JP7530491B1 - Information processing device, information processing method, program, and system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To more effectively promote the spread of electronic payment services by granting rewards. [Solution] An information processing device comprising: an association unit that associates accounts of multiple users of an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store with rewards granted by making electronic payments at the physical store in response to operations of the user terminal device by each of the multiple users; and a reward granting unit that grants the reward to the accounts of at least a predetermined number of users when at least a predetermined number of the multiple users make electronic payments at the physical store. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and a system.

Conventionally, there is known a technique for granting rewards to the account of a user who uses an electronic payment service. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for granting a coupon equivalent to an amount according to the user's use of an SNS service to the user's electronic payment service account.

JP 2009-169977 A

However, conventional technologies provide benefits to each user of an electronic payment service, and do not treat multiple users of the electronic payment service as a single recipient of the benefit. As a result, the benefits offered by conventional electronic payment services may not promote the widespread use of the electronic payment service.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing device, information processing method, program, and system that can more effectively promote the spread of electronic payment services by offering special benefits.

One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that includes: a matching unit that matches the accounts of multiple users of an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store with a benefit that is granted by making an electronic payment at the physical store in response to an operation of a user terminal device by each of the multiple users; and a benefit granting unit that grants the benefit to the accounts of at least a predetermined number of users when at least a predetermined number of the multiple users make an electronic payment at the physical store.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and a system that can more effectively promote the spread of electronic payment services by providing benefits.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating an example of a general flow of electronic payment. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating an example of a general flow of electronic payment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store/store information 176. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of first coupon information 178. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of second coupon information 180. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen IM of a payment application 20. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method for using a first coupon by a user terminal device 10. FIG. A diagram showing an example of a first step of a method for using a second coupon by a user terminal device 10. A diagram showing an example of a second step of a method for using a second coupon by user terminal device 10. A figure showing an example of a third step of a method for using a second coupon by user terminal device 10. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second coupon issuing process by a second store terminal device 70. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a process executed by the payment server 100. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method for using a second coupon in accordance with the first modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a method of using a second coupon in accordance with the second modified example.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing method, a program, and a system of the present invention will be described. Various devices for providing services to users and performing internal analysis, such as the "server", "management device", and "information providing device" that will appear below, may be realized by a group of distributed devices, and each device may be operated by a different business operator. In addition, the owner of the hardware of the device (the cloud server provider) and the business that actually operates it may also be different. The application program and the payment server work together to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a payment application. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payments related to the purchase of goods and services at a store. The store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store for electronic commerce. The virtual store may include one provided by an entity other than the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when making a payment for shopping at the virtual store, the screen is controlled to transition to an interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, the store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at the store is mainly performed between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, payment and other transactions may be handled between the user and the store.

[Electronic payment service]
1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, and one or more second store terminal devices 70 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, and the like.

The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment app 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment app 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store, and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. An interface 72 for affiliated stores runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface 72 for affiliated stores may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface 72 for affiliated stores accepts coupon settings and the like made by the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image equivalent to a store code image and reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case the payment information is sent from the POS device to the payment server 100 via the affiliated store server. In the following explanation, no distinction is made between these two, and it is assumed that the payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

Figures 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns for electronic payment: pattern 1 and pattern 2.

In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 10 with the payment application 20 activated decodes the store code image 60 by the optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is the domain of the electronic payment service to which information capable of identifying the store is added, and is associated with the affiliated store ID, store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 transmits the first payment information including the store URL and the account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the affiliated store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and store name information (S3), and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user inputs the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen on which the affiliated store name and store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then transmits a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include not only the store URL but also information on the payment amount. In this case, the procedure in which the user inputs the payment amount is omitted, and the first payment information is transmitted to the payment server 100 with the information on the payment amount included. Information on the affiliated store name and store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, when the payment app 20 is started, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, when the automatic update timing (for example, every minute) occurs, and at other timings, the payment app 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first store terminal device 50, and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using an optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). Then, the first store terminal device 50 generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode or manually entering it. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

Note that electronic payment may be made using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuance of a one-time code may be omitted in the store scan, and the payment app 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[Payment server]
4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device. The information management unit 140 further includes an association unit 140A and a privilege granting unit 140B, the functions of which will be described in detail later. The function of the information management unit 140 in the payment server 100 is an example of an "information processing device".

