Sales management system and sales management method

A sales management method, comprising:

• detecting a customer moving an item of merchandise from a merchandise display at a first time and determining an extraction direction in which the customer moved the item away from the merchandise display;
• detecting movement of the item of merchandise from the merchandise display at a second time and determining a movement direction thereof;
• determining whether a first difference between the determined extraction direction and the determined movement direction is within a first range, when a second difference between the first and second times is within a second range;
• and
• determining the item as a first merchandise to be purchased by the customer when the first difference between the determined extraction direction and the determined movement direction is determined to be within the first range.

A sales management system, comprising:

• a first detection unit for detecting a customer moving an item of merchandise from a merchandise display and determining an extraction direction in which the customer moved the item away from the merchandise display;
• a second detection unit for detecting movement of the item of merchandise from the merchandise display and determining a movement direction thereof;
• and
• a determination unit to:
• determine whether a first difference between the determined extraction direction and the determined movement direction is within a first range, when a second difference between a first time at which the first detection unit has detected the customer moving the item away from the merchandise display and a second time at which the second detection unit has detected the movement of the item from the merchandise display is within a second range, and
• determine the item as a first merchandise to be purchased by the customer when the first difference between the determined extraction direction and the determined movement direction is determined to be within the first range.