JP2022012060A - Commodity management support method, program, and commodity management support system - Google Patents

Abstract

A merchandise assortment management support method, a program, and an assortment management support system that facilitate improvement of convenience are provided. A quality control support method is a method for proposing an assortment of products at a target store, and has display processing. In the display process, recommended product lineup information regarding the recommended product lineup for the target store 20 is displayed on the display unit. In the display process, the recommended assortment information is displayed in such a manner that the difference between the recommended assortment information and the actual assortment information related to the actual assortment performance at the target store 20 can be specified. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present disclosure generally relates to assortment management support methods, programs and assortment management support systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to an assortment management support method, a program, and an assortment management support system for proposing an assortment of products at a target store.

Patent Document 1 describes an assortment recommendation device that determines a recommended assortment in order to increase sales through appropriate product inventory management in a business form in which the headquarters manages many stores.

In the assortment recommended device described in Patent Document 1, the first configuration information, which is the sales amount composition information of the product having the sales record in the target store, is calculated based on the sales record of the target store in the predetermined past period. do. In addition, the assortment recommendation device calculates the second configuration information, which is the sales amount composition information of the product that has not been sold at the target store in the above period, based on the prediction model that predicts the sales amount composition information of the individual product. Then, the assortment recommendation device selects the specified number of products from the products for which the first configuration information is calculated and the products for which the second configuration information is calculated, in descending order of the amount indicated by the sales amount composition information. do.

WO2018 / 0562220A1

In the product lineup recommendation device described in Patent Document 1, for example, for a product category having a large number of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), a person finally decides whether or not to accept the product from the information of a large number of recommended products. Work is required, and improvement in convenience is desired.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide an assortment management support method, a program, and an assortment management support system that facilitates improvement of convenience.

The quality control support method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method of proposing an assortment of products at a target store, and has a display process. In the display process, assortment recommendation information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store is displayed on the display unit. In the display process, the assortment recommended information is displayed in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store.

The program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the assortment management support method.

The assortment management support system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a system that proposes an assortment of products at a target store, and includes a display control unit. The display control unit causes the display unit to display assortment recommended information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store. The display control unit displays the assortment recommended information in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store.

According to the present disclosure, there is an advantage that it is possible to provide an assortment management support method, a program, and an assortment management support system that can easily improve convenience.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a system using the assortment management support method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the assortment management support method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a login screen displayed by the same product assortment management support method. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a category selection screen displayed by the above-mentioned product assortment management support method. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a first screen displayed by the same assortment management support method. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a second screen displayed by the same assortment management support method. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an output screen displayed by the above-mentioned product assortment management support method. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an output screen displayed by the above-mentioned product assortment management support method. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a guidance screen displayed by the above-mentioned product assortment management support method. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of a third screen displayed by the same assortment management support method. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an individual output screen displayed by the above-mentioned product assortment management support method. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a discount list displayed by the same assortment management support method. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the assortment management support system according to the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the assortment management support method, the program, and the assortment management support system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12.

(1) Outline The assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is a method for supporting the management of the assortment of products at the target store 20 by proposing the assortment of products at the target store 20 (see FIG. 1). Is. The target store 20 referred to here is a store 2 that is a target of support by the assortment management support method among a plurality of stores 2 (see FIG. 1). In the present embodiment, a case where the assortment management support method is introduced in a store 2 of a retail store such as a convenience store, a supermarket, a department store, a drug store, a clothing store, a home appliance mass retailer, or a home center will be described as an example.

In this type of store 2, the business situation is influenced by the situation of the assortment of products. Moreover, since various conditions such as region, scale, location, business hours, and customer base differ depending on the store 2, the appropriate product lineup is not uniform and often differs depending on the store 2. Then, when the assortment of products is not appropriate in the store 2, for example, when the best-selling products are not handled, the management index such as the sales in the store 2 tends to deteriorate. Similarly, in store 2, if the assortment of products is not appropriate, for example, if the inventory of poorly-selling products is excessive, disposal loss of products is likely to occur, and management indicators such as profits of store 2 deteriorate. Cheap. In addition, the best-selling products change from time to time (for example, due to changes in seasons or trends in the world), and the products themselves that can be handled at store 2, such as new products or limited-time products, are also available at any time. fluctuate. Therefore, in this type of store 2, it is desirable to determine (including renewal) the product lineup on a regular or irregular basis so that the product lineup is appropriate in consideration of various circumstances.

The assortment management support method according to the present embodiment supports the determination of the assortment of products at the target store 20 by proposing the assortment of products at the target store 20. That is, the assortment management support method supports the work of determining the assortment as described above by displaying (presenting) the assortment recommended information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20. As a result, at the target store 20, it is possible to reduce the labor of work related to the determination of the product lineup, and it becomes easy to optimize the product lineup. Here, the assortment management support method may present at least information on the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 (assortment recommended information), and the entity that finally determines the assortment at the target store 20 is It may be a system (product assortment management support system 10) or a person. That is, the assortment management support method merely proposes an assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20, and a person may decide whether or not to adopt the proposed assortment.

Further, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment only needs to present information on the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 (assortment recommended information), and the proposed assortment recommended information is targeted. It may be used in any way at the store 20. For example, when updating (reviewing) the assortment of products used in the target store 20, the entity that determines the assortment may determine the assortment of the updated target store 20 based on the assortment recommendation information. good. Alternatively, when newly determining the product lineup of the target store 20 to be newly opened or reopened, the entity that determines the product lineup may determine the product lineup of the target store 20 based on the product lineup recommendation information. ..

As a result, in the target store 20, by determining the assortment based on the assortment recommended information proposed by the assortment management support method, it becomes easier to optimize the assortment, and by extension, the management index. It is possible to improve the business situation by improving the above. In other words, the assortment management support method proposes assortment recommendation information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 as a means for improving the management index of the target store 20.

Further, in the present embodiment, the assortment management support method is executed by the assortment management support system 10 (see FIG. 1) as an example. In other words, the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment is an aspect for embodying the assortment management support method. As shown in FIG. 1, the assortment management support system 10 includes a higher-level system 1 and a client terminal 3. The client terminal 3 is an information terminal such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or a personal computer, and has at least the functions of a display unit 31 (see FIG. 3) and an operation unit 32 (see FIG. 3). The client terminal 3 is installed in the target store 20 and is used by the user U1 including the clerk of the target store 20.

Here, the assortment management support method proposes an assortment of products at the target store 20 by displaying the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3. That is, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is used as an example in the assortment management support system 10, and the screen such as the first screen D3 (see FIG. 5) including the assortment recommended information is displayed on the client terminal 3. Is displayed on the display unit 31 of. The "screen" such as the first screen D3 referred to in the present disclosure is an image (including text, graph, icon, etc.) projected on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 or the like. That is, according to the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment, the first screen D3 or the like including the assortment recommended information is displayed on the client terminal 3. Therefore, the user U1 who uses the client terminal 3 can see the assortment recommendation information displayed on the client terminal 3 and receive support for the work of determining the assortment.

In short, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is used on a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer system. That is, the assortment management support method is a method of displaying a screen such as the first screen D3 on the client terminal 3 whose main configuration is a computer system.

By the way, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is a method of proposing an assortment of products at the target store 20 according to a plurality of algorithms. The plurality of algorithms include a first algorithm and a second algorithm. Multiple algorithms are selectively applied depending on the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed. Each of the first algorithm and the second algorithm has a display process for displaying the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31. The assortment recommended information is information on the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20. At least one of the screen configuration and the screen transition displayed on the display unit 31 in the display process is different between the first algorithm and the second algorithm.

The term "screen configuration" as used herein means an aspect relating to the configuration of the screen displayed on the display unit 31, for example, the type of a plurality of elements (icons, objects, etc.) in the screen displayed on the display unit 31. Includes at least one such as number, arrangement and ratio. The "screen transition" here means an aspect related to the transition of the screen displayed on the display unit 31, for example, the order of the transition of the screen displayed on the display unit 31, the number of transition screens, and the transition. Includes at least one condition, etc. In short, the screen displayed on the display unit 31 has at least one of its configuration (type or arrangement of a plurality of elements in the screen, etc.) and its transition (order of screen transitions, number of transition screens, etc.). However, the first algorithm and the second algorithm are different from each other.

According to this aspect, a plurality of algorithms are selectively applied depending on the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed, and the first algorithm and the second algorithm have a screen configuration related to the display of the assortment recommended information. And at least one of the screen transitions is different. Therefore, if the factors that are important in determining the assortment are different, for example, the emphasis is on simplifying the process due to the large number of SKUs, or the balance of the products within the category is emphasized, the product category. The algorithm can be used properly depending on. Therefore, regardless of the product category, there is an advantage that it is easier to improve convenience as compared with the case of proposing an assortment of products recommended according to a common algorithm for all products.

Further, the assortment management support system 10 that embodies this assortment management support method is a system that proposes an assortment of products at a target store according to a plurality of algorithms, and includes a display control unit 14. The plurality of algorithms include a first algorithm and a second algorithm. The display control unit 14 causes the display unit 31 to display the assortment recommended information when proposing an assortment according to each of the first algorithm and the second algorithm. The assortment recommended information is information on the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20. Multiple algorithms are selectively applied depending on the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed. At least one of the screen configuration and the screen transition displayed by the display control unit 14 on the display unit 31 is different between the first algorithm and the second algorithm.

Further, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is a method of proposing an assortment of products at the target store 20, and has a display process. In the display process, assortment recommendation information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 is displayed on the display unit 31. In the display process, the assortment recommended information is displayed in a manner in which the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store 20 can be specified.

The "result" of the assortment of goods at the target store 20 here means the current assortment of goods at the target store 20. The results of the product lineup at the target store 20 are, for example, based on the performance information acquired from the store terminal 4 or the headquarters terminal 51, which will be described later, or the product lineup proposed in the past by the product lineup management support method. It can be identified based on the recommended information. That is, if the assortment recommended information proposed in the past by the assortment management support method is adopted as it is, the assortment represented by this assortment recommended information is the current assortment at the target store 20. May become. In short, the assortment recommended information displayed on the display unit 31 is in such a manner that the difference between the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 in the assortment recommendation information and the current assortment at the target store 20 can be specified. Is displayed.

According to this aspect, in the display process for displaying the assortment recommended information, the difference between the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 and the current assortment at the target store 20 can be specified. The display is made. Therefore, for example, when the user U1 finally decides whether or not to accept the assortment, the category of the product having a large number of SKUs is not from the information of a large number of products related to the recommended assortment, but the current state. It is sufficient for the user U1 to confirm only the products that are different from the product lineup. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is easier to improve convenience as compared with the case where confirmation is required for all the products related to the recommended assortment.

Further, the assortment management support system 10 that embodies this assortment management support method is a system that proposes an assortment of products at the target store 20, and has a display control unit 14. The display control unit 14 causes the display unit 31 to display the recommended product lineup information. The assortment recommended information is information on the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20. The display control unit 14 displays the assortment recommended information in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store 20.

(2) Assumption In this embodiment, the target store 20 to which the assortment management support method is applied is one of a plurality of stores 2 that are chained such as a corporate chain (regular chain) or a franchise chain. Suppose. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the target store 20 that is the target of the proposal of the product assortment by the assortment management support method is any one of the plurality of stores 2 that are developed in the chain. Further, the target store 20 may be at least one store 2 and may be a plurality of stores 2. For example, a plurality of stores 2 in the same chain may be the target store 20. In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the target store 20 is one store 2. In particular, in the present embodiment, a case where the target store 20 is a convenience store will be described as an example. In this type of target store 20, the store manager and employees (including part-time workers and part-timers) of the target store 20 manage the assortment of products.

The "product lineup" of the products in the target store 20 in the present disclosure means the product composition handled in the target store 20, in other words, the organization of the products handled in the target store 20. Therefore, the target store 20 sells the products included in the assortment and does not sell the products not included in the assortment. In other words, the products included in the assortment of the target store 20 are the products "handled" at the target store 20, and the products not included in the assortment of the target store 20 are "not handled" at the target store 20. It becomes a product of. Therefore, for example, in a retail store such as a convenience store, in general, the products included in the assortment are ordered and held as inventory.

In the present embodiment, since the target store 20 is assumed from the convenience store, in the target store 20, a plurality of products are sold while the plurality of products are displayed in the store. A customer who visits the target store 20 picks up a desired product from a plurality of products displayed in the store, and makes a payment for the picked-up product to purchase the desired product. Therefore, the plurality of products displayed in the target store 20 are "handled" products in the target store 20, and are included in the assortment of the target store 20. However, some products may not be displayed in the store, such as products that have not been put out, products that are in stock in the counter such as stamps and stamps, or products such as hot snacks. Therefore, even if the product is not displayed, the product that the customer can purchase at the target store 20 corresponds to the product that is "handled" at the target store 20, and is included in the product lineup of the target store 20.

The "product assortment recommended information" referred to in the present disclosure is information on the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20, for example, the product that can be recommended to be included in the assortment of the target store 20 and the target store 20. Information that represents at least one of the products that can be recommended not to be included in the assortment. As an example, it is assumed that among the products "A" and "B" for the products in the category of "confectionery", it can be recommended that the product "A" is included in the assortment of the target stores 20. In this case, the assortment recommendation information includes information that identifies "A" as a product that can be recommended to be included in the assortment of the target store 20, and a product that can be recommended not to be included in the assortment of the target store 20. Includes at least one of the information that identifies "B" as.

