Point management apparatus, point management system, point management method, and point management program

A point management system for conducting management of a point of a customer based on transaction information of said customer consisting of a point management apparatus comprising:

• a terminal connected to a communication network;
• item information management means for management of item information;
• transaction information receiving means for receiving transaction information of said customer from said terminal;
• shopping record management means for generating a shopping record based on said transaction information of said customer and storing said shopping record of said customer;
• shopping contribution rate calculation means for calculating, for every item of every customer, a shopping contribution rate indicating a rate of contribution to said store with sales amount of said customer for every item based on said shopping record of said customer;
• customer information management means for management of said point of said customer and said customer information including said shopping contribution rate of every item of every customer;
• purchasing point discount rate management means for conducting management of a purchasing point discount rate applied to a purchasing point that is required for a usual point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases said item using said point of said customer, based on said shopping contribution rate of said customer in regard to said item;
• point calculation means for calculating a purchasing point required for said point purchasing transaction by applying said purchasing point discount rate to the purchasing point which is required for a usual point purchasing transaction;
• and
• sales promotion information notifying means for notifying, to said customer, sales promotion information consisting of said point of said customer and said purchasing point of said every item of said customer.

A point management apparatus for conducting management of a point of a customer, in a store, based on transaction information of said customer generated at a terminal connected to a communication network, comprising:

• item information management means for management of item information;
• transaction information receiving means for receiving said transaction information of said customer from said terminal;
• shopping record management means for generating a shopping record based on said transaction information of said customer and storing said shopping record of said customer;
• shopping contribution rate calculation means for calculating, for every item and every customer, a shopping contribution rate that indicates a rate of contribution to said store with a sales amount of said customer for every item based on said shopping record of said customer;
• customer information management information means for reading or writing said stored information via said terminal from or to said customer card for storing said customer's point and said shopping contribution rate for every item of said customer;
• purchasing point discount rate management means for conducting management, at said terminal, of a purchasing point discount rate applied to a purchasing point which is required for a usual point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases said item using the customer's own point, based on said shopping contribution rate in regard to said item of said customer;
• point calculation means for calculating a purchasing point required for said purchasing by applying said purchasing point discount rate for the purchasing point which is required for a usual point purchasing transaction;
• and
• sales promotion information notifying means for notifying, to said customer, sales promotion information consisting of said point of said customer and said purchasing point discount rate for every item of every customer.

A point management system for conducting management of said point of a customer based on transaction information of said customer consisting of a point management apparatus, comprising:

• a terminal connected to a communication network;
• item information management means for conducting management of item information;
• transaction information receiving means for receiving transaction information of said customer from said terminal;
• shopping record management means for generating a shopping record based on transaction information of said customer and storing said shopping record of said customer;
• shopping contribution calculation means for calculating, for every item of every customer, a shopping contribution rate that indicates a rate of contribution to said store with a sales amount of said customer of every item based on said shopping record of said customer;
• customer information management means for reading or writing, via said terminal, said stored information to or from said customer card storing said customer's point and said shopping contribution rate for said every item of every customer;
• purchasing point discount rate management means for conducting management, at a terminal, of a purchasing point discount rate applied to a purchasing point that is required for a usual point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases said item using the customer's point, based on said shopping contribution rate for said item of said customer;
• point calculation means for calculating a purchasing point required for said shopping by applying said purchasing point discount rate to a purchasing point that is required for a point purchasing transaction;
• and
• sales promotion information notifying means for notifying, to said customer, sales promotion information consisting of said point of said customer and said purchasing point discount rate of every item of every customer.

A point management method for conducting management of point of a customer based on transaction information of said customer, comprising:

• calculating a shopping contribution rate, for every customer, that indicates a rate of contribution with a sales amount of said customer for a particular items based on a shopping record of said customer;
• setting a purchasing point discount rate, based on said shopping contribution rate for said item of said customer, applied to a purchasing point which is required for a usual point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases said item using the customer's point;
• calculating a purchasing point required for said shopping by applying said purchasing point discount rate to a purchasing point which is required for a usual point purchasing transaction;
• and
• notifying a sales promotion information consisting of said customer's point and said purchasing point for every item of said customer.

