WO2004077328A1

WO2004077328A1 - E-commerce system and method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2004077328A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/000677
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shin-Jong Yu
Original assignee: KOREA TENDER CO Ltd
Current assignee: KOREA TENDER CO Ltd
Priority date: 2003-02-27
Filing date: 2003-04-04
Publication date: 2004-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2005-08-27
Also published as: JP2006514368A; KR20030061702A; CN1525369A; KR100470534B1; AU2003214704A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an E-commerce system and method. The present invention comprises: (a) the step of a consumer registering and dealing with the suggested bid price, when the bid price is provided for a product from a consumer terminal through a network. (b) the step of selecting a bid price and bidding successfully wherein the bid is the lowest among bid prices stored for the above kinds of product, the step of bidding successfully selecting the closest bid price to the highest bid price for the above product among the selected bid prices. (c) the step of reporting a successful price to the consumers who suggested a bid price which is successfully bid. According to the present invention, a consumer is able to purchase the above product with a considerably lower price compared to the open market price. Accordingly, the E-commerce system can be greatly activated.

Description

E-COMMERCE SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an e-commerce system and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to an e-commerce system and method for providing transactions between buyers and sellers on the network.

(b) Description of the Related Art

As the Internet has become populated, electronic commerce for people all over the world through the same Internet medium has also been activated. Electronic commerce includes activities such as buyer marketing, advertising, delivery, services, production, transport, and purchase as well as various transactions that require money flow using electronic media, and electronic techniques and tools under both integrated and automated information structural environments covering BtoB (business to business), BtoC (business to customer), CtoC (customer to customer), and BtoG (business to government) formats. Electronic commerce enables transactions between buyers and sellers through various methods, and in detail, it includes: a method for a buyer to individually pay a price and buy a desired product; an auction for allowing many unidentified persons to participate in a purchase process and granting a specific person among them the right to purchase a desired product (in particular, the specific person who has proposed the highest price is chosen to buy the product), instead of allowing individual persons to buy products; and a lottery method for allowing many unidentified persons to participate in a purchase process, prohibiting the buyers' free selection of desired products (in this instance, the buyers are not allowed to select desired products, differing from the auction), and allowing the buyers to be chosen according to a probabilistic method.

In the case of executing a transaction through the auction, since only the specific buyer who has offered the highest price is chosen to be a successful bidder who can buy the corresponding product, it is not easy for buyers to make a purchase at a cheaper price. Therefore, participation on the auction lowers, and e-commerce through auctions is not activated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an advantage of the present invention to allow buyers to make purchases at lower prices to activate electronic commerce through auctions on the network.

It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a separate transaction to buyers who put in bids but whose bids were finally unsuccessful to further activate electronic commerce. In one aspect of the present invention, an electronic commerce system connected to a plurality of buyer terminals through a network comprises: a product database for storing product information including the highest bidding price for each product code; a bid database for storing bid information including a bidding price, a number of bids at the bidding price, and buyer information on who offered the bid, for each product code; a bid register for receiving a bidding price on a specific product from a buyer terminal, and storing the bidding price in the bid database to thus execute a bid registration process; and a successful bid processor for selecting bidding prices with the minimum number of bids from among a plurality of bidding prices stored in the bid database for each product, and selecting a bidding price that is closest to the highest bidding price of the product from among the selected bidding prices.

The successful bid processor selects the buyer who offered the bid the earliest when at least two buyers have suggested the bidding price which is the closest to the highest bidding price. The bid register provides a bid opportunity to the buyer who has bought a coupon, and subtracts 1 from a number of the coupons when the bid registration process is performed; and the electronic commerce system further comprises a buyer database for storing coupon information including a number of coupons bought by the buyer, a number of coupons used, and a number of available coupons for each buyer.

The coupon is available during a validation date, and the coupon is converted to a reserve that can be used for buying a product when the validation date expires.

The electronic commerce system further comprises: a failed bid database for storing information on the buyers who have expressed an intention to buy the bid products at a failed bid price when their bid is not successful from among the buyers who offered the bid; and a failed bid processor for registering buyers who have expressed an intention to buy the bid products at the failed bid price when their bid is not successful from among the buyers at the time of bid registration, and introducing the corresponding buyers to a failed bid sale based on the information stored in the failed bid database after a successful bid is finished.

