KR20020004244A - Electronic commerce agent method and system using purchase weighting value - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for mediating an electronic commercial transaction using a purchase weight value and a system thereof are provided to enable a buyer to perform an electronic commercial transaction based on one's buying weight value by receiving a buying condition and a buying weight value with respect to a buyer-wanted commodity by the buyer and analyzing information of candidate sellers based on the received information. CONSTITUTION: A buyer connects to a web site constructed by an electronic commercial transaction relaying system through the Internet(400). It is checked whether a buyer-wanted commodity is existed(402). If a wanted commodity is existed, a commodity name, a wanted price thereof, and a price margin are inputted from the buyer(404). Buying option service items related to the commodity are suggested(406). A buying condition and a buying weight etc. applying a priority order are received out of the suggested buying option service items(408). A candidate selling company list is created for closely satisfying the inputted wanted price and an available price margin by referring to a selling company database and a commodity database(410). Information of the candidate selling companies is analyzed based on the obtained buying condition and the buying weight and an analyzing result of the candidate selling companies is transmitted to the buyer(412). It is judged whether the buyer selects a wanted selling company(414). If the buyer selects a wanted selling company, the selection is informed to the selected selling company(416).

Description

Electronic commerce agent method and system using purchase weighting value

The present invention relates to electronic commerce, and more particularly, to an electronic commerce mediation method and a mediation system using purchase weighting.

Internet shopping means opening shops and stores on the Internet, and visiting customers to purchase goods. Broadly referred to as electronic shopping. In the case of using an electronic shopping mall, there are advantages in that it saves time and expenses in addition to the global characteristic, and the side effects thereof are large, and unlike other business fields, it is relatively easy to enter and exit. In addition to the proliferation of electronic shopping malls, price comparison sites that periodically compare prices of products posted on a plurality of electronic shopping mall sites are prevalent.

1A to 1C are diagrams for conceptually explaining conventional electronic commerce mediation methods.

In FIG. 1A, an intermediary conducts a competitive reverse auction between sellers who meet the purchase conditions registered by the consumer. First, a consumer delivers a purchase condition of a desired product to a broker, and the broker delivers the purchase condition to a plurality of vendors. Next, each seller presents a quote according to the purchase condition to the broker, who selects a product that meets the buyer's purchase condition and sends it to the consumer in preparation for the company's quotation.

In FIG. 1B, the broker collects and accumulates the product information presented by the seller and provides it to the consumer. First, the broker accumulates product information of each company in advance, and the consumer selects a product that meets the purchase conditions by referring to the product information. Here, since the product information is fixed by the contents suggested by each company, the consumer cannot afford to compromise to some extent on the purchase condition.

In FIG. 1C, the intermediary only communicates the consumer's purchase conditions to the seller, and the transaction is carried out directly between the parties. First, the consumer transmits a purchase condition of a desired product to the broker, and the broker delivers the purchase condition to each company. Next, each company presents a quotation according to the purchase condition to the consumer, and the consumer compares each company's quotation to select a product that meets the purchase condition.

Conventional e-commerce intermediary methods (or related industry sales practices), as a purchase condition, the price of a product or service was the sole criterion for the judgment / information of the intermediary computer or buyer. Therefore, it did not properly reflect the demands of customers who want to consider not only prices but also other conditions when purchasing. In particular, the reverse auction e-commerce brokerage methods delay the time for both the buyer and the seller since the seller has to have time to perform the reverse auction after the buyer presents the purchase condition.

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is the electronic commerce based on the purchase weight of the buyer by receiving at least the purchase conditions and the purchase weight value of the desired product from the buyer, based on the analysis of the information of the candidate sellers, It is to provide an electronic commerce mediation method and system using the purchase weight to enable the.

1A to 1C are diagrams for conceptually explaining conventional electronic commerce mediation methods.

2 is a view for conceptually explaining the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic commerce mediation system according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic commerce mediation method according to the present invention.

5A to 5C are diagrams for describing a purchase condition using an electronic product as an example.

