Yelp (NYSE:YELP) Conference December 09, 2025 09:20 AM ET Company ParticipantsDavid Schwarzbach - CFOConference Call ParticipantsJosh Beck - AnalystJosh BeckHi, my name is Josh Beck with the Ray Jay Internet Team. We're super happy to have Yelp join us today. We have David, the CFO. He's going to read a quick statement, and then we'll get started. If any questions, just raise your hands.David SchwarzbachThanks, Josh, for having us at the conference. We'll be making some forward-looking statements during the ...

Summary of Yelp (YELP) Conference Call - August 12, 2025 Company Overview - **Company**: Yelp (YELP) - **Industry**: Online local business directory and review service Key Points 1. Q2 Results and Outlook - Yelp experienced a lack of seasonal ramp in advertising budgets due to policy uncertainty, affecting both restaurant retail and services sectors [4][5] - Small businesses are facing rising input costs and consumer uncertainty, impacting Yelp's performance [4][5] 2. Strategic Priorities - **Leading in Services**: Yelp aims to deliver value to advertisers by ensuring high-quality leads through tools like "Request a Quote" and "Yelp Assistant" [6][9] - **Delivering Advertiser Value**: The focus is on matching consumers with service providers effectively, enhancing the overall workflow [10][12] - **Yelp Assistant**: This chatbot has shown a 400% year-on-year increase in generated projects, indicating its effectiveness in consumer interaction [15] 3. Monetization Opportunities - The "Request a Quote" feature generates four times the monetization compared to a single search click, enhancing advertiser value without increasing perceived ad load [17][18] - Yelp is exploring monetization outside its platform, with a tenfold increase in API calls for AI search providers and an annual recurring revenue (ARR) run rate exceeding $10 million [46][47] 4. Acquisition Strategy - The acquisition of RepairPal aims to strengthen Yelp's position in the auto services category, aligning with its goal to lead in various service sectors [31][33] - The integration of RepairPal is progressing well, enhancing Yelp's capabilities in matching consumers with qualified local businesses [32][34] 5. Consumer Experience Transformation - Yelp has modernized its home feed to be more visual and engaging, aiming to provide relevant content to users [35][36] - The company is leveraging AI and chatbots to enhance user engagement and streamline the consumer experience [44] 6. Challenges in Restaurant and Retail Segment - The restaurant sector is under pressure from rising costs and changing consumer behavior, but Yelp remains confident due to its authoritative content and brand recognition [43][44] - The company is modernizing its experience and utilizing chatbots to improve engagement in this segment [44] 7. Internal Efficiency and AI Utilization - Yelp is developing AI voice products for service businesses and restaurants, which will enhance customer interaction and internal processes [49][51] - The company has reduced the time to market for new features by 60% through improved processes and the use of AI [54] 8. Financial Discipline - Yelp is committed to maintaining flat headcount and has a $250 million share repurchase run rate, emphasizing financial discipline in its growth strategy [61][62] 9. Future Outlook - The integration of AI across various business functions is expected to drive significant improvements in efficiency and consumer engagement [60][62] - Yelp is focused on leveraging emergent technologies while ensuring financial success and relevance in the market [62] Additional Insights - The conversation highlighted the importance of human-generated content and its role in Yelp's strategy to maintain authority and relevance in the local business directory space [41][42] - The company is exploring the potential of large language models (LLMs) to enhance internal processes and improve developer productivity [53][54]

Summary of Yelp (YELP) Conference Call - May 29, 2025 Company Overview - **Company**: Yelp (YELP) - **Industry**: Online review and local services platform Key Points Evolution of Business Model - Transition from a sales headcount-driven growth model to a product-driven growth model, focusing on product delivery and leveraging emerging technologies like AI and large language models [4][5] - Approximately two-thirds of revenue now comes from services, marking a significant shift from the traditional focus on restaurant and retail reviews [5] Services Business Performance - Services grew at approximately 11% each quarter in 2024, with a 14% growth in Q1 2025, partly due to the acquisition of RepairPal [6][7] - Home services have been a major driver of growth, with enhancements in the "Request Quote" feature allowing better matching of consumers with service providers [7][8] - Expansion into other service categories, including auto services through the RepairPal acquisition, is expected to drive further growth [8][20] Multi-Location Services Strategy - Focus on mid-market and enterprise customers to increase advertising revenue from services [12][13] - Development of APIs and lead management systems to support enterprise customers across multiple locations [13][14] Challenges in Restaurant and Retail Sector - The restaurant and retail segment has faced challenges due to rising input costs and