In another aspect of the present invention, an electronic commerce method of a system connected to a plurality of buyer terminals through a network comprises:

(a) registering a bidding price offered by a buyer when the bidding price of a product is provided from a buyer terminal through the network;

(b) selecting bidding prices with the minimum number of bids from among a plurality of bidding prices for each product, and selecting a bidding price that is the closest to the highest bidding price of the product from among the selected bidding prices; and

(c) notifying the buyers who have offered the successful bidding price of a successful bid. The (b) comprises selecting the buyer who offered the bid the earliest when at least two buyers have suggested the bidding price which is the closest to the highest bidding price.

The (a) comprises providing a bid opportunity to the buyer who has bought a coupon, and subtracting 1 from a number of coupons when the bid registration process is performed.

The electronic commerce method further comprises:

(d) registering the buyers who have expressed an intention to buy the bid products at a failed bid price when their bid is not successful from among the buyers who offered the bid; and

(e) informing the buyers who are registered as those whose bid has failed of a message that the products are to be sold at the failed bid price after the successful bid is finished to thus perform a failed bid sale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention: FIG. 1 shows an electronic commerce system configuration according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a brief electronic commerce process according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a process for registering a bid in the electronic commerce system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows an exemplification of displaying a failed bid at the time of bid registration in the electronic commerce system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 shows a flowchart for a successful bid in the electronic commerce system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 shows an exemplification of a successful bid process in the electronic commerce system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, only the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by the inventor(s) of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.

FIG. 1 shows an electronic commerce system configuration according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic commerce system comprises a mediate system 2 connected through a network 1 including the PSTN (public switched telephone network), the Internet, wireless communication networks; a plurality of buyer terminals 3; a settlement system 4; and a delivery system

5.

The buyer terminal 3 is a communication device for accessing the mediate system 2 and executing transactions through the network 1 , and it may be one of a cable telephone, a mobile terminal, a computer, and an Internet-TV. Therefore, the buyer can conveniently and quickly access the mediate system 2 through PC communication, the Internet, the wireless Internet, and the PSTN. The mediate system 2 connected to the buyer terminal 3 through the network 1 to allow the buyer to bid for a specific product and make a purchase comprises an interface server 10 for access and information communication through the network 1 , a call center 20 for allowing a bid through the PSTN, a processing server 30 for processing transactions through an auction on the basis of various types of information transmitted through the interface server 10 and the call center 20, a atabase server 40 for storing a plurality of categories of information, and a mail server 50.

The interface server 10 controls buyer terminals 3 to access through the network 1 including the Internet and the wireless Internet, converts the various types of information provided through the processing server 30 into data desired by a communication rule, and provides them to the buyer terminals 3; or receives information transmitted from the terminals 3 through the network 1 and provides the same to the buyer terminals 3; and it comprises a database linker (e.g., a CGI) for information communication with a web server or another system. The mail server 50 transmits/receives email

(electronic mail) to/from the respective buyer terminals 3 through the network 1 .

The call center 20 allows the buyers to access the mediate system 2 through the network 1 including wire and wireless telephone networks, and comprises an ARS (automatic response system) for automatically providing voice information to the buyers who access through an exchange and the PSTN so that they may offer a bid, and a controller for connecting a buyer terminal to a consultant's device so that the buyer may submit a bid through the consultant.

The database server 40 comprises a product database 41 , a seller database 42, a bid database 43, a successful bid database 44, an unsuccessful bid database 45, a failed bid database 46, a settlement database 47, and a buyer database 48. The product database 41 stores information on all the types of products that can be transacted through the mediate system 2, including a sellable amount, a product feature, seller information, a bid period, and delivery information (e.g., a delivery system information and a delivery fee) in addition to a product name, a product regular price, a highest bidding price, and a lowest bidding price corresponding to a product code assigned to the product. The above-noted products can be classified and stored according to categories, and each category can be divided to a plurality of stages.

In the preferred embodiment, the highest bidding price of a product is a market price, and it is set to be much less than the retail price that is a regular price, and for example, the price matched with 10% of the regular price is set as the highest bidding price, and the price matched with 0% of the regular price is set as the lowest bidding price, and hence, the buyer can make a purchase at a very much lower price than the retail price.

The seller database 42 stores information on the sellers (service providers and individuals) that desire to sell products to the buyers, including a seller name, a contact point, and product information (e.g., a product code and a category) handled by the seller.