6 is a flowchart for explaining a seller's access method to an electronic commerce mediation system.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic commerce mediation method for supporting an e-commerce service between a plurality of seller information terminals and buyer information terminals in an environment interconnected through a communication network,

(a) receiving at least a purchase condition and a purchase weight as product information on a product to be purchased from a buyer; (b) analyzing the information of the candidate vendors in the prepared vendor-specific database based on the purchase condition and the weight of the purchase, and transmitting the analysis result to the buyer; And (c) notifying the vendor when the buyer selects the desired vendor based on the analysis result.

In order to achieve the above another object, an electronic commerce mediation system for supporting an e-commerce service between a plurality of seller information terminals and buyer information terminals in an environment interconnected through a communication network,

A vendor-specific database storing information on at least a product name, related purchase option service items, item reliability, and selling price of each of the plurality of vendors; A purchase condition analysis server which receives at least purchase conditions and purchase weights as product information on a product to be purchased from the buyer, analyzes information of candidate sellers in a vendor-specific database, and transmits the analysis result to the buyer; And a purchase processing server that notifies the corresponding seller when the buyer selects the desired seller based on the analysis result.

2 is a view for conceptually explaining the present invention.

In the present invention, the intermediary finds in real time a vendor that matches the prioritized purchase conditions and purchase weights input from the buyer and connects the desired seller to the buyer. In addition to the price in the way of purchasing products (e.g. electronics) or services (e.g., using the hotel's rooms) that are conducted on the Internet, the additional services (or options) accompanying the products or services (e.g. In order to receive the purchase conditions for free gifts that can be provided and bonus points related to the use of the room of the hotel), it is presented as a purchase option with weights indicated.

According to Figure 3, an embodiment of the electronic commerce brokerage system 330 according to the present invention is a purchase condition analysis server 332, purchase processing server 334, vendor database management server 336, vendor check server ( 338, purchase option analysis server 340, and various databases. As various databases, a product-specific database (DB) 352, a vendor-specific database 354, a purchase confirmation product database 362, a purchase cancellation product database 364, an item sales trend database 372, and a consumer preference database 374 ).

The web server generally refers to software for providing a web service in an environment connected to the Internet 300. However, in the present invention, a purchase condition analysis server and other servers are used in a concept including a computer system that executes the software. . In addition, the buyer information terminals 310 and seller information terminals 320 may include a web browser, which may read a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document, that is, a web page, which is a standard document of the web, It is used to mean software that can communicate with web server using Common Gateway Interface, but it is also used as a concept including a computer running the software.

In addition, various DBs referred to by the web servers, the product-specific database 352 and other databases in the present invention are stored systematically in a recording medium such as a hard disk to easily add, update, and retrieve related data. And data stored in the recording medium.

First, the database structure referred to in the mediation system according to the present invention will be described. The product-specific database 352 stores information about product names, functions, detailed specifications, related purchase option service items, and sellable vendors for each product that can be sold. The vendor-specific database 354 stores information on marketable products, functions, detailed specifications, related purchase option service items, reliability of each related purchase option service item, and selling price.

The purchase confirmation product database 362 stores a product name, a model number, buyer detail information, a seller, a decision price, a purchase option service item ranking requested by the buyer, and current progress information of the product confirmed to be purchased. The purchase cancellation product database 364 includes the product name, model number, canceler details, vendor, decision price and purchase option service item ranking requested by the buyer, current processing information, price refund processing information, and the like. Save it.

The item-specific sales trend database 372 stores information on the purchase order preferences among the purchase option service items and the rate at which the purchase option leads to sales for the same product group. The consumer preference database 374 stores information on purchase options preferred by the buyer as priority 1 and changes thereof, and purchase options preferred by the priority 2 for various product groups.

Referring to FIG. 3, the purchase condition analysis server 332 accesses a product (product or service) to be purchased from the buyer when the buyer accesses through a web browser using the buyer information terminal 310 to perform a purchase process. At least a purchase condition and a purchase weight thereof are input as the product information. The purchase condition analysis server 332 intelligently analyzes the information of the candidate sellers in the vendor-specific database 354 based on the purchase condition and the purchase weight thereof, and, as a result of analysis, preferably, appropriate seller related information (best seller candidate). To the buyer.

