SUMMARY
This is the Japanese ecommerce giant’s second such centre of excellence in India, with the first one opening in the summer of 2022
Founded in 2013 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Mercari boasts over 22 Mn active users in Japan
The Japanese ecommerce major has not started any ecommerce operations in India yet, as its India operations only support operations in Japan
Mercari, Japan’s largest customer-to-customer (C2C) marketplace for products such as fashion, electronics and beauty, among other categories, has opened a new office for its Global Center of Excellence (GCoE) in Bengaluru, India. The company plans to double its workforce in India to expand its footprint and bolster its India presence.
This is the Japanese ecommerce giant’s second such centre of excellence in India, with the first one opening in the summer of 2022.
The Mercari GCoE in India is located in Vaishnavi Tech Park in Sarjapur. Currently comprising a team of 40, the CoE has been supporting Mercari’s operations in Japan.
Founded in 2013 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Mercari boasts over 22 Mn active users in Japan and aims to build an ecosystem with financial and crypto services based on an ecommerce platform. Mercari is Japan’s largest community-powered marketplace with close to ¥1 Tn ($6.83 Bn) yearly gross merchandise value (GMV).
The ecommerce major said it will also hire specialised teams focused on the backend, mobile development, infrastructure and more in India. “These new hires will fortify the company’s engineering workforce and also foster diversity and inclusivity within the CoE,” said Mercari.
The Japanese ecommerce giant has not yet commenced any ecommerce activities in India; its operations in the country are currently focused on supporting ground-level activities in Japan. The company did not make any indications towards its plans to expand its ecommerce service to India any time soon.
Ken Wakasa, VP & Group CTO, Mercari, said, “The inauguration of our new Center of Excellence underscores Mercari’s commitment to nurturing innovation and technical expertise on a global scale. With our growing team in India, we are ideally positioned to drive technological breakthroughs and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers worldwide.”
Vish Magapu, the senior director and site lead of Mercari India, added, “We are thrilled to commemorate the successful journey of Mercari India’s Center of Excellence. Over the past year, our team of highly skilled tech talents has played a pivotal role in driving innovation and enabling Mercari’s growth.”
Indian and Japanese companies have had a long history of interacting with one another, mostly via investments and mergers and acquisitions. The likes of SoftBank, MUFG Bank, SuMi TRUST Bank and MIXI have invested heavily in Indian startups.
Last year, Lenskart acquired Japan’s largest online eyewear brand, OWNDAYS, in a $400 Mn deal to expand across Asia, while Japan’s HLM acquired Elevation Capital-backed healthtech startup Care24 earlier in 2022.
