An exhibition event held by Mercari in Taiwan. In addition to displaying Japanese products that can be purchased on Mercari, we also set up booths where you could experience Japanese culture for each age group.
Mercari accelerates cross-border trading business in Taiwan. The Taiwanese version of Mercari, “Mei Lu Keli,” which was launched at the end of August, had over 50,000 subscribers in just one month. We will begin a full-scale expansion strategy to gain further recognition.
Although Taiwan is small with a population of approximately 23 million, it has the second largest transaction amount and number of transactions among the countries and regions where Mercari conducts cross-border transactions. As you walk through the streets of Taipei, you can see the huge potential it has as a market for Japanese products.
There are figurines and “purchase agency” shops in the underground mall…
A store in Taipei’s underground shopping mall that sells Japanese character products. It says that they are contracted to purchase Japanese products on their behalf.
Taipei Underground Mall, also known as “Taiwan’s Akihabara,” is an area lined with rows of stores selling character goods.
Although there are some locally popular character products, most of them are Japanese products, such as Pokemon, Chikawa, One Piece, and the VTuber group Hololive. There is a wide variety of products, including magazines, figures, CDs, and stuffed animals.
UFO catcher in Taipei underground shopping mall. The prize was “Chiikawa.”
There is also a facility in the underground mall where you can play games on the Nintendo Switch. It was popular even though it was a weekday afternoon.
Some of the stores where you can purchase Japanese anime character goods include:Some stores also undertake proxy purchases for purchases made on Japanese e-commerce sites.The sign in front of the store says, “Japan Main Site Purchasing Agent (purchasing agency from major Japanese sites)”.
According to Mercari, the products displayed at these stores are often obtained by the store owners through Japanese acquaintances or through cross-border e-commerce sites.
On SD export, a cross-border site run by Raccoon Commerce, a major e-commerce business for businesses, that sells Japanese products to overseas businesses, Taiwan accounts for the most transactions, accounting for just under 40%. According to the company, most of its purchases are from owners of independent stores.
A reuse shop called “Second Street” in Taipei. It entered Taiwan in 2020 and has created a reuse market. As of October 25, 2024, it has over 30 stores.
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Why Mercari Taiwan is strengthening cross-border operations
Announcing the partnership between Taiwan’s 7-Eleven and Mercari (from left) Mercari Cross Border Business Director Tasuku Ishikawa, Executive Officer General Manager Cross Border Toshiaki Sako, and Unified Super Business Group Cooperation Chairman Lin Chung-chang.
The cross-border e-commerce market is growing due to the popularity of Japanese content and trust in the quality of “Made in Japan” and “Used in Japan.” At BEENOS, which operates Buyee, a major cross-border e-commerce site that collaborates with major malls such as Yahoo! Auctions, Mercari, Rakuten, and ZOZOTOWN, the total transaction value of the global commerce business centered on Buyee has increased compared to the previous fiscal year.29.6%It has expanded. According to the financial results, growth was particularly noticeable in Taiwan and North America. ZenGroup, another cross-border e-commerce company that ships to 175 countries and regions, has seen its sales increase approximately 1.5 times in two years.
Mercari started cross-border business in 2019. Products listed on the Japanese version of Mercari can be purchased from overseas, and the aforementioned BEENOS and Zengroup are partner companies for payment and shipping. Mercari conducts cross-border transactions in 120 countries and regions, and according to Mercari, the transaction amount has increased 3.5 times over the past year.
“Taiwan has very clear marketing touchpoints, and there are many people who come to Japan, and a particularly high percentage of people who are interested in Japan. In terms of absolute sales, China is larger, but in terms of population, Taiwan is is larger.”
Toshiaki Sako, Executive Officer and General Manager Cross Border, talks about the potential of the Taiwanese market as follows. Among Mercari’s cross-border transactions, Taiwan is the region with the second largest amount and number of transactions after China.
Currently, 40% of the products traded on Mercari are in the “Entertainment/Hobby” category, such as character goods and trading cards. Japan-related products that are popular in Taiwan are also hobby-type products that meet the needs of Taiwanese consumers.
Considering these circumstances, Mercari decided to directly enter the Taiwanese market. The Taiwanese version of Mercari allows you to browse and purchase products on a website where the font and price are written in Taiwanese dollars. When making a purchase, you will be redirected to the purchase page of the traditional cross-border trading partner, and the actual transaction and delivery will still be carried out through the cross-border trading partner.
Regarding the in-house production of some parts in this way, Mr. Sako said:
“If you do it indirectly, you won’t know detailed information such as how customers act on the site and where they leave the site.If you deploy it on your own website, you can clearly see customer behavior. I can understand pain.”
and talk.
Screen image of the Taiwanese version of Mercari. It feels more like the Japanese version. The language is Traditional Chinese, and the price display defaults to Taiwan dollars.
Mercari is a purchasing site operated by a partner company in cross-border business.
Partnering with Seven to provide consumers with a sense of security
An advertisement for Mercari was displayed at the cash register of a 7-Eleven in Taipei.
In late October, as part of its measures to accelerate transaction volume, the company announced a partnership with Taiwanese 7-Eleven chain operator Unification Super Commerce. You will be able to pick up your purchased items at any of Seven’s more than 7,000 stores in Taiwan.
Mr. Tasuku Ishikawa, Head of Taiwan Business and Cross Border Business Director, said:
“In Taiwan, it is said that 70% of packages are picked up at convenience stores. This is due to many working parents and housing conditions that make it difficult to have packages delivered to the front door, so there is a strong culture of picking up packages yourself.”
and talk.
In addition to improving convenience in line with Taiwanese customs, by partnering with the well-known Seven, we aim to expand awareness of Mercari, which admits that it has a long way to go. In the future, the company will also work on creating new business through Unification Chosho.
“First of all, we will expand our user base through collaboration with 7-Eleven. Then, we will consider the necessity of the app and the listing function according to customer demand. I want to instill the value of recycling things in a way that will last for years to come.” (Mr. Ishikawa)
Interview cooperation: Mercari
Source: BusinessInsider
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