The bid database 43 stores bid information of buyers who have offered bids through various networks 1 , including bidding prices provided by the buyers corresponding to product codes of the respective products, a number of bids showing a number of the buyers who have offered the bids for each bidding price, and buyer IDs (IDs or residential registration numbers). The information further includes a bid time, a bid date, a buyer's settlement information (e.g., a credit card number and a bank account number) respectively matched with the buyer ID, and a number of bids offered by the buyer on the corresponding product, and a contact point.

The successful bid database 44 stores successful bid information on the successful bid buyers from among a plurality of buyers, including a name of a buyer who has his bid accepted, a contract price, a delivery place, and a delivery date respectively matched with the product code.

The unsuccessful bid database 45 stores information on the buyers who have not had their bid accepted, including a total price amount of coupons paid by the buyer while participating in the bid, and a bid product ID code respectively matched with the buyer ID. Buying trends of the buyers can be analyzed, and the buyers can also be compensated for participation in the bid based on the unsuccessful bid information.

The failed bid database 46 stores information on the bid-failed buyers who have expressed an intention to make the corresponding purchase with a price established by the system (referred to as a bid-failed price hereinafter) when no buyers have their bid accepted, including a bid- failed price on the product to which a bid is offered, and an ID of a bid-failed buyer. The settlement database 47 stores settlement information including a settlement price (e.g., a product purchase cost when the bid is successful or failed), a settlement day, a settlement state, and a settlement method for each buyer.

The buyer database 48 stores information on the buyers who are able to transact through the mediate system 2, including a login ID, a password, an email address, a contact point, and settlement information respectively matched with the buyer ID. Accordingly, the buyers can offer a bid without additionally inputting the buyer information by automatically processing the settlement on the basis of the stored information The buyer database 48 further stores coupon information for each buyer. In this instance, the coupon represents a fee to be prepaid in order to participate in a bid. For example, when the buyer pays 4000 Won, a single coupon is given to the buyer to participate in the bid once. In the preferred embodiment, the buyer buys a coupon in order to participate in the bid, and the buyer database 48 stores coupon information on a number of coupons bought by the buyer, a number of coupons used, and a number of coupons available for each buyer, and further stores a reserve.

The coupon is assigned a validation date (a first validation date), and the coupons with expired validation dates are converted into a reserve. In this instance, it is desirable to convert the coupons into the reserve only in the case of the coupons bought by a credit card excluding the case of buying the coupon using the reserve. The reserve can be assigned a validation date (a second validation date), and the reserves can be used as settlement means when the buyer buys coupons.

Further, when the buyer requests a refund within 30 days from the coupon buying date, he can get the refund, and the refunding process includes settlement cancellation and conversion into a reserve.

The processing server 30 for processing bids and failed bids based on the information stored in the database server 40 comprises a user authenticator 31 , a bid register 32, a successful bid processor 33, a failed bid processor 34, a settlement processor 35, and a usage guide 36.

The user authenticator 31 processes membership registration and authentication of a plurality of buyers. The bid register 32 processes to allow buyers with/without membership to bid for specific products through the network 1. In detail, the bid register 32 provides information on the various products stored in the product database 41 , and stores bid information on the buyers who offer a bid for each specific product in the bid database 43, thereby performing a bid registration process. The successful bid processor 33 selects a buyer who has his bid accepted for each product based on the bid information. That is, the successful bid processor 33 selects a contract price with the minimum number of bids for each bidding price of the product, and selects a buyer who suggested the closest bidding price to the highest bidding price from among the selected bidding prices. When the buyers who are selected as described above are plural, the buyer who has the earliest bid time is selected as a successful bid buyer.

The failed bid processor 34 introduces bid-failed products to respective buyers based on the buyers' bid information stored in the bid database 43 after the bid is executed, and stores information in the failed bid database 46 on the buyers who have expressed an intention to buy the product at the bid-failed price established by the system when the buyer's bid is not accepted. The settlement processor 35 settles a product cost based on the coupon and the successful bidding price by cooperating with the settlement system 4 based on the buyer's settlement information, and stores a settlement result in the settlement database 47.

The usage guide 36 informs the buyer of an expiring state of a validation date of a coupon or a reserve so that the buyer may use them within the validation date. In detail, the usage guide 36 sends a message on the validation date's expiration state of a coupon or a reserve to the buyer's mail address based on the buyer's coupon information stored in the buyer database 48 a few days before the first or second validation date expires so that the buyer may use the coupon or the reserve within the validation date.

