Blog Archives - Mercari India

December 1, 2025

Early Exposure, Real Growth, and a Team That Connects

Welcome to Inside the Manager’s Mind – where early exposure, real-world context, and team trust shape how engineers grow. In this edition, meet Archita Bansal, Engineering Manager at Trust and Safety team at Mercari, shares how a focused trip to our Tokyo office helped junior engineers get hands-on with the product, build cross-location collaboration, and step up their ownership in a big way. Building Teams That Grow Together At Mercari, we often talk about working across locations. But building a truly global team is much more than syncing calendars across time zones. It means creating opportunities for engineers to understand different cultures, work styles and product contexts, and to see how all of these come together in the way we build products. It’s equally about building trust across teams and countries so collaboration feels natural, not forced. As managers, one of the most meaningful things we can do is design experiences that help people grow, not only in their technical skills, but also in confidence, perspective, and ownership. Just as importantly, we play a key role in how they bring empathy and context into their conversations and decision-making, so they can contribute more thoughtfully to both their teams and the broader organization. What I Do I lead a horizontal engineering team at Mercari, working with cross-functional partners across locations. My focus is on enabling engineers to work effectively in a distributed, multicultural setup. Creating opportunities for exposure, learning, and ownership and building bridges between teams so collaboration is driven by trust and shared context. In short, I aim to make global work not just the way we operate, but the way we grow. A Strategic Opportunity During a recent business trip to our Tokyo office, I made a deliberate decision to bring along two of our junior engineers, Shivani and… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/blog/early-exposure-real-growth-and-a-team-that-connects/">Continue reading Early Exposure, Real Growth, and a Team That Connects</a>

August 19, 2025

Migrating Coupons from Monolith to Microservice

Our JourneyBackground: The Heart of Our Platform Coupons are central to our platform, driving user engagement and retention through credit points and discounts. Historically, this critical system resided within our extensive PHP monolith, deeply integrated with almost all major modules like accounting, payment processing, checkout, listings, and item management. While this architecture initially facilitated rapid iteration, its limitations became apparent as our product and team grew. Why We Decided to Migrate The coupon domain’s deep entanglement with critical modules increasingly hampered agility and introduced operational risks. As some parts of our system transitioned to microservices while others remained in the monolith, complexity mounted. Our key motivations for this migration included: Technical Debt: The monolith’s increasing complexity hindered development and heightened regression risks. Scalability: Coupon processing needed to accommodate a growing user base and higher loads. Reliability and Ownership: We needed clearer data ownership boundaries and a straightforward path for performance optimization. What This Blog Post Covers In this post, I will detail the approach we adopted for migrating our coupon system to a robust, scalable microservice, including our methodology, the challenges we encountered, and the lessons we learned.The Challenges Migrating a critical domain like coupons involves more than just moving code. Here’s what made this journey particularly complex: Tight Coupling: The coupon domain’s pervasive connections to accounting, payments, listing, and item screens meant that moving one piece affected many others. Always-On Expectations: Our services needed to remain continuously available without significant downtime or interruptions. Data Consistency: The migration demanded meticulous management to prevent any coupon, transaction, or reward notification from being missed. Scalability: The new architecture had to match or surpass the original system’s scale. Performance: Achieving the monolith’s native speed despite additional network hops was a significant hurdle. Unclear Ownership: Ambiguities regarding endpoint and database ownership required resolution before… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/mercari-india/migrating-coupons-from-monolith-to-microservice/">Continue reading Migrating Coupons from Monolith to Microservice</a>

July 9, 2025

Inside The Live2Test 2025: The Premier Online Conference for Software Testing – Udit Gattani