The storage unit 170 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, affiliated store/shop information 176, first coupon information 178, and second coupon information 180.

The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a web server function, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The payment content providing unit 120 reads out necessary content from the payment content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs by the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 172. The user information 172 is an example of the registration information of a user. The user information 172 is, for example, a user URL, an account ID, a telephone number, a password, as well as an email address, a user ID, a name, an address, a date of birth, a registration date, a charge balance, a deferred payment setting, a deferred payment limit, a deferred payment amount used, a deferred payment available amount, a payment method setting, a bank account, a credit card number, a charge history information, a payment history information, a follow affiliated store, a first coupon acquired, a second coupon participating, and owned points, and other information associated with the user. The user URL is used for a remittance process between users. When registering for a new electronic payment service, it is necessary to register a telephone number and a password. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). Similarly, the email address, the name, the address, and the date of birth are information that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered with the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as the account.

The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money that is set by the user by transferring money to the account in advance. The means of transfer include transfer from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated company (bank) and transfer from a registered bank account. The deferred payment setting is information indicating whether or not the setting for enabling electronic payment by deferred payment has been completed, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." The deferred payment limit is the limit of deferred payment that can be used each month, the deferred payment usage amount is the amount of deferred payment that has already been used in the current month, and the available deferred payment amount is the amount of deferred payment that can be used in the current month, which is calculated by subtracting the deferred payment usage amount from the deferred payment limit. In the figure, only one deferred payment limit is shown, but in reality, there is also a daily upper limit, and the lower of these may be set as the deferred payment limit. Further details of deferred payment will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information indicating whether the user will make electronic payment using the charge balance or payment by deferred payment at that time. The bank account and credit card number are information on a bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into an electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user transferring funds to the electronic payment service in advance to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information that indicates the details of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store/store information 176. Affiliated store/store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above) are associated with an affiliated store ID, and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, affiliated store/store information 176 may also include information such as the affiliated store or store category, the store's location, and payment patterns.

7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the first coupon information 178. The first coupon information 178 is information in which, for example, a first coupon ID, a member store ID, a store ID, a benefit content, a use condition, an expiration date, and other information are associated. As described below, the first coupon is a benefit that is issued to a user by a member store and can be used for electronic payment. In the table shown in FIG. 7, the benefit content is information indicating the content of the benefit provided by the first coupon corresponding to the first coupon ID. For example, in the case of a first coupon with a first coupon ID of "0001", it means that a user can receive a 5% rebate from the payment amount by using the first coupon. The use condition is information indicating the condition under which the coupon can be used at the time of payment. For example, in the case of a first coupon with a coupon ID of "0001", it means that a user can use the first coupon for payments of 300 yen or more. The expiration date is information indicating the deadline by which the first coupon can be used.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the second coupon information 180. The second coupon information 180 includes a first table 180A showing settings related to the second coupon issued by the affiliated store, and a second table 180B showing the participation status of the user for the issued second coupon. The first table 180A is a table in which information such as the second coupon ID, affiliated store ID, store ID, set number of people, benefit content, and expiration date is associated with each other. Like the first coupon, the second coupon is also issued to the user by the affiliated store, but unlike the first coupon which is acquired and used by each user, the second coupon is a benefit that is granted to the accounts of the predetermined number or more users who have made an electronic payment at a physical store when a predetermined number or more of multiple users make an electronic payment. The benefit associated with the second coupon is an example of a "benefit" in the scope of the claims.

In the first table 180A shown in FIG. 8, the set number of users is information indicating the number of users to whom the second coupon benefit is to be granted. The benefit content is information indicating the benefit content provided by the second coupon corresponding to the second coupon ID. The expiration date is information indicating the deadline by which the second coupon can be used. For example, in the case of a coupon with the second coupon ID "D0001", if five users make electronic payments within the expiration date (not necessarily simultaneously, but on different dates) at the store identified by the store ID "651874" of the affiliated store identified by the affiliated store ID "13579", they can receive a 10% rebate from the payment amount, as with the first coupon. At this time, the conditions of use (for example, each user must make a payment of 500 yen or more) may be set for each user, as with the first coupon.