The purchase processing server 334 sees the analysis result through the web browser of the buyer information terminal 332, and notifies the corresponding seller when the desired seller is selected. The purchase processing server 334 may be configured to act as a surrogate between the buyer and the seller, such as forwarding a purchase request from the buyer to the corresponding seller, and later transmitting the purchase request and confirmation of the seller's purchase request to the buyer. have. The purchase processing server 334 stores the confirmed product or the canceled product in the purchase confirmation product database 362 or the purchase cancellation product database 364 through this. In addition, the purchase processing server 334 may be connected to process the purchase request from the buyer directly at the vendor.

The seller database management server 336 accesses its product information from the vendor-specific database 354 when the seller connects through the web browser using the seller information terminal 320 to change the registered product. To help. In response to a request from the seller, the seller information database 354 changes the product information of the seller. In addition, the seller database management server 336 allows the seller to access the itemized sales trend database 372 and the consumer preference database 374 so that the seller can refer to changing the registered product.

The vendor checking server 338 manages the reliability of the vendors who have registered their products in the vendor-specific database 354. Specifically, the reliability of the relevant purchase option service item stored in the vendor-specific database 354 is managed by the vendor checking server 338. Periodically check the item-by-seller operations for each vendor to ensure that they actually implement the relevant purchase option service items. To this end, the vendor check server 338 may refer to the itemized sales trend database 372 and the consumer preference database 374.

The purchase option analysis server 340 analyzes the purchase option with reference to the purchase confirmation product database 362 and the purchase cancellation product database 364 and uses the analysis result to sell the item-specific sales trend database 372 and the consumer preference database. Construct 374.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic commerce mediation method according to the present invention. The operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

First, at least purchase conditions and their purchase weights are input as product information on a product to be purchased from a buyer.

Specifically, the purchaser accesses a web site established by the electronic commerce relay system of the present invention through a communication network, preferably the Internet, using a web browser (step 400). It is determined whether the buyer has a desired product (step 402). That is, the purchaser checks a list of products displayed in a pop-up form, for example, on a web page of a website, and checks whether there are any goods or services (e.g., hotel reservations, car after-sales service, insurance, etc.) do. The product list is referenced from the product information stored in the product database 352. At this time, the purchaser can view the expected purchase price as well as the purchase price and the minimum price to the maximum price range (for example, Samsung AK-420 30 "flat screen TV 350000 won-470000 won).

After step 402, if there is a desired product, the buyer receives at least a product name, a desired price, and an acceptable price margin as basic information about the product (step 404). Specifically, the name of the desired goods and services, the specifications already determined, the manufacturer or service provider of the goods, the desired price, and an acceptable price margin (according to the purchase option) are input.

After the step 404, the purchase option service items related to the product input from the buyer are presented (step 406). Related purchase option service items are prepared with reference to a product-specific database 352. Among the presented purchase option service items, the buyer receives input of a purchase condition and a purchase weight value to which a priority is applied (step 408).

5A to 5C are diagrams for describing a purchase condition using an electronic product as an example. Referring to FIG. 5A, the purchaser receives a Samsung AK-420 30 "flat screen TV as a trade name, a desired price of 450,000 won, and a price margin of 30,000 won. In this case, for example, a purchase option such as FIG. 5B is possible. For example, the speed of delivery, the burden of delivery costs, the return within one month, and the after-sales coverage, etc. In addition, the compatibility of loyalty points (mileage) and loyalty points (other products of the same company or the same company) Whether you are eligible for the same mileage), insurance against breakdowns incurred at delivery, and bonus products you pay at no extra charge.

The purchaser may mark the corresponding items among the purchase option service items as priority 1, priority 2, or none. In addition, the buyer may record the weight corresponding to each priority for the item indicated by the corresponding item, or may record while referring to the weight predetermined by the intelligent agent, that is, the purchase condition analysis server 332. . However, if the buyer directly expresses the weight, the constraint is placed so that priority 1 cannot have a weight less than priority 2.

Next, the intelligent agent, that is, the purchase condition analysis server 332, uses the purchase condition and the purchase weight as inputs of the intelligent algorithm to generate a suitable number of optimal seller lists. The intelligent algorithm used at this time can be various, but the typical list generation method is as follows.