A point management apparatus for conducting management of a point of a customer based on transaction information of said customer, comprising:

• shopping contribution rate calculation means for calculating, based on a shopping record of said customer, a shopping contribution rate that indicates a rate of contribution with a sales amount of said customer for particular items for every customer;
• purchasing point discount rate management means for conducting management of a purchasing point discount rate applied to a purchasing point that is required for a usual point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases said item using the customer's point, based on said shopping contribution rate in regard to said item of said customer;
• point calculation means for calculating a purchasing point required for said shopping by applying said purchasing point discount rate to a purchasing point which is required for a usual point purchasing transaction;
• and
• sales promotion information notifying means for notifying, to said customer, sales promotion information consisting of said point of said customer and said purchasing point for every item of said customer.

A point management program that can operate a computer connected to a terminal with a communication network to drive:

• point management means for management of point of a customer based on transaction information of said customer;
• item information management means for conducting management of item information;
• transaction information receiving means for receiving transaction information of said customer from said terminal;
• shopping record management means for generating a shopping record based on said transaction information of said customer and storing said shopping record of said customer;
• shopping contribution rate calculation means for calculating a shopping contribution rate that indicates a rate of contribution to a store with a sales amount of said customer for every item of every customer based on said shopping record of said customer;
• customer information management means for conducting management of said customer information including said point of said customer and said shopping contribution rate for said every item of said customer;
• purchasing point discount rate management means for conducting management of purchasing point discount rate applied to a purchasing point which is usually required for the relevant shopping in the case of the point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases said item using said own point, based on said shopping contribution rate in regard to said item of said customer;
• point calculation means for calculating, for said point purchasing transaction, a purchasing point required for said shopping by applying said purchasing point discount rate to a purchasing point that is required for a usual purchasing point transaction;
• and
• sales promotion information notifying means for notifying, to said customer, sales amount information consisting of said point of said customer and said purchasing point of every item of said customer.

A point management program that can operate a computer connected to a terminal with a communication network to drive:

• point management means for management of point of a customer based on transaction information of the customer;
• item information management means for conducting management of item information;
• transaction information receiving means for receiving transaction information of said customer from the terminal;
• customer information management means for reading or writing, via the terminal, the stored information to or from a customer card storing said customer's point and the shopping contribution rate for every item of every customer;
• shopping contribution rate calculation means for calculating a shopping contribution rate that indicates a rate of contribution to a store with a sales amount of said customer for every item of every customer based on the shopping record of said customer;
• customer information management means for conducting management of customer information including the point of said customer and the shopping contribution rate for every item of said customer;
• purchasing point discount rate management means for conducting management of purchasing point discount rate applied to a purchasing point that is required for a usual point purchasing transaction where said customer purchases the item using the customer's point based on the shopping contribution rate in regard to the item of said customer;
• point calculation means for calculating, for the point purchasing transaction, a purchasing point required for the shopping by applying the purchasing point discount rate to a purchasing point that is required for a usual point purchasing transaction;
• and
• sales promotion information notifying means for notifying, to said customer, a sales amount information consisting of the point of said customer and the purchasing point of every item of said customer.

A method for encouraging a customer to purchase more of a particular item from a store, comprising:

• calculating a shopping contribution rate for an item and a customer;
• determining a preset purchase point discount rate based on the shopping contribution rate;
• and
• reducing required purchase points for the customer to purchase the item, by the preset purchase point discount rate, when the customer desires to purchase the item using the customer's accumulated purchase points, or adding the required purchase points to the customer's accumulated purchase points, when the customer purchases the item other than with the customer's accumulated purchase points.

An apparatus for encouraging a customer to purchase more of a particular item from a store, comprising:

• a calculating unit to calculate a shopping contribution rate for an item and a customer;
• a determining unit to determine a preset purchase point discount rate based on the shopping contribution rate;
• and
• an adjusting unit to reduce required purchase points for the customer to purchase the item, by the preset purchase point discount rate, when the customer desires to purchase the item using the customer's accumulated purchase points, or to add the required purchase points to the customer's accumulated purchase points, when the customer purchases the item other than with the customer's accumulated purchase points.