The second table 180B associates information such as a second coupon group ID, a second coupon ID, a set account ID, and a paid account ID. The second coupon group ID is identification information that identifies a group of users (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a user group) formed to obtain a second coupon. The set account ID is identification information that identifies each user who joined the user group to obtain a second coupon. The paid account ID is identification information that identifies a user, among the users identified by the set account ID, who has made an electronic payment at the affiliated store corresponding to the second coupon ID. For example, in the case of the group with the second coupon group ID "G0001", if the users with account IDs "003", "005", "017", "022", and "023" have already made an electronic payment at the affiliated store, and the remaining users with account IDs "017" and "023" make an electronic payment at the affiliated store within the expiration date, the benefit related to the second coupon with the second coupon ID "D0001" (i.e., a 10% rebate) will be granted to all users with account IDs "003", "005", "017", "022", and "023". In other words, unlike the benefit of the first coupon, which is granted when one user makes an electronic payment, the benefit of the second coupon is granted when all users have completed their electronic payments.

The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172, payment content information 174, affiliated store/store information 176, first coupon information 178, and second coupon information 180 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds, edits, and deletes new records for the user information 172, affiliated store/store information 176, first coupon information 178, and second coupon information 180.

[Electronic Payment]
When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For a user whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance", the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales. The item value of the affiliated store's sales is not used as electronic money itself, for example, but an amount corresponding to the item value of the sales is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment for users whose "setting information" is set to "deferred payment" as follows. Deferred payment is set separately from "credit payment" in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service, and the operator of the electronic payment service acts as the creditor and allows electronic payment that is not dependent on the charge balance within the deferred payment limit. In order to receive the deferred payment service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used for deferred payment is settled on the payment date of the following month in a lump sum for one month, for example, by debiting from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the deferred payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available deferred payment amount, and when the closing date comes, it performs processing to debit the payment for the current month on the payment date of the following month as described above, or requests the operator of the credit card company to perform such processing. In addition, if the payment amount exceeds the available deferred payment amount at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment application 20.

[Top screen]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen IM of the payment application 20. A code image CD is displayed on the top screen IM. The code image CD includes, for example, a barcode and a QR code. In addition, together with the code image CD, text (in the figure, "Pay with balance") is displayed indicating whether electronic payment is to be made using the charge balance or electronic payment is to be made by deferred payment. This text is drawn by the payment application 20 based on information updated by the payment application 20 each time the changeover switch SW is operated. The top screen IM also includes an operation area CA including the changeover switch SW and a transition button TB. This will be described later. Note that the "switch" and "button" are GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) realized in cooperation with a touch panel. The changeover switch SW accepts an operation to switch between electronic payment using the charge balance or electronic payment by deferred payment. The changeover switch SW is set to make electronic payment using the charge balance by default, and each time the changeover switch SW is operated by a user, the setting is switched between a setting to make electronic payment using the charge balance and a setting to make electronic payment by deferred payment. In the figure, the explanation "Pay Later" is displayed, which means that the setting is for electronic payment by post-payment. In the operation area CA, there are provided buttons for instructing main operations in electronic payment, such as a button for instructing scanning (starting user scanning) and a button for instructing charging. When the transition button TB is operated, the screen transitions to a payment screen that displays a code image used for electronic payment and the available balance.

In the lower part of the operation area CA, for example, a group of buttons (switches) M1 to M2 for starting a mini app are further displayed. A mini app is an app that operates using the payment app 20 as a platform and provides some kind of service. A service provider develops a mini app by referring to an SDK (Software Development Kit), which is a program for developing an app and technical documents provided by an administrator of the payment app 20. A mini app is an app that operates, for example, when the payment app 20 is running. For example, when the payment app 20 is installed, a part or all of the mini app may be installed, or a part or all of the mini app may be installed from a service server corresponding to the mini app. For example, when the mini app is started, a service server (not shown) that provides a service corresponding to the mini app is accessed, and the mini app and the service server work together to provide a service to the user. At this time, the service server may be the payment server 100 itself, or may be an external server different from the payment server 100. In FIG. 7, as an example, a button M1 for a mini-app that provides a coupon function (including a first coupon and a second coupon) described below, and a button M2 for a mini-app that provides a function for asset management of the charge balance are displayed, but buttons for launching various types of mini-apps, such as a payment app for paying public transportation fares, may be displayed. Furthermore, separate buttons may be provided for the first coupon and the second coupon described below.

