Online flea market operator Mercari Inc. said Thursday that it would try its hand at brick and mortar operations in hope of reaching tens of millions of untapped users in the Japanese market, allowing them to sell their used goods on the spot and handling everything from photography to shipment.
The physical store is one of the company's new programs aimed at attracting new users of its signature internet service by lowering the hurdles for adoption. The moves are expected to increase use of its online secondhand market for both novices and busy workers.
According to a Mercari survey, there are 36.1 million "potential users" who are willing to sell items on its app but haven't yet taken a shot at it. "These customers feel the hurdle of using our service. Some of them don't know how to wrap the items," said Mercari Japan CEO Hirohisa Tamonoki.
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