In particular, among the products that can be recommended not to be included in the assortment of the target store 20, the products included in the current assortment of the target store 20 can be recommended to be "excluded" from the assortment of the target store 20. Treated as a product. On the other hand, among the products that can be recommended to be included in the assortment of the target store 20, the products that are not included in the current assortment of the target store 20 are recommended to be "added" to the assortment of the target store 20. Treated as a product to get. Therefore, the assortment recommendation information is, for example, a list of products that can be recommended to be excluded from the assortment, a list of products that can be recommended to be added to the assortment, or a product that can be simply recommended to be included in the assortment. Includes a list, etc. In the present embodiment, as an example, it is possible to recommend that the product lineup recommendation information be included in the product lineup of the target store 20 or not included in the product lineup of the target store 20 for each product. It may include a list of products to be used. In the present embodiment, as an example, the assortment recommendation information can specify whether it is possible to recommend exclusion from the assortment of a plurality of products or to include it in the assortment for each product. Information.

The "user" referred to in the present disclosure is a user of the assortment management support method and the assortment management support system 10, and refers to the assortment of the target store 20 such as the store manager and employees of the target store 20. The person who manages it. In particular, in the present embodiment, the assortment recommended information is displayed on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3, so that the user U1 is a person who uses the client terminal 3. In the present embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the user U1 is a person who has the authority to update (determine) the assortment of goods, and specifically, is the store manager of the target store 20.

The "SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)" as used in the present disclosure means the smallest management unit in order management or inventory management of goods. For example, even products with the same product name are counted as individual SKUs depending on the size, color, package, number of pieces, etc., and are classified into smaller units as SKUs.

The "item" in the present disclosure means one product in a broad sense, and for example, a product having the same product name is counted as one item. As an example, if there are three types of products named "ABC bread", cut into four pieces, cut into five pieces, and cut into six pieces, the number of items for "ABC bread" is "1" and the number of SKUs is "1". 3 ".

The "management index" referred to in the present disclosure is an index related to the management of the store 2 (including the target store 20), and is, for example, information related to the sales of the store 2. Specific examples of this type of management index include sales, customer unit price, average LTV (Life Time Value), profit (including gross profit and operating profit, etc.) or number of customers for each product category in store 2. There is. Sales, customer unit price, average value of LTV, profit, number of customers, etc. referred to in this disclosure are all within a predetermined period (for example, the current month, the latest 3 months, the latest 1 month, the latest 1 week, etc.). It is a calculated value.

The term "LTV" as used in the present disclosure means the consideration paid by the customer who receives the service at the store 2 in a predetermined period (Life Time) as the consideration for the service. As an example, if the predetermined period is one day (24 hours), the amount of money that a customer spends at the target store 20 in one day is the LTV of this customer. Therefore, in the case where a customer makes a purchase at the target store 20 N times a day (N is 2 or more), the customer does not use the amount of money used for one purchase, but uses it for N times of shopping. The total amount of money is the LTV of this customer. As described above, although LTV is similar to the customer unit price at first glance, it differs from the customer unit price in that it represents the total amount of money used in a predetermined period.

"Profit" in this disclosure means all profits related to sales at store 2, for example, gross profit (gross profit), operating profit, operating profit, pre-tax net income, and post-tax net. Includes net income, etc.

The "product category" referred to in the present disclosure is a label for classifying products by use, function, customer base, etc., such as food, clothing, pharmaceuticals, beauty-related products, electrical appliances, daily necessities, etc. It may be a relatively large category (large category). Further, the product category may be a medium category that further classifies the large category into a plurality of categories, and as a specific example of the medium category, some foods include soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, lunch boxes, delicatessen items, sweets, and sweets. And there are middle categories such as ice cream. Further, the product category may be a small category that further classifies the medium category into a plurality of small categories. As a specific example of the small category, some soft drinks include barley tea, green tea, black tea, coffee, lactic acid drinks, and carbonated drinks. , Mineral water and small categories such as sports drinks.

In a store 2 such as a convenience store, it is common to place an order for a product in units of product categories as described above. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the "category" of the product may be referred to as the "ordering unit".

By the way, as described above, as the product assortment management support method according to the present embodiment, it is sufficient to propose (display) information (product assortment recommended information) regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20, and the proposed assortment A person may decide whether or not to finally adopt. That is, the assortment proposed by the assortment management support proposal method according to the present embodiment is not limited to being finally adopted in the target store 20, but for example, it can be used as a reference when determining the assortment of the target store 20. By doing so, it can be reflected in the assortment of the target stores 20. In this embodiment, as an example, when updating (reviewing) the product lineup being adopted in the target store 20, the user U1 has the product lineup of the target store 20 based on the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method. Suppose the case of deciding. In other words, by proposing an assortment that can be recommended at the target store 20 by the assortment management support proposal method, it is possible for the user U1 to reduce the labor involved in determining the assortment, and the assortment is appropriate. It will be easier to make it.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the product lineup of the target store 20 determined based on the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is reflected in the product ordering plan of the target store 20. In other words, the assortment proposed by the assortment management support plan method is used for the ordering plan of the product at the target store 20. The ordering plan referred to here is the creation (including updating) of the ordering list, which is a list of products that can be ordered at the target store 20, and the list of products that are automatically ordered according to the number of stocks or periodically. For example, creating (including updating) an automatic ordering list. For example, when the product included in the current product lineup of the target store 20 is excluded from the product lineup of the target store 20 at the timing of updating (reviewing) the product lineup of the target store 20, an order for this product is placed. The assortment is reflected in the ordering plan so that it will stop. On the contrary, when a product not included in the current product lineup of the target store 20 is added to the product lineup of the target store 20 at the timing of updating (reviewing) the product lineup of the target store 20, the product is new for this product. The assortment is reflected in the ordering plan so that it can be ordered.

Further, in the present embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the number of stores 2 that can be the target store 20 is 10,000 or more. Hereinafter, the case where one of the plurality (many) stores 2 is the target store 20 will be described, but in reality, the plurality of stores 2 may be the target stores 20 respectively. That is, the assortment management support method can be applied to each of the plurality of stores 2, but in the following, in order to simplify the explanation, a case where the target store 20 is one will be described as an example.

(3) Configuration (3.1) Overall Configuration Here, first, the overall configuration including the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a higher-level system 1 and a client terminal 3. The host system 1 is realized by a cloud (cloud computing) or a server device connected to a network NT1 such as the Internet. The client terminal 3 is used in each of the plurality of stores 2 and is realized by a general-purpose information terminal such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or a personal computer connected to the network NT1 via a gateway or the like.

Further, a store terminal 4 is installed in each of the plurality of stores 2 (including the target store 20). The store terminal 4 has, for example, a function as a POS (Point Of Sales) system, or is configured to be able to cooperate with the POS system. The store terminal 4 is connected to the network NT1 via a gateway or the like. Further, a headquarters terminal 51 is installed in the chain headquarters 5 that develops a plurality of stores 2. The headquarters terminal 51 is also connected to the network NT1 via a gateway or the like.

The store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 are not included in the components of the assortment management support system 10 in this embodiment. However, at least one of the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 may be included in the components of the assortment management support system 10. In this case, the assortment management support system 10 includes at least one of the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 in addition to the host system 1 and the client terminal 3.

FIG. 1 illustrates only the client terminal 3 and the store terminal 4 provided in one store 2 as the target store 20 among the plurality of stores 2, but the client terminal 3 and the store terminal 4 are other stores. It is assumed that 2 is also provided in the same manner.

As described above, the host system 1 and the client terminal 3 constituting the assortment management support system 10, and the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 outside the assortment management support system 10 are all network NT1 such as the Internet. It is connected to the. Here, the host system 1 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the client terminal 3, the store terminal 4, and the headquarters terminal 51. The term "communicable" as used in the present disclosure means that signals can be exchanged directly or indirectly via a network NT1 or a repeater by an appropriate communication method of wired communication or wireless communication. In the present embodiment, the host system 1 can communicate bidirectionally with each of the client terminal 3, the store terminal 4, and the headquarters terminal 51. Further, in the present embodiment, the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 are also configured to be able to communicate with each other. At least one of the host system 1, the client terminal 3, the store terminal 4, and the headquarters terminal 51 is networked via, for example, a mobile phone network (carrier network) or a public wireless LAN (Local Area Network) provided by a telecommunications carrier. It may be connected to NT1.

As described above, one or more client terminals 3 and one or more store terminals 4 are installed in each store 2 (including the target store 20). When the client terminal 3 is a portable (portable) information terminal such as a tablet terminal, the client terminal 3 is not installed in the store 2 even though it is installed in the store 2. It suffices if it is managed in the store 2 so that it can be used in the store 2. A plurality of client terminals 3 and store terminals 4 may be provided in one store 2. In FIG. 1, each store 2 is described as if it is connected to the network NT1, but in reality, devices such as the client terminal 3 and the store terminal 4 installed in each store 2 are gateways. It is connected to the network NT1 via the above.

Here, the store terminal 4 has a function as a POS system for managing inventory in the store 2. In this embodiment, in particular, the store terminal 4 has a function as a so-called "ID-POS" capable of handling ID-POS data. The "ID-POS data" referred to here is data in which a "customer ID" as customer identification information (ID: identification) is added to the POS data. This type of POS system (ID-POS) acquires customer identification information (customer ID) by authenticating the customer when the customer makes a purchase. As an example, customer authentication may be realized by various cards such as membership cards, point cards, credit cards, etc., communication with customers' mobile information terminals, biometric authentication (including face authentication), and the like. May be done.

According to such a store terminal 4, at least the purchase history of the product in the store 2 can be transmitted to the host system 1 via the network NT1 as data. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the POS system can handle ID-POS data, for example, the information of the purchased product is referred to as the customer identification information (customer ID) every time the accounting is performed. It can be output as a purchase history in the associated state.

The store terminal 4 has a keyboard and a display, a touch panel display, and the like as a user interface, and accepts user operations and presents (displays) information to the user.

Further, in the present embodiment, the store terminal 4 has a reader 41. The reader 41 is a device that optically reads product information about the product. In the present embodiment, as an example, the reader 41 is a handy type barcode reader that is held and used by a store clerk, and for example, the barcode is optically read to read product information. Therefore, the store clerk reads the product information on the reader 41 by holding the identifier such as the barcode over the reader, and the store terminal 4 executes the product registration process.

As described above, the headquarters terminal 51 is installed in the chain headquarters 5 that develops a plurality of stores 2. The headquarters terminal 51 has a keyboard and a display, a touch panel display, and the like as a user interface, and accepts user operations and presents (displays) information to the user. The user of the headquarters terminal 51 is mainly an operator of the chain headquarters 5.

In the present embodiment, each of the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 has a computer system including one or more processors and one or more memories as a main configuration. That is, each function of the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 is realized by executing the program recorded in one or more memories of the computer system by one or more processors. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

Further, each store 2 may have a device connected to the network NT1 in addition to the client terminal 3 and the store terminal 4. As an example, a device having a computer system as a main configuration such as a mobile terminal (including a smartphone and a wearable terminal) owned by each store clerk may be provided in each store 2 and connected to the network NT1.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the store terminal 4 is used for ordering products at the target store 20. In the present embodiment, the product lineup of the target store 20 determined based on the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is reflected in the product ordering plan at the target store 20. That is, the assortment of the target stores 20 determined based on the assortment proposed by the assortment management support proposal method is output to the store terminal 4 by the output process described later.

In other words, by linking the store terminal 4 with the assortment management support system 10 that embodies the assortment management support method, the assortment proposed by the assortment management support plan method is the ordering of products at the target store 20. It will be used for planning. In the present embodiment, the store terminal 4 cooperates with the client terminal 3 in the assortment management support system 10. As will be described in detail later, the store terminal 4 uses the reader 41 to acquire information related to the assortment of the target store 20 offline from the client terminal 3. As a result, the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is reflected in the product ordering plan at the target store 20.

(3.2) Assortment Management Support System Next, the configuration of the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As described above, the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment is realized by a client-server type computer system including a host system 1 and a client terminal 3. This computer system constitutes an assortment management support system 10.

The host system 1 mainly comprises a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories. The host system 1 is connected to the network NT1. The higher-level system 1 is installed in, for example, an assortment management support system 10, a service company that provides an assortment management support method, an operating company of a store 2, or the like. It is preferable that the host system 1 is a public cloud environment that uses a PaaS (Platform asa Service) environment and does not manage the OS, runtime, and middleware.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the display control unit 14, the host system 1 includes an acquisition unit 11, a recommendation unit 12, a calculation unit 13, a reception unit 15, an output unit 16, and a data storage unit 17. Further prepared. That is, the upper system 1 in the assortment management support system 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a recommendation unit 12, a calculation unit 13, a display control unit 14, a reception unit 15, an output unit 16, and a data storage unit 17. , Is equipped.

In the host system 1, at least the acquisition unit 11, the recommendation unit 12, the calculation unit 13, the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15, and the output unit are executed by executing a program recorded in one or more memories by one or more processors. Functions as 16. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

The acquisition unit 11 executes an acquisition process of acquiring various information (data) from, for example, the store terminal 4 and the headquarters terminal 51 via the network NT1 by communication. That is, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment has an acquisition process for acquiring various information. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires store information including the purchase history of products from at least the store terminals 4 of the plurality of stores 2.

The recommendation unit 12 executes a recommendation process for generating information regarding an assortment of products that can be recommended for the target store 20, that is, assortment recommendation information. In short, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment has a recommended process for generating assortment recommendation information. In the recommendation process, assortment recommendation information is generated using the trained model generated by machine learning. The recommendation unit 12 generates assortment recommendation information as an assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 as an assortment that leads to improvement of the management index for the target store 20. The operation of the recommendation unit 12 will be described in detail in the column of "(4.1) Generation of product lineup recommendation information".