[Use of the first coupon]
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the first coupon is used by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of Fig. 10 represents a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, the user accesses a dedicated page of an affiliated store of the electronic payment service via the payment application 20 of the user terminal device 10. This screen is displayed, for example, when the user clicks the coupon button M1 on the top screen IM of Fig. 9 and searches for a store that offers the first coupon.

The affiliated store page includes, for example, an area A1 in which overview information of the affiliated store is displayed, a button B1 for following the affiliated store, and an area A2 in which detailed information of the affiliated store is displayed by switching between tabs. When the user presses the follow button B1, the payment app 20 transmits information indicating that the follow button B1 has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the affiliated store's identification information (e.g., affiliated store ID) in "followed affiliated store" of the user information 172. As a result, for example, every time the affiliated store updates the content of the affiliated store page, the payment server 100 notifies the user via the payment app 20 that the content of the affiliated store page has been updated.

In FIG. 10, for example, when the user taps on "Coupon," a tab included in area A2, coupons that the user can currently use for electronic payment at the store are displayed. When the user, for example, follows an affiliated store and presses button B2 to acquire a coupon, the payment app 20 sends information indicating that the Acquire button B2 has been pressed to the payment server 100 together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID), and the association unit 140A of the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the coupon acquired by the user (e.g., first coupon ID) in "Acquired first coupon" of the user information 172. This associates the user with the first coupon acquired by the user.

After the user acquires the first coupon, when the user terminal device 10 executes an electronic payment, the reward granting unit 140B refers to the first coupon information 178 to determine whether the electronic payment matches the usage conditions of the first coupon acquired by the user, and if it is determined that the electronic payment matches the usage conditions of the first coupon, the reward granting unit 140B grants the user a reward according to the coupon contents. For example, in the case of coupon ID "C0001" in the first coupon information 178 shown in FIG. 7, the payment processing unit 130 determines whether the user's payment amount is 300 yen or more, and if it is determined that the usage conditions are met, points equivalent to 5% of the payment amount are granted.

Then, the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen in which an area A3 showing the store where the payment was made, an area A4 showing the payment amount, and an area A5 showing the granted benefits are displayed together. The right part of FIG. 8 shows, as an example, a case where 25 yen in points is granted for a payment of 500 yen in response to the user obtaining a 5% off coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 stores the 25 yen in points in the "owned points" of the user information 172, and the payment processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the owned points from the payment amount at the user's next electronic payment, and subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available amount for later payment. In another embodiment, the coupon may be directly subtracted from the payment amount on the day without being added as points available for payment.

[Use of second coupon]
The first coupon described with reference to FIG. 10 is a coupon that an affiliated store provides to each user, which can be used for electronic payments at a physical store. Generally, an affiliated store expects to promote electronic payments at its store by issuing a coupon, but each user has no incentive to advertise the first coupon, especially to people who are not registered with the electronic payment service, and the first coupon of the conventional technology may not sufficiently promote the use of the electronic payment service. The second coupon described below is a coupon that is given to the accounts of a predetermined number or more users who have made electronic payments when a predetermined number or more of multiple users make electronic payments at a physical store. This allows users of the electronic payment service to advertise the second coupon to people (such as family and friends) who are not registered with the electronic payment service in order to obtain the benefit related to the second coupon, and more effectively promote the spread of the electronic payment service. The second coupon will be described in detail below.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the first step of a method for using a second coupon by a user terminal device 10. As with Figure 10, the screen on the left side of Figure 11 represents a screen that is displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, a user accesses a dedicated page of a member store of an electronic payment service via the payment application 20 of the user terminal device 10. This screen is displayed, for example, when a user clicks the coupon button M1 on the top screen IM of Figure 9 and searches for a store that offers the second coupon.

