Priority Processing

We launched the ability for customers to request priority processing of service and shipping tasks at the warehouse. Learn more.

Enhanced Email Notifications on Payment

We've upgraded our customer email notifications on payment capture to provide clearer, more detailed information about wallet deductions and card payments. This ensures that customers stay fully informed about their transactions.

Require 'Buy Remaining' for Marketplace and Auction Sites

We've made the 'Buy Remaining' option required for marketplace and auction sites, as items from separate sellers may sell out during purchasing. This update ensures a more streamlined and reliable shopping experience on marketplace platforms.

Introducing Priority Purchasing

Great news! Customers now have the option to choose Priority Purchasing at checkout for just $6.50. This fantastic feature ensures the order jumps ahead in the queue, getting items purchased ahead of non-priority orders!

Speedier Mercari Purchases

Thanks to our new partnership with Mercari, we have integrated their API, supercharging the time to purchase for Mercari orders. For many items, we're talking only minutes from order to purchase! Don't worry, we haven't compromised on safety; we still check each seller and item, handing over items that need some extra oversight to our excellent buyer team.

Simplified Checkout in Three Easy Steps

We've streamlined customer checkout into a breezy, three-step process. Adjust your order, and input payment and shipping details all in one go. Then, review and confirm in the second step, and voilà, your order confirmation awaits in the third. Shopping made simple and sweet!

Other Customer Experience Updates

• Clearer Storage Fee Display: We've revamped how storage fees are presented. Now, it's a breeze to see your remaining free storage and understand accumulated fees for consolidated packages.
• No More Duplicate Links Confusion: Adding the same item twice? Our smart system now prompts you to adjust the quantity instead, keeping your cart neat and tidy.
• Accurate Order Quantities: See at a glance the exact quantities in your orders and packages, reflecting multi-quantity items more accurately.

Easily Specify Purchase Details

We’ve optimized how customers specify the size and color details of items, ensuring a more efficient and error-free purchasing experience.

Now, customers have the convenience of entering the size and color in designated fields while editing their item details. This improvement not only aids our buying team in accurately identifying the specific variation of a product but also simplifies the process for our fulfillment staff in verifying that the correct item is received from the store.

Improvements for Customers

• We have introduced a new system for displaying in-app messages to customers, providing necessary information at the right time for an improved user experience.
• The functionality of several Rabbots to pull data from shop sites has been enhanced, significantly improving the accuracy of product information extracted from URLs.
• To celebrate the first year of JPR and the end of the year of the Rabbit, 2023, we have distributed a limited edition handkerchief to our most active customers as a token of appreciation.

Operational and Internal System Improvements

• A new system was introduced to handle customs types using standardized HS codes, streamlining our international operations and reducing customs issues during shipping.
• We have introduced a new process to handle Hyoka for Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, and other Marketplace sites, ensuring the timely release of payments to sellers and improving the receiving workflow for our fulfillment staff.
• The receiving view has been improved, speeding up the receiving process of new packages and enhancing operational efficiency in our warehouse.
• Our DevOps team made several improvements to the app, setting up a new repository, reconfiguring the test setup, and writing several new automated tests. This has accelerated the CI/CD process making the deployment of new features faster.

Improvement for our customers

• Buying bots are now more robust, with enhanced capabilities to handle a broader range of scenarios, leading to fewer failures and more efficient purchasing.
• We have introduced several upgrades to our Rabbots, improving the accuracy of data extracted from shop sites when adding items to the cart.
• Insurance options and information during Shipment Checkout have been updated for better clarity, ensuring customers make informed decisions about their shipping needs.
• Cart and Checkout Views now feature improved restriction notifications, alerting customers to non-purchasable items before checkout.

• Address entry is now accompanied by improved helper text, designed to meet shipping method name requirements, preventing shipping issues.
• A bug that concealed detail notes for items with a release date or backorder status has been fixed, maintaining transparency of item details.

Operational and Internal System Improvements

• The interface for receiving checks has been optimized, enabling staff to oversee delayed items and take necessary actions more effectively.
• Service tasks and inter-system package snags have been cleared, leading to expedited processing of orders and fulfillment of customer requests.
• A new, centralized system for customs and shipping rates has been implemented, promoting stability and consistency across apps.
• The creation of new internal data analysis views now offers a detailed oversight of buying bot performance and service task management.

Stay in the loop your way

Good news! You now have control over your Notification Subscription Preferences. This means you get the updates you care about just how you like them. Stay informed, but do it your way.

Enhancements for Our Valued Customers

• We launched buying bots for two more shops. Speeding up purchasing, often buying in under 3.5 minutes from the time of order!
• For those looking for more mailing options, Small Packet Airmail is now on board.
• Spot important messages in our new notification banner at the top, making it effortless for you to get real-time updates from our team.
• Fixed that little hiccup where the title, price, and quantity of items disappeared during edits. You can now edit without concern!
• Cleared out those pesky broken links in the credit email. Smooth sailing ahead!

