320,000 Users at Launch: How FELISSIMO Handled the Osaka Expo Merchandise Rush

The Expo 2025 Osaka Official Online Store Reopens with FELISSIMO

The official online store for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan ended operations in early January 2026, following the close of the Expo.

However, the popularity of its official mascot, MYAKU-MYAKU, showed no signs of fading, and demand for merchandise continued.

In response, FELISSIMO, known for its distinctive and creative product concepts, took over the existing domain and successfully relaunched the official online store in April.

A Unique Merchandise Lineup Draws 320,000 Users at Launch

FELISSIMO is one of Japan’s leading lifestyle e-commerce companies.

It has built strong brand recognition through unconventional product ideas that set it apart from typical online retailers—from monthly surprise deliveries and cat-themed everyday goods to quirky items such as oyster-shaped pouches.

With FELISSIMO’s signature creativity added to the mix, the MYAKU-MYAKU merchandise lineup became even more diverse, featuring plush toys, figures, photo books, and more.

The renewed store immediately attracted significant attention, with 320,000 users accessing the site at launch.

Managing Massive Traffic with NetFUNNEL

Anticipating a major traffic surge even before the store opened, FELISSIMO prepared its infrastructure in advance to ensure both a smooth customer experience and fair purchasing opportunities.

As part of this preparation, FELISSIMO deployed NetFUNNEL, STCLab’s virtual waiting room solution.

NetFUNNEL controlled incoming user traffic in stages, preventing server overload before it could occur.

By setting up a pre-waiting room to absorb traffic before peak demand, FELISSIMO was able to maintain a stable purchasing journey without access delays or system outages.

BotManager Detects 79.69% of Traffic as Bots and Macros

FELISSIMO also conducted a PoC of BotManager, STCLab’s bot and macro detection and blocking solution, to address the growing volume of automated traffic and abnormal access across the e-commerce industry.

BotManager was deployed in the live service environment for approximately one month, from the store launch in April through May.

The results showed that 79.69% of all access requests were identified as bot and macro traffic.

In particular, as the release cycle for limited-edition merchandise accelerated, abnormal automated traffic—including scalper bots targeting products for resale, price scrapers, and inventory-monitoring macros—increased more than fourfold in May compared with the initial launch period.

FELISSIMO Praises STCLab’s Technology

A FELISSIMO representative shared the following feedback:

With so many users accessing the official Expo 2025 Osaka online store at the same time, it is important to provide every customer with a fair opportunity to use the service.

We are highly satisfied with NetFUNNEL, particularly because it delivers excellent value for the cost compared with other solutions.

BotManager also generated no false positives that interfered with legitimate customers’ purchases during the evaluation period, demonstrating a high level of stability and reliability in a real-world production environment.

Building on its advanced traffic management technology, STCLab will continue to strengthen its capabilities and help businesses around the world create stable and reliable digital service environments.