About
Using AI to achieve the future we aim for
Background
Since our service launch in 2013, we have focused on providing the Mercari marketplace app with a superior easy-to-use UI/UX through rapid product development.
We set up a team specialized in AI at Mercari in 2017. Beyond improving UI/UX, the team has helped provide functionality and mechanisms for enabling Mercari to be used safely and securely.
Go here for information on AI technology implemented at Mercari.
Going forward, we will use more of the vast amounts of data accumulated at Mercari in order to accelerate service development personalized for each customer.
Utilize AI to change billions of lives
We use AI at Mercari in order to achieve our mission to "create value in a global marketplace where anyone can buy and sell." The power of technology connects individuals across the world, and enables everyone to enjoy selling and buying things easily. To provide this service, we continue to provide AI for making each experience of buying and selling across the globe smoother, faster, and safer.
The next step towards a global circular economy
If there's an item that one person doesn't want anymore, the item can be reused by delivering it to someone else who needs it. We aspire to realize a circular economy in which resources are used for a long time, limited by the lifespan of things.
In order to deliver the large number of items listed on Mercari to the right people, we need to make it so that each listed item can be accurately recognized by AI, identify the customer that needs the item, and promptly provide them with this information. This means we need to construct an AI system that makes use of diverse technologies, such as advanced image recognition, natural language processing, and statistical analysis.
We are engaged in daily product development with the aim of contributing to the circular economy through AI.
Organization
We are a joint team made up of the four business organizations of JP Mercari, US Mercari, Merpay, and Souzoh. We constantly build industry-leading technology, and are engaged in testing and utilizing our AI system in multiple markets.
The AI team at Mercari is made up of AI professionals united through one of our core values: "Be a Pro." At the same time, the team supports personal growth. We support further growth for each team member through training and our mentoring program.
Message from CEO
How many items do we have around us that have completely served their function after we put them to full use? I believe that an item having served their function for one person hasn't lost the value it was made for.
Looking at the society we live in, the standard way of living is to buy things, throw them away, buy them again, and throw them away again. But I feel we can’t keep doing this much longer. Instead, we would keep using one item for as long as possible. Consider buying second-hand instead of brand-new. Pass on items you don't need to someone else. Changing awareness and behavior one person at-a-time leads to less of environmental footprint. Less environmental footprint also means longer life for the planet we live on. I believe we should make the most of technology to lead our lives on the Earth.
Mercari is special in being a market of second-hand items. We have diverse data sets: item information including descriptions, photographs, and prices for items, what interest there is in these items, and how these items are sold. This data lets us get at the inherent value of things. After forming the AI team in 2017, we have gone on to use this vast amount of data to make matching between buyers and sellers faster and more efficient using our AI system.
We will continue to evolve our products with the latest AI techniques, and aim to contribute to the circular economy through technology.
Shintaro Yamada Director, Representative Executive Officer and CEO