The arithmetic unit 13 executes arithmetic processing for performing various arithmetics. That is, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment has a calculation process for performing a calculation. In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 13 performs calculations such as selection of an algorithm for proposing an assortment of products at a target store and extraction of a difference between recommended assortment information and actual assortment information.

The display control unit 14 executes a display process for displaying the assortment recommended information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 on the display unit 31. That is, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment has a display process for displaying the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31. Here, at least one of the screen configuration and the screen transition displayed by the display control unit 14 on the display unit 31 is different between the first algorithm and the second algorithm. Further, the display control unit 14 displays the assortment recommended information in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store 20. The screen displayed on the display unit 31 by the display control unit 14 will be described in detail in the “(4.3) Display screen” column.

The reception unit 15 executes a reception process for receiving various inputs caused by human operation. In the reception process, at least, input for deciding whether or not to accept the assortment recommended in the assortment recommendation information is accepted. That is, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment has a reception process for accepting an input for deciding whether or not to accept the assortment recommended by the assortment recommendation information. In the present embodiment, the host system 1 can communicate with the client terminal 3, the store terminal 4, the headquarters terminal 51, and the like. Therefore, the reception unit 15 can receive, for example, the information input by the user U1 by operating the client terminal 3 by communicating with the client terminal 3. The reception unit 15 may receive an input by receiving a signal generated by the client terminal 3 by an operation, for example, or is displayed on the display unit 31 by the Web browser function of the client terminal 3 from the host system 1. Input by operation on the distribution screen may be accepted.

The output unit 16 executes an output process for outputting various information (data). In the output process, at least the assortment adoption information generated based on the assortment recommended information is displayed on the display unit 31 in a manner readable by the optical reader 41. That is, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is an output process for displaying the assortment adoption information generated based on the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31 in a manner readable by the optical reader 41. have.

The data storage unit 17 stores various information (data) acquired by the acquisition unit 11, assortment recommendation information generated by the recommendation unit 12, and a trained model used for the recommendation processing by the recommendation unit 12. (Store. Further, the data storage unit 17 further stores information and the like necessary for calculation in the acquisition unit 11, the recommendation unit 12, the calculation unit 13, the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15, the output unit 16, and the like. The data storage unit 17 includes a rewritable non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

The operation of each part of the assortment management support system 10 will be described in detail in the column of "(4) Assortment management support method".

Further, the host system 1 may further include a user interface and the like in addition to the above configuration. However, the user interface and the like are not essential configurations for the host system 1.

Further, the client terminal 3 mainly includes a computer system including one or more processors and one or more memories. That is, each function of the client terminal 3 is realized by executing the program recorded in one or more memories of the computer system by one or more processors. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through a telecommunication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card.

The client terminal 3 is, as an example in the present embodiment, a tablet terminal used by the user U1 in the target store 20. That is, the tablet terminal functions as the client terminal 3 by installing the dedicated application software (program) and activating the application software.

The client terminal 3 includes a display unit 31 and an operation unit 32. Further, the client terminal 3 has a communication function and is configured to be able to communicate with at least the host system 1. In the present embodiment, as an example, the client terminal 3 is connected to the network NT1 via a gateway by wireless communication using radio waves such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) as a medium, and is connected to the network NT1. Communicates with the connected host system 1.

The display unit 31 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 31 functions as a browser that displays data distributed (transmitted) as content from at least the host system 1 as video.

The operation unit 32 accepts the operation of the person (user U1) and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation of the person (user U1). In the present embodiment, since the client terminal 3 is a general-purpose tablet terminal, the operation unit 32 is integrated with the display unit 31 to form a touch panel display. In the touch panel display, the client terminal 3 has a button or the like when an operation (tap, swipe, drag, etc.) of an object such as a button on each screen displayed on the display unit 31 is detected by the operation unit 32. Determine that the object has been manipulated. That is, the display unit 31 and the operation unit 32 function as a user interface for receiving operation input from a person (user U1) in addition to various displays.

Further, in addition to the client terminal 3 and the above configuration, a voice interface and the like may be further provided. The voice interface receives the voice of a person (user U1) with a microphone and outputs the voice with a speaker. However, the voice interface and the like are not essential configurations for the client terminal 3.

The assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is used on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer system (here, the client terminal 3). That is, in the client terminal 3 having a computer system as the main configuration, one or more processors execute the product lineup management support method according to the present embodiment on the graphical user interface, and the display unit 31 displays a screen such as a login screen D1. Is displayed. Further, in the client terminal 3, one or more processors on the graphical user interface accept the operation of the user U1 on the screen such as the first screen D3.

(4) Assortment Management Support Method Hereinafter, the operation of the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment, that is, the operation of the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

In the following, first, the recommended process related to the generation of the assortment recommended information will be described, and then the overall operation of the assortment management support system 10, that is, the entire contents of the assortment management support method will be described using a flowchart. After that, an example of the display screen displayed on the display unit 31 by the assortment management support method will be described.

(4.1) Generation of assortment recommended information First, a recommended process for generating assortment recommended information regarding assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 will be described.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the recommendation unit 12 generates assortment recommendation information for the target store 20 by using the trained model generated by machine learning. Here, the recommendation unit 12 generates assortment recommendation information as an assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 as an assortment that leads to improvement of management indicators such as sales for the target store 20. That is, the recommendation unit 12 generates assortment recommendation information for optimizing the assortment of products in the target store 20 for the purpose of improving the management index of the target store 20.

In the present embodiment, as an approach for obtaining such assortment recommended information, as a general rule, the actual data of the store 2 similar to the target store 20 is used. That is, the assortment management support system 10 uses the actual data of the store 2 similar to the target store 20 to generate assortment recommendation information for optimizing the assortment of products in the target store 20. Here, the store 2 similar to the target store 20 is a store that satisfies a predetermined similarity condition with the target store 20. For example, when there are a plurality of stores 2 that are chained such as a corporate chain (regular chain) or a franchise chain, these plurality of stores 2 satisfy similar conditions to each other. Similar conditions may include conditions relating to area, scale, location, business hours or customer base, and the like.

Further, the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment obtains the above-mentioned assortment recommendation information by an approach using a machine-learned trained model and an approach using clustered clustering data. .. That is, the assortment management support system 10 generates assortment recommended information for the target store 20 by using the trained model machine-learned from the actual data of the store 2 similar to the target store 20. The degree of similarity with the target store 20 can be estimated based on operational data such as region, scale, location, business hours, customer base, etc. in each of the plurality of stores 2. That is, from this type of operation data, it is possible to find a store 2 similar to the target store 20 among the plurality of stores 2. Further, the assortment management support system 10 is aimed at the target store 20 by using clustering data in which the actual data of the store 2 similar to the target store 20 is clustered in various units such as customers, accounts, or the store 2. Generate assortment recommendation information. These two approaches can also be applied in combination.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the recommendation unit 12 estimates the management index by inputting at least the operation information using the trained model. The "operation information" referred to here is information on the operation of the target store 20, which is the specific store 2, and includes information on the current assortment of products at the target store 20. Further, the operation information includes operation data such as region, scale, location, business hours or customer base. As described above, the management index is information on the sales of the target store 20 and the like. In this way, the recommendation unit 12 finds the relationship between the product lineup and sales at the target store 20 by inputting the operation information into the trained model and estimating the management index using the trained model. Is possible. Then, the recommendation unit 12 generates assortment recommendation information for the target store 20 based on the estimation result of the above-mentioned management index. The trained model is generated by machine learning using data including information on the operation of each store 2 and an index on the management of each store 2 as training data.

In short, the recommendation unit 12 requests information on the product lineup that can be recommended for the target store 20 as "product lineup recommendation information" based on the estimation result of the relationship between the product lineup and the sales etc. in the target store 20. can. That is, the recommendation unit 12 can generate assortment recommended information for the target store 20 that leads to improvement of management indicators such as sales in the target store 20.

By the way, for example, when the number of stores 2 that can be used as a reference for the target store 20 can be as many as 100 or more, 1000 or more, or 10,000 or more, such as a convenience store, the assortment management support system 10 is particularly suitable. It is useful.

That is, normally, a large number of stores 2 are operated under different conditions, and in order to reflect a huge amount of information over these many stores 2 to a certain target store 20, it is necessary for a person to do so. It requires operations that far exceed the processing capacity, and cannot be realized by humans. Moreover, the information on the operation and management of these many stores 2 changes from time to time (for example, seasonally), and the product lineup recommendation information is updated in consideration of the latest information on many stores 2. No one can do anything. Further, the process of processing such a huge and fluctuating information is difficult not only for humans but also for general information processing devices.

On the other hand, in the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment, information on the operation and management of a large number of stores 2 is used for machine learning of the trained model used in the recommended processing, as described above. Even the huge and fluctuating information like this can be processed. Rather, in machine learning, the larger the amount of training data, the better the accuracy of the generated trained model can be expected, so it is convenient to use the information of a large number of stores 2 as training data. As described above, the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment is particularly useful in a business format in which a large number of stores 2 can be developed.

Further, in the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment, the recommendation unit 12 obtains trend information regarding the purchasing tendency of products for the target store 20 which is a specific store 2 based on a plurality of clusters. The plurality of clusters are obtained by classifying the data group including the purchase history of the products in the plurality of stores 2 into the plurality of clusters based on the rules regarding the purchase tendency of the products.

Here, the "trend information" is information regarding the purchasing tendency of the product for the target store 20, and is obtained by the recommendation unit 12 based on a plurality of clusters. Specific examples of the trend information include the composition ratio of a plurality of clusters in the target store 20. In addition, the "purchasing tendency" here is a tendency seen in relation to the purchase of goods. Specific examples of purchasing tendencies include products that are often purchased for each product category, or combinations of products that are often purchased together.

Further, the plurality of clusters are, for example, information in which a data group including purchase histories of a plurality of customers in a plurality of stores is classified according to the type of customers having different purchasing tendencies. Specific examples of a plurality of clusters of this type include "customers who purchase sweets and snacks together" or "customers who purchase rice balls and tea together". The recommendation unit 12 obtains the tendency information of the target store 20 based on such a plurality of clusters, and considers the relationship between the target store 20 and the plurality of clusters, and from the purchasing tendency in the plurality of stores 2. It is possible to find a purchasing tendency at the target store 20. Then, the recommendation unit 12 generates assortment recommendation information based on the tendency information representing the purchase tendency at the target store 20.

In short, the recommendation unit 12 can request information on the recommended product lineup that can be recommended at the target store 20 as "product lineup recommended information" in accordance with the trend information at the target store 20. That is, the recommendation unit 12 can generate an assortment of products for the target store 20 in accordance with the purchasing tendency of the product as the assortment recommendation information for the target store 20.

According to the recommendation process in the recommendation unit 12 described above, for example, assortment recommendation information that leads to improvement of the management index of the target store 20 and eventually to improvement of the management status of the target store 20 can be obtained. Here, the trend information used to obtain the assortment recommendation information is obtained based on a plurality of clusters. Since the plurality of clusters used to obtain the trend information are obtained by classifying the stores 2 other than the target store 20 based on the rules regarding the purchasing tendency, the trend information includes the actual data of the stores 2. Will be used.

By the way, in the present embodiment, as described above, the trained model used in the recommended process is generated by machine learning with the learning device. The learning device may be implemented as any type of artificial intelligence or system.

(4.2) Flow Chart Next, the overall operation of the assortment management support system 10 according to the present embodiment, that is, the entire contents of the assortment management support method will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Here, an example is illustrated in which the product lineup management support method proposes a product lineup at the target store 20 at the timing of updating (reviewing) the product lineup of the target store 20. That is, the user U1 logs in from the client terminal 3 at the timing of updating (reviewing) the assortment of the target store 20, and updates the assortment of the target store 20 by using the assortment management support method. In FIG. 2, the processes S3 to S18 after the login (S3) are all on-screen processes displayed on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3, and the processes S3 to S18 are described in detail in "(4.3). This will be explained in the "Display screen" column.

First, the assortment management support system 10 executes an acquisition process for acquiring store information in the acquisition unit 11 (S1). At this time, the acquisition unit 11 acquires store information including the purchase history of the product from at least the store terminals 4 of the plurality of stores 2, and stores (stores) the acquired store information in the data storage unit 17. The "store information" referred to here includes actual data such as purchase history of a plurality of stores 2 and operation information (including operation data) of a plurality of stores 2. Further, the operation information includes assortment record information regarding the assortment record of each store 2, that is, information regarding the current assortment of assortment of the store 2.

Next, the assortment management support system 10 executes a recommendation process for generating assortment recommendation information in the recommendation unit 12 (S2). At this time, the recommendation unit 12 generates the assortment recommended information by the procedure as described in the column of "(4.1) Generation of the assortment recommended information" using the store information or the like acquired in the acquisition process. do.

Next, the assortment management support system 10 displays the login screen D1 (see FIG. 3) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3, and accepts the login from the user U1 on the login screen D1 (S3). When the user U1 operates the client terminal 3 to log in (S3: Yes), the assortment management support system 10 shifts to the selection process of the product category to be proposed as an assortment (S4).

At this time, the assortment management support system 10 displays the category selection screen D2 (see FIG. 4) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3. The user U1 specifies the category (ordering unit) of the product for which the product assortment is desired to be updated (reviewed) on the category selection screen D2, so that the specified category can propose the product assortment by the product assortment management support method. Selected as a target. If there is no login from the user U1 (S3: No), the assortment management support system 10 returns to the acquisition process (S1).