In FIG. 11, for example, when the user taps on "Coupon," a tab included in area A2, coupons that the user can currently use for electronic payment at the store are displayed. When the user, for example, presses button B3 to follow an affiliated store and acquire a coupon, the payment app 20 transmits information indicating that the Acquire button B3 has been pressed to the payment server 100 together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID). When the payment server 100 receives information indicating that the Acquire button B3 for the second coupon has been pressed, it causes the user terminal device 10 to display a screen for inputting identification information related to the user who will use the second coupon, as shown on the right side of FIG. 11.

For example, a user can specify users who will use the second coupon by inputting the account IDs of a set number of users (five in the case of FIG. 11) in input areas A6 to A10 on the user terminal device 10. Also, for example, if the user (inputter) who inputs the identification information does not know the account IDs of other users, or if the other users do not wish to share their account IDs with the inputter, the inputter generates an invitation link for participating in the use of the second coupon, for example, by pressing button B4. The other users notify the payment server 100 of information indicating that they will participate in the use of the second coupon without sharing their account IDs with the inputter, for example, by clicking the invitation link shared by the inputter via a messaging app or SNS. Thereafter, when the inputter presses save button B5, the inputter's user terminal device 10 transmits the input account IDs to the payment server 100.

In FIG. 11, for the sake of convenience, an example is described in which the save button B5 is pressed after inputting the account IDs of all participants. However, the account IDs of all participants may be temporarily saved without being input. In this case, the inputter may, for example, share an invitation link with other users to invite them to participate, and when the total of the primarily saved account IDs of the participants and the number of other users who clicked the invitation link reaches a predetermined number, the user terminal device 10 may automatically send the input account ID to the payment server 100. Also, for example, the payment server 100 may count the total of the primarily saved account IDs of the participants and the number of other users who clicked the invitation link, and when the total count reaches a predetermined number, the "primary saved" status of the user terminal device 10 may automatically transition to the "saved" status.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the second step of the method of using the second coupon by the user terminal device 10. When the payment server 100 receives the account ID of the user who will participate in the use of the second coupon from the user terminal device 10, it transmits inquiry information to the user terminal device 10 of the user linked to the account ID to inquire whether or not to participate in the use of the second coupon. For example, as shown in the left part of Figure 12, the user terminal device 10 displays, as inquiry information, a participation button B6 indicating participation in the use of the second coupon and a non-participation button B7 indicating non-participation in the use of the second coupon, together with detailed information of the second coupon. When the user presses the participation button B6, the user terminal device 10 transmits notification information to the payment server 100 indicating that the user will participate in the use of the second coupon, while when the user presses the non-participation button B7, the user terminal device 10 transmits notification information to the payment server 100 indicating that the user will not participate in the use of the second coupon.

Furthermore, as shown in the right part of FIG. 12, if the person inputting information shares an invitation link for participating in the use of the second coupon via, for example, a messaging app, the user installs the payment app 20 on the user terminal device 10 and then clicks the invitation link on the messaging app. In that case, the user terminal device 10 transmits information indicating that the user will participate in the use of the second coupon to the payment server 100. In this way, by providing the person inputting information with the means of generating and sharing the invitation link, the person inputting information can effectively encourage unregistered users of the payment app 20 to participate in the use of the second coupon.

When the payment server 100 receives a press of the participation button B6 or a click of the shared link from a predetermined number of users, the association unit 140A generates a new second coupon group ID and stores the account IDs of these users in the "set account ID" of the second table 180B, and stores the second coupon ID in the "participating second coupon" of the user information 172 related to these users. For example, in the case of the second coupon group ID "G0001" in FIG. 8, when the user with account ID "003" is the inputter, and the press of the participation button B6 is received from the users with account IDs "005" and "017", and the click of the shared link is received from the users with account IDs "022" and "017", the association unit 140A generates a new second coupon group ID "G0001" and stores the account IDs "003", "005", "017", "022", and "023" in the "set account ID". At the same time, the association unit 140A stores the second coupon ID "D0001" in the "Participating second coupon" field of the user information 172 relating to the inputter and participants (i.e., the user group). This associates the user with the second coupon.

