This application is a National Stage Entry of PCT/JP2017/029880 filed on Aug. 22, 2017, which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application 2016-162594 filed on Aug. 23, 2016, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a delivery assistance device, a customer terminal, an item sales system, a delivery assistance method, a display control method, and a recording medium.

BACKGROUND ART

There are an increasing number of customers doing online shopping to purchase an item through the Internet. Further, an item sales method called a mobile supermarket using a mobile sales vehicle has been proposed (NPL 1).

As a technology of combining the above, a technology of ordering, through a network, an item being sold by a mobile sales vehicle and purchasing the ordered item at a mobile sales vehicle is disclosed (PTL 1 and PTL 2).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-221984

Non Patent Literature

NPL 1: “Mobile Supermarket Tokushimaru,” [online], [retrieved on Jul. 13, 2016], retrieved from the Internet: <http://www.tokushimaru.jp/>

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

Item purchase by online shopping takes at least several hours from ordering of an item to delivery to the purchaser, and therefore it takes a long time for actual delivery after ordering. However, in the case of item purchase by online shopping, for example, there is a benefit that a customer staying indoors can receive an item without going outdoors. Accordingly, shortening of the time required for delivery is sought in purchase of an item by online shopping.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology enabling shortening of the time required for delivery in purchase of an item by online shopping.

Solution to Problem

A delivery assistance device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

management means for managing stock information about stock of an item held by each of a plurality of traveling vehicles;

first reception means for receiving, from each of the plurality of traveling vehicles, current position information indicating a current position of the traveling vehicle;

first transmission means for transmitting the stock information to a customer terminal;

second reception means for receiving, from the customer terminal, order information including information about an item ordered based on the stock information and delivery address information indicating a delivery address of the item;

specification means for specifying a traveling vehicle arriving earliest at the delivery address out of one or more of the traveling vehicles holding the ordered item, based on the current position of the traveling vehicle indicated by the current position information and the position of the delivery address indicated by the delivery address information; and

second transmission means for transmitting the order information to the specified traveling vehicle, wherein

the management means updates the stock information about stock of an item held by the specified traveling vehicle, based on the order information.

A customer terminal according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

transmission means for transmitting, to a delivery assistance device managing stock information about stock of an item held by each of a plurality of traveling vehicles, order information including information about an item ordered based on the stock information transmitted from the delivery assistance device and delivery address information indicating a delivery address of an item;

reception means for receiving an estimated arrival time at which a traveling vehicle arrives at the delivery address, the traveling vehicle being specified arriving earliest at the delivery address out of one or more of the traveling vehicles holding the ordered item based on a current position of the traveling vehicle and a position of the delivery address indicated by the delivery address information; and

display control means for causing a display device to display the estimated arrival time.

An item sales system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

a delivery assistance device;

an on-board device being loaded on each of a plurality of traveling vehicles and transmitting current position information indicating a current position of each of the plurality of traveling vehicles to the delivery assistance device; and

one or more customer terminals, wherein

the delivery assistance device includes:management means for managing stock information about stock of an item held by each of the plurality of traveling vehicles;first reception means for receiving the current position information;first transmission means for transmitting the stock information to a customer terminal;second reception means for receiving, from the customer terminal, order information including information about an item ordered based on the stock information and delivery address information indicating a delivery address of the item;specification means for specifying a traveling vehicle arriving earliest at the delivery address out of one or more of the traveling vehicles holding the ordered item, based on a current position of the traveling vehicle indicated by the current position information and a position of the delivery address indicated by the delivery address information; andsecond transmission means for transmitting the order information to an on-board device loaded on the specified traveling vehicle, wherein

the management means updates the stock information about stock of an item held by the specified traveling vehicle, based on the order information.

A delivery assistance method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

managing stock information about stock of an item held by each of a plurality of traveling vehicles;

receiving, from each of the plurality of traveling vehicles, current position information indicating a current position of the traveling vehicle;

transmitting the stock information to a customer terminal;

receiving, from the customer terminal, order information including information about an item ordered based on the stock information;

receiving delivery address information indicating a delivery address of the item from the customer terminal;

specifying a traveling vehicle arriving earliest at the delivery address out of one or more of the traveling vehicles holding the ordered item, based on a current position of the traveling vehicle indicated by the current position information and a position of the delivery address indicated by the delivery address information;

transmitting the order information to the specified traveling vehicle; and

updating the stock information about stock of an item held by the specified traveling vehicle, based on the order information.

A display control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

receiving stock information from a delivery assistance device managing the stock information about stock of an item held by each of a plurality of traveling vehicles;

transmitting, to the delivery assistance device, order information including information about an item ordered based on the stock information and delivery address information indicating a delivery address of the item;

receiving an estimated arrival time at which a traveling vehicle arrives at the delivery address, the traveling vehicle being specified arriving earliest at the delivery address out of one or more of the traveling vehicles holding the ordered item based on a current position of the traveling vehicle and a position of the delivery address indicated by the delivery address information; and

causing a display device to display the estimated arrival time.

A delivery assistance method in an item sales system including a delivery assistance device, an on-board device loaded on each of a plurality of traveling vehicles, and one or more customer terminals, the delivery assistance method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:

managing, by the delivery assistance device, stock information about stock of an item held by each of the plurality of traveling vehicles;

transmitting, by the on-board device, current position information indicating a current position of a traveling vehicle loaded with the on-board device;

receiving, by the delivery assistance device, the current position information;

transmitting, by the delivery assistance device, the stock information to a customer terminal;

transmitting, by the customer terminal, to the delivery assistance device, order information including information about an item ordered based on the stock information received from the delivery assistance device and delivery address information indicating a delivery address of the item;

receiving, by the delivery assistance device, the order information and the delivery address information from the customer terminal;

specifying, by the delivery assistance device, a traveling vehicle arriving earliest at the delivery address out of one or more of the traveling vehicles holding the ordered item, based on a current position of the traveling vehicle indicated by the current position information and a position of the delivery address indicated by the delivery address information;

transmitting, by the delivery assistance device, the order information to an on-board device loaded on the specified traveling vehicle; and

updating, by the delivery assistance device, the stock information about stock held by the specified traveling vehicle, based on the order information.

A computer program implementing the delivery assistance devices, the customer terminal, the item sales system or the respective methods described above with a computer, and a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium storing the computer program are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present disclosure can shorten the time required for delivery in purchase of an item by online shopping.