Operational and Internal System Improvements

• Removing old payment methods is now a breeze for our staff. Clean up with ease!
• Shipping to Brazil via Japan Post? We've got a handy alert to ensure we get the special requirements for Brazil just right.
• We brought back the classic LxWxH dimension input. Optimizing the measuring process for fulfillment staff.
• We fine-tuned our testing setup, giving our automated tests a fresh boost. Better, faster, and more reliable!

Customer-Facing Improvements and Fixes

• Customers can now select an out-of-stock option for orders with multiple quantities of the same item in case the requested quantity is unavailable.
• The currency type (USD) was made more clear in several places in the app, and the current conversion rate from USD to YEN was added to the footer.
• The problem of Received packages not loading was fixed, improving tracking ability.
• The issue of creating duplicate accounts with the same email was fixed, preventing confusion.
• The invalid form error when adding new addresses was fixed, allowing customers to edit and add addresses again.
• Highlighting invalid form fields was fixed, to make it easier for customers to identify what information needs to be corrected.

Internal System Improvements

• Errors when getting shipping methods from the internal API were fixed, improving information accuracy.
• Filtering items and bulk-adding customs to items were implemented, improving the staff workflow.
• A new view was implemented to let staff easily add and remove restricted URLs.
• Issues with running tests in development were fixed, improving the development experience.

Customer-Facing Improvements and Fixes

• The "Shipment info" section for shipped packages was made to load reliably, improving user experience.
• Additional details were added to the shipping notification email, providing users with more comprehensive information.
• The way we handle anonymizing user data upon removal requests was updated and optimized, ensuring privacy and data compliance.

Rabots Launched to Purchase Orders Faster

We have launched an automation system to accelerate the buying process and reduce the time from order to purchase for certain shops. Even more Rabots are in the works and will be launched soon, to provide coverage for the top shops.

Upgrades and Fixes to Improve System Stability

• Several dependencies were upgraded, delivering a more updated and efficient framework.
• The database size was reduced due to the pruning of Hasura event logs, leading to improved performance.
• A guide on how to set up new events was created, providing step-by-step instructions.
• Flaky E2E tests were fixed, leading to more reliable testing outcomes.
• Type safety was added for field selection in API models, increasing code reliability.

Feature Flags Are Being Added to Our Workflow

We are in the process of introducing feature flags, providing the ability to seamlessly manage and deploy new features. Feature flags allow for efficient A/B testing, gradual rollouts, and reduces the risks associated with software updates.

Internal System Improvements

• An "Assigned to" filter was added to the "Past Due" view, improving task management.
• The system was adjusted to ensure an order stays in "Review" state after an edit is made, improving staff editing speed.
• Parcel Post Insurance information is now passed to fulfillment when a customer has paid for it, ensuring the accurate transfer of important information.
• A subscription feature for new photos was added during the photos service task, allowing for real-time updates.

Super Fast Rabots in the Works

We started working on improving the buying speed of our Rabots. Soon Rabots will buy from certain shops at lightning speed.

• The dispatchBot() function was introduced to enhance automation.
• The cancelBot() function was created for smoother operations.
• We created the updateOrderItem() function for efficient order management.

Customer-Facing Changes

• The OwnedOrders query was optimized for better efficiency.
• The function calculate_order_grand_total_usd was refactored to enhance performance.
• ePacket was no longer displayed as a shipping option for packages valued over 100,000 yen.
• The issue displaying the "text cannot exceed 35 characters" message in incorrect places was fixed.
• The problem with choosing International ePacket as a shipping method was resolved.
• We corrected the reporting of the gateway when a charge fails.

Internal System Changes

• We implemented a RFM table view for better data analysis.
• An Order Created Analytics Event was added for better tracking.
• The release date was set to autosave to expedite the buying process.
• The visibility of item prices during the receiving process was improved.
• We made customer notes visible on the request details page.
• The issue of "Shipping" service tasks being stuck in JPR admin and not dispatched to the Fulfillment system automatically was fixed.
• A unit test case was created to ensure storage fees were charged for consolidated input packages.
• The event log was configured to auto-delete to save space.
• Service tasks were removed from the workstations table for a more streamlined workflow.
• Custom type changes in fulfillment were synchronized with Blackship.

Customer-facing changes

We enhanced the customer experience with improved messaging for address length limits, final email confirmations for account deletions, and timely publishing of our June 2023 changelog.

• We enhanced the messaging around address length limits for better clarity.
• In the event of an account deletion request, a final email confirmation is now sent to the customer.

Internal system changes

Efficiency and productivity were our focus. We boosted visibility for "Additional notes" during service requests, streamlined the purchasing page by disabling the "Add Item" button for specific order statuses, added transparency with reasons for user disablement, and incorporated GDPR delete requests process.