When the category of the product to be proposed assortment is selected, the assortment management support system 10 next determines the algorithm to be applied to propose the assortment of products at the target store 20 (S5). .. At this time, the assortment management support system 10 selectively applies a plurality of algorithms including the first algorithm and the second algorithm according to the selected product category. In the present embodiment, the plurality of algorithms for proposing an assortment of products at the target store 20 are only the first algorithm and the second algorithm. That is, in the present embodiment, the first algorithm or the second algorithm is applied depending on the category of the product to be proposed assortment.

When the first algorithm is applied (S5: first algorithm), the assortment management support system 10 displays the first screen D3 (see FIG. 5) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 in the display control unit 14. Display (S6). The first screen D3 is a screen for displaying assortment recommendation information for products for which "exclusion" from the assortment of target stores 20 can be recommended. Then, the assortment management support system 10 accepts the operation of the user U1 regarding the acceptance or rejection of the product (excluded product) excluded from the assortment on the first screen D3 on the reception unit 15 (S7).

Subsequently, in the first algorithm, the assortment management support system 10 displays the second screen D4 (see FIG. 6) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 on the display control unit 14 (S8). The second screen D4 is a screen for displaying assortment recommended information about products for which "addition" to the assortment of the target store 20 can be recommended. Then, the assortment management support system 10 accepts the operation of the user U1 regarding the acceptance or rejection of the product (additional product) to be added to the assortment on the second screen D4 at the reception unit 15 (S9).

Subsequently, in the first algorithm, the assortment management support system 10 displays the output screen D5 (see FIG. 7) of the excluded product on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 on the display control unit 14 (S10). The output screen D5 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information about products (excluded products) excluded from the assortment in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41. Then, the assortment management support system 10 displays the output screen D6 (see FIG. 8) of the additional product on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 in the display control unit 14 (S11). The output screen D6 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information about products (additional products) to be added to the assortment in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41.

As described above, when the first algorithm is applied, the following processing is applied. That is, the first algorithm has a reception process (S7, S9) for accepting an input for determining the acceptance / rejection of the assortment recommended in the assortment recommendation information. In particular, the acceptance process in the first algorithm relates to the process of accepting the operation of the user U1 relating to the acceptance / rejection of the product (excluded product) excluded from the assortment (S7) and the acceptance / rejection of the product (additional product) to be added to the assortment. It includes a process (S9) for accepting an operation of the user U1.

In addition, the first algorithm has a recommended process (S2) for generating assortment recommended information using a trained model generated by machine learning. The recommended process is a process executed before the first algorithm is selected, but since it is a process executed when the first algorithm is applied, it is included in the first algorithm.

Further, in the display process in the first algorithm, the first screen D3 and the second screen D4 are individually displayed (S6, S8). The first screen D3 is a screen for displaying assortment recommendation information for products that can be recommended to be excluded from the assortment at the target store 20. The second screen D4 is a screen for displaying assortment recommendation information about products that can be recommended to be added to the assortment at the target store 20.

Further, the first algorithm has output processing (S10, S11) for displaying the assortment adoption information generated based on the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31 in a manner readable by the optical reader 41. .. That is, in the first algorithm, the output unit 16 displays the output screen D5 of the excluded product on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 (S10), and displays the output screen D6 of the additional product (S11). However, it corresponds to the output processing.

On the other hand, when the second algorithm is applied (S5: second algorithm), the assortment management support system 10 displays the third screen D8 (see FIG. 10) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 in the display control unit 14. ) Is displayed (S12). The third screen D8 displays assortment recommendation information for both products that can be recommended to be "excluded" from the assortment of the target store 20 and products that can be recommended to be "added" to the assortment of the target store 20. It is a screen to do. Then, the assortment management support system 10 is a user related to the acceptance / rejection of the product excluded from the assortment (excluded product) and the product to be added to the assortment (additional product) on the third screen D8 at the reception unit 15. Accepts the operation of U1 (S13).

Subsequently, in the second algorithm, the assortment management support system 10 displays the output screen D5 of the excluded product on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 on the display control unit 14 (S14). The output screen D5 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information about products (excluded products) excluded from the assortment in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41. Then, the assortment management support system 10 displays the output screen D6 of the additional product on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 in the display control unit 14 (S15). The output screen D6 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information about products (additional products) to be added to the assortment in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41. Further, the assortment management support system 10 displays the individual output screen D9 (see FIG. 11) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 in the display control unit 14 (S16). The individual output screen D9 is a list of products that are individually registered in the store terminal 4 and that are excluded from the product lineup (excluded products) and product lineup adoption information for products to be added to the product lineup (additional products). This is the screen to be displayed.

As described above, when the second algorithm is applied, the following processing is applied. That is, the second algorithm has a reception process (S13) for accepting an input for determining acceptance / rejection of the assortment recommended in the assortment recommendation information. In particular, the acceptance process in the second algorithm accepts the operation of the user U1 at the same time for the product excluded from the assortment (excluded product) and the product to be added to the assortment (additional product).

In addition, the second algorithm has a recommended process (S2) for generating assortment recommended information using a trained model generated by machine learning. The recommended process is a process executed before the second algorithm is selected, but since it is a process executed when the second algorithm is applied, it is included in the second algorithm.

Further, in the display process in the second algorithm, the third screen D8 is displayed (S12). The third screen D8 displays assortment recommendation information for both products that can be recommended to be "excluded" from the assortment of the target store 20 and products that can be recommended to be "added" to the assortment of the target store 20. It is a screen to do. That is, in the second algorithm, unlike the first algorithm, the first screen D3 and the second screen D4 are not separated, but both the excluded products and the additional products are displayed on the same screen (third screen D8). Display assortment recommendation information.

Further, the second algorithm has output processing (S14, S15) for displaying the assortment adoption information generated based on the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31 in a manner readable by the optical reader 41. .. That is, in the second algorithm, the output unit 16 displays the output screen D5 of the excluded product on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 (S14), and displays the output screen D6 of the additional product (S15). However, it corresponds to the output processing.

Then, when the display of the output screens D5 and D6 or the individual output screen D9 is completed by the first algorithm or the second algorithm, the assortment management support system 10 determines whether or not there is a discount target in the calculation unit 13 (S17). ). The "discount target" here is a product that is in stock even though a predetermined time (for example, one week, two weeks, three weeks, etc.) has passed from the time when it was excluded from the assortment of the target stores 20. be. That is, even if the product is excluded from the assortment, it exists in the inventory of the target store 20 unless the customer purchases or disposes of it. Therefore, if there is such a product, it is preferable to target it as a discount target, for example, a "discount".

If there is a discount target (S17: Yes), the assortment management support system 10 displays the discount list D10 (see FIG. 12) on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 on the display control unit 14 (S18). The discount list D10 is a screen for displaying a list of products determined to be discount targets. If there is no discount target (S17: No), the assortment management support system 10 skips the process S18 and ends the process.

Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is only an example, and the order of processing may be changed as appropriate, and the processing may be added or deleted as appropriate. For example, in the first algorithm, the process of displaying the first screen D3 (S6), the reception process on the first screen D3 (S7), the process of displaying the second screen D4 (S8), and the process of displaying the second screen D4. The order may be reversed from that of the reception process (S9) in. That is, after executing the process of displaying the second screen D4 (S8) and the reception process on the second screen D4 (S9), the process of displaying the first screen D3 (S6) and the reception on the first screen D3. The process (S7) may be executed.

(4.3) Display screen The assortment management support method according to the present embodiment is realized on the graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer system. Hereinafter, specific examples of screen transitions when updating (reviewing) the assortment of products in the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12. 3 to 12 show specific examples of the screen displayed on the display unit 31, and the alternate long and short dash line and the reference numeral indicating the region are shown only for the sake of explanation, and in reality, these are shown. The alternate long and short dash line and the reference numeral are not displayed on the display unit 31. In addition, the object such as a button on each screen displayed on the display unit 31 can be operated by the user U1 (tap, swipe, drag, etc.). Further, as an example in the present embodiment, the screens such as the login screen D1 are all horizontally long screens in which the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) dimension is larger than the vertical direction (vertical direction) dimension.

(4.3.1) From login to algorithm determination First, when using the assortment management support method, the user U1 logs in on the login screen D1 shown in FIG.

The login screen D1 shown in FIG. 3 is a screen displayed on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 in the authentication step and used for the user U1 to log in. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the login screen D1 includes a store number input field R11, an employee number input field R12, a password input field R13, and a login button R14. The store number input field R11 is an input field for inputting the store number assigned to each store 2. The employee number input field R12 is an input field for inputting an employee number assigned to each employee (clerk) of the store 2. The password input field R13 is an input field for inputting a password.

On the login screen D1, the user U1 inputs the store number, the employee number and the password in the store number input field R11, the employee number input field R12 and the password input field R13, respectively, and taps the login button R14. Here, if the store number, employee number, and password are successfully authenticated, login is possible. In the present embodiment, in order for the user U1 to use the assortment management support method, the user U1 needs to have at least the authority to update (determine) the assortment. Therefore, at the time of login, the user U1 identified by the employee number is authenticated that he / she has such an authority.

When the login is successful, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the login screen D1 to the category selection screen D2 shown in FIG. The category selection screen D2 is a screen for designating a category (ordering unit) of a product for which an assortment of products is desired to be updated (reviewed).

By the way, in the present embodiment, among the screens displayed by the assortment management support method, all the screens other than the login screen D1 (category selection screen D2, first screen D3, second screen D4, etc.) are described below. The basic layout to be used is adopted as a common layout. That is, the screen such as the category selection screen D2 is divided into three areas, the first area R1, the second area R2, and the third area, in the vertical direction of the screen as a basic layout.

The first area R1 located at the uppermost stage is a strip-shaped area long in the horizontal direction, and contains information for identifying the user U1 (“store manager” in the example of FIG. 4), a logout button B11 for logging out, and a menu. Includes a menu button B12 for calling.

The second region R2 located below the first region R1 is a laterally long strip-shaped region and includes a status region R21, a "back" button B21, and a "next" button B22. The status area R21 is an area representing the state of the screen. The "back" button B21 is a button for returning (screen transition) to the previous screen (login screen D1 in the category selection screen D2). The "Next" button B22 is a button for advancing (screen transition) to the next screen (first screen D3 in the category selection screen D2).

The third region R3 is located below the second region R2 and occupies most of the screen (here, the category selection screen D2). The third region R3 includes the main display column R30. The main display column R30 is an area for displaying the main information on each screen.

On the category selection screen D2, the character string "order unit selection" is displayed in the status area R21.

On the category selection screen D2, the main display field R30 displays a list of product categories (ordering units). In FIG. 4, as an example, a plurality of categories (ordering units) such as "dry", "chilled beverage", "processed food", and "sweets" are arranged vertically in the main display column so as to be displayed for each line. It is displayed in R30. The main display field R30 includes a plurality of check boxes B201 corresponding to these plurality of categories on a one-to-one basis. The user U1 designates the checked category as a target for updating (reviewing) the assortment by tapping the check box B201 of any category (ordering unit) on the category selection screen D2. In FIG. 4, the designated category (“daily / fresh”, “liquor” in the example of FIG. 4) is highlighted by, for example, coloring or the like, and is distinguished from other categories. Further, in FIG. 4, in the main display column R30, for each of the plurality of categories, the progress status of "order failure determination", "adoption determination", "order failure input" and "adoption input", the last update date, etc. Ancillary information is displayed.

Further, in the category selection screen D2, the third area R3 includes a sub display field R31 and a slide bar B31 around the main display field R30. The sub-display column R31 contains, for example, information that guides operations such as "Please select an ordering unit for assortment" and information that represents internal processing such as "analysis period October 31st to November 07th". indicate. The slide bar B31 is an object for vertically scrolling the display in the main display field R30. That is, when the user U1 drags the slide bar B31 in the vertical direction, the display portion that is not completely displayed in the main display field R30 can be displayed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the "Next" button B22 is in a state of not accepting an operation by, for example, being deactivated (grayed out as an example) in a state where there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30. Become. That is, when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30, the "Next" button B22 can be operated only after the slide bar B31 is operated so that this undisplayed portion is displayed.

When the "Next" button B22 is tapped while any category (ordering unit) is selected on the category selection screen D2, the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 is displayed from the category selection screen D2. The transition to the first screen D3 or the third screen D8. That is, in the product assortment management support method according to the present embodiment, the product category (ordering unit) for which the product assortment is desired to be updated (reviewed) is set according to the product category specified on the category selection screen D2. The 1st algorithm or the 2nd algorithm is applied selectively. That is, when the product category associated with the first algorithm is specified, the first algorithm is applied, and when the product category associated with the second algorithm is specified, the second algorithm is applied.

Then, when the first algorithm is applied, the first screen D3 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display unit 31 by the display process, while when the second algorithm is applied, the display process shows the first screen D3 shown in FIG. The third screen D8 is displayed on the display unit 31. Both the first screen D3 and the third screen D8 are screens for displaying assortment recommendation information that can recommend assortment at the target store 20 for the product category specified on the category selection screen D2. The first screen D3 and the third screen D8 will be described in detail in the columns of "(4.3.2) 1st algorithm" and "(4.3.3) 2nd algorithm", respectively.

However, in the present embodiment, the login screen D1 does not directly transition to the category selection screen D2, but the login screen D1 transitions to the category selection screen D2 via the top screen. The top screen is configured to be able to select either a group of product categories associated with the first algorithm or a group of product categories associated with the second algorithm. In other words, on the top screen, the user U1 can specify whether to apply the first algorithm or the second algorithm. When the user U1 specifies a group of product categories associated with the first algorithm, the category selection screen D2 displays a list of product categories associated with the first algorithm. On the other hand, when the user U1 specifies a group of product categories associated with the second algorithm, the category selection screen D2 displays a list of product categories associated with the second algorithm.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first algorithm or the second algorithm is selectively selected by narrowing down the product categories in advance on the top screen before reaching the category selection screen D2. The category selection screen D2 exemplified in FIG. 4 is a category selection screen D2 when a group of product categories associated with the first algorithm is specified on the top screen. That is, the category selection screen D2 illustrated in FIG. 4 displays a list of product categories associated with the first algorithm.