The Live2Test 2025 tech panel explored the rapidly evolving technological landscape of software testing, focusing on the influence of Artificial Intelligence and other breakthrough technologies. The conversation delved into the transformation of traditional testing workflows, the rise of AI-augmented approaches, and the crucial role testers must play in navigating changes across the industry. Amidst the excitement about cutting-edge tools like ChatGPT and blockchain, the panel delivered an honest message: Testers who fail to adapt and embrace these innovations will risk falling behind. More than ever, testers are expected to graduate from repetitive tasks to high-level problem-solving, risk assessment, and strategic thinking. Key Takeaways 1. The Tester’s Role is Transforming The iconic manual tester role is rapidly becoming outdated. While this doesn’t mean testers are being replaced, their roles are undeniably evolving. Testers must now think beyond execution and focus on bigger-picture responsibilities, such as risk profiling, evaluating AI model behavior, and designing prompts for AI systems. These emergent skills are what will define the future of testing, leaving behind the “button-clicker” mindset of the past. 2. AI is Just a Tool, Not a Cure-All AI’s ability to accelerate and automate aspects of testing is undeniable, but it’s neither magic nor a one-size-fits-all solution. Tools like ChatGPT, AI-based test case generators, and coding copilots are only as effective as the humans directing them. Over-reliance on these tools—without proper judgment—can result in flawed test cases, defective releases, and even security risks. 3. Upskilling in AI is Non-Negotiable As AI becomes a critical part of software development and testing cycles, training in AI concepts is no longer a “nice-to-have.” Organizations must empower their teams with skills in AI fundamentals, risk detection, prompt engineering, and ethical usage guidelines to keep pace with industry demands. A highly trained, AI-capable team will also help ensure that… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/mercari-india/inside-the-live2test-2025-the-premier-online-conference-for-software-testing-udit-gattani/">Continue reading Inside The Live2Test 2025: The Premier Online Conference for Software Testing – Udit Gattani</a>

June 19, 2025

Inside the FIDO Alliance Meetup: 100+ Experts, 50+ Orgs, and Mercari on the Panel, Rooparsh

Event Name: FIDO Alliance India Working Group (FIWG) Member Meetup and Workshop Attendee: Over 100 participants representing 50+ organizations, hosted at the Google Ananta office in Bengaluru. On Friday, 6 June 2025, I had the privilege of attending the FIDO India Working Group (FIWG) meetup as a panelist representing Mercari. The event brought together pioneers, thought leaders, and technologists to discuss the progress and future of FIDO-based authentication. Hosted at the Google Ananta office, the event wasn’t just an exchange of technical insights but also a collaborative space to ideate a passwordless future. The discussions centered around the challenges of traditional authentication mechanisms involving passwords and OTPs and how FIDO’s innovative framework can streamline authentication while bolstering security. The event saw impressive contributions from companies like Google, Zoho, Times Internet, Mastercard, and VinCSS, further showcasing how FIDO standards are being applied to a wide array of industries, including IoT.With over 100 participants from 50+ organizations, the energy was palpable, enhanced by Google’s cutting-edge venue and delightful food. Key Takeaways: Transitioning to Passkeys: Times Internet shared their hands-on journey of migrating from passwords to passkeys, highlighting technical obstacles as well as their solutions to make user adoption seamless. Hearing about their significant improvements in both user experience and security was an important learning experience for all. Zoho’s Impactful Solutions: Zoho presented their FIDO-compliant solutions, which are aiding numerous IT companies in enhancing authentication experiences. Their insights showcased how FIDO standards can deliver both security and usability in enterprise settings. Mastercard & RBI Collaboration: Mastercard unveiled their ambitious plans to roll out passkey authentication solutions in partnership with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The room was buzzing with excitement over how these upcoming changes could transform authentication systems in India, particularly in the financial sector. IoT with Passkeys (VinCSS): A standout… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/uncategorized/inside-the-fido-alliance-meetup-100-experts-50-orgs-and-mercari-on-the-panel-rooparsh/">Continue reading Inside the FIDO Alliance Meetup: 100+ Experts, 50+ Orgs, and Mercari on the Panel, Rooparsh</a>