• We improved the visibility of the "Additional note" field during service requests for better communication.
• The "Add Item" button was disabled for three specific order statuses on the purchasing page to prevent unnecessary actions.
• The user interface for "disable user" was updated to include a reason for transparency.
• We added a Package Cancellation Reason field for better tracking.
• The new expected arrival date was made visible in the past due section when updating the release date.
• Items in the past due section are now ordered by vendor_ref in the receiving check view for easier tracking.
• An email template for completed Customer Deletion Requests was created to ensure appropriate communication.
• A process for handling GDPR delete requests was implemented for better data protection compliance.
• When a remove request is made, the user's data is now deleted from Japan Rabbit, Delighted, Auth0, and customer.io to ensure data privacy.
• We fixed the logic to update the release date on the orderItem in the past-due view.
• A feature flag for customs description was made dynamic.
• Fulfillment customs were exposed in the production environment.
• We ensured that the automatic pick list displays the correct task when first viewed.
• Package statuses were updated to "Shipped" upon completion of the process.

Additional Bug Fixes & Upgrades

We resolved various bugs, including fixing the "Shipping" service task in admin and enhancing user identification from the back end. We also made significant upgrades, like adding a disable_reason field in the database and refining the end-to-end testing process.

• We fixed a problem where the "Shipping" service task got stuck in the admin.
• Historical refund debits were updated from CUSTOMER_REQUESTED to REFUNDED for accuracy.
• User identification was moved to be performed upon login from the back end.
• The Proxy for Rabbot Extractions was updated for better performance.
• We fixed a 403 error related to Pokemon Center images with Rabbot.
• A disable_reason field was added to the database and made visible on the admin app dialog for transparency.
• Key transactional user events were moved to the back end to ensure they get tracked.
• The expected_delivery_date was removed from the purchases table and related code to avoid confusion.
• The end-to-end test was adjusted to work with the new date selector in the past-due view.
• Inspectlet was removed from the system.
• We wrote an Architecture Decision Record (ADR) about arrival times vs. delivery times to document our decision-making process.
• ALSA lib errors in Cypress were fixed for smoother testing.

User Improvements & Changes

Focused on enhancing user experience, we've refined our refund process, improved address selection during checkout, and upgraded our Rabbot capabilities for seamless product extractions.

• The Customer Wallet Refund Interface was refined to clarify the refund process and improve the user experience.
• We improved the Expected Arrival date functionality to better integrate it into our processes & provide users with more precise delivery estimates.
• Fixes were implemented for Rabbot for Mercari, Surugaya, and Bandai Fashion, enhancing the overall performance and stability of our product extraction for these stores.
• Customers are now able to view notes they've left for Buyers on their Orders, which adds an extra layer of transparency and improves communication.
• A bug that affected the selection of addresses from the Address Book during Checkout was resolved, providing a smoother checkout process.
• A requirement was put in place to specify the state/region in the Address Form for countries that require this information, ensuring accurate shipping details.
• Our company name was added to the Shipping Address during Checkout & Fulfillment.

Improvements to Internal Operations & Fulfillment

We've enhanced our internal operations, optimized load times, enriched fraud detection features, and streamlined our Service Task view and workflow for quicker and more efficient Order Fulfillment.

• The load time on the Admin Package Details View was improved, resulting in faster data retrieval and smoother operation.
• Multiple changes were made to our Admin Purchasing View for an enhanced User Experience & Efficiency, such as the inclusion of the full address in the Fraud Suite and the display of specific release dates for buyers.
• A series of UX improvements were made to our Service Task View & Workflow, including the display of the Package Confirmation List in Pickup, and the reordering of the Pick List to show items from oldest to newest on mobile.
• Features such as displaying relevant Customer Details on the Sidebar, maintaining search filters on the Service Task List upon return to the view, and preventing tasks from disappearing instantly after being checked off, were implemented to increase workflow efficiency.
• Query and load times were optimized, and Ship-to-State information sent to Fulfillment was improved, leading to a more efficient order fulfillment process.
• The Receiving Check View was improved, and expected arrival dates were added to items, allowing better tracking and management of inventory.
• Adjustments were made to the Past Due mechanism to use lead time days, and the filtering of in-stock & preorder items in the past-due view was fixed, facilitating better inventory control.
• Features for easy updating of Expected Arrival Date and Release Date were implemented, and Task-Item associations were improved in the Receiving Process, increasing operational efficiency.
• Staff with the roles of "OPS MANAGER" and "RECEIVING" were granted access to Task handling, enhancing team collaboration and task management.

Additional Bug Fixes & Upgrades

This month saw significant platform improvements, including bug fixes, system upgrades, enhanced analytics, streamlined email notifications, and improved testing practices, all aimed at delivering a robust and user-friendly experience.

