On June 23, 2026, Mercari launched its official app in OpenAI’s “Apps in ChatGPT.” By leveraging Mercari MCP, our proprietary AI connectivity platform, we aim to eliminate the unique hurdles of flea market apps by enabling product searches and listing preparation through natural conversations with generative AI.

Mercari’s official app for Apps in ChatGPT now available

Mercari Inc. announced on June 23, 2026, that it has launched an official app on “Apps in ChatGPT,” a platform that allows users to use external services on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This initiative will allow users to call Mercari’s features directly from ChatGPT’s chat screen and interact in a conversational format.

The usage is very simple: users using ChatGPT can simply select Mercari from the app list and start using it by linking (connecting) their Mercari account. As shown in the diagram below, a mechanism is set up so you can easily access it from ChatGPT’s menu.

Mercari has actively promoted AI utilization within its apps, such as the AI listing improvement support “Mercari AI Assist” introduced in October 2023 and the “AI Listing Support” released in September 2024. This ChatGPT integration further expands these capabilities, marking a groundbreaking step beyond the Mercari platform to seamlessly provide a trading experience within the AI tools users use daily.

Solving ‘difficulty in searching’ and ‘listing barriers’ through dialogue

About 80% of products listed on Mercari are “one-of-a-kind” items that cannot be linked to existing catalogs such as model numbers or JAN codes. Therefore, with traditional keyword searches, many users struggled to find their ideal product among the vast array of products with varying conditions and prices. This app leverages ChatGPT’s advanced contextual understanding to enable searches that capture intent even if not specific, such as “Find camping gear with a budget of 5,000 yen” or “Find a gift for a kindergarten child who loves soccer.”

On the other hand, there were psychological hurdles on the seller side, such as “not knowing what to write in the description” and “unsure about how much to sell.” With this integration feature, simply sending product information to AI, it automatically generates drafts of titles, categories, and product descriptions. Additionally, it features AI that suggests appropriate listing prices based on transaction prices of similar products on Mercari.

These features are based on Mercari’s AI technology, which has a strong track record of producing hundreds of AI-assisted listings per minute, and is expected to give users with the confidence to easily perform professional-quality listings, especially for users with less experience. It supports multilingual product searches, aiming to capture inbound demand and improve convenience for overseas users.

Accelerating external integration supported by the general-purpose platform “Mercari MCP”

Supporting the integration with ChatGPT technically is Mercari’s proprietary AI connectivity platform, “Mercari MCP (Model Context Protocol),” which was released in January 2026. MCP is a standardized connection protocol designed to safely and efficiently call various Mercari functions from external generative AI services, and this is the first full-scale application case.

Mercari aims not to complete AI solely within its own app but to build a “universal gateway” that allows access to Mercari’s vast product data and listing functions from any AI platform. By utilizing MCP, it will be possible to deploy similar integration features not only for ChatGPT but also for various AI services such as Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, with minimal development man-hours.

This foundational strategy looks beyond mere feature provision to the era of “agency commerce,” where AI collects, judges, and executes information on behalf of users. With a standardized pipeline called Mercari MCP, Mercari aims to solidify its position as a central marketplace in the new AI-driven internet economy.

[Management and Strategy Background] From ‘Introducing AI’ to an ‘AI-Assumed’ Organization

The Group CEO’s Vision for an AI-Native Company

At the core of this collaborative project is Mercari’s management policy called “AI-Native,” which it has been strongly promoting since July 2025. In May 2025, Group CEO Shintaro Yamada declared, “We are not just a company that adopts AI, but an organization that redesigns customer experiences and the organization itself based on AI.” This does not mean viewing AI as just one convenient tool, but rather a fundamental transformation that would replace the company’s operating system itself.

Under this vision, Mercari adopted the slogan “Back to Startup,” breaking through the heavy decision-making processes typical of large corporations and advancing AI implementation at a startup-like pace. We have already reached the stage where all employees utilize tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Notion AI 100% in their daily work, fostering a corporate culture where coexisting with AI is the norm beyond mere technical implementation.

Advocating for AI-Native is also a survival strategy to prepare for future battles against competitors who have mastered AI from the founding and have extremely low-cost structures. With this strong sense of urgency and a clear vision, Mercari is embedding AI into every aspect of its organization to provide unprecedented convenience to over 23 million users.

An unprecedented HR approach that realizes the trinity of technology, HR, and AI

To make organizational transformation effective, Mercari launched an extremely unusual HR structure effective June 1, 2026. Toshiya Kimura, who served as Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), has announced a bold personnel change to concurrently serve as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief AI Officer (CAIO). The background to the fact that someone with a technical background also holds the top HR position is a strong awareness of the challenge that “if the organizational structure and evaluation system remain as they are, we cannot fully leverage the dramatic speed increase brought by AI.”

Mr. Kimura has led the company-wide adoption of AI tools as the leader of the AI task force, and going forward, as CAIO, he will propose AI strategies and, as CHRO, directly execute company-wide organizational restructuring and experiments. Specifically, by introducing the small-team development unit “AI Pods,” we are building a rapid decision-making system where engineers can handle everything from design to mobile development across the board. As shown in the image below, a cross-border work style without limiting roles is recommended.

