Greetings from the Mercan editorial team!

This year, Mercari Family Day was held toward the end of summer vacation once again.

We threw a huge event spanning the entire 18th floor of our Roppongi office to express our gratitude to the families and friends who support our members every day.

This year, we welcomed approximately 1,300 attendees (surpassing last year’s record of approximately 1,200), and the office was filled with smiles and energy all day long.

Welcome messages from our leaders to start the event!

On this day, the event space that usually hosts our company-wide All Hands meetings was filled with colorful balloons and decorations, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. This is where our Family Day event began!

The opening speech was given by our Director and President @koizumi, who explained how Family Day came to be and expressed gratitude to the families and friends who support our members on a daily basis. The speech also included a heartwarming message for children—the next generation who will create the future.

Following this, our Executive Officer and Senior Vice President of Japan Business @mark hosted the Mercari Quiz! The quiz featured three Mercari-related questions that had parents and kids racking their brains together.

Even more exciting and interactive booths for adults and kids alike

This year, we prepared a total of 11 booths with a variety of activities for both kids and adults. Below are just a few!

Connecting items and emotions in a way that’s uniquely Mercari

We held several activities aimed at children 12 and under to give them the opportunity to learn about the joys of reusing items. In a workshop called “Let’s Reduce Waste! Explore Item Reuse with Marketplace Apps!”, parents and children were encouraged to think about reusing items found at home. In “Future Store Manager! Kids’ Marketplace,” children became store managers, experienced selling and passing on items to the hands of customers, and learned about the value of items and the joy of communication.

Experience the latest technology! AI and cashless payments

Booths that gave people an experience of Mercari’s unique technology were also a big hit. At the “AI Game Studio,” children used generative AI to create their own games. Kids were immersed in designing characters and gameplay!

Lining up for popular limited edition merchandise

The ever-popular crane game corner saw long lines again this year! The sight of kids and adults working together and enjoying attempts to obtain the limited edition plush toy of Mercari’s character Lopp has become a tradition of Family Day.

A place for new learnings and discoveries

This time, we also set up a new area exhibiting an assortment of unique items. Last year, Mercari held a hit exhibition titled “Things You Don’t Know the Names of,” and we recreated the experience for Family Day! Kids enjoyed the exhibition as a part of their summer vacations, while adults enjoyed pondering the unfamiliar names of the familiar items on display. 

And of course, the popular “Future Store Manager! Kids’ Marketplace.” This activity had kids roleplay as store managers and customers to experience both selling their beloved items and passing them onto the next person and discovering and buying new items. The sight of children carefully pricing their products as store managers and cheerfully calling out to customers showed how they were considering the value of items and enjoying communication with others.

Comments from Mercari members and their families

We received many positive comments from this year’s attendees!

• “My child was so excited and said they had so much fun creating a game with AI! I’d love to come again next year.”  
• “I’m glad I got the opportunity to visit my family member’s workplace, which isn’t something you get to experience usually. I was able to get a good feel of the company’s culture and atmosphere. There were lots of activities that children could enjoy too, and we had fun throughout the day.”  
• “My child was overjoyed to win a stuffed toy from the crane game!”
• “The event reminded me of how kind Mercari members are and how warm the company is. I’m so glad that my family had a good time.” 

After the event

We hope this year’s Family Day was a memorable summer experience for Mercari members and their families. Our survey showed that overall satisfaction for the event was very high, with many comments about happy family members and gaining a deeper understanding of Mercari’s culture.

We hope that the cheer and chatter from this year’s event will fuel and motivate our members in their daily work. To all of this year’s attendees, thank you for visiting!

Photographer: Tomohiro Takeshita