• We enhanced our analytics events and added new analytics integrations, providing a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior and system performance.
• GCP Functions Deployment was improved through the investigation of failures, adjustments to the deployment rate, and enhanced visibility of errors in Continuous Integration (CI), increasing the reliability and effectiveness of our cloud functions.
• We enhanced our Fulfillment Service Integration, streamlining the retrieval of shipping rates and customs descriptions, which has ensured a more accurate and efficient processing of orders.
• Issues with Hasura failing to apply migrations in CI were investigated and fixed, stabilizing our development and deployment processes.
• The Payment Flow Code was optimized and reorganized, increasing flexibility and efficiency in handling transactions.
• Unique Algolia indexes were implemented for testing, preventing conflicts and ensuring the reliability of our search functionality.
• We implemented a rule to forbid the shipping of packages if any were on hold, improving order management and customer experience.
• We disabled the "Out of Stock" options for Yahoo Auction URLs, preventing customers from selecting items that are not available.
• Actions for packages on hold were disabled, reducing potential errors in order processing.
• We addressed and resolved issues related to failed and "stuck" Service Tasks, improving the efficiency of our operations.
• Email notifications were streamlined with revised message streams, resulting in clearer and more effective communication with users.
• Proxy installations and configurations were performed, enhancing our network performance and security.
• Remove expected_delivery_date from purchases table and related code

Improvements to customer emails

• The mention of covid-19 delays was removed from the terms agreement email, as covid-19 is no longer delaying shipping 🎉
• The shipping notification email now includes extra instructions on getting local tracking numbers.
• A guide outlining the next steps was added to email notifications when a package has been packed and is ready to ship.
• Plain-text versions of all customer email templates were updated to ensure customers get the information they need regardless of email client and device used.

Various updates and bug fixes

• The sorting of packages in the package tab was changed to display the most recently updated packages at the top, so customers can easily find their packages.
• Outdated content on eye drops and Otamart was removed.
• The Blackship banner on the homepage was redesigned.
• The issue with having two sign-in icons on the changelog page was resolved.
• The problems with scraping images and prices from booth.pm subdomain was fixed.

Improvements to internal operations

• The process of receiving items was improved by displaying the total expected number of items and allowing fulfillment staff to type larger numbers.
• The order of measurement inputs was streamlined to L x W x H for consistency.
• The recording of monetary values in USD was adjusted to convert from cents to dollars, with the recording currency specified.
• The system now logs when Shipping Rates are unavailable for a package.
• An Order Item Canceled event was created.
• Logins were integrated with Auth0 for tracking login counts.
• Buyers were granted the ability to see and search for customers in the admin app.
• Recently active users were identified to target customer communication more effectively.
• Identify calls were added to ensure Customer Traits remain updated.
• We've updated how we keep track of important decisions.
• We've established a new system to make working together on software improvements easier.

Additional bug fixes and upgrades

• Missing customs descriptions on the order details table have been fixed.
• The error that caused "Ship" requests to appear under Service Tasks was corrected.
• An issue of "Shipping" requests getting stuck in the admin app was fixed.
• CI deploys being skipped were fixed.
• The fulfillment location mutation was updated to use camelCase consistently.
• Our software is now running on a newer, better platform.

Estimated arrival time

We now show the estimated arrival time of items in the cart and on the order. The estimated arrival time is based on the delivery performance of recent packages for the given webshop.

• Customers are now able to select what to do with remaining items when one or more items in the order are out of stock.
• Customers now receive additional details about the cancellation reason in cancelation emails, helping them understand the decision and plan accordingly.
• The snow effect on the Japan Rabbit homepage has been updated to cherry blossom petals for Hanami
• The image presentation for articles on the Japan Rabbit homepage has been improved.

Various Bug Fixes

• The chat icon blocking the "Update" button in the cart on Mobile has been fixed.
• The sorting of packages in package tabs has been fixed to correctly sort consolidated packages, making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for.
• The loading of orders in the "Completed" order tab not working due to timeout has been fixed.
• Creating duplicate accounts with the same email has been fixed, preventing confusion and improving data accuracy.

Improvements to internal operations

• Package dates are now retained when the customs description is set.
• The "purchase order ID" is now shown on the "Past Due" view, making it easier for staff to identify and retrieve the necessary information.
• The "Pick List" on mobile devices now shows packages as picked each time pick-up is finished, improving accuracy and reducing errors.
• Testing has been improved by writing several additional tests and automatically retrying failed e2e tests in a separate workflow step
• Diffbot not getting details for Mercari orders has been fixed.
• Too many unexpected events in Amplitude from the Japan Rabbit website have been fixed.

• Now you can select Japan Post insurance during checkout.

Better Shipment Tracking

We embedded a shipment tracking timeline on your package details page. It's powered by AfterShip.

• Hire a new Engineer: Welcome Malene! 👩🏻‍🚀

Launched the Japan Rabbit Blog

Launched a Blog and a set of landing pages for shops and products.

• Added a light snow effect to the Japan Rabbit home page.
• Fixed the logo in the live chat widget.

Various Bug Fixes

• Solved issue with Toranoana.jp not loading product info in cart.
• Started tracking login failures.
• Shipment data is now being sent to AfterShip for analytics purposes.
• Added an error message to improve for the case when a customer tries to reject an adjustment for an order that’s already purchased.
• Upgraded the order success confetti script.
• Corrected the insurance total value sent to Fulfillment.
• Improved load times.
• Optimized active carts query (improves cart performance)
• Fixed completed orders so completed items weren't shown as canceled.
• Investigated & fixed other causes of order stuck in processing state.
• Ensured that orders with all canceled items canceled show as canceled.
• Fixed the bug which was creating false shipping requests.
• Ensured that the checkout and cart items matched during checkout (after deleting items).
• Removed a bad link for Covid-19 shipping delays page in the Japan Rabbit app checkout review.
• Added margin around full name modal and made button red.

