Mercari Expands with First U.S. Store and New Japan Partnership
Aug/08/2024
Mercari is stepping into the offline retail space by launching its first brick-and-mortar store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, the company announced Thursday. This new venture, dubbed Mercari on Melrose, features areas for resellers to list items, spaces for DIY classes and events, and zones for pop-up shop partners. Simultaneously, Mercari introduced "Mercari x Japan," which allows U.S. customers access to the vast inventory from its Japanese marketplace. This move builds on the company’s past experiment with physical retail, following a successful pop-up shop in San Francisco in late 2021. CEO John Lagerling emphasized the store’s aim to bring the digital Mercari experience to life, offering a unique, engaging resale and community environment. Reflecting trends seen in direct-to-consumer brands, Mercari recognizes the strategic value of physical locations for marketing and sales. This initiative follows recent e-commerce adjustments, such as eliminating selling fees and introducing a new return policy, designed to attract more sellers and buyers. Additionally, the stronger U.S. dollar now makes Japanese products more affordable, further enhancing the appeal of the new cross-market offering. Established in Japan in 2013 and expanding to the U.S. in 2014, Mercari continues to innovate in both physical and digital domains. Below is a tag cloud showing all Mercari trademarks registered in the U.S.
