We have a vision to provide both a buying and selling experience that exceeds expectations to create a marketplace so inviting that even first-time users want to sign up. This vision is supported by our efforts to build an environment that users feel safe in.

In a previous article, we spoke with members of the teams supporting our anti-fraud measures about their efforts to balance elimination of fraudulent users and relief measures. This time, we’ll focus on one of the features that symbolizes Mercari’s safe and secure initiatives: anonymous shipping.

How did this system, which allows users to buy and sell items without disclosing their address to the other party, come about, and how has it alleviated users’ concerns? We spoke with Yuta Kokubun, a product manager who works to enhance the shipping experience.

Anonymous shipping born to eliminate the anxiety of having strangers know your address

—First, what led to the release of anonymous shipping?

@BNBN: Anonymous shipping has a long history, and there are some parts that I can only relay what I’ve read or heard secondhand. But I do know that before anonymous shipping was introduced, it was the norm for buyers and sellers to see each other’s addresses when using marketplace or auction services. It’s not a good feeling to have your address known by a stranger online, and more importantly, it can lead to problems.

Given this situation, Mercari explored countless ways to ensure users felt safe and motivated to use the service, ultimately arriving at the concept of anonymous shipping. At the time, it was a new concept, so I think achieving this required technical understanding and firm persuasion as they took it one step at a time.

—What kind of users faced difficulties with the conventional shipping process?

@BNBN: Anyone uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their address with a stranger, including many women. Your address is private information, and there’s a certain hesitation to have that information known by someone you’ve never met. But anonymous shipping completely resolved that issue.

On top of that, anonymous shipping not only alleviates user concerns, but also keeps the effort required from users to a minimum. The anonymous shipping experience was built focusing on improving convenience, such as eliminating the need to enter an address so that sellers can simply present a QR code to ship an item, as well as allowing packages to be sent from convenience stores without having to go to the post office or a logistics center.

—Do you think that the convenience factor also played a role in the growth of number of users?

@BNBN: I think so, yes. I have a sense that features like this have contributed to the increase in the number of users on Mercari. If users aren’t confident that they can use the service safely, they won’t even consider listing items in the first place. Safety and security are at the core of the user experience, and I think anonymous shipping is one feature that represents that.

—I heard that you once left Mercari to work at a logistics startup, then rejoined. As someone who has the experience of seeing Mercari from the outside, do you think that Mercari’s stance toward safety and security has changed?

@BNBN: I think that Mercari’s awareness of the importance of safety and security has clearly changed. Of course, we’ve always viewed safety and security as important, which is why ideas like anonymous shipping could take root. But I feel like the sense of urgency has grown, and the priority has definitely increased.

The reason behind this is the growth in our user base. With over 23 million users on our service, there are a wide variety of ways people use it. Because it’s a C2C marketplace app, unexpected issues can arise, so I feel that there is an increasing need for a stronger commitment to addressing those issues proactively and quickly.

Engaging with users in a capacity beyond that of a mere marketplace app

—Have you noticed any changes in the sense of connection between Mercari and its users?

@BNBN: I think users have higher expectations for Mercari to deliver the kind of quality they consider standard. If there is a problem with an item, users contact Mercari to try to resolve it. I feel that the responsibilities we have as a platform are growing ever greater.

Additionally, we need to thoroughly examine potential solutions from multiple perspectives when determining what rules to set and how to change the product. Therefore, I value listening to a wide variety of user feedback while also actively conducting user interviews to gain deeper insights.

—Have you discovered anything surprising through user interviews?

@BNBN: I’ve discovered so many things. When considering new shipping methods, I asked users who participated in the interviews, “What if there was an express delivery service where you could pay an additional fee of 200 yen to get your purchase 2–3 days faster?” But seven out of eight responded that they didn’t see the need. Personally, I had assumed that most users would want their purchases delivered immediately and prefer expedited shipping, but that turned out not to be the case.

As I asked follow-up questions, I heard opinions like, “The things I buy on Mercari are for my hobbies, not needs, so it’s not a problem if they don’t arrive immediately,” and “If I want something delivered quickly, I buy it from another e-commerce site,” which made sense to me. This experience reminded me of the importance of listening to actual users, rather than creating products based on assumptions.

Another time, I was interviewing sellers, and many expressed a desire for buyers to feel they made a good purchase, which made me think we need to create services that these individuals will love to use even more.

Reducing uncertainty paves the way for safe and secure outcomes

—What are you currently focusing on in particular?

@BNBN: Right now, it’s all about reducing experiences that leave people feeling uncertain. For first-time users listing items on Mercari, I believe the listing process should not feel like a chore.

Those who are used to listing things may not notice, but there are still many things that are unclear for first-timers. What to write in the description, how to choose a price, what shipping method to use… All of these unclear points add up to form a barrier to participation.

While security and fraud prevention are important, I believe that reducing users’ uncertainty is also part of what makes a service feel safe and secure. One of the challenges I always keep in mind is making things as easy to understand as possible. 

—Lastly, can you tell us how you would like to improve the shipping experience on Mercari?

@BNBN: I would like to put even more effort into improving the shipping experience from now on.

When you hear the word “shipping,” you tend to imagine the time from when the item is shipped to when it arrives, but that’s only part of the experience. From a seller’s perspective, the shipping experience actually begins by generating a QR code and dropping the package off at a convenience store. So when you think about it like that, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

The goal is to make the entire process—from the seller listing an item to the buyer receiving the package—smoother and less scary. I believe that this will ultimately lead to more people continuing to use Mercari.

Q&A for this article

What led to the creation of anonymous shipping?
In conventional C2C services, it was the norm for buyers and sellers to see each other’s addresses. Amid concerns over addresses being traced by the other party in the event of a dispute, Mercari, determined to ensure users felt secure, developed anonymous shipping as the solution.

What concerns does anonymous shipping alleviate?
Behind the feeling of not wanting your address to be known lies multiple concerns, including privacy worries, fears of secondary damage in the event of a dispute, and psychological resistance to sharing personal information with strangers. Anonymous shipping alleviates all of these at once.

How does Mercari utilize user feedback in its products?
PMs conduct user interviews themselves and design the product based on primary sources, avoiding assumptions. The discovery that 7 out of 8 people didn’t see the need for express delivery is one such example. We place importance on working backward from our users’ actual needs, rather than just relying on numbers.

Picture: Tomohiro Takeshita