Mercari Celebrates 100 Million Downloads and Announces Neymar Jr. as Brand Ambassador
Mercari has reached 100 million downloads (across the Japanese, U.S., and U.K. versions of the App Store and Google Play Store) worldwide, and to celebrate this major success, the company has signed a deal with athlete Neymar Jr., who, starting this Wednesday (the 20th), will serve as the brand’s ambassador. The goal of this partnership is to promote the app globally and accelerate its international expansion.
To celebrate these numbers, Mercari has also launched a promotion in which it will hold a drawing among participants for a Gaga Milano watch and two pairs of Nike Mercurial soccer cleats. The three lucky winners will be announced in January. To be eligible for these exclusive prizes, users must sign up (https://www.mercari.com/jp/promotion/201712_neymar/) and spend at least 1,000 yen (equivalent to nearly R$30.00). All proceeds from items sold during the promotion will be donated to the Neymar Jr. Project Institute.
Launched in Japan in July 2013, the buying and selling website became even more popular when, in 2014, it began to be featured in Japanese TV commercials. In February 2015, the app reached 10 million downloads and has been growing ever since.
The app was launched in the U.S. in September 2014 and reached 10 million downloads in June 2016, ranking third in the U.S. App Store’s free download chart. In June 2017, former Facebook vice president John Lagerling joined Mercari (currently serving as CEO for the U.S.), and under his leadership, the app continues to grow in the U.S., surpassing 30 million downloads in November 2017.
In March 2017, it launched in the United Kingdom, gained popularity within less than a year of its release, was selected as one of the country’s best apps on Google Play, and received the award for “New App with the Most Downloads.”
In response to evolving customer needs, the “Mercari Channel” feature was launched in July 2017, allowing users to buy and sell products via live video streaming. Subsequently, a real-time shopping service, “Mercari NOW,” was launched in November 2017. This feature allows users to turn their unwanted items into cash instantly.
As a result of initiatives such as those described above, the Mercari app has been downloaded more than 60 million times in Japan, and more than one million new items are listed on the platform every day. Among all Japanese consumers who are currently using at least one marketplace app, 94% use Mercari, making it the largest marketplace app in the country.
