Sales Planning System for Agriculture Products in E-Commerce

In recent years, the direct sale of agricultural products has increased significantlyin Japan. With direct selling, farm-erscan achieve higher profits and consumers can purchase fresh agricultural products at lower prices. Compared to traditional farm stands and roadside markets, e-commerce has experienced significant growth owing to advance-ments in Internet technology, widespread smartphone use, and changes in customer lifestyle preferences.Generally, most consumers make purchasing decisions based on their own experiences and preferences regarding agricultural product conditions when checking prices. In particular, large differences exist in the evaluation of conditions of fruits with rapid changes in freshness, such as strawberries and peaches. Strawberry and peach farmers who lack experience in understanding the evaluation of customers regarding the condition of agricultural products may struggle to earn sufficient profits through sales planning. Significant opportunity losses and disposal costs make it challenging to suc-ceed in e-commerce. This study aimed to assist farmers with limited experience in e-commerce to reduce opportunity losses and improve sales. To achieve this, a sales planning support system isdesigned for e-commerce sales of peach-es, whichconsiders consumer evaluations of appearance and expected pricing. Its effectiveness isverified through numerical experiments.