Here, in the present embodiment, which of the plurality of algorithms is applied is selected based on the update cycle of the assortment of categories. That is, the product category associated with the first algorithm and the product category associated with the second algorithm are distinguished by the cycle of updating (reviewing) the assortment. In the present embodiment, since either the group of product categories corresponding to the first algorithm or the group of product categories corresponding to the second algorithm is selected on the above-mentioned top screen, these two groups are selected. The categories included in are distinguished by the update cycle of the assortment. Specifically, in the present embodiment, a category having a relatively long assortment update cycle (for example, one month) due to a long expiration date or best-by date is associated with the first algorithm. On the other hand, the category in which the update cycle of the assortment is relatively short (for example, one week) because the expiration date or the best-by date is short is associated with the second algorithm.

Further, in the present embodiment, which of the plurality of algorithms is applied is selected based on at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items that can be handled by the target store 20 for the category. That is, the category of the product associated with the first algorithm and the category of the product associated with the second algorithm are distinguished by at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items that can be handled by the target store 20. In the present embodiment, since either the group of product categories corresponding to the first algorithm or the group of product categories corresponding to the second algorithm is selected on the above-mentioned top screen, these two groups The categories included in are distinguished by the number of SKUs and the like. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the category having a relatively large number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is associated with the first algorithm, and the category having a relatively small number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is the first. It is associated with two algorithms.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the first algorithm or the second algorithm is based on the update cycle of the assortment of items for the category and at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items that can be handled by the target store 20 for the category. The category to be associated is determined.

By the way, in the present embodiment, in the display processing in at least one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm, the timing of displaying the assortment recommended information differs depending on the category of the product to which the assortment is proposed. Specifically, on the category selection screen D2, it is not always possible to specify (select) all product categories (ordering units), and the timing that can be specified is determined by the product category. As an example, when the cycle of updating (reviewing) the ordering plan is determined for each product category, the timing at which each category can be specified on the category selection screen D2 according to the cycle of updating the ordering plan. Is decided. For example, a product category that has a short ordering cycle (fast rotation) and a one-week ordering plan update (review) cycle due to a short expiry date or best-by date can be specified on the category selection screen D2. The timing is also set to a one-week cycle. On the other hand, the category of the product whose ordering cycle is long (slow rotation) and the cycle of updating (reviewing) the ordering plan is one month because the consumption deadline or the best-by date is long can be specified on the category selection screen D2. The timing is also set to a one-month cycle.

In the example of FIG. 4, the product categories (ordering units) displayed in the main display field R30 are classified at the timing when they can be specified on the category selection screen D2. Specifically, a category in which the timing that can be specified on the category selection screen D2 is a one-month cycle (“dry”, “chilled beverage”, etc.) and a category in which the timing that can be specified on the category selection screen D2 is a one-week cycle. ("Cooked noodles", "Cooking bread", etc.) are displayed separately. In addition, the check box B201 of each category is deactivated (displayed as grayed out as an example) except at the timing when it can be specified on the category selection screen D2, so that the operation is not accepted.

That is, the check box B201 of each category can accept the operation for specifying only at the timing when it can be specified on the category selection screen D2. In order for the recommended product lineup information to be displayed in the display process for each category, it is essential to specify it on the category selection screen D2. Therefore, the timing at which the category selection screen D2 can be specified is set. Corresponds to the timing of displaying recommended product lineup information. As a result, in the display process, the timing of displaying the assortment recommended information differs depending on the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed.

(4.3.2) First Algorithm Next, a specific example of the screen displayed on the display unit 31 when the first algorithm is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. In the present embodiment, as described above, the first algorithm is used when the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed is a category in which the assortment update cycle is relatively long because the expiration date or the expiration date is long. Is applied. Further, the first algorithm is applied when the category of the product to be proposed assortment is a category in which the number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is relatively large.

The first screen D3 shown in FIG. 5 is a screen for displaying the product lineup recommendation information that can recommend the product lineup at the target store 20 for the product category designated on the category selection screen D2. In particular, the first screen D3 is a screen for displaying assortment recommended information for products (excluded products) for which "exclusion" from the assortment of the target store 20 can be recommended among the assortment recommended information. The first screen D3 has the same basic layout as the category selection screen D2, but differs from the category selection screen D2 in the following points.

That is, in the first screen D3, the second area R2 further includes the "stop" button B23 in addition to the status area R21, the "back" button B21 and the "next" button B22. The "cancel" button B23 is a button for canceling the process. In the status area R21, the character string "order failure determination> adoption determination> order failure input> adoption input" is displayed, and "order failure determination" is highlighted. In such a status area R21, the current screen (first screen D3) is "order failure determination" among the four states of "order failure determination", "adoption determination", "order failure input", and "adoption input". It means that it is a screen for.

Further, on the first screen D3, the main display column R30 displays assortment recommended information for products (excluded products) for which "exclusion" from the assortment of the target store 20 can be recommended among the assortment recommended information. do. In FIG. 5, as an example, a plurality of products (excluded products) having product names such as "AAAAAAA", "BBBBBBBB", and "CCCCCCC" are displayed vertically side by side in the main display column R30 so as to be displayed for each line. Has been done.

The main display column R30 includes a plurality of non-exclusion buttons B301, a plurality of exclusion buttons B302, and a plurality of save buttons B303 corresponding to the plurality of products on a one-to-one basis. The first screen D3 accepts the operation of the user U1 regarding the acceptance / rejection of the product (excluded product) excluded from the assortment by the non-exclusion button B301 and the exclusion button B302. When the exclusion button B302 is selected, the recommendation as an "excluded product" is adopted, in which the corresponding product is excluded from the assortment. On the other hand, when the non-exclusion button B301 is selected, the recommendation as an "excluded product" that excludes the corresponding product from the assortment is not adopted. That is, among the plurality of products displayed on the first screen D3, only the products for which the corresponding exclusion button B302 is selected are excluded from the assortment of the target stores 20 as "excluded products". In the present embodiment, the exclusion button B302 is selected by default, and the user U1 taps the non-exclusion button B301 to select the non-exclusion button B301.

Further, in the display process in the first algorithm, among the products for which exclusion from the assortment at the target store 20 can be recommended, the assortment recommended information is not displayed for the products for which the preservation designation is made, and the preservation designation is made. For products that do not exist, the recommended product lineup information is displayed. That is, among the excluded products displayed on the first screen D3, the products for which storage is designated are not displayed as assortment recommended information on the first screen D3 from the next time onward. In this embodiment, as an example, the save button B303 is used as a means for designating save. That is, by tapping the save button B303, the user U1 does not display the product corresponding to the save button B303 on the first screen D3 displayed in the next and subsequent display processes. Further, in the present embodiment, the non-exclusion button B301 is automatically selected for the product for which the save button B303 has been operated, and the exclusion button B302 cannot be selected (inactive).

Cancellation of the save designation is performed, for example, on the maintenance screen. That is, on the maintenance screen, a list of products designated for saving is displayed, and by performing an operation of selecting a product for which the saving designation is canceled, the saving designation for this product is canceled. The product whose storage designation has been canceled may be displayed as assortment recommended information on the first screen D3 from the next time onward.

Further, in the display process in the first algorithm, the assortment recommended information is displayed in a manner in which the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store 20 can be specified. That is, on the first screen D3, the assortment recommended information is in such a manner that the difference between the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 in the assortment recommended information and the current assortment at the target store 20 can be specified. Is displayed. As an example in the present embodiment, the first screen D3 excludes only the products included in the current assortment of the target store 20 among the products that can be recommended not to be included in the assortment of the target store 20. indicate. In other words, the first screen D3 can specify the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information by displaying only the "excluded products" corresponding to the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information. It is possible to display the recommended product lineup information in various modes.

In the display process in the first algorithm, the reason information regarding the reason why the assortment of products related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended is further displayed on the display unit 31. That is, on the first screen D3, in addition to the assortment recommended information, the reason information indicating the reason why the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended is displayed. Specifically, in the main display column R30 of the first screen D3, the reason why the product can be recommended as the "excluded product" is displayed as the "determination reason" for each product. As an example, the reason for determination includes "suspension of ordering" in which the order is suspended for some reason, or "AI low evaluation product" which is evaluated low in the recommended processing using the trained model. Further, in the example of FIG. 5, the first screen D3 displays the “sales index” for each product as reason information. The sales index referred to here is an index corresponding to a management index such as sales of the target store 20 by being included in the assortment, and the higher the sales index is, the better the management index is. That is, for a product having a sales index of "-0.3" or "0.4" as illustrated in FIG. 5, the expected value for improving the management index by being included in the product lineup is low.

Further, in the display process in the first algorithm, the assortment recommended information is classified and displayed for each display space of the product for which the assortment is proposed. That is, on the first screen D3, a plurality of products included in the assortment recommended information are classified and displayed for each display space (module). The "display space" referred to here is a space in which products are displayed in the target store 20, and is designated, for example, in units of display shelves. Specifically, in the main display column R30 of the first screen D3, products that can be recommended as "excluded products" are classified by display space (module) such as "snack shelf 1" and "snack shelf 2" as an example. Is displayed.

Further, in the display process in the first algorithm, the assortment recommended information is classified and displayed for each category of the product for which the assortment is proposed. That is, on the first screen D3, a plurality of products included in the assortment recommended information are classified and displayed according to the category (middle category). The "category" here is a small category that further classifies the middle category ("sweets" and the like) into a plurality of categories. Specifically, in the main display column R30 of the first screen D3, products that can be recommended as "excluded products" are classified into categories (middle classification) such as "bag snacks" and "box snacks" as an example. It is displayed. Here, the classification for each category is positioned lower than the classification for each display space. Therefore, for example, a display space (module) called "snack shelf 1" includes a plurality of categories (middle category) such as "bag snack" and "box snack".

Further, in the first screen D3, the third area R3 includes a tab area R32 in addition to the sub display field R31 and the slide bar B31 around the main display field R30. The sub-display column R31 displays, for example, information for guiding an operation such as "please make a judgment with reference to the judgment of AI", information such as "total number of products 70", and the like. In the tab area R32, the currently selected product, that is, the category (ordering unit) of the product for which the assortment is proposed is displayed. By operating the tab area R32, it is possible to switch the category (ordering unit) of the product to be proposed as an assortment.

When the "Next" button B22 is tapped with the non-exclusion button B301 or the exclusion button B302 selected for all products on the first screen D3, the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 is displayed on the first screen. The transition from the screen D3 to the second screen D4. At this time, it is confirmed that, among the plurality of products displayed on the first screen D3, only the products for which the corresponding exclusion button B302 is selected are regarded as "excluded products" and excluded from the assortment of the target stores 20. .. In this way, the assortment recommended information for the confirmed "excluded products" becomes the assortment employment information. That is, assortment adoption information based on assortment recommendation information is generated through the reception process.

The second screen D4 shown in FIG. 6 is a screen for displaying the product lineup recommendation information that can recommend the product lineup at the target store 20 for the product category specified on the category selection screen D2. In particular, the second screen D4 is a screen for displaying assortment recommended information for products (additional products) for which "addition" to the assortment of the target store 20 can be recommended among the assortment recommended information. The second screen D4 has the same basic layout as the first screen D3, but differs from the first screen D3 in the following points.

That is, on the second screen D4, the character string "order failure determination> adoption determination> order failure input> adoption input" is displayed in the status area R21, and "adoption determination" is highlighted. In such a status area R21, the current screen (second screen D4) is "adoption determination" among the four states of "order failure determination", "adoption determination", "order failure input", and "adoption input". Means that it is a screen for.

Further, on the second screen D4, the main display column R30 displays assortment recommended information for products (additional products) for which "addition" can be recommended to the assortment of the target store 20 among the assortment recommended information. do. In FIG. 6, as an example, a plurality of products (additional products) having product names such as "AAABBB", "CCCDDD", and "EEEFFF" are displayed vertically side by side in the main display column R30 so as to be displayed for each line. Has been done.

The main display column R30 includes a plurality of additional buttons B401 and a plurality of non-additional buttons B402 that correspond one-to-one to these plurality of products in place of the non-exclusion button B301, the exclusion button B302, and the save button B303. The second screen D4 accepts the operation of the user U1 regarding the acceptance / rejection of the product (additional product) to be added to the assortment by the additional button B401 and the non-additional button B402. When the add button B401 is selected, the recommendation as an "additional product" to add the corresponding product to the assortment is adopted. On the other hand, when the non-addition button B402 is selected, the recommendation as an "additional product" of adding the corresponding product to the assortment is not adopted. That is, among the plurality of products displayed on the second screen D4, only the product for which the corresponding additional button B401 is selected is added to the assortment of the target store 20 as an "additional product". In the present embodiment, both the add button B401 and the non-addition button B402 are not selected by default, and the user U1 taps the add button B401 or the non-addition button B402 to cause the add button B401 or the non-addition button B402. Will be selected.