In detail, after step 408, a list of candidate vendors that closely meet the desired price and allowable price margin input in step 404 is generated by referring to the vendor-specific database 354 and additionally, the product-specific database 352. (Step 410). For example, in the vendor-specific database 354, the sellers who have recorded in their respective databases that the buyer can provide a desired product (item or service) to be purchased are searched. Next, the vendor-specific database 354 determines whether the buyer's (desired price + price margin) is within a price range that can be provided by the seller in relation to the corresponding product, and generates a candidate seller list using only companies corresponding thereto. On the other hand, referring to the product-specific database 352 in another manner, the relevant vendors may be searched first, and detailed information about the searched relevant vendors may be obtained from the vendor-specific database 354.

After operation 410, based on the purchase condition obtained in operation 408 and the purchase weighting value, information of candidate vendors is analyzed and the analysis results of the upper predetermined number of candidate vendors are transmitted to the buyer (operation 412). .

For example, a sorting operation related to the purchase weight of purchase option service items indicated by the buyer is performed for the companies selected in step 410. Various methods are possible, but here, as an example, Σ (weight corresponding to the purchase option service item that the seller can provide * the vendor check server 338 periodically reports the seller's transaction history (or transaction reliability). We propose a method of determining and recording the reliability of each item.

That is, once a vendor is able to determine whether a buyer can provide the purchase option service items desired by the buyer, and if possible, continue to weigh the weight (provided by the buyer or purchase condition analysis server 332 in advance and informed the buyer). The weight is added to the previous weight calculation. At this time, even if the seller has registered to provide the purchase option service items, the reliability cannot be verified. Thus, the present invention applies the " trust value " that the vendor check server 338 has so far with that particular purchase option service item of that vendor. This " reliability value " can be obtained in a separate field called " reliability by purchase option service item " in the vendor-specific database 354 to which the purchase condition analysis server 332 and the vendor check server 338 can connect.

The candidate sellers are ranked according to the scores obtained through the scoring operation as described above, and the detailed suggested price, the list of possible purchase options, and the weights thereof are analyzed as a result of analysis of all or the top predetermined number of candidate vendors. All or some of these must be presented to the buyer. Referring to Figure 5c, for example, the presenting price for the top three best sellers, the speed of delivery, delivery costs, return, A / S whether the buyer is presented.

After operation 412, it is determined whether the buyer selects a desired seller (operation 414). If the buyer has selected the desired vendor (or product), the determined vendor is informed (step 416) and the buyer's data is communicated through the vendor-specific database 354 or in the manner desired by the seller. do. Thereafter, after receiving the purchase request from the buyer, the seller starts processing to take appropriate measures. For example, if a reservation is made for a hotel, register relevant information in the hotel reservation database, or if the purchase of an electronic product actually confirms that the amount has been transferred to the seller, initiates a process to deliver the product, etc. Can act.

So far, it has been described how buyers go through the purchase process in the electronic commerce mediation method and mediation system according to the present invention. Now, when the seller wants to access the vendor-specific database according to the present invention, the present invention looks at how to change when the management situation, the available purchasing option, etc. are changed.

6 is a flowchart for explaining a seller's access method to an electronic commerce mediation system.

First, the seller accesses a web site (step 602). The vendor may have been given a vendor ID and password to access his database. When a seller makes a change in management of his company (or individual), the seller realizes the management benefit by reflecting it in the vendor-specific database 354 in the e-commerce brokerage system. If information in the current database needs to be changed, the vendor database management server 336 is accessed and changed (or must be changed).

The connected seller may access the vendor-specific database 354 and, if necessary, the itemized sales trend database 372 and the consumer preference database 374 through the vendor database management server 336. For reference, first, the prepared itemized sales trend database 372 and the consumer preference database 374 are made accessible (step 604). In other words, the vendor may not only have access to a database related to the company, but may have a special procedure to indirectly access a database related to a third party. Quickly approach our management strategy by accessing a "item sales trend database" that can check how sales of a particular product have been promoted by the changes in the service of the company or other companies, and a "consumer preference database" that analyzes consumer preferences. You can also get a basis for making corrections.

