KR20240085090A - The Group Buying System and Business Methodology of a Redesign/Refashion/Upcycling Service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a group purchasing system and method for upcycling/redesign/refashion repair services that regenerate used products, such as used clothes, into products with new functionality and aesthetics, and allows consumers to purchase in groups rather than purchasing individually. Therefore, there is an advantage in that the service can be enjoyed at a price that is close to 50% lower, and the company can secure a large amount of work at once and enjoy the benefits of increased sales. According to an embodiment of the present invention, purchase application information is received from the first user terminal, an order is concluded when the minimum number of group purchases is met, and if the minimum number of group purchases is not met, the order is canceled and the prepaid amount is refunded. As the system operates, repair work services purchased and contracted are directly brokered or entrusted to the second user and repair technicians and companies through the second user terminal. In this case, if there are multiple technicians and companies providing similar services, the form of service bidding This includes the process of entrusting the contract to the company that won the lowest bid.

Description

Group purchasing system and method for repair services {The Group Buying System and Business Methodology of a Redesign/Refashion/Upcycling Service}

The present invention relates to a system and method for group purchasing repair services, and more specifically, to an e-commerce system and method for purchasing repair services in groups of 10 or more consumers, which is more convenient and cheaper than purchasing repair services individually. It is about a system and method that allows you to easily utilize repair services and helps you easily practice resource recycling through redesign/refashion or upcycling in your daily life.

The group purchasing structure has its own advantages for both consumers and sellers. First, from the consumer's perspective, there are advantages compared to individual consumption in terms of price, etc., as purchasing power is strengthened by gathering a large number of consumers. From the seller's perspective, there is an advantage in providing shoes or services while receiving pre-orders, enabling effective time and purchase cost management and profit management by increasing the accuracy of sales and inventory forecasts.

Groupon, a group buying platform that became very popular overseas in the late 2000s, was once considered the most notable company in the venture and initial public offering markets. And between 2020 and 2022, an interior design boom occurred in Korea as the amount of indoor living increased due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Due to the nature of life among Koreans, who live in apartment-style housing for the vast majority, apartment interior design services standardized to some extent according to square footage were provided online as a group. ‘Interior joint purchasing’ has become popular. For these services, the group purchasing method was carried out in a somewhat passive and one-sided manner due to the absence of a professional brokerage or consignment system/platform.

1020180060766 How to induce S&S group purchases 1020210130628 System supporting non-face-to-face group purchasing service 1020210033884 Crowdfunding brokerage method 1018301080000 Bag sharing system

Due to the customary structure of upcycling/redesign/refashion repair services that use used products by redesigning them or giving them new functionality, costs are set high and therefore utilization is low.

If an unspecified number of consumers collectively purchase repair services in groups of 10 or more, repair costs can be lowered as purchasing power increases. The above problem can be solved by commercializing repair services and selling them electronically, and utilizing a repair service group purchase system in which orders are automatically concluded if they meet the minimum number or quantity conditions for group purchase within a certain period of time, and are automatically canceled if not.

The idea of modern life is to live with too many ‘things’ due to overconsumption brought about by phenomena such as fast fashion. The movement toward ‘minimalism’ or ‘empty life’ is growing, but the idea that throwing things away is a solution is causing a bigger problem. For example, the annual amount of clothing waste generated in Korea alone is more than 8 tons (Ministry of Environment, 2018). Microplastics from synthetic fibers have reached a level that destroys the natural environment and threatens community safety and hygiene. The severity is much greater if shoes and bags are included.

One of the ways to solve this problem is a service that repairs or redesigns/refashes used products, such as used clothes, and reuses them. Redesign/refashion/upcycling services, which combine design ideas and repair technology rather than simple repair work to create products with new uses or designs, are not active despite being an excellent resource recycling method. The key reason for this is the process itself. Due to the lack of standardization or automation, the work is entirely dependent on designers or repair technicians, resulting in a conventional structure and high service costs. As a result, the average consumer is choosing to buy a cheap new product and throw it away rather than repairing a used product and making it last longer. In other words, only by narrowing the gap in appropriate service prices between consumers and technicians can a virtuous cycle be created in which consumers can satisfactorily select upcycling and technicians can secure appropriate work in advance to increase the quantity and quality of existing services.