In the preferred embodiment, respective components of the processing server 30 are illustrated to operate in the processing server 30, but without being restricted to this, the components can be realized as individual servers to process corresponding functions, and the databases 41 through 48 are not restricted to the above-noted classification.

The mediate system 2 can process settlement and delivery through an additional settlement system or a delivery system, and can also process the same by installing a settlement system or a delivery system in the mediate system 2.

An electronic commerce method based on the above-configured system will now be described.

FIG. 2 shows a brief transaction process according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, information on the bid products is provided to many anonymous buyers before bidding through broadcast media (e.g., public broadcast, cable broadcast, similar wire broadcast, or digital satellite broadcast), through print media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, and handbills), or through a network on the web. As shown in FIG. 2, the buyers receiving product information buy a coupon for entering a bid, and offer a bid for a desired product. When the bid is finished, the system selects a bidding price with the minimum number of bids from among the bidding prices for each product, selects a buyer who suggested the bidding price that is the closest to the highest bidding price from among the selected bidding prices, and selects the buyer with the earliest bid time from among the selected buyers, and accordingly, a successful bid is made.

The buyers who bought the coupons can participate in a special sale event (e.g., bid failed products) as well as the bids. The coupons that provide bid opportunities are automatically converted to a reserve when a validation date (e.g., six months) has expired, and the reserve can be used for an additional purchase event or buying coupons. A process for offering a bid and awarding the same will now be described in detail.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a process for registering a bid in the electronic commerce system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, available products are secured, buying trends are examined based on the sold product information, and bid products are selected by considering the buying trends and market situations. A product code, a market price (which is market price information on the product and which can be established a little lower than the retail price), and the highest bidding price (e.g., 10% of the product price) are allotted and stored in the product database 41 .

When the products for bid are selected, information on the products is provided to many buyers through various paths as described above.

The buyers receiving the product information access the mediate system 2 through the various paths to offer a bid as shown in FIG. 3.

In detail, when a buyer drives a network access program (e.g., a web browser) at the terminal 3, and inputs a URL (uniform resource locator) for accessing the mediate system 2, the URL information is converted by the HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) on the web browser, packetized, and transferred to the mediate system 2 through the network 1 .

Accordingly, the interface server 10 of the mediate system 2 transfers a web page corresponding to the URL information to the buyer terminal 3, and the transferred web page is converted to a window format to be displayed on the web browser. Hence, the buyer checks through various types of information on a web page displayed on the buyer terminal 3, provided by the mediate system 2 in step S100.

When the interface server 10 of the mediate system 2 provides a membership authentication screen to the buyer terminal 3, and receives a buyer ID and a password from the buyer terminal 3, the user authenticator

31 of the processing server 4 performs membership authentication depending on whether the transferred buyer ID and the password are stored in the buyer database 48 in step S1 10. The above-described authentication process is selectively executed. After this, the bid register 32 provides information on the bid products for respective categories to the authenticated buyers and the buyers who are not members and are not authenticated, and when the buyer selects a predetermined product, the bid register 32 connects the buyer terminal 3 to a page that displays information on the selected product so that the buyer may check information on the bid product in step S120, and concurrently provides the product code, the highest bidding price, and the lowest bidding price for each product so that the buyer may fix an appropriate bidding price.

When the buyer selects a specific product and inputs a corresponding bidding price, the bid register 32 determines whether the buyer has a coupon for participating in the bid in steps S130 and S140. In detail, the bid register 32 searches the buyer database 48 to check a number of coupons possessed by the buyer, and when the buyer has no coupons, the bid register 32 notifies the buyer terminal 3 of a message that the buyer is not allowed to participate in the bid, and guides a coupon purchase in step S150. When the buyer buys a coupon in the like manner of general electronic commerce, the bid register 32 assigns bid rights to the buyer.

When the buyer acquires the coupon in the previous step S140, the bid register 32 subtracts 1 from the number of coupons held by the buyer in step S160, and provides the buyer with bid information (a bidding price) on the product selected by the buyer so as to check whether the bid information is correctly input in step S170. FIG. 4 shows an exemplified page that allows the buyer to check bid information. As shown in FIG. 4, the bid register 32 provides bid information including a product code, a product name, a settlement price when the bid is accepted, a settlement method, and a delivery address of the product bid for by the buyer so that the buyer may check the same, and when the buyer presses a check button, the bid register 32 stores the bid information in the bid database 43 and registers it.