In addition, once the association unit 140A has associated a certain user with a certain second coupon, it prohibits association with a different second coupon for the same physical store until the user completes the use of the second coupon or until the expiration date of the second coupon expires. This is to prevent a situation in which multiple second coupons are used with the same electronic payment. Furthermore, the timing for generating a new second coupon group ID may be the timing when a predetermined number of users all transmit information indicating that they will participate in the use of the second coupon, as described above, or the timing when the inputter presses the save button B5 on the screen shown in the right part of FIG. 11 (in other words, the timing when the intention to participate has not been obtained from the user). In this case, the association unit 140A first stores only the account ID of the inputter in the "set account ID" of the second table 180B, and stores the account IDs of other users in turn in the "set account ID" each time the other users press the participation button B6 or click the invitation link.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of the third step of the method of using the second coupon by the user terminal device 10. When the association between the second coupon and the user group is completed by the association unit 140A, the users belonging to the user group make electronic payments at the physical store of the affiliated store that issued the second coupon within the expiration date of the second coupon. For example, in the case of the second coupon group ID "G0001" in Figure 8, three users with account IDs "003", "005", and "022" have already made electronic payments, and when a fourth user (e.g., a user with account ID "022") makes an electronic payment, the information management unit 140 displays notification information in a predetermined area A11 of the payment completion screen to notify the payment application 20 that the second coupon will be applied when one more user makes an electronic payment. In this way, by displaying information indicating the progress status of the use of the second coupon, it is possible to promote the achievement of the application of the second coupon.

After that, when all users belonging to the user group execute electronic payment within the expiration date, the reward granting unit 140B grants the reward corresponding to the second coupon to the accounts of all these users. More specifically, the reward granting unit 140B adds points equivalent to the reward to the "owned points" of the user information 172 related to each user. At this time, since the payment amount of each user is different, the amount of points added to the "owned points" differs depending on the payment amount of each user. For example, in the case of the second coupon group ID "G0001" in FIG. 8, when the fifth user (e.g., the user with the account ID "023") executes electronic payment, the information management unit 140 adds an amount equivalent to 10% of each payment amount to the "owned points" of the users with the account IDs "003", "005", "017", "022", and "023". After that, the information management unit 140 deletes the second coupon group ID corresponding to the user group that has completed the use of the second coupon, and completes the process. In this way, the second coupon is a benefit given to each user in response to multiple users making an electronic payment as a group within a specified period of time, and differs from the conventional first coupon, which is given to each user in response to making an electronic payment, and can promote the spread of electronic payment services.

Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of a second coupon issuing process by the second store terminal device 70. In Figure 14, the affiliated store interface 72 of the second store terminal device 70 displays an area A13 representing an affiliated store and its account that has logged in to the affiliated store interface 72, an area A14 representing a menu that can be operated via the affiliated store interface 72, and an area A15 displaying information about an item selected from the menu A14. As an example, Figure 14 shows a screen that is displayed on the affiliated store interface 72 when the operator of the affiliated store selects the area representing the second coupon from the menu A14.

As shown in FIG. 14, the payment server 100 transmits, for example, to the second store terminal device 70, an interface screen for setting the issuance of the second coupon, and displays it on the affiliated store interface 72. The interface screen includes, for example, an area A16 for setting the store to which the second coupon applies, an area A17 for setting the set number of people for the second coupon, an area A18 for setting the benefits of the second coupon, and an area A19 for setting the expiration date of the second coupon. The interface screen may further include, for example, an area for setting the conditions for using the second coupon (for example, a payment of 500 yen or more is required for each user). If the area A16 for setting the store is blank, the second coupon may be applicable to electronic payments at all affiliated stores. When the operator of the affiliated store enters the setting conditions for the second coupon in areas A16-A19 and presses the Issue button B8, the second store terminal device 70 sends the setting contents of the second coupon to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 generates a new second coupon ID, associates it with the received setting contents, and stores it in the first table 180A. As a result, when a user accesses the affiliated store's dedicated page shown in FIG. 11, for example, information related to the newly generated second coupon is displayed on the user terminal device 10.