Happy New Year!

2023 is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac, symbolizing calmness and good fortune. In Japan, the Chinese zodiac is still widely followed for divination and personality analysis, despite using the Gregorian calendar for the new year.

Cart Improvements

• Solved Yahoo!Auctions failures to get product details by using a proxy
• Allow customers to start editing cart item details before Rabbot has finished trying to gather product title, price, and image
• Fixed an issue with "add to cart" loading indefinitely
• Allow customers to select DHL and FedEx insurance during checkout

Various improvements and bug fixes

• Improved load-time for Japan Rabbit Wallet by optimizing queries
• Fixed an issue with Auth0
• Improved the contrast of the alert on the customs value page
• Set login sessions management to the maximum number of days allowed
• Cleaned up orders with duplicate package items
• Updated Japan Post international shipping rules for Japan Rabbit
• Fixed an issue where payment was being charged twice

Improvements to internal operations

• Added an option to manually trigger deploys from the GitHub UI
• Added an alert bar to the user profile page of disabled accounts
• Populated the "created_at" column in the refunds table
• Created a role for offsite Mercari receivers
• Added fields to the Airtable error logging to record the proxy used in Rabbot failures
• Increased the timeout of the "add-product-information" function to prevent it from timing out before Rabbot

Created a changelog

We created this changelog you're reading 🎉 It was built with Sanity and Nuxt and receives webhooks from Linear when issues are released.

We improved our Rabbots ability to get product details

• Fixed a Rabbot issue that was preventing the correct price from being retrieved from adidas.jp
• Fixed an issue with Rabbot getting prices from rakuten.co.jp
• Reprogrammed our Rabbot to get the correct price on Melonbooks
• Fixed a Rabbot issue when trying to capture Mercari images
• Trained Rabbot to click the booth.pm 18+ popover
• Created better analytics to monitor and prioritize Rabbot issues

Various enhancements to improve our service

• Fixed an issue where the Photo Fee was not being charged
• Fixed a Package status issue that was stuck in processing
• Rebranded our Trustpilot page
• Updated the melonbooks banner image
• Moved Rabbot error logging to a single user account in Airtable

Various enhancements to improve our Engineering Team velocity

• Asserted Algolia data to resolve E2E test failures
• Fixed the "syncUser:no mutations exist" error that occurred when logging in
• Fixed an issue where BirdEatsBug failed to add an error to Linear
• Fixed a Hasura PG connection refused error in int tests
• Fixed an issue where the region code was incorrect on the Japan Post shipping report
• Pre-built functions before deploying
• Prevented analytics.track from sending too many events
• Refactored our deploy scripts so that cloud functions and Hasura only deploy when updated
• Removed the "addImageInformationToCartItem" event in Hasura and the code base
• Split and reordered workflow jobs and their steps for better parallelization
• Updated Airtable storage for Rabbot error log
• Updated the Auth0 SPA SDK
• Updated the Glitch script to push the Linear title to the Sanity changelog draft post
• Updated Hasura to v2.15
• Updated the Hasura version
• Upgraded Cypress to the latest version
• Upgraded the node setup and added dependency caching in the GitHub workflow

Reduced Per Item Fee

Reduced Per Item Fee from $2.00 to $1.00.

Hopping mad about a Japan Rabbit bug?

Try our new bug reporting tool.

We've added a 'Report a Bug' feature to Japan Rabbit. This new tool makes it easy for you to report any issues you encounter while using the app. Our engineers will use the information you provide to help identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible.

To access the 'Report a Bug' feature, simply click the 'Report a Bug' in the top right menu of Japan Rabbit. From there, you can start a screen recording or take a screenshot, give your issue a title, and provide any additional details that might help our engineers.

We understand that any issue you encounter while using Japan Rabbit can be frustrating, and that's why we've added the 'Report a Bug' feature. This tool makes it easy for you to report any problems you encounter, and our engineers will use the information you provide to help resolve them as quickly as possible. So don't hesitate to use the 'Report a Bug' feature if you run into any issues.

Minor enhancements

• Allow customers to delete addresses and give them more control over their address information.
• Improved error feedback on User Sign In
• Displayed a more informative disposed message for packages where only some items have been disposed
• Optimized website to improve loading time