Further, on the second screen D4, the display mode of the product is almost the same as that of the first screen D3. That is, on the second screen D4, the assortment recommended information is in such a manner that the difference between the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 in the assortment recommended information and the current assortment at the target store 20 can be specified. Is displayed. As an example in the present embodiment, the second screen D4 includes only the products that are not included in the current assortment of the target store 20 among the products that can be recommended to be included in the assortment of the target store 20 as additional products. indicate. In other words, the second screen D4 can specify the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information by displaying only the "additional product" corresponding to the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information. It is possible to display the recommended product lineup information in various modes.

Further, on the second screen D4, in addition to the assortment recommended information, reason information indicating the reason why the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended is displayed. However, on the second screen D4, in addition to the reason information, the emphasis mark B403 is attached to the specific product to adopt a display mode that stands out as compared with other products. That is, in the display process in the first algorithm, assortment recommended information is displayed in a mode different from that of the product that does not satisfy the determination condition for the product that satisfies the determination condition. In the example of FIG. 6, since the product or the like whose product name is "IIIJJJ" satisfies the determination condition, the emphasis mark B403 is attached so as to be distinguishable from the product or the like whose product name is "EEEFFF". ..

Here, the determination condition includes the sales condition for the sales index regarding the sales of the product. The sales index referred to here is an index corresponding to a management index such as sales of the target store 20 by being included in the assortment, and the higher the sales index is, the better the management index is. As an example, the sales index is higher than the threshold value for products such as "selling at other stores" which are hot selling products at stores 2 other than the target store 20, or "performance" which is a past selling product at the target store 20. It is expensive and will meet the sales conditions. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 6, it is determined that the determination condition is satisfied for the product whose determination reason is "selling at other stores" or "performance", and it is displayed in a mode different from other products by the emphasis mark B403. ..

Further, on the second screen D4, a plurality of products included in the assortment recommended information are classified and displayed for each display space (module). Further, on the second screen D4, a plurality of products included in the assortment recommended information are classified and displayed according to the category (middle category).

By the way, on the second screen D4, at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items, which is a guideline for adoption, is displayed as a "reference for adoption" for each category (middle category) in the main display column R30. In particular, the second screen D4 is a screen that displays assortment recommended information for products (additional products) for which "addition" to the assortment of the target store 20 can be recommended among the assortment recommended information. The "recruitment guideline" is the number of SKUs and / or the number of items to be adopted as "additional products". In FIG. 6, as an example, in the category (middle category) of "coffee", since the number of SKUs to be adopted as "additional products" is "6", "6SKU" is displayed in the "adoption guideline". In this case, it is shown as a guide that "6SKU", that is, 6 products are adopted as additional products among the 6 products of "AAABBB" to "KKKLLL" included in the category (middle category) of "coffee". .. That is, in the display process in the first algorithm, the guideline information, which is a guideline for the number of assortments recommended in the assortment recommended information, is further displayed on the display unit 31.

However, the guideline information is merely a guideline for the number of assortments to be adopted, and is information that the user U1 refers to when deciding whether or not to adopt the assortment recommended information. Therefore, the user U1 may adopt a product having a number of SKUs larger or smaller than the number of SKUs as the guideline information as the product lineup recommendation information when deciding whether or not to adopt the product lineup recommendation information.

In this embodiment, as an example, the number of SKUs of the product displayed on the second screen D4 is determined based on the number of SKUs defined as the guideline information (adoption guideline). That is, the number of SKUs of the product that can be recommended as the "additional product" displayed on the second screen D4 is at least a number related to the number of SKUs as a guideline for adoption. However, for products whose judgment reason is "new product", products that can be recommended as "additional products" are displayed on the second screen D4 regardless of the adoption guideline. As a result, the number of SKUs of the product displayed on the second screen D4 may exceed the number of SKUs specified as the guideline information (adoption guideline). As described above, in the display process, at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items in the category included in the assortment recommended information may be different depending on the reason (judgment reason) that the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended. .. That is, in the present embodiment, if the determination reason is a "new product", the number of SKUs and / or the number of items is larger than that of a product having another determination reason ("campaign" or the like).

When the "Next" button B22 is tapped with the add button B401 or the non-addition button B402 selected for all products on the second screen D4, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 is displayed on the second screen. The transition from the screen D4 to the output screen D5 of the excluded product. At this time, it is confirmed that only the products for which the corresponding additional button B401 is selected among the plurality of products displayed on the second screen D4 are added to the assortment of the target store 20 as "additional products". .. In this way, the assortment recommended information for the confirmed "additional products" becomes the assortment employment information. That is, assortment adoption information based on assortment recommendation information is generated through the reception process.

The output screen D5 shown in FIG. 7 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information about products (excluded products) excluded from the assortment in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41. That is, on the first screen D3, the information about the "excluded product" that is confirmed to be excluded from the assortment of the target store 20 by selecting the corresponding exclusion button B302 is displayed on the output screen D5. The display mode of the output screen D5 is a mode that can be read by the reader 41 of the store terminal 4. In the present embodiment, as an example, the output screen D5 displays a list of barcodes B501 representing product information of products as "excluded products" so that they can be read by a reader 41 including a barcode reader.

The output screen D5 has the same basic layout as the second screen D4, but differs from the second screen D4 in the following points. That is, on the output screen D5, the character string "order failure determination> adoption determination> order failure input> adoption input" is displayed in the status area R21, and "order failure input" is highlighted. In such a status area R21, the current screen (output screen D5) is "order failure input" among the four states of "order failure determination", "adoption judgment", "order failure input", and "adoption input". Means that it is a screen for.

Further, on the output screen D5, the main display column R30 displays assortment adoption information for products (excluded products) excluded from the assortment of the target store 20 as a list of excluded products. Here, as described above, the list of excluded products lists the product information of the product as the "excluded product" as the barcode B501, which is a mode that can be read by the reader 41. Therefore, the user U1 is displayed on the output screen D5 by operating the reader 41 of the store terminal 4 and sequentially reading the barcode B501 displayed on the output screen D5 while the output screen D5 is displayed. The information of the excluded products is taken into the store terminal 4. That is, the store terminal 4 uses the reader 41 to acquire information (information on additional products) related to the assortment of the target store 20 offline from the client terminal 3. As a result, the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is reflected in the product ordering plan at the target store 20.

Further, on the output screen D5, the sub display field R31 displays, for example, information for guiding an operation such as "Please scan all barcodes" and information such as "total number of products 70". Further, in the output screen D5, the third area R3 includes a page back button B32 and a page forward button B33 instead of the slide bar B31. The page back button B32 and the page forward button B33 are objects for switching the display page in the main display field R30. That is, when the user U1 taps the page return button B32 or the page forward button B33, the display portion that is not completely displayed in the main display field R30 can be displayed.

Further, on the output screen D5, the "Next" button B22 is in a state of not accepting an operation by, for example, being deactivated (grayed out as an example) when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30. Become. That is, when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30, the "Next" button B22 can be operated only after the page feed button B33 is operated so that this undisplayed portion is displayed.

When the "Next" button B22 is tapped on the output screen D5, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the output screen D5 of the excluded product to the output screen D6 of the additional product.

The output screen D6 shown in FIG. 8 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information about products (additional products) to be added to the assortment in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41. That is, on the second screen D4, the information about the "additional product" confirmed to be added to the assortment of the target store 20 by selecting the corresponding additional button B401 is displayed on the output screen D6. The display mode of the output screen D6 is a mode that can be read by the reader 41 of the store terminal 4, similarly to the output screen D5. That is, in the present embodiment, as an example, the output screen D6 displays a list of barcodes B601 representing product information of products as "additional products" so that they can be read by a reader 41 composed of a barcode reader. ..

The output screen D6 of the additional product is different from the output screen D5 in the following points, although the basic layout is the same as the output screen D5 of the excluded product. That is, on the output screen D6, the character string "order failure determination> adoption determination> order failure input> adoption input" is displayed in the status area R21, and "adoption input" is highlighted. In such a status area R21, the current screen (output screen D6) is "adoption input" among the four states of "order failure determination", "adoption determination", "order failure input", and "adoption input". It means that it is a screen for.

Further, on the output screen D6, the main display column R30 displays assortment employment information about products (additional products) to be added to the assortment of the target store 20 as a list of additional products. Here, as described above, the list of additional products lists the product information of the product as the "additional product" as the barcode B601, which is a mode that can be read by the reader 41. Therefore, the user U1 is displayed on the output screen D6 by operating the reader 41 of the store terminal 4 and sequentially reading the barcode B601 displayed on the output screen D6 while the output screen D6 is displayed. The information of the additional product is taken into the store terminal 4. That is, the store terminal 4 uses the reader 41 to acquire information (information on additional products) related to the assortment of the target store 20 offline from the client terminal 3. As a result, the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is reflected in the product ordering plan at the target store 20.

Further, in the output screen D6, the second area R2 includes the "done" button B24 instead of the "next" button B22. When the "Done" button B24 is tapped on the output screen D6, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the output screen D6 of the additional product to the top screen.

By the way, in order to take in the information (information of additional products) related to the assortment of the target store 20 from the client terminal 3 to the store terminal 4 by using the output screens D5 and D6, the operation of the store terminal 4 of the user U1 is performed. is necessary. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to display the guidance screen D7 as shown in FIG. 9 on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 before displaying each of the output screens D5 and D6.

The guidance screen D7 has the same basic layout as the output screen D5, but differs from the output screen D5 in the following points. That is, on the guidance screen D7, the display of the status area R21 of the second area R2 is omitted. Further, on the guidance screen D7, only the main display column R30 is displayed in the third area R3, and the display of others (sub display column R31, etc.) is omitted.

In the main display field R30 of the guidance screen D7, for example, information for guiding the operation of the store terminal 4 such as "Please operate the stocon by the following procedure" and the "Next" button B701 are displayed. Here, on the guidance screen D7 displayed before displaying the output screen D5, that is, between the second screen D4 and the output screen D5, information regarding the operation of the store terminal 4 while the output screen D5 is being displayed is displayed. To. Before displaying the output screen D6, that is, on the guidance screen D7 displayed between the output screen D5 and the output screen D6, information regarding the operation of the store terminal 4 while the output screen D6 is being displayed is displayed. On the guidance screen D7, the information displayed in the main display field R30 is updated by tapping the "Next" button B701 in the main display field R30.

(4.3.3) Second Algorithm Next, a specific example of the screen displayed on the display unit 31 when the second algorithm is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In the present embodiment, as described above, when the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed is a category in which the update cycle of the assortment is relatively short because the expiration date or the expiration date is short, the second algorithm is used. Is applied. Further, the second algorithm is applied when the category of the product to be proposed assortment is a category in which the number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is relatively small.

The third screen D8 shown in FIG. 10 is a screen for displaying the product lineup recommendation information that can recommend the product lineup at the target store 20 for the product category specified on the category selection screen D2. In particular, the third screen D8 shows assortment recommendation information for both products that can be recommended to be "excluded" from the assortment of the target store 20 and products that can be recommended to be "added" to the assortment of the target store 20. Is a screen to display. The third screen D8 has the same basic layout as the second screen D4, but differs from the second screen D4 in the following points.

That is, on the third screen D8, the character string "order failure / adoption judgment> order failure input> recruitment input> cooked rice input" is displayed in the status area R21, and "order failure / adoption judgment" is highlighted. do. In such a status area R21, the current screen (third screen D8) is "ordering" out of the four states of "ordering failure / adoption judgment", "ordering failure input", "employment input", and "rice input". It means that it is a screen for "No good / adoption judgment".

Further, on the third screen D8, the main display column R30 recommends products (excluded products) for which "exclusion" can be recommended from the assortment of the target store 20 and "addition" to the assortment of the target store 20. Display assortment recommendations for both possible products (additional products). In FIG. 10, as an example, a plurality of products having product names such as "ABCDEF", "BCDEFG", and "CDEFGH" are displayed vertically side by side in the main display column R30 so as to be displayed for each line.

The main display column R30 includes a plurality of "Yes" buttons B801 and a plurality of "None" buttons B802 corresponding to these plurality of products on a one-to-one basis, instead of the addition button B401 and the non-addition button B402. The third screen D8 uses these "Yes" button B801 and "None" button B802 to operate the user U1 regarding the acceptance / rejection of the product excluded from the assortment (excluded product) and the product to be added to the assortment (additional product). accept. When the "Yes" button B801 is selected, the recommendation as an "additional product" to add the corresponding product to the assortment is adopted. On the other hand, when the "None" button B802 is selected, the recommendation as an "excluded product" is adopted, in which the corresponding product is excluded from the assortment. Further, if neither the "Yes" button B801 nor the "None" button B802 is selected, the recommendation as either an "excluded product" or an "additional product" is not adopted for the corresponding product. That is, among the plurality of products displayed on the third screen D8, only the product for which the corresponding "Yes" button B801 is selected is added to the assortment of the target store 20 as an "additional product". Further, among the plurality of products displayed on the third screen D8, only the products for which the corresponding "None" button B802 is selected are excluded from the assortment of the target stores 20 as "excluded products". In the present embodiment, both the "Yes" button B801 and the "No" button B802 are not selected by default, and the user U1 taps the "Yes" button B801 or the "No" button B802 to "Yes". Button B801 or None button B802 will be selected.

Further, in the third screen D8, unlike the first screen D3 and the second screen D4, the assortment recommended information includes the assortment that can be recommended for the target store 20 in the assortment recommended information and the current state of the target store 20. The difference between the assortment and the assortment is not displayed in an identifiable manner. That is, on the first screen D3, among the products that can be recommended not to be included in the assortment of the target store 20, only the products included in the current assortment of the target store 20 are displayed as excluded products. On the second screen D4, among the products that can be recommended to be included in the assortment of the target store 20, only the products that are not included in the current assortment of the target store 20 are displayed as additional products. On the other hand, on the third screen D8, all the products that can be recommended as "excluded products" and "additional products" are displayed regardless of whether or not they are included in the current product lineup of the target store 20. That is, in the display process in the second algorithm, assortment recommended information is displayed for all the products that can be handled by the target store 20.