[Process flow]
Hereinafter, the flow of processing executed by the payment server 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the payment server 100. The processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 15 is executed, for example, at the same timing as S6 of the user scan shown in Fig. 2 or S16 of the store scan shown in Fig. 3.

First, the information management unit 140 receives payment information from the user terminal device 10 (step S100). Next, the information management unit 140 determines whether the user associated with the received payment information has joined the user group of the second coupon (step S102). If it is determined that the user associated with the received payment information has not joined the user group of the second coupon, the information management unit 140 causes the payment app 20 to display a normal payment completion screen (step S104).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the user linked to the received payment information has already joined the user group for the second coupon, the information management unit 140 then determines whether the set number of people for the second coupon has been reached through electronic payment by the user (step S106). If it is determined that the set number of people for the second coupon has not been reached through electronic payment by the user, the information management unit 140 causes the payment application 20 to display a payment completion screen including information indicating the remaining number of people required before the second coupon benefit is granted (step S108). Next, the information management unit 140 refers to the second table 180B and updates the contents of the user group by adding the account ID of the user who made the electronic payment to the "paid account ID" (step S110).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the set number of users for the second coupon has been reached through electronic payment by the users, the information management unit 140 causes the payment application 20 to display a payment completion screen including information indicating that a second coupon benefit will be granted (step S112). At this time, the information management unit 140 may also simultaneously notify the user terminal devices 10 of other users belonging to the user group of the second coupon of information indicating that a second coupon benefit will be granted. Next, the benefit granting unit 140B grants a benefit to the accounts of each user belonging to the user group and deletes the user group (step S114). This ends the processing of this flowchart.

In the above embodiment, the second coupon is provided with a larger benefit when multiple users make an electronic payment than the first coupon, which is provided with a benefit when a single user makes an electronic payment. In addition, the operator of the affiliated store can specify the attributes of users (whether it is their first payment, age, gender, etc.) of users they wish to attract on the affiliated store interface 72, and when a user who matches the specified attributes makes an electronic payment, the operator can provide a larger benefit to that user (or the entire user group to which that user belongs), or can issue a second coupon only for users who match the specified attributes. When the payment server 100 receives payment information, it can make a determination regarding such attributes by referring to the user information 172 of the user linked to the payment information.

In addition, in the above embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the first coupon and the second coupon are described separately, but the first coupon and the second coupon may be integrated into a single coupon. For example, a coupon may be issued that provides a 3% rebate (first coupon rebate) for electronic payments made by one or two users within the expiration date, and a 5% rebate (second coupon rebate) for electronic payments made by three or more users. In this way, even if multiple users fail to apply the second coupon, the user who made the electronic payment can be given a benefit at least equivalent to the first coupon, and the user who made the electronic payment can be rewarded.

According to this embodiment described above, in response to the operation of a user terminal device by each of multiple users of an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store, the accounts of the multiple users are associated with a reward that is granted for making an electronic payment at the physical store, and when a predetermined number or more of the multiple users make an electronic payment at the physical store, the reward is granted to the accounts of the predetermined number or more users. In this way, the granting of the reward can more effectively promote the spread of electronic payment services.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, in order to use the second coupon, the person inputting the information specifies the account IDs of a predetermined number of users in advance, and the benefit of the second coupon is granted when all of the predetermined number of users make an electronic payment at a physical store. In contrast, in the first modification, the person inputting the information may input a large number of account IDs that exceed the predetermined number, and when the number of users who have made an electronic payment among the users linked to the large number of account IDs reaches or exceeds the predetermined number, a benefit is granted to the users who have made the electronic payment.

Figure 16 is a diagram showing an example of how to use the second coupon according to the first modified example. As an example, Figure 16 shows a second coupon in which a benefit is granted by electronic payment by three or more users. As shown on the right side of Figure 16, at this time, the user terminal device 10 displays an add button B9 for increasing the number of input fields for account IDs for specifying participants, and the inputter may input the account IDs of three or more people into the input fields or have other participants click on an invitation link.