Updates and bug fixes to improve reliability and performance

• Added new customs types
• Fixed status of packages that have been consolidated and shipped, but were still showing as pending in the Received mailbox
• Updated the status correctly after customers pay for adjustments or fail payment requests.
• Changed status of an Order to Completed after fully purchasing it, requesting additional payment and receiving payment from customer
• Fixed issues with E2E tests failing.
• Fixed the input event bugs in the Arrival Barcode Scanning.
• Add and delete customs types.
• Add payment information on Service Task Details: This will allow staff to easily view payment details for each task.
• Added ability to save user notes for disabled accounts.
• Corrected sorting order on dashboard for "Closed" tasks
• Fixed issue making it unable to "Continue to Purchase" on orders
• Aggregate completed task at bottom of "My Tasks" on the dashboard
• Fixed bug in issuing credit to customer
• Improved UI of Order Expenses, auto-stripped out commas and kept figures intact when pasting amount
• Add cart item limit.
• Change the SEE IN STRIPE link to open in new window
• Changed the environment variable so that staging and dev do not use the production pub/nub queue for fulfillment.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some customers from making payments after adjustments.
• Fixed an issue that prevented successful barcode scans when attempting to receive an item with unreceived items in the order.
• Fixed images of the items in the Received mailbox
• Fixed issue with imgix image requests returning 404 errors
• Fixed page information in search results after move to Cloudflare (from netlify)
• Fixed static site 404 page
• Fixed the Auth0 top link in the reset password email
• Fixed the lag in Match & Verify
• Improve UI of Service task picking list. Add location ID.
• Prevented duplicate package barcodes
• Removed broken "Add discount" option before capturing payment on an order
• Refactor GraphQL subscriptions, queries & mutations. This improved performance and scalability of the application.
• Refactored the Melonbook banner service for Japan Rabbit
• Improved performance of the Measuring Step by refactoring the Mutation causing delays.
• Refactored the receiving workflow to eliminate temp_id barcodes and address multiple related issues.
• Removed completed service tasks from service task list.
• Resolved loading issues on the Receiving Past Due page.
• Reviewed ahrefs audit for japanrabbit.com
• Updated call to action links on the White Rabbit Express website that link to japanrabbit.com.
• Updated permissions for receiving staff in Admin
• Updated staging auction pricing to be the same as production
• Upgraded apollo-client to the latest version

We've lowered our Consolidation Fee

We updated our Consolidation Fee to be more cost-effective for you. The cost of consolidation has been reduced from $3.00 to $2.50 per package. Additionally, we will now only charge a maximum of $12.50 per consolidation, regardless of the number of packages.

Consolidating two or more packages from the same order continues to be free of charge.

Auto-complete shipping address

We've integrated the Google Address API to make shipping address entry faster.

Show item price in yen on order details

Added price in yen to order details. This was a popular request from our product feedback community.

Other Improvments

• Updated the home page frequently asked questions (FAQ)
• Shortened login message
• Added new customs type for TOY AIRSOFT GUN
• Added "Auction Lost" as a cancellation reason for an item
• Corrected wording on payment update
• Fixed issue where clicking on “Japan Rabbit” in Help Docs did not always navigate to homepage
• Added pop-over to request full name after sign up
• Added account setting for editing name
• Improved responsiveness when adding an item to a cart
• Improved cart's add item loading animation
• Addressed issue where support chat button was obstructing view
• Improved mobile compatibility of Update Item window
• Displayed prices in yen in cart view
• Enabled button for validation trigger on shipping calculator
• Ensured shipping calculator is accessible by customers and staff users

Housekeeping 🧹

• Made "Domestic shipping" the default expense for purchases
• Updated style for tasks on dashboard
• Added "Add Customs to Purchase Item" analytics event
• Improved packing station ID management
• Addressed inability to change "Assigned to" once purchase was completed
• Added payment information to Package Details and User Details
• Added order ID to order page
• Disabled Slack notification for new orders
• Removed count of items pending arrival from our internal dashboard to improve performance

Squashed bugs 🪲

• Addressed issue where customers were unable to sign up
• Fixed issue where packages had the wrong status
• Fixed issue where orders had the wrong status
• Addressed issue where [email protected] failed to forward emails
• Fixed issue where customers were unable to pay for adjustments after payment method had been removed
• Addressed issue where refunds to PayPal were not possible
• Resolved "unexpected error" when trying to change password
• Fixed issue where only "Seamail" shipping option was displayed
• Addressed issue where customers were unable to add PayPal or credit card as payment method
• Fixed issue where wrong location was reflected in fulfillment
• Resolved issue where tax number was not pushing to fulfillment
• Fixed incorrect address on shipment page
• Addressed issue where "Backoffice" card did not always appear on dashboard for admins
• Resolved issue where canceled orders were showing up as completed
• Resolved issue where station number and menu button overlapped on mobile view
• Fixed issue with too many event types in Amplitude
• Fixed cart's add item loading animation state issue
• Fixed issue where "See In Stripe" button linked to test environment
• Fixed navigation/router issue between service task and package
• Fixed slow performance of "Match & Verify" receiving process
• Fixed broken order URL in "Match and Verify" feature

PayPal is no longer available

We no longer accept PayPal as a payment method. We’re working with PayPal to resolve this issue, and will update this help docs page if the situation changes.

We continue to accept payment through credit and debit cards via Stripe. For high-value items, we also may request payment through a bank wire transfer.