Next, if there is a request for changing the information of the seller in the vendor-specific database (step 606), the information stored in the vendor-specific database is changed (step 608). In the electronic commerce brokerage system according to the present invention, the seller database management server 338 may move the contents of individual company databases from one vendor-specific database 354 to another database or reconfigure them in different combinations at the seller's request. have. For example, you can change your own management environment and services, such as changing the delivery strategy for items handled by your company from the payer's burden to the seller's burden, or the delivery period from three days to one day. Of course, the operator running the e-commerce intermediary system may be entered instead.

Finally, the information changed by the seller's request is finally reflected in the vendor-specific database based on the reliability of the seller who has self-checked (step 610). The system operator creates and maintains separate fields in the vendor-specific database to check and record the purchase options service items, which are checked and recorded as the vendor registers.

So far, we have described the method and system for e-commerce brokerage in a web-based environment connected to the Internet using a web browser and a web server. However, these environmental conditions are only applications, and it will be appreciated that the present invention can be carried out through various communication networks such as optical cable, wireless Internet, intranet, and mobile communication network. In addition, as a buyer information terminal and a seller information terminal, a personal computer, various mobile phones with Internet access, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an IMT2000 terminal, and the like may be used.

As described above, the present invention provides a buyer with a variety of product service selection opportunities, shorten the purchase time, give the seller an opportunity to change its product or service in real time, and highlight its strengths This has the advantage of providing opportunities to diversify services that can be made.

Specifically, the buyer was inconvenient to wait for the reverse auction proceeds to a predetermined time, but in the case of the present invention can be found in real time results in less time wasted, and also when the various services are presented, the buyer Can save you from having to consider many of these issues at the same time, making it suitable for consumers who prefer a comfortable purchase.

In addition, while in the conventional invention, the e-commerce is not merely a price, the service provided to or received from both the buyer and the seller (information about the article) is extremely limited, while the present invention considers the surrounding situation of the product. This allows you to purchase a product, so you have a wide range of choices.

In addition, in the case of the present invention, the seller can know the sales results for the same or similar items in real time at the time they want, so as to grasp the advantages and disadvantages of the competing companies, their strengths and weaknesses, and the consumer's tendency in real time. Can be immediately reflected in marketing, sales and manufacturing activities.

Claims (20)

