect of this embodiment is a product sales data processing method in a product sales data processing system in which a customer uses a customer terminal device to register a product and payment processing is performed using payment information based on the product registration results, the product sales data processing method executing an acquisition step of acquiring product information of the product that is the subject of registration using the customer terminal device, a specification step of identifying a coupon related to the product information acquired by the acquisition step, and a display step of the customer terminal device displaying an operation screen presenting information on the coupon that has been declared for use by the customer, the coupon being applicable to a similar product similar to the product corresponding to the product information acquired by the acquisition step.

In addition, a program for realizing the functions of the management device 10, settlement device 40, customer terminal device 50, transaction management device 60, coupon management server 80, etc. described above in each of the above embodiments may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing as the management device 10, settlement device 40, customer terminal device 50, transaction management device 60, coupon management server 80, etc. described above. Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into a computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, the "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network including a communication line such as the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, or a dedicated line. In addition, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, etc., and a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. In this way, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The recording medium also includes a recording medium installed inside or outside the distribution server and accessible from the distribution server in order to distribute the program. The code of the program stored in the distribution server's recording medium may be different from the code of the program in a format executable by the terminal device. In other words, the format in which the program is stored in the distribution server does not matter as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a format executable by the terminal device. The program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined on the terminal device, or each of the divided programs may be distributed by a different distribution server. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" includes a storage medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted over a network. The above program may also be a storage medium for implementing part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

10 Management device, 40 Settlement device, 50 Customer terminal device, 60 Transaction management device, 70 Credit card settlement server, 80 Coupon management server

Claims (7)

A product sales data processing system in which a customer uses a mobile terminal to register a product, and a payment process is performed using payment information based on the product registration result,
An acquisition means for acquiring product information of a product to be registered using a mobile terminal;
a coupon specifying means for specifying a coupon related to the product information acquired by the acquiring means, the coupon being declared for use by a customer;
and a display control means for displaying information about the coupon specified by the specifying means on an operation screen displayed on the mobile terminal. The product sales data processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the specifying means specifies a coupon declared for use by the customer, the coupon being applied to a product associated with the product corresponding to the product information acquired by the acquiring means. The acquisition means acquires the product information based on an image obtained by capturing the product information with the mobile terminal,
3. The product sales data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the display control means causes the operation screen to present coupon information in response to the portable terminal capturing an image of product information. The product sales data processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means, in response to a predetermined operation on the operation screen, displays information about a coupon selected in response to the predetermined operation. The product sales data processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means displays a list of coupons in response to a predetermined operation on the operation screen. The product sales data processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control means displays information indicating the location of the product to which the identified coupon corresponds in response to a specified operation on an operation screen on which information on the coupon identified by the identification means is presented. A product sales data processing method in a product sales data processing system in which a customer uses a mobile terminal to register a product and a payment process is performed using payment information based on the product registration result, comprising:
An acquisition step of acquiring product information of a product to be registered using a mobile terminal;
a specifying step of specifying a coupon related to the product information acquired in the acquiring step, the coupon being declared for use by the customer;
a display control step of displaying information about the coupon specified in the specifying step on an operation screen displayed on the mobile terminal.

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