[180,000 Ratings] Award-Winning Shop on Mercari Shops! How to Build a "Growing Shop" by Learning from Books Dream
Hello! This is Mercaku.
Today, I will talk about how to build a "growing shop" that achieved in just two and a half years on Shops
"180,000 ratings," "45,000 followers," and "350,000 items listed"
and "won a category award."
I will be discussing this.
"Can you really make money on Mercari Shops?"
"What kind of shops are growing?"
"What kind of products are popular?"
If you are thinking that, this is for you.
Today, I will share a success story on Mercari Shops featuring the specialized bookstore "Books Dream Co., Ltd." as a case study.
To reiterate their achievements...
Opened on Mercari Shops in 2023
In just two and a half years, they reached "180,000 ratings" and "45,000 followers"
Over 350,000 items listed
Also won the "Mercari Shops Award 2024 Category Award"
...They are truly a "monster shop" on a different level. Haha
Today, from the success of Books Dream, let's learn together how to grow a retail business using the three keywords:
"Specialization x Multi-channel x Systematization"
Let's get started right away!🔥
What kind of company is Books Dream?
First, let's introduce what kind of company this is.
Books Dream Co., Ltd. is
reference books, specialized books, medical books, university textbooks, red books (past exam papers), prep school materials, and teaching materials
a company that specializes in these "study-related books" for purchasing and selling.
Founded in 2010,
to date, they have purchased over 450,000 items
handled over 40 million books
and are truly a top-class specialty store in the industry.
The history of expanding sales channels
Originally, Books Dream started by
Amazon Marketplace
Yahoo Auctions
Yahoo! Shopping
selling mainly on platforms like these,
and from there, they gradually expanded their sales channels,
Rakuten Ichiba
Rakuma
and entered those markets as well.
This is how they hack each platform.
And finally, in 2023, they started selling on Mercari Shops
The results are amazing!
180,000 ratings in two and a half years since opening
45,000 followers
Over 350,000 items listed
These are some incredible numbers.
Furthermore, they won the **"Mercari Shops Award 2024 Category Award"**
Even from Mercari's perspective, they are treated as one of the "shops to use as a model".
Secret to Success 1: Focusing on Expertise
Now, let's break down the **"3 points of success"** for Books Dream.
The first is to **"leverage expertise."**
Books Dream is,
not a general store,
but is thoroughly specialized in "reference books, specialized books, medical books, prep school textbooks, and teaching materials."
General bookstores handle things like
novels,
comics,
magazines,
business books,
picture books,
...and various other items, but
Books Dream narrows its focus to **"study-related materials."**
Because of this,
"If I'm going to buy a reference book, I'll check Books Dream first"
abrand imageis created.
"When you think of XX, you think of this shop"
"When it comes to that genre, you think of this person"
Once you secure this **"When you think of XX" position**,
it becomes easier for customers to choose you naturally.
Secret to Success 2: Risk Diversification through Multi-Channel Expansion
The second point is **"multi-channel expansion."**
Books Dream sells on
Amazon Marketplace
Yahoo Auctions
Yahoo! Shopping
Rakuten Ichiba
Mercari Shops
Rakuma
andsells on multiple platforms
If you rely on only one mall...
specification changes
fee increases
Account restrictions
You will be directly exposed to these kinds of risks.
However, if you are selling across multiple channels,
"Even if this marketplace performs poorly, I can cover it with others,"
you can achieve risk diversification.
The same applies to individual product sales,
starting with just Mercari is fine,
and then once you have more capacity, → Rakuma → Yahoo! Auctions → Mercari Shops
like this, a strategy of gradually increasing channels
is very helpful.
Secret to Success 3: Creating a "State Where Work Can Be Handled" Through Mechanisms, Systems, and Personnel
The third point is "mechanisms, systems, and personnel,"
and having these three firmly in place.
Books Dream has,
introduced an integrated e-commerce management system to streamline inventory, orders, and shipping across multiple marketplaces
established rules, manuals, and check systems so that quality does not drop regardless of who does the work
and is also conducting personnel training as a set to operate them
It is precisely because of this foundation that they are able to,
"list over 350,000 items," "sell to over 5 million customers," and "purchase over 450,000 items,"
maintain these kinds of numbers over the long term.
You don't need to copy everything perfectly right away;
decide on your own "listing style"
create template text and "standard patterns" for photos
break down tasks into small steps with the assumption of outsourcing them
I think it's best to start building **small "systems"** from these areas.
16 years of accumulated experience and media exposure
Books Dream has:
Sales: over 5 million customers
Purchases: over 450,000 transactions
Inventory: over 40 million books
boasting an overwhelming track record.
Purchases are handled through:
"Gakusan Plaza"
"Senmonsho Academy"
"Medical Meister"
and other in-house websites,
while sales are expanded across the multiple platforms mentioned earlier.
On each mall, they constantly list over 350,000 "study-related items".
Furthermore, in May 2025,
"Cunning Takeyama's Ichiban Kenkyujo (ABEMA TV)"
on a program called,
"One of the largest online specialty stores for reference books, technical books, medical books, prep school textbooks, and educational materials"
and have also been featured as such.
Having heard this much, today's keywords have become clear, haven't they?
"Specialization × Multi-channel × Systematization"
The result of combining these three is,
what has led to "180,000 ratings" in just two and a half years of opening on Mercari Shops.
that is why.
Your own area of expertise
A genre you are interested in
Something you know a little more about than others
By using these as a base,
the image of creating "your own specialty store"and engaging in product sales, there is a possibility of rapid growth.
What we can learn from this success story of Books Dream is,
"Specialization × Multi-channel × Systematization is the golden pattern for 'growing product sales'"
that is.
Leveraging expertise
Risk diversification through multi-channel expansion
Efficiency through mechanisms, systems, and human resources
In this way,
Through the multiplication of these three factors,
in just two and a half years since opening on Mercari Shops,
"180,000 ratings, 45,000 followers, and 350,000 items listed"
led to these results.
Why not take a moment to
write down your "areas of expertise" or "genres you know more about than others"
and consider how to build your own unique specialty shop from there?
Summary
There are three key points to learn from Books Dream's success story.
1. Leverage expertise
→ Specialize in "reference books, specialized books, medical books, prep school textbooks, and teaching materials"
→ Establish a position as "the go-to place for X"
2. Diversify risk through multi-channel expansion
→ Sell on multiple malls like Amazon, Yahoo! Auctions, Rakuten, Mercari Shops, Rakuma, etc.
→ Do not rely on a single platform
3. Streamline with mechanisms, systems, and talent
→ Use an EC centralized management system to streamline inventory, orders, and shipping
→ Achieve both quality and speed through rule-making, manual creation, and training
Through the multiplication of these three factors,
in two and a half years since opening on Mercari Shops, it has led to "180,000 ratings, 45,000 followers, and 350,000 items listed."
This is the result that has been achieved.
After reading today's story,
"Can you really make money on Mercari Shops?"
For those who were thinking that,
"depending on how you do it, you can grow this much"
I hope you have gained a bit of an image of that now.
The important thing is,
to aim to be a "specialty store for XX" rather than a "jack-of-all-trades"
to increase your channels rather than clinging to a single marketplace
to let "systems" do the work instead of doing everything yourself
Let's incorporate these three points into your own product sales, little by little.
They should be highly applicable to other business areas beyond product sales as well.
Please, take a moment to
**write down your "areas of expertise" and "genres you know more about than others,"** and
think about how to build your own "unique specialty store" from there.
Thank you for reading until the end.