Over 40% of Transactions on Mercari are in the Entertainment & Hobbies Category; Trends in Fandom Culture Drive Popularity of Character Merchandise and Celebrity Merchandise in Both Domestic and Overseas Transactions
Mercari, Inc. (“Mercari”) will celebrate the 11th anniversary of the launch of the Mercari marketplace app on July 2, 2024. In commemoration, Mercari has published a new set of infographics that look back upon the latest trends within Mercari over the past year.
Category Shares
Over 40% of Transactions on Mercari Are in the Entertainment & Hobbies Category
Looking at transactions on Mercari by category, we found that the Entertainment & Hobbies category, which comprises item categories such as Character Merchandise, Celebrity Merchandise, and Trading Cards, accounts for over 40% of transactions on Mercari. This can be seen as a result of the continued popularity of items geared toward indoor activity, such as books, games, and toys, since the lifestyle changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the growth of the fandom culture market in recent years.
*Category percentages for transactions on Mercari between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
Top 5 Most Bought/Sold Item Categories
Fandom Merchandise Takes the Top 3
Among item categories with the most transactions, those related to fandom culture in the Entertainment & Hobbies category, such as Character Merchandise and Idol Merchandise, ranked in the top three. The item category ranking fifth was Language Learning, Dictionaries & Reference Books, with keywords such as “TOEIC” and “The Official Business Skill Test in Bookkeeping 3rd Grade” in the titles of the most bought and sold books, indicating a growing demand for reskilling among working professionals.
*Calculated based on the number of transactions on Mercari between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
Top 3 Most Listed and Purchased Categories by Age
Ranking the categories with the most listings and purchases by age revealed that Character Merchandise and K-Pop & Asian Music were among the top 3 for both most listed and purchased item categories for adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 29. We observe that the younger the generation, the more prominent the trend of selling unneeded items and purchasing newly desired items within the same category.
On the other hand, categories with the most listings and the most purchases tend to differ for users aged 50 and above. In this age group, we observe a trend of listing unneeded items around the house, such as books and clothing, and using the sales proceeds to purchase hobby-related items, such as items in the Flowers & Gardening category.
*Calculated based on the number of transactions on Mercari between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
Why People Use Mercari
Many Use Mercari as a Smart and Affordable Way to Enjoy Life
According to a survey of Mercari users regarding their reasons for using the service, many seek affordability, responding “To buy items I want affordably.” At the same time, through responses such as “To buy items I want using money earned from selling,” “To enjoy my hobbies more,” and “To buy things only available on Mercari,” we also catch a glimpse of those using Mercari as a smarter way to enjoy things they want to do.
*Based on a survey of 1,429 Mercari users, conducted June 6–10, 2024.
Items on Mercari Popular Overseas
Entertainment and Hobby-Related Merchandise From Japan See Popularity Globally
Mercari partners with over 70 crossborder e-commerce businesses１ to allow users in more than 110 countries and regions around the world to enjoy shopping on Mercari.
In the past year, we have seen the highest crossborder transaction amounts from China and the US, followed by Taiwan. Similar to domestic transactions within Japan, crossborder transactions also saw Entertainment & Hobbies as the most popular category, and Japanese anime and character merchandise are reaching many people overseas through Mercari. Additionally, with the comeback of digital cameras, in China the Digital Cameras item category ranked fourth, while trends in the US are characterized by a high demand for K-pop merchandise and items only available from Japan.
1. As of May 31, 2024
*Ranking of categories on Mercari with high transaction volume from overseas. Data collected between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
Bonus Numbers:
Bitcoin Ranking by Prefecture
Tokushima Prefecture Has the Highest Average Bitcoin Transaction Amount
In the past year２, the Bitcoin transaction service within the Mercari app was the No. 1 service in the industry in terms of number of new cryptoasset accounts opened,3 and the prefecture with the highest average transaction amount within the service was Tokushima Prefecture. Next in the top five were Tokyo, Shiga, Shimane, and Aomori in that order, showing the service’s use in various areas nationwide. Tokushima, which ranked first in the Bitcoin Ranking by Prefecture, also ranks first as the prefecture most skilled in household financial management.４
2. One-year period between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024
3. According to the latest monthly cryptoasset transaction data from the Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association (JVCEA), the number of new accounts opened in the recent year (from the end of March 2023 to the end of March 2024) was approximately 3.1 million accounts. In the same period, the number of new cryptoasset accounts opened on Mercoin was approximately 1.91 million accounts, accounting for a 61.5% majority in the industry.
4. Source: Sony Life, “2023 Lifestyle Survey of 47 Prefectures”(https://www.sonylife.co.jp/company/news/2023/nr_231214.html#sec24)
*Calculated based on data of users with Bitcoin accounts on Mercari as of February 2024.
Feature: Items Everyone Wants
The Keyword for Popular Items is “Heisei Retro”
We looked at items on Mercari with a recent increase in searches and found that, with the comeback of digital cameras in the recent year, there has been an increase in transactions of the popular camera model KODAK PIXPRO FZ55 among users in their 20’s. Additionally, Tomodachi Life, a 3DS game released in 2013, has also been a popular search keyword, and it is evident that transactions of “Heisei retro” items are increasing on Mercari as well.
*Featured from a selection of items with few unsold listings in comparison to search volume between January and May 2024.
In line with our Group mission to “circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people,” Mercari will continue to work toward creating a society in which more people can do what they enjoy and achieve their dreams.