Wallet refunds now work with PayPal

• Added Paypal as a refund option for the Wallet

Setup a recurring NPS survey

Japan Rabbit uses Net Promoter Score (NPS) to measure customer loyalty and satisfaction over time. NPS is calculated by asking customers to rate their likelihood to recommend our product or service to others on a scale of 0 to 10. Customers who give a rating of 9 or 10 are considered Promoters and are more likely to continue doing business with us and refer others to us. On the other hand, customers who give a rating of 0 to 6 are considered Detractors and are less likely to remain loyal to our company. We calculate our NPS by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. A high NPS is a positive sign for our company, indicating that our customers are loyal and satisfied.

Polished UI and fixed bugs to better serve you

• Fixed an issue where the wallet was not loading
• Improved the mobile view to make it easier for customers to access the confirm button
• Updated the copy on the cart item page for when the wrong product is selected.
• Added a deselect/select all button to the purchase page
• Changed the text of the Request Early Access button
• Fixed an issue where scraping was not returning on review cart page
• Improved the functionality of the Japan Rabbit Wallet ledger
• Included the region when sending shipments to fulfillment
• Implemented a fix to prevent duplicate items in consolidation requests
• Re-enabled the Auth0 verification email now that the onboarding done

Lots of bug fixes

We focused on improving internal operations to better serve you, dear customer.

• Fixed a log-in error
• Fixed the og:image on the homepage
• Added a station selector for barcode printing
• Called the pubnub endpoint for barcode printing
• Fixed a bug with the accrual of storage fees
• Created a schema for marketing landing pages
• Ported the landing pages to Nuxt
• Created a system for quickly addressing scraping failures
• Fixed an issue with the Shipping Calculator not loading countries
• Added the appropriate customs type for alcoholic drinks
• Added 'price' and 'quantity' to analytics for 'purchase' events
• Gave the Receiving role the ability to batch create barcodes for arrival scanning
• Added hyperlinks to the order page
• Added the postal code to the Japan Rabbit site.

See your Japan Rabbit Wallet funds during checkout

Added the ability for customers to view their Japan Rabbit Wallet funds during checkout.

Various UI and style improvement

• Updated the home page footer graphic
• Fixed an issue where disabled and added users were not appearing correctly in the card assign UI
• Added a link from the order items page to the packages page
• Added an alert bar on the staging site to make it clear that it is a staging environment
• Improved the style of alerts in the UI.
• Changed the Early Access form to reflect the new workflow.

Lots of bug fixes so our Ops Team can better serve you

• Added Google Analytics v4 page view and ecommerce events
• Gave the ability to delete and edit expenses on orders after they have been completed
• Enabled the ability to delete domestic shipping expenses after capture
• Allowed text selection for copying during the Receiving process
• Fixed a bug in our match-and-verify workflow (admin)
• Fixed an issue where gamers scraping was picking the wrong price
• Addressed a problem with address lines being truncated after being pushed to Fulfillment
• Fixed an issue where customers' Package Details were showing a shipping transaction fee equivalent to the shipping fee
• Improved the Storage Reminder email link to the pricing page
• Hidden options when an image is missing in the Cart
• Improved the navigation UI in the Wallet
• Enhanced the style of the Purchasing view
• Continued improving the style of the Purchasing view
• Inverted the logo on the staging site
• Normalized the capitalization on the home page
• Removed the link from the order number on the Purchasing view
• Made it so that both thumbnails are shown during Receiving
• Added the package ID to the admin order page
• Stopped running tests on merge to production
• Updated the footer image.

In June, we celebrate onboarding our first customers

After nearly two-years of work, in June 2022, we onboarded our first Japan Rabbit customers. A big thank you to those of your who volunteered for our Early Access Program. You helped us find a lot of issues.

We added a feature to allow customers to declare their own Customs value.

This is something we never had in White Rabbit Express.

We polished our UI/UX

• Improved the design of the Pricing page
• Updated the 404 graphic
• Changed the style of the Add Address feature in the Checkout process
• Updated the style and color of the popover to match the brand style
• Made various style and copy edits to the Customer UI
• Added a total to the customs value
• Updated the placeholder image for missing items
• Improved the copywriting on the Customs page
• Improved the animation and text on the cart loading page
• Enhanced the copy on Checkout validation issues
• Improved the design of the Order Success page, including adding a graphic and confetti
• Improved the payment method selection process
• Improved the pre-approval explainer in the Checkout process.