If you use the repair service group purchase system proposed in the present invention, you can enjoy the same service at a 30-40% lower cost compared to requesting it individually, and you can enjoy the service without having to visit a repair specialist. For example, you can recycle old clothes by changing them into a trendy style, making baby clothes out of adult clothes, or making a lighting shade out of unused hanbok. This not only reduces household waste, but also makes it easier for anyone to practice the value of upcycling. It also helps small business repair technicians secure a certain amount of work and contributes to improving their working environment.

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a repair service group purchasing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a repair service group purchase system server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the product management unit in time series according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the consumer management unit in time series according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the technician management unit in time series according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing a service flow of a first user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In other words, it is a drawing that outlines how to use the system as experienced from the consumer's perspective.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing a service flow of a second user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In other words, it is a drawing that outlines how to use the system as experienced by repair technicians and repair companies.
Figure 8 shows a table of discount prices and expected sales for technicians/companies when group purchasing according to an embodiment of the present invention and an example of a product page implemented on a website and mobile application on the first user terminal.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings below. Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification, and parts unrelated to the description are omitted for ease and clarity of description in the drawings. It should also be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention may differ from each other and are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be changed and implemented from one embodiment to another without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and the locations of individual components within each embodiment may be changed. It should be understood that the layout diagram may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the detailed description described below is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention should be accepted as encompassing the scope claimed by the claims and all equivalents thereof.

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a repair service group purchasing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The repair service group purchasing system according to Figure 1 provides e-commerce and brokerage services by attracting an unspecified number of electronic consumers who need repair services with inexpensive and easily predictable results, and technicians and companies with specialized repair technology. It includes a server 40 that provides. It also consists of a communication network 50 including the Internet, a first user terminal 10, and a second user terminal 20, that is, the terminals of consumers and technicians/businesses described above.

Figure 1 shows the communication sequence and operational relationship between the system components and elements in a connected state. Here, the communication network 50 serves to connect the first and second user terminals 10 and 20 and the service server 40, and simultaneously transmits and receives data between the devices 10 and 20 and the service server 40. It refers to a communication network that provides a possible connection path. In other words, the communication network 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to wired communication or wireless communication, and may be composed of various types of communication networks such as a local area communication network, a metropolitan area communication network, and a wide area communication network.

In addition, the 'repair service' referred to in this specification refers to 'upcycling' existing products by giving them new functional uses and characteristics, or 'redesign' or 'refashion' into an aesthetically new style. 'It can be expanded and used as a general term for the work being done.

Figure 2 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the repair service group purchase system server 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Roughly speaking, it includes a product management department (110), a consumer management department (120), and a technician management department (130).

First, the product management department 110 of FIG. 2 repairs used products such as old clothes to be reborn as products with new functionality and aesthetics, taking into account popular designs, styles, seasonality, functionality, predicted demand, etc., and design incorporated therein. Ideas, repair technologies and processes are standardized and commercialized. Here, ‘product’ can also be replaced with ‘project’, shortening ‘redesign/refashion/upcycling project’. When a ‘product’ is created through a series of planning processes including these processes, this information is provided to the first user terminal 10. In addition, it receives purchase application and payment information from the first user terminal 10 and performs prepayment if the minimum number of people for group purchase is recruited. Otherwise, it is responsible for canceling payment or refunding the prepaid amount. Attached to Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the additional roles and operational relationships (S110) of the product management unit 110 in time series.

Next, the consumer management unit 120 of FIG. 2 can be explained in detail with reference to the block diagram showing the role and operational relationship (S120) of the consumer management unit corresponding to FIG. 4. This is a department that handles all tasks related to communication and delivery sent and received from the product management department 110 to the first user terminal 10, and checks and processes the purchase application or order details received from the first user terminal 10. , Collects used products/items and delivers them to the second terminal user.

The technician/company management unit 130 of FIG. 2 sends bidding information for a specific repair work or service to the second user terminal 20 and conducts service bidding for bidders among the second users. Thereafter, a company for the relevant work is selected in consideration of information provided by the second user or information received from the second user terminal 20, that is, bid price and technician/company rating. The information is shared with the product management department 110 of FIG. 2 to be reflected in the product planning process of the product management department 110. In addition, the technician/company management unit 130 serves to inspect the second user's work in a face-to-face or non-face-to-face manner, indexes the results, and adds them to a rating. Figure 5 includes a block diagram showing the additional roles and operational relationships (S130) of the technician/company management unit 130 in time series.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the service flow (S10) experienced by the consumer in the first user terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows access to the web or mobile application of the repair service tool system or platform of the present invention. First, it shows the process of browsing commercialized projects, applying to purchase products of interest, and making prepayments. In the subsequent process, when the minimum number of purchasers within the group purchase period is met and the order is concluded, a series of processes are completed by sending used products such as used clothes to the platform and receiving the completed product delivered to the home. This is a series of processes completed. It is a service flow. Meanwhile, if the minimum number of purchasers is not met within the group purchase period, the project will be canceled and the prepaid amount will be 100% refunded to the first user.

