Mercari, Inc.

In response to user feedback, Mercari released our game-changing AI Listing Support feature last September, which dramatically enhanced user experience and simplified the item listing process to as little as three taps. The feature leverages AI technology to automatically fill in listing information based on an item's photos and category—but the road to release wasn't easy. Learn from project manager Ayaka Okubo (大久保 綾華) and machine learning engineer Andre R. about the pain points this feature addresses, how they worked to seamlessly integrate it into the user experience, and what they have planned for AI Listing Support and other AI features in the future. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/e-CA43dr 日本語記事はこちら：https://lnkd.in/e8xwdwEJ #mercari #AI #LLM #userexperience #sellerexperience

The AI/LLM Team at Mercari is focused on “building” and “enabling”—building features that leverage AI to provide new value and an improved user experience, and enabling the organization to function more efficiently and productively through automating and improving work processes. We talk to team leaders Max Frenzel, Ph.D. and Ryan Ginstrom to learn about the impressive results the team has achieved through close collaboration with feature and product development teams, and their plans to continue pioneering both research and practical application of the latest technology to create tangible value for society. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/e2DcH6De 日本語記事はこちら：https://lnkd.in/eu5-cgAB #mercari #AI #LLM #UX

Mercari has long been an enthusiastic adopter of AI, but today the explosion in popularity of generative AI technology has made the once-specialized tool accessible to all. As AI is used in more ways by more people, it’s increasingly important to establish AI governance to address risks, prevent incidents, and help maximize the technology's potential. In this Mercan article, we spoke to Yuka Ochiai of the New Reg, Tech & Regions Team and Tomomi Matsuhashi of the Public Policy Team about their initiatives to improve AI literacy throughout the company and promote the concept of “responsible AI.” Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/dgmj-6w5 日本語記事はこちら：https://lnkd.in/dCUAwmNB #mercari #AI #LLM #governance

In January, we welcomed the head coach and players from Mercari Group company Kashima Antlers to our Tokyo office. As part of the soccer club's annual pre-season visit to partner businesses, members of the club, employees of Mercari, and family members enjoyed both formal and friendly activities together, with a greeting message from head coach Toru Oniki and time for photos, autographs, handshakes, and chatter. It was an exciting experience for adults and children alike! #mercari #kashimaantlers Photographs ©KASHIMA ANTLERS

How do you encourage employees to actively try AI/LLM technologies while maintaining information security? Mercari’s Eliza Team, in charge of implementing LLMs to maximize business impact and improve productivity, has released Ellie, an internal tool to do just that. Ellie is a platform that offers members a secure environment to interact with an AI chatbot of a model of their choice, and it is used by nearly 1,600 Mercari employees on a monthly basis. In a new article on Mercan, we talk to Sho Akiyama, Yuki Yada, and Tzuan Huang about what led the team to develop Ellie, the challenges they are tackling, and where they hope to take the tool next. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/dYKBdkPi 日本語記事はこちら：https://lnkd.in/dXdAyvY6 #mercari #AI #LLM

In the year that has passed since the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, Mercari Donation has gathered approximately 149 million yen from users throughout Japan in support of the disaster-affected areas. Local organizations carrying out collection and disposal of unneeded items from affected households have leveraged Mercari Shops to sell items that are still usable, contributing to reuse and the reduction of disaster waste. Mercari is dedicated to quick action, collaboration, and the creation of a circular economy, and moving forward we will continue working to help solve social and environmental issues through our platforms. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e6fBpg69 日本語記事はこちら：https://lnkd.in/eD6Spy44 #mercari #disasterrelief #mercaridonation #mercarishops

Want to get some tips and tricks on software, read up on a programming language you’re interested in, or dive into a new domain altogether? Mercari’s office has shelves full of books (both Japanese and English!) covering everything from coding to finance, business, and even some of our members’ favorite manga. You may even find books self-published by our very own engineers! #mercari #continuouslearning #learningsupport

Every year, Mercari has the privilege of participating in the IIT career fair, where we connect with some of the brightest and most talented minds. Last December, we had the pleasure of returning to IIT Kharagpur, a campus renowned for its exceptional talent and innovative spirit. The enthusiasm and potential we witnessed through engaging with the ideas, aspirations, and energy of the students there reaffirmed why this event remains one of the highlights of our recruitment calendar. At Mercari, we’re committed to fostering growth and innovation, and we believe that welcoming the fresh minds of new graduates is instrumental to that vision. Here's a quick recap of the IIT career fair! #mercari #mercaricareers #careerfair #campusrecruitment #IITKharagpur

🎁 Merci Box Stories 🎁 Vol. 5 Taking time off to care for loved ones is as important as taking care of yourself. Mercari grants paid time off not only for sick days, but for caregiving and child nursing to take care of family members that need assistance. In the final post in our Merci Box Stories series, we talk to QA engineer Sachio Konno about how he uses caregiving leave to tend to his son. “When I first joined Mercari in April 2016, I was mainly in charge of QA for the Mercari US marketplace app. In 2023, I transferred to Merpay, where I now work as a QA engineer for our credit and debt settlement systems. My son, who’s now 16, has a grade 1 disability and requires constant medical assistance. Between appointments at my son’s regular hospital once or twice a month, unexpected visits to the emergency room, and trips to other hospitals in Tokyo for a second opinion, annual paid leave and sick leave alone aren’t enough to cover all of our needs. Thanks to Merci Box’s caregiving leave, I can take additional days off, which puts both my and my family’s minds at ease. Mercari also allows this leave to be taken in half-day increments, which is extremely helpful because many of these hospital visits don’t take an entire day—I can take my son to the hospital in the morning and log onto work when I get home in the afternoon, letting me save the other half-day for another time. At my previous job, I was constantly visiting clients, which made it hard to take time off. When I joined Mercari and heard about this benefit, my first thought was how difficult it would be to actually use, but once I applied and started using it, I found that all of my coworkers are more than willing to support me however they can, even when I have to take leave with very little advance notice. I’m so grateful for Mercari’s All for One and Be a Pro company culture, which makes it easy to take the time I need to care for my son and to Go Bold in my work at the same time.” Learn more about Merci Box and our various benefits here: https://lnkd.in/e43Y7ijZ #mercari #lifeatmercari #mercibox

Today’s Spotlight: Hitomi Suwa (諏訪 ひと美) is a data analyst on Mercari’s HR System & Data Team. Today, she’s in charge of HR data infrastructure and analysis for human capital, but she originally joined Mercari as a product-side analyst. “Compared to other fields, HR lags behind in terms of finding ways to leverage data to its fullest. I saw the opportunity and decided to transfer to my current team.” In 2023, Hitomi was involved in the project to calculate the unexplained gender pay gap at Mercari, which the company has since been working to eliminate. “We make every effort to make logical decisions and avoid bias, but sometimes it’s built into our systems and shows up in unexpected ways. I see data analysis as a way to reveal these unintentional biases so we can fix them for good.” (Read more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/e5Kdi-pG ) Mercari Group is hiring data analysts! Check out our careers site for a list of open positions: https://lnkd.in/eGc3MQ7s #mercari #dataanalytics