And, we crushed dozens of bugs, to serve you better. 🐞🔨

• Add "count from customs queue" to Dashboard
• Add link to Service Task details on Service Task page
• Add tests for allowing customers to declare their own customs value
• Add back "Edit Cart" link after it was removed during redesign
• Allow buyers to add notes for receiving and packing teams
• Update copy about credits in Wallet
• Convert metrics to list view on Admin Dashboard
• Create mocks for testing scraping functionality
• Disable Auth0 verification emails during Early Access onboarding
• Fix bug where assigned credit card is not available for purchasing
• Fix bug with customs on Purchase History page
• Fix bug where fulfillment staff cannot print more than one barcode at a time
• Fix issue with invalid order total calculation
• Fix bug where customers see "NEW" packages on Order Details page (should only see "RECEIVED" and beyond)
• Fix issue with adding PayPal as a payment method.
• Fix issue with missing input control for setting customs type
• Fix "no rates" and "internal error" messages during checkout shipping estimate
• Fix routing issues on fees page
• Fix link to service fees on home page
• Format display of storage bins on all views
• Hide address selector if no address is present on Checkout page
• Hide Terms of Service checkboxes after first order on Checkout page
• Make it easier to discover how to end impersonation (admin feature)
• Make title in match-verify link to product page and remove shop link
• Link product title to product page in Receiving view
• Make UI improvements to Customs category selection tool
• Move status badge from Receiving view to prevent it from blocking images
• Post to Slack when a new order is created
• Prevent cart checkout when user's primary address is from a blacklisted country
• Remove Help Scout integration
• Remove welcome message from Front Chat
• Show country and payment method on Purchasing view
• Show item details during "review and checkout" step on Checkout page
• Show photo and item info during measure step on Receiving view
• Show receiving and arrival queue metrics on Dashboard
• Simplify validation on Checkout page
• Tidy up dashboard design on Admin page
• Update badges to use accent blue color
• Update cart style
• Update company address in iubenda Terms of Service
• Update header style on Admin page

Introducing Japan Rabbit

White Rabbit Express unveils a new name, logo, and platform in a complete brand overhaul.

YOKOHAMA (JAPAN) JUNE 01, 2022

Inside

• Announcing our rebranding
• New Features of the Japan Rabbit proxy service
• Japan Rabbit Pricing
• More to come

Welcome to Japan Rabbit

We launched White Rabbit Express in 2005 to make buying from Japan simple and easy. Today, we announce the completion of an extensive rebranding effort in response to accelerated company growth and a renewal of its product vision.

The new two-word Japan Rabbit brand name is shorter, punchier, and more descriptive than its predecessor — while retaining the equity built up in the word "Rabbit” over almost two decades. The Japanese aspect of the brand is further reinforced with Japan Rabbit Red and its association with the Japanese flag.

Japan Rabbit is launching with a completely redesigned and re-engineered interface and backend that provide customers with various new ways to manage their orders and packages better. The new platform combines innovative features, playful branding enhancements and the company's traditionally high levels of customer service* into what is a delightful user experience overall.

New Features of the Japan Rabbit proxy service

• The Japan Rabbit shopping cart can retrieve product images, titles, and prices from submitted URLs, reducing the effort to create an order.
• Items from different shops are organized into separate carts, making managing orders easier.
• Customers can now set their Customs value during shipping checkout.
• Customers can specify an allowance for incidentals like domestic shipping, sales tax, and payment fees, reducing delays and back-and-forth communication.
• Cancel an order with a click; contacting customer support is no longer necessary.
• The Japan Rabbit Wallet simplifies order adjustments by reducing the number of payments and refunds. Refunds will now appear as credit in your Japan Rabbit Wallet. And, any funds your Japan Rabbit Wallet will automatically be applied to your next payment. Or, you can still withdrawal the funds back to your payment methods if needed.
• Package Split allows customers to split the contents of a received package to ship separately. And,
• Customers can initiate photo, consolidation, and disposal requests right from the Package view.
• People and businesses using the Blackship.com (http://blackship.com/) package forwarding service can shift Japan Rabbit packages to their Blackship Mailbox for consolidated shipping.
• Japan Rabbit shipping add-ons include Price Tag Removal, Extra Padding, Fragile Tape, and Discreet Packaging.
• Shipping methods include service options provided by Japan Post, DHL, and FedEx.
• Japan Rabbit accepts payment by credit and debit card and PayPal.

We plan to launch many more features in the coming months, and we welcome your input in setting the future direction of Japan Rabbit with our new Product Feedback (http://feedback.japanrabbit.com/) page.

Japan Rabbit Pricing

Japan Rabbit pricing differs from White Rabbit Express in several ways.

• Consolidation Fee. Consolidating multiple packages into a single shipment can save big bucks on shipping fees. We charge $3.00 for consolidating packages from two or more separate orders. Consolidating two or more packages from the same order costs nothing.
• We've adjusted our per item fee from $1.00 to $2.00
• We've eliminated our $4.00 per shop fee to offset these changes; and,
• We've introduced a sliding service fee, designed so that the more you spend per order, the lower your effective service fee as a percentage of your total order.

All service fees are shown on our new pricing page

Commenting on the Japan Rabbit rebranding, founder and CEO Max Hodges said, "Global eCommerce from Japan is accelerating fast. Companies must be on the front foot to handle the rapidly expanding opportunities. Our new brand and our enhanced platform perfectly illustrate our growing ambitions. This is a significant milestone for us."

As part of the rebranding, Japan Rabbit is also launching a Discord community in 2023 Q1. The aim is to create a space for people to connect, swap information, and build relationships around a shared love of Japanese products and cultural interests.

About White Rabbit Japan

White Rabbit Japan is working to elevate eCommerce between Japan-based sellers and overseas buyers. Our flagship products, Japan Rabbit and Blackship, serve a global market of businesses and individuals in 140+ countries. We combine exceptional customer service and innovative technology to make buying from Japan as easy as possible.