Figure 7 shows a service flow (S20) from the perspective of the second user terminal 20, that is, a repair technician and a repair company, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The second user terminal 20, a repair technician, and a business must create an account in order to register a business on the platform, and once the account is created, they can browse updated bidding projects on the platform and participate in bidding. If a company is selected after participating in a bid, a service contract for the project will be signed and work will proceed.

Figure 8 shows a diagram of the discount price applied per group purchase application section for each product and expected sales of technicians/companies according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an example image of a product page implemented on a website and mobile application.

As described above, the group purchasing system is a win-win system for both buyers and sellers. The chart in Figure 8 compares when an individual requests the same service directly 1:1 and when it is requested by a group of 30 or more people. The benefit of up to 50% lower service prices goes to consumers, and sales of over 1800% to businesses. It shows the structure that is secured.

Looking at the example image of the website and mobile application product page in FIG. 8, you can see an example of a service screen implemented in the first user terminal 10.

10: User 1 (consumer) terminal
20: User 2 (repair technician and vendor) terminal
40: Server (platform)
50: network communication network
110: Composition of product management department
120: Organization of Consumer Management Department
130: Composition of technician/company management department
150: Example of discount rate and company sales growth rate by group purchase quantity section
160: Example of website product page
170: Mobile application/app product page example
S110: Example of product management department operation
S120: Example of consumer management department operation
S130: Example of technician/company management operation
S10: Terminal 1 user (consumer) service flow example
S20: Terminal 2 user (technician/company) service flow example

Claims (5)

If the group purchase application data is received from the first user terminal and the minimum group purchase condition is reached within the group purchase product sales period, prepayment is made at the same time as the order is concluded; If the minimum number of people is not met, the order is canceled and any prepaid amount is refunded to the product management department;
Consumer Management Department, which is primarily responsible for collecting used products to be repaired and delivering finished products for orders made;
A technician/company management department that sends the repair service information determined by the product management department to a second user terminal to entrust or broker the repair work or allocate the service work to the technician/company bidding at the lowest price;
A repair service group purchasing system and method that includes as an internal component. According to claim 1,
The product management department refers to repair work that regenerates used products, such as used clothes, into new products that take into account popular trends, design, and functionality as a redesign/refashion/upcycling service. Discounts are provided when this service is purchased jointly by a group of 10 or more people. Its role is to commercialize the service so that it can be purchased at a given price, from planning to product creation and transmitting data to the first user terminal;
A repair service group purchasing system and method that includes such a product management department as an internal component. According to claim 1,
The consumer management department is responsible for reviewing and responding to purchase applications and inquiries regarding completed orders received from the first user terminal;
It performs tasks related to delivery of collecting used products from consumers, inspects collected used products, and separately classifies non-conforming products;
Responsible for handling all tasks related to customer communication and claims, such as providing information to customers who have sent non-conforming products for repair about available credit accumulation within the system server or platform;
A repair service group purchasing system and method that includes such a consumer management department as an internal component. According to claim 1,
The technician/company management department makes decisions about entrusting or brokering repair services and processes related tasks based on data from repair technicians and companies received from the second user terminal;
The evaluation of service results is managed by adding an indexed rating;
If there are multiple technicians and companies with similar service ratings based on the technology and system, allocate services using the lowest bid method and entrust the work to the selected company;
A repair service group purchasing system and method that includes such a technician/company management department as an internal component. Compared to when an individual requests a repair technician or company to repair a used or unusable new product that requires redesign/refashion/upcycling, or utilizes an upcycling repair service collectively referred to as redesign/refashion/upcycling, etc., the cost is 30%. It is up to 70% cheaper and has the advantage of being able to use the repair service without having to visit in person. Meanwhile, repair technicians and companies can enjoy the effect of increased sales by securing regular and large amounts of work rather than one-time work; A repair service group purchasing system and method that is a win-win for both consumers and repair technicians/companies.