Auction server, auction control method, non-transitory recording medium, and program

An auction control method in a server that controls an auction, comprising:

• an updating step that intermittently lowers a set price at which a product put up for auction is winnable;
• a providing step that provides the current set price of the product to a plurality of users;
• a managing step that manages one or more active users indicating an interest in the product from among the plurality of users provided with the set price;
• a bid receiving step that receives a bid at the current set price for the product from a bidding user among the plurality of users;
• an announcing step that, if a bid time at which the bid is received in the bid receiving step is within a predetermined announcement period starting from a time of a price lowering of the product in the updating step, announces, to the active users excluding the bidding user, counter-bidding at the set price for the product prior to the relevant price lowering;
• a counter-bid receiving step that receives a counter-bid from a counter-bidding user among the active users to which counter-bidding was announced, until a counter-bidding deadline determined from the price lowering time or the bid time;
• and
• a deciding step that decides a winning user on the basis of the bid received in the bid receiving step and the counter-bid received in the counter-bid receiving step.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program causing a computer to function as:

• an updater that intermittently lowers a set price at which a product put up for auction is winnable;
• a provider that provides the current set price of the product to a plurality of users;
• a manager that manages one or more active users indicating an interest in the product from among the plurality of users provided with the set price;
• a bid receiver that receives a bid at the current set price for the product from a bidding user among the plurality of users;
• an announcer that, if a bid time at which the bid is received by the bid receiver is within a predetermined announcement period starting from a time of a price lowering of the product by the updater, announces, to the active users excluding the bidding user, counter-bidding at the set price for the product prior to the relevant price lowering;
• a counter-bid receiver that receives a counter-bid from a counter-bidding user among the active users to which counter-bidding was announced, until a counter-bidding deadline determined from the price lowering time or the bid time;
• and
• a decider that decides a winning user on the basis of the bid received by the bid receiver and the counter-bid received by the counter-bid receiver.