May 28, 2025

Inside the manager’s mind : Manjunath Sagar

Welcome to inside the manager’s mind — a space where leadership meets reality. Explore the highs, lows, and everyday decisions that shape teams and drive success. From strategic thinking to people management, this blog offers raw insights and practical wisdom for those leading or aspiring to lead. In this feature we’d like you to meet Sagar! Sagar : At Mercari India, rapid expansion is more than just scaling numbers—it’s about intentional leadership that fosters clarity, unlocks potential, and nurtures an empowered culture. For me, effective management isn’t just about driving performance; it’s about guiding with steadiness, leading with empathy, and creating a foundation of trust. As we continue to grow, I find myself leaning on a set of principles—some expected, some unconventional—that have shaped the way I support my team. Whether it’s welcoming new talent, refining HR initiatives, or championing individual growth, these values remain at the core of how I lead. 1. Anchor in Calm Amidst Chaos Change fuels innovation, but it also brings uncertainty. In high-growth environments, teams don’t just look to their leaders for solutions—they look for steadiness. My guiding principle: My calm creates their safety; my clarity gives them direction. What I do: Every one-on-one starts the same way—with a genuine “How are you doing?” before diving into work. This small act of care fosters trust and sets the tone for a culture of support. 2. Empower Through Context, Not Control Momentum thrives when people feel empowered, not micromanaged. Providing context allows teams to move with confidence and make decisions independently. What I do: During onboarding and team syncs, I take extra time to explain the reasoning behind our goals—not just what we’re doing, but why it matters. The result? A team that thinks critically, acts decisively, and continuously grows. 3. Normalize “I Don’t Know” Leadership… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/mercari-india/inside-the-managers-mind-manjunath-sagar/">Continue reading Inside the manager’s mind : Manjunath Sagar</a>

October 22, 2024

Sparking Innovation & Collaboration: Inside Mercari India Hackathon 2.0

At Mercari, we’re driven by a spirit of innovation, an eagerness to build solutions that redefine landscapes, and our value of going bold. It is this culture and spirit that has helped us design a product and platform that is a market leader and growing consistently. Never is this spirit and culture more visible than during our annual hackathon. The first iteration of this hackathon happened with great success last year, and therefore, when I got the opportunity to be on the organizing team for Hackathon 2.0, I was beyond excited! It was, of course, going to be bigger than ever! The hackathon was evolving into a global Mercari construct where winners from different geographies would come together and compete for the ultimate recognition at the finale in our Japan HQ. But first, why even do a hackathon? We do it because it creates a unique space for employees to think outside the box and challenge themselves. In a structured work environment, it’s easy to get engrossed in daily responsibilities and deadlines. A hackathon allows us to hit the pause button on these routines and encourages team members to brainstorm solutions that might not typically emerge. This not only sparks innovation but also cultivates a sense of ownership and pride in one’s ideas. Building the Construct Step 1 of the process was putting together a dream team that would help us put an event of this magnitude together. For this, we searched across experience levels, job roles and domains to put together a diverse team. This was critical so that we could bring in different kinds of perspectives and cover all aspects that would go into making this event successful. The team – Rafael Marcos da Silva, Priyanka Sharma, Gaurav Bansal, Sanu Satyadarshi, Samkit Jain, Yogesh Gophane, Adarsh Gupta, Noush… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/mercari-india-hackathon-2024/">Continue reading Sparking Innovation & Collaboration: Inside Mercari India Hackathon 2.0</a>

September 30, 2024

Mercari’s Role as a Startup Hiring Indian Engineers Highlighted as Japan’s Speaker of the House of Representatives Visits Mercari’s India Office, Meets with India PM Modi

February 29, 2024

Event Report: Round Table Conference on GenAI

We hosted a round table conference on generative AI at Mercari India on February 23rd in association with The Fifth Elephant community. The event was aimed to get the insights from some of the great minds working in the space and also share and popularize the initiatives that Mercari is working on in the field of Generative AI. Participants We were joined by over 20 participants, including CxO’s of multiple startups, Heads of Generative AI verticals, and renowned industry experts that made the event a huge success. Mercari’s participation was represented by Yuki ISHIKAWA and Vish Magapu along with Sharma RAJESH and Vaibhav Khurana Highlights from the Conference If you are interested in learning about Mercari’s efforts in Generative AI, please visit this page / Mercari AI Also, be sure to follow Mercari India’s social media accounts!