In other words, the third screen D8 displayed in the display process of the second algorithm is a product that can be recommended as an "excluded product" and an "additional product" regardless of the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information. All of the products that can be recommended as "" are displayed as assortment recommended information. That is, the second algorithm is applied when the category of the product to be proposed assortment is a category in which the number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is relatively small, so that even if it is displayed for all products. , The confirmation burden of the user U1 can be kept small.

By the way, on the third screen D8, the display of the products (excluded products and additional products) in the main display column R30 is in the order of ranking. Specifically, for a plurality of products having a common category (middle category), in the main display column R30 of the third screen D8, the higher the sales index is, the higher the product is located for each category (middle category). It is sorted in order of ranking. This makes it easier for the user U1 to positively adopt the assortment recommended information for the products at the top or bottom of the ranking.

Further, on the third screen D8, in the main display column R30, whether or not the target store 20 currently handles the product is displayed as the "current status" for each product. For example, "Yes" is displayed as "Current status" for products included in the current product lineup at the target store 20, and "Current status" is displayed for products not included in the current product lineup at the target store 20. "No store" is displayed.

Further, on the third screen D8, in addition to the assortment recommended information, the reason information indicating the reason why the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended is displayed. Further, on the third screen D8, in addition to the reason information, the emphasis mark B803 is attached to the specific product to adopt a display mode that stands out as compared with other products. That is, in the display process in the second algorithm, assortment recommended information is displayed in a mode different from that of the product that does not satisfy the determination condition for the product that satisfies the determination condition.

Further, on the third screen D8, a plurality of products included in the assortment recommended information are classified and displayed for each display space (module). Further, on the third screen D8, a plurality of products included in the assortment recommended information are classified and displayed according to the category (middle category).

Further, on the third screen D8, at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items, which is a guideline for adoption, is displayed in the main display column R30 for each category (middle category) as a guideline for adoption. That is, in the display process in the second algorithm, the guideline information, which is a guideline for the number of assortments recommended in the assortment recommended information, is further displayed on the display unit 31.

In this embodiment, as an example, the number of SKUs of the product displayed on the third screen D8 is determined based on the number of SKUs defined as the guideline information (adoption guideline). That is, the number of SKUs of the product that can be recommended as the "additional product" displayed on the third screen D8 is at least a number related to the number of SKUs as a guideline for adoption. However, for products whose judgment reason is "new product", products that can be recommended as "additional products" are displayed on the third screen D8 regardless of the adoption guideline. As a result, the number of SKUs of the product displayed on the third screen D8 may exceed the number of SKUs specified as the guideline information (adoption guideline). As described above, in the display process, at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items in the category included in the assortment recommended information may be different depending on the reason (judgment reason) that the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended. ..

Further, on the third screen D8, the "Next" button B22 is in a state where the operation is not accepted because, for example, it is deactivated (grayed out as an example) when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30. Will be. That is, when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30, the "Next" button B22 can be operated only after the slide bar B31 is operated so that this undisplayed portion is displayed.

When the "Next" button B22 is tapped on the third screen D8, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the third screen D8 to the output screen D5 (see FIG. 7) of the excluded product. .. Further, when the "Next" button B22 is tapped on the output screen D5 of the excluded product, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 is displayed from the output screen D5 to the output screen D6 of the additional product (see FIG. 8). And transition. The display modes of the output screens D5 and D6 are almost the same as those of the first algorithm.

However, in the second algorithm, the second region R2 of the output screen D6 includes the "Next" button B22 instead of the "Done" button B24. When the "Next" button B22 is tapped on the output screen D6, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the output screen D6 of the additional product to the individual output screen D9.

The individual output screen D9 shown in FIG. 11 is a product individually registered in the store terminal 4, and the product assortment is adopted for the product excluded from the assortment (excluded product) and the product to be added to the assortment (additional product). This screen displays a list of information. Unlike the output screens D5 and D6, the individual output screen D9 is a screen that displays assortment adoption information in a mode that cannot be read by the optical reader 41. That is, although the individual output screen D9 displays assortment employment information, it functions as a memo screen that displays "Yes" for additional products and "None" for excluded products. In short, the user U1 manually inputs the assortment employment information to the store terminal 4 while looking at the individual output screen D9 as a memo screen, so that the product information displayed on the individual output screen D9 is sent to the store terminal 4. take in. As a result, the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is reflected in the product ordering plan at the target store 20.

The individual output screen D9 differs from the output screen D6 in the following points, although it shares the same basic layout as the output screen D6 of the additional product. That is, on the individual output screen D9, the character string "order failure / adoption determination> order failure input> recruitment input> cooked rice input" is displayed in the status area R21, and "rice input" is highlighted. In such a status area R21, the current screen (individual output screen D9) is "out of the four states of" order failure determination / adoption determination "," order failure input "," adoption input ", and" cooked rice input ". It means that it is a screen for "rice input". Here, "rice rice" is used as an example in the present embodiment, in which products in the "rice ball" category such as "rice balls" are subject to individual registration to the store terminal 4 using the individual output screen D9. Because there is. Further, the sub-display column R31 displays, for example, information for guiding the operation of the store terminal 4 such as "Please reflect the cooked grain in the stocon with reference to the list", information such as "total number of products 40", and the like.

Further, on the individual output screen D9, the main display field R30 displays a check box B901 for each product. The user U1 can record that the input has been completed by tapping the check box B901 of the product for which the input (registration) has been completed in the store terminal 4 while looking at the individual output screen D9. In FIG. 11, the input (registered) product (“ABCDEF”, “IJKLMN”, etc. in the example of FIG. 11) is highlighted by, for example, coloring or the like, and is distinguished from other products.

Further, on the individual output screen D9, the "done" button B24 is in a state of not accepting an operation by, for example, being deactivated (grayed out as an example) when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30. Become. That is, when there is an undisplayed portion in the main display field R30, the "done" button B24 can be operated only after the page feed button B33 is operated so that this undisplayed portion is displayed.

When the "Done" button B24 is tapped on the individual output screen D9, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the individual output screen D9 to the top screen.

(4.3.4) Discount List Next, a specific example of the screen displayed on the display unit 31 when there is a discount target will be described with reference to FIG. 12.

In the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment, when the display of the output screens D5 and D6 or the individual output screen D9 is completed by the first algorithm or the second algorithm, the calculation unit 13 determines whether or not there is a discount target. .. That is, whether or not there is a product (discount target) in stock even though a predetermined time has passed since the time when it was excluded from the product lineup of the target store 20 is determined by the product lineup of the target store 20 and the target store 20. Obtained by comparison with the current inventory. Then, when such a "discount target" exists, the discount list D10 is displayed on the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3.

The discount list D10 shown in FIG. 12 is a screen for displaying a list of products determined to be discount targets. In the present embodiment, the discount list D10 also displays the product information regarding the product in a manner readable by the optical reader 41, similarly to the output screens D5 and D6. That is, similarly to the output screens D5 and D6, the discount list D10 lists the barcode B1001 representing the product information of the product as the "discount target" so that the reader 41 composed of the barcode reader can read the barcode. indicate.

The discount list D10 has the same basic layout as the output screen D6, but differs from the output screen D6 in the following points. That is, in the discount list D10, the character string "discount list" is displayed in the status area R21.

Further, in the discount list D10, the main display column R30 displays a list of "discount target" products. Here, as described above, the list of "discount targets" displays the product information of the products as "discount targets" as a bar code B1001 that can be read by the reader 41. Therefore, the user U1 operates the reader 41 of the store terminal 4 and sequentially reads the barcode B1001 displayed in the discount list D10, so that the information of the discount target displayed in the discount list D10 is transmitted to the store terminal 4. take in. That is, the store terminal 4 uses the reader 41 to acquire information (product information) related to the discount target of the target store 20 offline from the client terminal 3.

Further, when the "done" button B24 is tapped in the discount list D10, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 transitions from the discount list D10 to the top screen.

Here, the display of the display unit 31 of the client terminal 3 may directly transition from the output screen D6 or the individual output screen D9 to the discount list D10, or the top screen may be displayed from the output screen D6 or the individual output screen D9. You may transition to the discount list D10 via. In the latter case, the user U1 can display the discount list D10 on the display unit 31 by performing an operation for displaying the discount list D10 on the top screen.

(4.4) Others As described above, the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment has a reception process for accepting an input for deciding whether or not to accept the assortment recommended in the assortment recommended information. .. Then, among the assortments recommended in the assortment recommendation information, the information about the adopted products becomes the assortment adoption information. Therefore, in the assortment management support method according to the present embodiment, the assortment recommended information is evaluated based on the assortment employment information.

Specifically, the adoption rate of the product lineup recommended in the product lineup recommendation information and / or the results and effects obtained as a result of adopting the product lineup recommendation information are evaluated as an evaluation report. The evaluation report can be confirmed, for example, on the client terminal 3 or the headquarters terminal 51. Such evaluation reports may be organized, for example, by product category.

(5) Modification Example 1 is only one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The first embodiment can be changed in various ways depending on the design and the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Further, even if the same function as the assortment management support method according to the first embodiment is embodied in the assortment management support system 10, the (computer) program, the non-temporary recording medium on which the (computer) program is recorded, or the like. good. The program according to one aspect is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the assortment management support method according to the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, modified examples of the first embodiment are listed. The modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

The assortment management support system 10 in the present disclosure includes, for example, a computer system in the host system 1 and the like. A computer system mainly consists of one or more processors and one or more memories as hardware. When one or more processors execute a program recorded in one or more memories of the computer system, the function as the assortment management support system 10 in the present disclosure is realized. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through a telecommunications line, and may be recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, optical disk, hard disk drive, etc. that can be read by the computer system. May be provided. The processor of a computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). The integrated circuit such as IC or LSI referred to here has a different name depending on the degree of integration, and includes an integrated circuit called a system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Further, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a logical device capable of reconfiguring the junction relationship inside the LSI or reconfiguring the circuit partition inside the LSI should also be adopted as a processor. Can be done. A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip, or may be distributed on a plurality of chips. A plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be distributed in a plurality of devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microprocessor is also composed of one or a plurality of electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

Further, it is not an essential configuration for the product lineup management support system 10 that a plurality of functions in the product lineup management support system 10 are integrated in one housing, and a plurality of components of the product lineup management support system 10 are present. It may be distributedly provided in the housing of the above. Further, at least a part of the functions of the assortment management support system 10, for example, a part of the functions of the host system 1 may be realized by a cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

On the contrary, in the first embodiment, at least a part of the functions of the assortment management support system 10 distributed in a plurality of devices may be integrated in one housing. For example, some functions of the assortment management support system 10 distributed in the host system 1 and the client terminal 3 may be integrated in one housing.

Further, the use of the assortment management support system 10 is not limited to the convenience store, and the assortment management support system 10 may be introduced in the store 2 other than the convenience store.

Further, in the first embodiment, an example is exemplified in which the assortment of the target store 20 determined based on the assortment proposed by the assortment management support plan method is reflected in the ordering plan of the product in the target store 20. However, the use of the product lineup proposed by the product lineup management support plan method is not limited to reflection in the ordering plan. For example, the assortment of the target stores 20 determined based on the assortment proposed by the assortment management support proposal method may be reflected in the store search on the homepage of the chain headquarters 5, the delivery route, or the like.

Further, the reader 41 of the store terminal 4 is not limited to a barcode reader as long as it has a configuration that can optically read the product information displayed on the display unit 31, and is, for example, a reader that reads a two-dimensional code. You may. Further, the reader 41 may read the product information from the character (product name) displayed on the display unit 31 or the image of the product by, for example, an optical character recognition (OCR) or an image recognition function. It may be configured. As described above, when the reader 41 is other than the bar code reader, the assortment adoption information can be read by the reader 41 when displaying the assortment adoption information on the display unit 31 in the output processing (for example,). It is displayed as a two-dimensional code, etc.).

The mode of outputting various information (including assortment adoption information) in the output unit 16 is not limited to the display on the display unit 31 in a mode that can be read by the optical reader 41. The output mode of various information (including assortment adoption information) in the output unit 16 is, for example, output (transmission) by communication to a store terminal 4, sound (including voice) output, and non-temporary recording medium. It may be recording (writing), printing (printing out), or the like.

Further, the user interface in the client terminal 3 or the like is not limited to the touch panel display, and may have, for example, an input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a mechanical switch, or a gesture sensor. Further, the user interface may include, for example, a display device such as a projector that projects an image by projection mapping technology. Further, the user interface may have an audio input / output unit instead of the touch panel display or together with the touch panel display. In this case, the user interface can present various information to the store clerk or the like by the voice output from the speaker. Further, the user interface can perform voice operation (voice input) by a store clerk or the like by performing voice recognition and semantic analysis processing on the voice signal output from the microphone.

In the first embodiment, the first algorithm is applied when the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed is a category in which the renewal cycle of the assortment is relatively long because the expiration date or the best-by date is long. , This configuration is not mandatory. That is, the second algorithm may be applied when the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed is a category in which the update cycle of the assortment is relatively long because the expiration date or the expiration date is long. Further, in the first embodiment, the first algorithm is applied when the category of the product to be proposed assortment is a category in which the number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is relatively large. Not required. That is, the second algorithm may be applied when the category of the product to be proposed assortment is a category in which the number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20 is relatively large.

Further, the category of the product to which the first algorithm is applied and the category of the product to which the second algorithm is applied may be arbitrarily customized by the user U1.