In this instance, when the buyer presses the check button, the failed bid processor 34 executes a product guide for the buyers who have their bid denied, as shown in FIG. 4. That is, when the bid of the product is not successful, the failed bid processor 34 informs the buyer of a message that the product will be sold at a failed bidding price (a discount price of the market price) in step S180, and when the failed bid processor 34 shows a guide for asking whether to buy the product and the buyer selects the same, the failed bid processor 34 stores the buyer information in the failed bid database 46, and registers the buyer as a person who has bought the product at the failed bidding price. Next, the bid register 32 stores the buyer's bid information in the bid database 43 to thus perform a bid registration process in step S190 through S210.

When the buyer requests no participation in the failed bid sale, the bid register 32 directly performs the bid registration process.

When the buyer is found to be bid-available in the bid registration process, the settlement processor 35 requests settlement information for settling a subsequent successful bid, such as a credit card number if the buyer selects a credit card settlement as a settlement method, and receives the same from the buyer, and then provides settlement information to the settlement system 4 to request a usage approval. Differing from this, the settlement processor 35 can execute a settlement process by receiving settlement information from the buyer after the bid is successful in the successful bid process to be described below. In this instance, the settlement processor 35 performs the bid registration process only when the buyer has previously bought a coupon, and differing from this, the settlement processor 35 can settle the coupon after the bid registration, when the settlement information is available after receiving the settlement information.

As described above, the buyer can offer a bid through the Internet or the telephone network.

The bid process through the telephone network is executed in the identical manner of the above description, and in addition, the call center 20 receives bid information from the buyer terminal 3 and provides it to the processing server 30 to execute the bid registration. Since the bid registration through the telephone network can be easily known by a skilled person, no further description will be provided. The bidding prices suggested by the buyers through various bid paths are not open to the public.

Next, the mediate system 2 performs bid processing based on the bid information.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart for a successful bid in the electronic commerce system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the successful bid processor 33 checks whether the bid period has expired, and performs successful bid processing based on the bid information stored in the bid database 43 when the bid period has expired in step S300.

The bidding price with the minimum number of bids from among the bidding prices suggested by the buyers and stored in the bid database 43 corresponding to the product code is selected. That is, the bidding price with the minimum number of buyers who offered the bid is selected, and the buyer who has suggested the bidding price that is the closest to the highest bidding price of the corresponding product from among the selected bidding prices is bid for in steps S310 and S320. In this instance, when the number of buyers is at least two, bid times of the buyers are compared, and the buyer who has the earliest bid time is selected as a person whose bid is successful in step S330. FIG. 6 shows an exemplified successful bid. For example, assuming that a plurality of buyers has suggested a plurality of bidding prices as shown in FIG. 6 when the highest bidding price of a product is 169,800 Won, the bidding prices with the minimum number of bids from among the many bidding prices are 169,300 and 168,800 Won, that is, they are two. The price of 169,300 Won that is the closest to the highest bidding price from among the two is selected, and a bid right is given to the buyer who has suggested the price of 169,300 Won. In this instance, when the buyers who have suggested the price of 169,300 Won are at least two, the bid right is given to the buyer who offered the bid the earliest.

When the successful bid buyers are selected for the respective products, the successful bid processor 33 notifies the corresponding buyer terminal 3 of a successful bid through the mail server 50 in step S340, and in addition, through off-line means, such as by telephone or mail, and through broadcast media.

The buyer notified of the successful bid provides the final purchase intention to the mediate system 2, and when the buyer desires to buy the successful bid product, the settlement processor 35 provides the price corresponding to the bidding price offered by the buyer and settlement information to the settlement system 4 to request a settlement in steps S350 through S370. When the settlement by the settlement system 4 is performed in step S380, the settlement processor stores a settlement price, a settlement day, and a settlement number in the settlement database 47, finds information on the delivery system for delivering the corresponding product from the product database 41 , and provides information on a product code to be delivered, a delivery address, and a delivery date to the corresponding delivery system 5 to request a delivery and so that the corresponding product may be delivered to the successful bid buyer in steps S390 and S400. In this instance, the delivery system 5 includes a supply service provider for supplying products, and a delivery service provider for receiving the products from the supply service provider and only delivering them.

When the buyer resigns the purchase even though his bid was successful in the previous step S360, the successful bid processor 33 cancels the successful bid of the current buyer, and selects a second ranking buyer in step S410. That is, a single bidding price is selected from among the bidding prices offered by other buyers except the above-noted bid successful buyer, and a settlement process on the successful bid buyer is executed.