In variant example 1, the reward granting unit 140B may grant a reward only to a first-come, predetermined number of users who make an electronic payment among the participants using the second coupon, or may grant a reward to all users exceeding the predetermined number who make an electronic payment within the expiration date. In this way, by allowing the input of a large number of account IDs exceeding the predetermined number, it is possible to increase the possibility that the reward of the second coupon will be granted within the expiration date.

[Modification 2]
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a single benefit is set for a single second coupon. In contrast, in the second modification, multiple levels of benefits may be set for a single second coupon depending on the number of users who have made an electronic payment. More specifically, the benefit granting unit 140B may increase the amount of benefits granted to the accounts of users who have made an electronic payment as the number of users who have made an electronic payment increases. This makes it possible for multiple users to cooperatively make electronic payments, thereby increasing the possibility that the benefit of the second coupon will be granted within the expiration date.

Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of how to use the second coupon according to the second modification. As an example, Figure 17 shows a second coupon that provides a 5% rebate for electronic payments made by three or more users, and a 10% rebate for electronic payments made by five or more users. In this case, the reward granting unit 140B will, for example, grant points equivalent to 5% of the payment amount to the accounts of these four users if four users in a user group make an electronic payment within the expiration date, and will grant points equivalent to 10% of the payment amount to the accounts of these five users if five users make an electronic payment within the expiration date.

As another aspect of the multi-level bonus, the bonus granting unit 140B may increase the amount of bonus for users who make an electronic payment on a first-come, first-served basis. For example, the bonus granting unit 140B may grant a 10% rebate bonus to the first three users in a user group who make an electronic payment, while granting a 5% rebate bonus to subsequent users who make an electronic payment. This makes it possible to give preferential treatment to users who take a risk and make an electronic payment first in order to be able to apply the second coupon.

The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

10 User terminal device 20 Payment application 100 Payment server 120 Payment content providing unit 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information management unit 140A Correlation unit 140B Benefit granting unit 170 Storage unit

Claims (9)

an association unit that associates accounts of multiple users of an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store with benefits that are granted by making electronic payments at the physical store in response to operations of the multiple users' user terminal devices;
and a reward granting unit that grants the reward to accounts of a predetermined number or more of the users when a predetermined number or more of the users among the plurality of users make an electronic payment at the physical store.
Information processing device. the association unit associates the user's account with the benefit when identification information for identifying the user's account is input in association with the benefit on the user terminal device;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the associating unit associates an account of the user with the privilege when a link for acquiring the privilege is clicked by the user on the user terminal device;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the predetermined number is the number of the plurality of users,
the reward granting unit grants the reward to the accounts of the plurality of users only when all of the plurality of users make an electronic payment at the physical store;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The predetermined number is smaller than the number of the plurality of users.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the reward granting unit increases the rewards to be granted to the accounts of the predetermined number or more of users as the number of the users who have made electronic payments at the physical store increases, among the plurality of users, the predetermined number or more of users.
The information processing device according to claim 5 . The computer
Correlating accounts of a plurality of users of an electronic payment service that processes payments for purchases at a brick-and-mortar store with benefits granted by making electronic payments at the brick-and-mortar store in response to operations of the respective users' user terminal devices;
When a predetermined number or more of the plurality of users make an electronic payment at the physical store, the benefit is granted to the accounts of the predetermined number or more of the users.
Information processing methods. On the computer,
Correlating accounts of a plurality of users of an electronic payment service that processes payments for purchases at a brick-and-mortar store with benefits granted by making electronic payments at the brick-and-mortar store in response to operations of the respective users' user terminal devices;
When a predetermined number or more of the plurality of users make an electronic payment at the physical store, the benefit is granted to the accounts of the predetermined number or more of the users.
program. a user terminal device that is used by each of a plurality of users of an electronic payment service that processes payments related to purchases at a physical store, and that accepts operations for associating the accounts of the plurality of users with benefits that are granted in exchange for making electronic payments at the physical store;
Correlating the accounts of the plurality of users with the benefit in response to the operation by each of the plurality of users;
and an information processing device that, when a predetermined number or more of the plurality of users make an electronic payment at the physical store, grants the benefit to accounts of the predetermined number or more of the users.
system.

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