Further, in the first embodiment, any of the processes applied only to the first algorithm among the first algorithm and the second algorithm may be applied only to the second algorithm. For example, in the display process in the second algorithm, the first screen D3 and the second screen D4 may be displayed individually. Further, for example, in the display processing in the second algorithm, among the products for which exclusion from the assortment at the target store 20 can be recommended, the assortment recommended information is not displayed for the products for which the preservation designation is made, and the preservation designation is made. Assortment recommendation information may be displayed for products that have not been released. Further, in the display process in the second algorithm, even if the assortment recommended information is displayed in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store 20. good.

Further, in the first embodiment, any of the processes applied only to the second algorithm among the first algorithm and the second algorithm may be applied only to the first algorithm. For example, in the display process in the second algorithm, assortment recommended information may be displayed for all the products that can be handled by the target store 20.

Further, in the first embodiment, any of the processes applied to either the first algorithm or the second algorithm may be applied to both the first algorithm and the second algorithm.

On the contrary, in the first embodiment, any of the processes applied to both the first algorithm and the second algorithm may be applied to either the first algorithm or the second algorithm. For example, in the display process, the function of displaying the assortment recommended information in a mode different from that of the product that does not satisfy the judgment condition may be implemented only in one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm. .. Further, in the display process, the function of further displaying the reason information regarding the reason why the assortment of products related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended on the display unit 31 may be implemented only in one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm. .. Further, in the display processing, the function in which at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items in the category included in the assortment recommended information is different due to the reason that the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended is the first algorithm or the second. It may be implemented in only one of the algorithms. Further, in the display process, the function of classifying and displaying the product lineup recommendation information according to the display space of the product to be proposed for the product lineup may be implemented only in one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm. Further, in the display process, the function of classifying and displaying the assortment recommended information according to the category of the product to be proposed for the assortment may be implemented only in one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm. .. Further, in the display process, the function of displaying the guideline information, which is a guideline for the number of assortments recommended in the assortment recommended information, on the display unit 31 is implemented only in one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm. May be good.

Further, when which of the plurality of algorithms is applied is selected based on at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items that can be handled by the target store 20 for the category, the number of SKUs and the number of items At least one may be used. That is, the algorithm to be applied may be selected based on the number of items that can be handled by the target store 20 in addition to or instead of the number of SKUs that can be handled by the target store 20.

Further, when the algorithm to be applied is selected based on the assortment update cycle for the category, the user U1 may select the algorithm based on the assortment update cycle. Similarly, where the algorithm to be applied is selected based on at least one of the number of SKUs and items available at the target store 20 for the category, user U1 is based on at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items. And you may choose the algorithm.

Further, in the first embodiment, the plurality of algorithms used for proposing the assortment of products at the target store 20 include only the first algorithm and the second algorithm, but may further include other algorithms. That is, the plurality of algorithms may be three or more algorithms.

On the contrary, the plurality of algorithms used for proposing the assortment of products at the target store 20 may be only one of the first algorithm and the second algorithm.

Further, in the first embodiment, on the third screen D8 in the second algorithm, the products (excluded products and additional products) are displayed in the order of ranking, but this configuration is not essential, and the products (excluded products and additional products) are displayed. The display does not have to be in the order of ranking.

Further, the sales form of the product in the store 2 is not limited to the form in which a plurality of products are displayed in the store as in the first embodiment. For example, a vending machine that stocks a plurality of products may be used to sell the products in a form in which payment and payment of the products are executed for the products selected by the customer. Further, even if a plurality of products are sold in a state of being displayed in the store, for example, by using a self-checkout or the like, the customer makes a payment without going through a clerk. You may.

Further, in the first embodiment, the guideline information is merely a guideline for the number of products to be adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the adoption / rejection of the product lineup recommended information may be automatically adjusted according to the guideline information. For example, if user U1 adopts assortment recommended information for products that exceed the number of SKUs as guideline information, the number of SKUs for other products in the same display space (module) or category (middle category) is automatically adjusted. May be good.

In addition, generating assortment recommendation information using the trained model generated by machine learning is not an essential configuration for the assortment proposal support method. That is, the recommendation unit 12 may generate assortment recommendation information by, for example, statistical processing, without using the trained model.

(Embodiment 2)
As shown in FIG. 13, the assortment management support system 10A according to the present embodiment is different from the assortment management support system 10 according to the first embodiment in that the function of the display control unit 14 is provided in the client terminal 3. It's different. Hereinafter, the same configurations as those in the first embodiment will be designated by a common reference numeral and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15 and the output unit 16 are also mounted on the client terminal 3. That is, the client terminal 3 includes a display unit 31, an operation unit 32, a display control unit 14, a reception unit 15, and an output unit 16. The client terminal 3 is, as an example in the present embodiment, a tablet terminal used by the user U1 in the target store 20. That is, the tablet terminal embodies the functions of the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15, the output unit 16, and the like by installing the dedicated application software (program) and activating the application software. In the host system 1 according to the present embodiment, the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15, and the output unit 16 are omitted.

In the present embodiment, the client terminal 3 acquires the assortment recommendation information for the target store 20 generated by the recommendation unit 12 of the upper system 1 from the upper system 1 by communicating with the upper system 1. Then, the client terminal 3 executes a display process of displaying the assortment recommended information on the display unit 31 by the display control unit 14. Further, the client terminal 3 executes a reception process for receiving the operation of the user U1 at the reception unit 15, and displays the assortment adoption information in the output unit 16 in a manner readable by the optical reader 41. The output process to be displayed in the unit 31 is executed.

According to the assortment management support system 10A according to the present embodiment, the client terminal 3 can operate standalone without communicating with the upper system 1 after the assortment recommended information is acquired from the upper system 1.

Further, as a modification of the second embodiment, for example, a part of the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15, and the output unit 16 may be provided in the host system 1. That is, the display control unit 14, the reception unit 15, and the output unit 16 may be provided in a distributed manner in the host system 1 and the client terminal 3.

The various configurations (including the modified examples) described in the second embodiment can be appropriately combined with the various configurations (including the modified examples) described in the first embodiment.

(summary)
As described above, the quality control support method according to the first aspect is a method of proposing an assortment of products at the target store (20), and has a display process. In the display process, assortment recommended information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store (20) is displayed on the display unit (31). In the display process, the assortment recommended information is displayed in a manner in which the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store (20) can be specified.

According to this aspect, in the display process for displaying the assortment recommended information, it is possible to specify the difference between the assortment that can be recommended for the target store (20) and the current assortment at the target store (20). The display is made in various modes. Therefore, for example, when the user (U1) finally decides whether or not to accept the assortment, the category of the product having a large number of SKUs is not from the information of a large number of products related to the recommended assortment. It is sufficient for the user (U1) to confirm only the products that are different from the current product lineup. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is easier to improve convenience as compared with the case where confirmation is required for all the products related to the recommended assortment.

The assortment management support method according to the second aspect further includes, in the first aspect, a reception process for accepting an input for deciding whether or not to accept the assortment recommended in the assortment recommended information.

According to this aspect, the user (U1) can arbitrarily determine whether or not to adopt the assortment recommended in the assortment recommendation information.

The assortment management support method according to the third aspect further includes, in the first or second aspect, a recommendation process for generating assortment recommendation information using the trained model generated by machine learning.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to generate assortment recommendation information using a large amount of data.

In the assortment management support method according to the fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, in the display processing, the assortment recommended information is different from the product that does not satisfy the determination condition for the product that satisfies the determination condition. Is displayed.

According to this aspect, the selection is narrowed down according to the determination conditions, and the product lineup recommendation information becomes easy to see.

In the assortment management support method according to the fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the determination condition includes the sales condition for the sales index regarding the sales of the product.

According to this aspect, the assortment recommended information is easily seen by narrowing down by the selling conditions.

In the assortment management support method according to the sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, in the display process, the reason information regarding the reason why the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended is displayed in the display unit (31). ) Is further displayed.

According to this aspect, it is possible to confirm the reason why the assortment related to the assortment recommendation information can be recommended.

In the assortment management support method according to the seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the display process includes the assortment recommended information for the reason that the assortment related to the assortment recommended information can be recommended. At least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items in the category is different.

According to this aspect, at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items in the category included in the assortment recommendation information is appropriately set depending on the reason why the assortment related to the assortment recommendation information can be recommended.

In the assortment management support method according to the eighth aspect, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, in the display process, the assortment recommended information is classified according to the display space of the product to which the assortment is proposed. indicate.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to adjust the balance of the assortment in the display space.

In the assortment management support method according to the ninth aspect, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, in the display processing, the assortment recommended information is classified and displayed according to the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed. do.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to adjust the balance of the assortment within the category of the product.

In the assortment management support method according to the tenth aspect, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, in the display processing, the guideline information that serves as a guideline for the number of assortments recommended in the assortment recommended information is displayed. Further display is performed in the unit (31).

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to determine the number of assortments recommended in the assortment recommendation information.

In the assortment management support method according to the eleventh aspect, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the first screen (D3) and the second screen (D4) are individually displayed in the display process. On the first screen (D3), assortment recommendation information for products that can be recommended to be excluded from the assortment at the target store (20) is displayed. On the second screen (D4), assortment recommendation information for products that can be recommended to be added to the assortment at the target store (20) is displayed.

According to this aspect, for example, even in a category having a large number of SKUs, it becomes easy to see the assortment recommended information.

In the assortment management support method according to the twelfth aspect, in any one of the first to eleventh aspects, in the display processing, among the products that can be recommended to be excluded from the assortment at the target store (20), the storage designation Assortment recommendation information is not displayed for products that have been marked, and assortment recommendation information is displayed for products that have not been designated for storage.

According to this aspect, it is possible to avoid relentlessly recommending exclusion from the assortment at the target store (20).

In the assortment management support method according to the thirteenth aspect, in any one of the first to twelfth aspects, the assortment adoption information generated based on the assortment recommended information is read by the optical reader (41). Further, it has an output process for displaying on the display unit (31) in a possible manner.

According to this aspect, it becomes easy to output the assortment adoption information.

In the assortment management support method according to the fourteenth aspect, in any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, in the display processing, the timing of displaying the assortment recommended information differs depending on the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed. ..

According to this aspect, assortment recommended information can be displayed at an appropriate timing.

The program according to the fifteenth aspect is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the assortment management support method according to any one of the first to the fourteenth aspects.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that convenience can be easily improved.

The assortment management support system (10, 10A) according to the sixteenth aspect is a system that proposes an assortment of products at the target store (20), and includes a display control unit. The display control unit causes the display unit (31) to display assortment recommended information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store (20). The display control unit displays the assortment recommended information in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store (20).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that convenience can be easily improved.

Not limited to the above aspects, various aspects (including modifications) of the assortment management support method according to the first and second embodiments include the assortment management support system (10, 10A), the program, and the non-recording of the program. It can be embodied in a temporary recording medium.

The configurations according to the second to 14th aspects are not essential configurations for the assortment management support method, and can be omitted as appropriate.

10,10A Assortment management support system 20 Target stores 31 Display unit 41 Reader D3 1st screen D4 2nd screen

Claims (16)

It is a method of proposing an assortment of products at the target store,
It has a display process for displaying on the display unit assortment recommended information regarding the assortment that can be recommended for the target store.
In the display process, the assortment recommended information is displayed in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store.
Assortment management support method. Further having a reception process for accepting an input for deciding whether or not to accept the assortment recommended in the assortment recommendation information.
The assortment management support method according to claim 1. It further has a recommendation process to generate the assortment recommendation information using the trained model generated by machine learning.
The assortment management support method according to claim 1 or 2. In the display process, the product assortment recommendation information is displayed in a mode different from that of the product that does not satisfy the determination condition for the product that satisfies the determination condition.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The determination condition includes a sales condition for a sales index relating to the sales of goods.
The assortment management support method according to claim 4. In the display process, the reason information regarding the reason why the assortment can be recommended according to the assortment recommended information is further displayed on the display unit.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In the display process, at least one of the number of SKUs and the number of items in the category included in the assortment recommended information is different for the reason that the assortment can be recommended according to the assortment recommended information.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. In the display process, the product lineup recommendation information is classified and displayed for each display space of the product to be proposed for the product lineup.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. In the display process, the product lineup recommendation information is classified and displayed according to the category of the product to be proposed for the product lineup.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 8. In the display process, the guideline information which is a guideline for the number of adopted products of the product lineup recommended in the product lineup recommended information is further displayed on the display unit.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. In the display process,
A first screen for displaying the assortment recommendation information for products that can be recommended to be excluded from the assortment at the target store, and
A second screen for displaying the assortment recommendation information for products that can be recommended to be added to the assortment at the target store is individually displayed.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. In the display process,
Among the products that can be recommended to be excluded from the product lineup at the target store, the product lineup recommendation information is not displayed for the products that have been designated for storage, and the product lineup for the products that have not been designated for storage. Display recommended information,
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 11. Further, it has an output process of displaying the product lineup adoption information generated based on the product lineup recommendation information on the display unit in a manner readable by an optical reader.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. In the display process, the timing of displaying the assortment recommended information differs depending on the category of the product for which the assortment is proposed.
The assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. A program for causing one or more processors to execute the assortment management support method according to any one of claims 1 to 14. It is an assortment management support system that proposes an assortment of products at the target store.
It is provided with a display control unit that displays on the display unit the product lineup recommendation information related to the product lineup that can be recommended for the target store.
The display control unit displays the assortment recommended information in a manner capable of specifying the difference between the assortment recommended information and the assortment actual information regarding the assortment actual results at the target store.
Assortment management support system.

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