Accordingly, the buyer can make a purchase at the lowest price matched with 10% of the market price.

When the failed bid processor 34 provides failed bid information, that is, information of selling the bid products at a predetermined discount price to the buyers who are registered to have an intention to participate in the failed bid sale, and the buyer desires to make the purchase, the settlement processor 35 settles the product at the discount price, and delivers the product to the buyer through the delivery system 5.

According to the electronic commerce, buying patterns by the buyers can be obtained by checking the features of the products bid for by the buyers, and buying intention can be generated by providing corresponding product information to the buyers based on the buying patterns or bid participation possibility can be increased by selecting products that can be bid for by the buyers.

Also, a credit card is used as a settlement method for the successful bid in the preferred embodiment, but without being restricted to the credit card settlement, various settlement methods including automatic transfer between banks, deposit without using a bankbook, and electronic money settlement selected by the buyer can be used.

According to the present invention, since the bidding method is not open to the public, it is differentiated from the general auction that increases a purchase price as time passes, and the buyer's burden at the time of participating in the bid is reduced.

Further, since the buyer who has top priority with respect to time from among other buyers who have offered the bidding price not with the highest price but when the minimum number of bids is successfully bid, the buyer can participate in the bid at a price below the highest price, and accordingly, the buyer can select a wider price range.

Also, since the buyer can make a purchase at a price. very much lower than the retail price, as the method according to the present invention provides a predetermined amount of the coupons which are bid entry fees provided by the bid participants to the bid target products as subsidy, more buyers can participate in the bid, thereby activating electronic commerce.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1 . An electronic commerce system connected to a plurality of buyer terminals through a network, comprising: a product database for storing product information including the highest bidding price for each product code; a bid database for storing bid information including a bidding price, a number of bids on the bidding price, and buyer information on who offered the bid, for each product code; a bid register for receiving a bidding price on a specific product from the buyer terminal, and storing the bidding price in the bid database to thus execute a bid registration process; and a successful bid processor for selecting bidding prices with the minimum number of bids from among a plurality of bidding prices stored in the bid database for each product, and selecting a bidding price that is the closest to the highest bidding price of the product from among the selected bidding prices.

2. The electronic commerce system of claim 1 , wherein the successful bid processor selects the buyer who offered the bid the earliest when at least two buyers have suggested the bidding price which is the closest to the highest bidding price.

3. The electronic commerce system of claim 1 , wherein the bid register provides a bid opportunity to the buyer who has bought a coupon, and subtracts 1 from a number of the coupons when the bid registration process is performed, and the electronic commerce system further comprises a buyer database for storing coupon information including a number of coupons bought by the buyer, a number of coupons used, and a number of available coupons for each buyer.

4. The electronic commerce system of claim 3, wherein the coupon is available during a validation date, and the coupon is converted to a reserve that can be used for buying a product when the validation date expires.

5. The electronic commerce system of claim 1 , further comprising: a failed bid database for storing information on the buyers who have expressed an intention to buy the bid products at a failed bid price when their bid is not successful from among the buyers who offered the bid; and a failed bid processor for registering buyers who have expressed an intention to buy the bid products at the failed bid price when their bid is not successful from among the buyers at the time of bid registration, and introducing the corresponding buyers to a failed bid sale based on the information stored in the failed bid database after a successful bid is finished.

6. An electronic commerce method of a system connected to a plurality of buyer terminals through a network, comprising: (a) registering a bidding price offered by a buyer when the bidding price on a product is provided from a buyer terminal through the network;

(c) notifying the buyers who have offered the successful bidding price of a successful bid.

7. The electronic commerce method of claim 6, wherein (b) comprises selecting the buyer who offered the bid the earliest when at least two buyers have suggested the bidding price which is the closest to the highest bidding price.

8. The electronic commerce method of claim 6, wherein (a) comprises providing a bid opportunity to the buyer who has bought a coupon, and subtracting 1 from a number of the coupons when the bid registration process is performed.

9. The electronic commerce method of claim 6, further comprising:

(e) informing the buyers who are registered as those whose bid has failed of a message that the products are sold at the failed bid price after the successful bid is finished to thus perform a failed bid sale.

10. The electronic commerce method of claim 6, wherein the bidding price is not open to the public.