Additionally, in light of the current situation where AI is widening the gap in individual outcomes, we have also begun a fundamental review of the evaluation system. While maintaining the line that final evaluations are conducted by humans, we are formulating a new grade definition based on AI and aiming to create our own model case for “AI-native organizational management” that integrates technology, AI, and human resources.

Company-wide AI Task Force achievements achieved 1.9 times the development volume

Mercari’s AI transformation is not just a rallying cry, but is beginning to show tangible results. Led by the approximately 100-person “AI Task Force” launched in July 2025, the development volume per engineer increased to 1.9 times compared to the previous year. Surprisingly, it has been reported that about 70% of the source code currently written on Mercari is generated by AI.

This productivity improvement has enabled both cost efficiency and quality. For example, for the function of generating product information from photos, we initially used the high-performance GPT-4, but switched to GPT-4o mini to improve cost and response time. This flexible model allows processing multiple images for a single listing, extracting diverse information such as design, brand, and materials to automatically generate more detailed and accurate product descriptions.

The combination of bottom-up innovation at the ground level and strong top-down support from management has been the key factor in Mercari’s success in implementing AI. A company-wide platform for sharing AI use cases, cross-departmental project teams, and a well-established knowledge base are underway, making Mercari a massive AI testing ground.

[Impact on Market and Consumers] The Arrival and Expectations of Agency Commerce

Paradigm Shift from Keyword Search to Conversational Search

This collaboration between Mercari and ChatGPT symbolizes a major turning point, shifting consumer purchasing behavior from “keywords” to “conversations.” According to research data from ZETA Corporation, with the spread of generative AI, traditional search engines have evolved from processing word sequences to “contextual search” that understands the user’s purpose and context to make optimal suggestions.

In particular, by assisting AI with consultations when the desired item is vaguely intended, it becomes possible to draw out users’ “latent needs.” This is a highly compatible search method in secondhand markets like Mercari, where most items are one-of-a-kind. The experience of AI becoming a partner for users to find their destined item among tens of millions of sellers holds the potential to fundamentally change the way e-commerce search has been.

In the market, the paradigm shift toward “Agentic Commerce,” where AI agents autonomously search, compare, and purchase products on behalf of users, is accelerating. Mercari’s latest initiative is truly at the forefront of this trend. As shown in the diagram below, the very role of search is changing.

High profitability of traffic via generative AI

Data shows that traffic to e-commerce sites via generative AI platforms is of much higher quality (visitors) compared to traffic via traditional search engines. From November to December 2025, inflows into retail e-commerce via generative AI have increased by 693% year-on-year, showing rapid growth.

Notably, users via generative AI have a 31% higher conversion rate (CVR) to purchase compared to non-AI users, and sales per visit have increased by 254% year-over-year. This is because users visit the site with confidence and satisfaction through interactions with AI, resulting in 45% longer time spent on the site and improved return rates.

For Mercari, integrating ChatGPT is not just about creating buzz, but about developing highly effective channels to acquire a high-quality customer base that directly leads to conversions from outside. The fact that more than two-thirds of consumers have said they have gained confidence in purchasing thanks to AI tools proves that AI can overcome the trust barrier in one-of-a-kind transactions like flea market apps.

[Future Developments] Expansion of an AI ecosystem that circulates all kinds of value

Expansion beyond ChatGPT and enhancement of support features

Starting with this collaboration, Mercari plans to accelerate further deployment of external AI services based on Mercari MCP. It is expected that Mercari’s features will be integrated into every touchpoint where users search for information, including major generative AI platforms beyond ChatGPT, interactive smart devices, and even AI agents on social media.

Regarding the features offered, automation and optimization are expected to progress beyond current search and listing drafts, as well as the entire flea market experience. Mercari’s supply team is already focused on improving the user experience after listings, considering AI-powered optimal packaging methods, efficient delivery route selection based on the distance between sender and buyer, and streamlining post-transaction evaluation processes.

According to Mercari’s “AI Building Block” strategy, foundational AI components have been established so that each internal product team can develop AI functions in-house without specialized knowledge. This will allow for rapid new features and release cycles for individual small challenges, like AI-powered “LEGO blocks,” accelerating the release cycle.

The Next Generation Marketplace Where AI and Humans Co-Create

The future Mercari envisions is not one where AI replaces humans, but where AI expands individual potential and all kinds of value circulate. With this ChatGPT integration, the barriers to listing have been lowered and anyone can easily participate, which in turn means more ‘hidden value’ will circulate in the market and the entire ecosystem will be revitalized.

At the same time, Mercari operates an “AI Governance Team” composed of experts in legal, privacy, and security fields based on the concept of “Agile Governance,” continuously updating rules to address risks arising from technological evolution. Behind the rapid adoption of AI, ensuring user privacy protection and data transparency is emphasized as a key factor in building brand trust.

We are scheduled to announce the full financial results in early August 2026, and more concrete quantitative and qualitative results from AI adoption are scheduled to be disclosed. As Mercari, having evolved into an AI-Native Company, as a global marketplace originating from Japan, we cannot take our eyes off how it will present a new economic model for the AI era to society.

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