An electronic commerce intermediation method for supporting an e-commerce service between a plurality of seller information terminals and a buyer information terminal in an environment interconnected through a communication network, (a) receiving at least a purchase condition and a purchase weight as product information on a product to be purchased from a buyer; (b) analyzing the information of candidate sellers in the prepared vendor-specific database based on the purchase condition and the weight of purchase, and transmitting the analysis result to the buyer; And and (c) notifying the relevant vendor when the buyer selects the desired vendor based on the analysis result. According to claim 1, wherein the step (a), (a1) checking whether there is a product to be purchased by the buyer by referring to a prepared product-specific database; (a2) if there is a product to be purchased, receiving at least a brand name, a desired price, and an acceptable price margin as basic information about the product from the buyer; (a3) presenting purchase option service items related to the product and receiving a purchase condition from a buyer applying priority to a desired item; And (a4) for each priority indicated by the buyer in the corresponding item, allowing the buyer to set a weight corresponding to each priority. The method of claim 2, wherein step (a3) comprises: E-commerce mediation method characterized in that for the purchase option service items related to the product set the buyer to indicate the first priority to the N-th (N is the number of items) priority or no priority. The method of claim 2, wherein step (a4) comprises: The buyer determines the weight by referring to a predetermined weight, Wherein the high priority places a constraint such that it cannot have a weight less than the low priority. The method of claim 2, wherein step (b) comprises: (b1) generating a list of candidate vendors that satisfactorily satisfy the desired price and allowable price margin inputted through step (a2) with reference to the prepared vendor-specific database; And (b2) analyzing the information of the candidate sellers based on the purchase condition and the purchase weight value, and transmitting the analysis result of the upper predetermined number of candidate sellers to the buyer; . The method of claim 5, wherein the vendor-specific database includes information on at least a brand name, relevant purchase option service items, item reliability, and selling price for each vendor. The step (b2) is an electronic commerce intermediation method, characterized in that the scores for each candidate vendor according to the purchase weight value and the reliability of each item of the relevant purchase option service items. The method of claim 6, wherein the item reliability is periodically checked by an operator providing the e-commerce service and records the item-specific operation of the vendors. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further refers to a product-specific database including information on at least a product name and related vendors for each product for sale. And searching for relevant vendors in the product-specific database first, and obtaining detailed information on the found relevant vendors in the vendor-specific database. The method of claim 1, wherein the information on at least a product name, a related purchase option service item, and a selling price stored for each vendor in the vendor-specific database is changed when the seller requires it. The changed information is finally reflected in the vendor-specific database based on the item-by-item reliability of the seller checked by the operator providing the e-commerce service. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein when the seller changes the information stored in the vendor-specific database, it refers to at least an item-specific sales trend database and a consumer preference database built by the operator. The item-specific sales trend database includes information on the purchaser's preferred purchase option rank among the purchase option service items and the rate at which the purchase option leads to sales for at least the same product group. The consumer preference database is a method of e-commerce brokerage, characterized in that it contains information on the purchase options preferred by the buyer for a plurality of product groups and the change trend. In an electronic commerce mediation system for supporting an e-commerce service between a plurality of seller information terminals and buyer information terminals in an environment interconnected through a communication network, A vendor-specific database storing information on at least a product name, related purchase option service items, item reliability, and selling price of each of the plurality of vendors; Purchase condition analysis that receives at least a purchase condition and a purchase weight as product information on a product to be purchased from a buyer, analyzes information of candidate sellers in the vendor-specific database based on this, and transmits the analysis result to the buyer server; And And a purchase processing server for notifying the corresponding seller when the buyer selects the desired seller based on the analysis result. The method of claim 11, It further comprises a product-specific database that stores information about at least a product name, related purchase option service items, related vendors for each product that can be sold, The purchase condition analysis server, Receiving input of at least a product name, a desired price, and an acceptable price margin as basic information on the product from the buyer, the related purchase option service items are presented by referring to the product-specific database, and the priority applied to the desired item from the buyer is applied. An electronic commerce brokerage system, characterized in that a purchase condition and a purchase weight are input. The method of claim 12, wherein the purchase condition analysis server, E-commerce mediation system, characterized in that the buyer is set to indicate the first priority to the N-th priority (N is the number of items) for the purchase option service items related to the product. The method of claim 12, wherein the purchase condition analysis server, And the buyer to determine the purchase weight with reference to a predetermined purchase weight value, wherein the high priority places a constraint that the purchase weight cannot be less than the low priority. The method of claim 12, wherein the purchase condition analysis server, Generating a list of candidate vendors that satisfactorily satisfy the desired price and allowable price margin by referring to the vendor-specific database; And an analysis result of the top predetermined number of candidate vendors from the results of analyzing the candidate vendors to the buyer. The method of claim 12, wherein the purchase condition analysis server, Generate a list of candidate vendors that closely meet the desired price and acceptable price margin by searching relevant vendors in the product-specific database, And an analysis result of the upper predetermined number of candidate vendors from the results of analyzing candidate vendors by referring to the vendor-specific database, to the buyer. The method of claim 11, 15 or 16, wherein the purchase condition analysis server, And a score for each candidate vendor according to the purchase weight value and the reliability of each item among the related purchase option service items by referring to the vendor-specific database. The method of claim 11, A seller database management server for changing product information of the seller in the seller-specific database according to a request from a seller; And And a vendor checking server that periodically checks operation of sellers by item and manages reliability of each item in the vendor-specific database. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the vendor database management server and the vendor check server, An item-specific sales trend database which stores information on a purchase option preference among the purchase option service items for at least the same product group and a rate at which the purchase option leads to sales; And An electronic commerce intermediation system, comprising a reference to a consumer preference database that stores information on purchaser's preferred purchase option ranking and its change trend for a plurality of product groups. The method of claim 11 or 19, A purchase confirmation product database storing at least a product name, a buyer detailed information, a seller, a decision price, and a purchase option ranking requested by the buyer through the purchase processing server; A purchase cancellation product database storing at least a product name, a canceler detailed information, a seller, a decision price, and a purchase option ranking requested by the buyer through the purchase processing server; And Analyzing a purchase option with reference to the purchase confirmation product database and the purchase cancellation product database, and further comprising a purchase option analysis server to build a sales trend database and consumer preference database for each item using the analysis results E-commerce brokerage system.