August 10, 2023

New Beginnings: Mercari India’s New Office

Hi, I’m Priyanka Sharma, Talent Administrator of Mercari India. Excitement and enthusiasm filled the air as Mercari India embarked on a new chapter in its journey. 💐In conjunction with the first anniversary, Mercari India proudly announced its move to a new office space. Brimming with a mix of excitement and anticipation for the possibilities that lie ahead, the Mercari India team moved into the stunning new office on 17th July 2023. On the very first day in the new office, the atmosphere was buzzing 🎊 The new workspace reflects Mercari’s culture, brand and values in every nook and corner while being a place that inspires employees. It is a testament to Mercari’s investment in India and I am sure it also fills the employees with a sense of pride and excitement as they forge ahead, live our values, and build wonderful products and solutions! Here’s a closer look at the new office: The new Mercari India workspace is spacious, bright, and full of energy and light! The Office Launch Celebration 🎉 An exciting new office space deserved an exciting launch party! To celebrate the inauguration of the new office, Mercari India organized a cake-cutting ceremony where our beloved Chief Technology Officer – Ken Wakasa san declared the new space open and dedicated it to the India team. It was a joyous moment indeed! To take the celebration to the next level and ensure that our new space is a true blend of work and fun, Ken Wakasa-san surprised the team with a brand-new PlayStation 5 console! Laughter and smiles lit up the room as employees celebrated this thoughtful gesture and got ready for that next Mortal Kombat match-up! With state-of-the-art amenities, thoughtful design, and plenty of positivity, this new office space promises to elevate the work experience for all Mercari… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/blog/new-beginnings-mercari-indias-new-office/">Continue reading New Beginnings: Mercari India’s New Office</a>

July 18, 2023

Mercari India – Software Engineer Intern Experience

Hi, My name is Thari Zephaniah. I had the incredible opportunity to be one of the first Software Engineer Interns hired by Mercari India. In this post, I will be taking you through my entire journey, starting from the initial interview process all the way to receiving a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO). Motivation To tell you a little bit about the company, Mercari is an e-Commerce company where users can buy and sell products. Since my sophomore year, I’ve been keen on Mercari. It has grown into Japan’s largest community-powered marketplace, with more than 250 billion yen GMV in the 3Q of 2023. It quickly became an aspirational company due to the positive feedback and highly commendable experiences shared by my seniors who Interned at Mercari, Japan. Internship Application One usual day in November, while engrossed in my routine LinkedIn browsing, I stumbled across an announcement from Mercari India: They were hiring Software Engineer Interns. A surge of excitement washed over me. This was it – the moment I had been eagerly waiting for! Taking into account my previous application experience with Mercari Japan, where I was, unfortunately, unable to progress beyond the second round, I was determined to present the best version of myself this time, I got my resume reviewed by one of my seniors to enhance my chances. Equipped with their constructive feedback, I was ready to put my best foot forward. I approached the application process via a referral, confident of the personal touch it would echo in my candidature. This whole process began in November, and patience became my close companion as the process took somewhat longer than anticipated. This delay was because of the fact that the HR setup wasn’t still consolidated in India during the internship opening, leaving the Japan team to manage the… <a class="more-link" href="https://about.in.mercari.com/news/blog/mercari-india-software-engineer-intern-experience/">Continue reading Mercari India – Software Engineer Intern Experience</a>

June 30, 2023

Congratulations Anandha Natarajhan S P on completing one fantastic year with us!

Congratulations Anandha Natarajhan S P on completing one fantastic year with us. A year ago, only Mercari Japan members were in the Indian office.We celebrated Anandh’s first day with Junichi and Rupesh, who were in India on business at the time. We were pleased to see the Mercari logo on our office door! Your dedication and contributions have been exceptional and have always inspired our team to reach new heights! We appreciate you and look forward to many more years of working together, Congratulations!! #MercariIndia #EmployeeAnniversary #TeamSuccess This blog is the original post of our Linkedin. Let’s Follow Mercari India’s Linkedin!!

June 22, 2023

Happy International Yoga Day!

Happy International Yoga Day! 🧘‍♂️ 🎉 On 21st June, we celebrate the profound practice that unites mind, body, and soul – Yoga! We took a break from your busy schedule and indulged in some self-care with an engaging Yoga event. We promote and practice mindful living centred on physical and mental health. Let’s embrace this beautiful gift and share its transformative power with everyone around us. Together, we can create a healthier, happier, and more harmonious world! This blog is the original post of our Linkedin. Let’s Follow Mercari India’s Linkedin!!

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