inability to pass these costs onto consumers, resulting in a 3% decline in Q1 2025 [24][25] - Competition from food delivery platforms and retail ad networks has increased, impacting advertising budgets [28][29] - Yelp is enhancing consumer experience and ad matching technology to retain advertiser interest [26][30] Traffic and Engagement Insights - Experimentation with paid traffic acquisition led to increased project generation but did not result in higher ad budgets from advertisers, prompting a pullback in spending [31][33] - Focus on ROI-driven strategies to ensure that advertising budgets are effectively utilized [34] AI Integration and Future Outlook - AI is viewed as a significant opportunity, with investments in Yelp Assistant and other AI-driven features to enhance user experience and service matching [35][36] - Plans to leverage AI for improving call handling and customer engagement [37][38] Macroeconomic Sensitivity - The restaurant and retail business is more cyclical and sensitive to economic downturns, while the services business has a significant non-discretionary component [41][42] - Service professionals tend to increase advertising during economic slowdowns to maintain business [42] Revenue Guidance and Margin Outlook - Revenue guidance for Q2 2025 indicates a slowdown, with expectations for acceleration in the second half of the year [44] - Factors contributing to margin pressure include increased data spending for AI products, the lower gross margin from RepairPal, and fluctuations in employee-related expenses [48][51] Conclusion - Yelp is focused on delivering value to both consumers and advertisers, with a strong emphasis on enhancing product offerings and leveraging AI technologies to drive future growth [43][52]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In 2024, net revenue increased by 6% year over year to $1.41 billion, with net income growing by 34% year over year to $133 million and adjusted EBITDA increasing by 8% year over year to $358 million [2][3][33] - The company expanded net income margin by two percentage points and adjusted EBITDA margin by one percentage point from 2023 [3][20] - For Q4 2024, net revenue was $362 million, net income increased by 54% year over year to $42 million, and adjusted EBITDA was $101 million, representing a 28% margin [16][46] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from services increased by 11% year over year to a record $879 million, while RRNO revenue declined by 3% year over year to $470 million [4][34] - The home services category showed strong performance with annual revenue growth of approximately 15% year over year [4][34] - Advertising revenue in services increased by 11% year over year in Q4 to $225 million, while RRNO locations decreased, leading to a 4% year-over-year decline in paying advertising locations to 521,000 [17][47] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company experienced a challenging operating environment in the restaurant and retail sectors, impacting overall performance [4][34] - Despite the challenges in RRNO, the services categories continued to show strength, contributing to the overall revenue growth [4][34] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to focus on three strategic initiatives in 2025: leading in services, driving advertiser value, and transforming the consumer experience, leveraging AI capabilities [10][40] - Following the acquisition of RepairPal, the company aims to accelerate growth in the auto services category and enhance its offerings for multilocation services businesses [12][41] - The company is committed to maintaining a disciplined approach to expense management while investing in high-return areas to drive profitability [19][23] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the services segment, noting strong performance and growth potential despite macroeconomic challenges [66][97] - The company anticipates that the trends observed in 2024 will persist into 2025, with continued pressure on RRNO and strong performance in services [25][55] - Management highlighted the importance of AI in transforming the consumer experience and enhancing operational efficiency [78][82] Other Important Information - The company acquired RepairPal for approximately $80 million, which is expected to contribute positively to the auto services category [24][120] - The company repurchased $251 million worth of shares in 2024, demonstrating a commitment to returning capital to shareholders [53] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the abilities to invest behind demand generation in RRNO? - Management acknowledged headwinds in RRNO due to inflationary pressures but emphasized ongoing investments in services to capture future opportunities [63][64] Question: What are the key investment areas for growth in services? - Management highlighted strong growth in services, particularly home services, and the introduction of new features like the leads API to enhance service offerings [66][67] Question: What is the contribution of RepairPal to revenue guidance? - Management indicated that RepairPal's performance is integrated into overall guidance but did not provide specific figures [101][122] Question: How is the competitive landscape affecting restaurant and retail performance? - Management attributed challenges in the restaurant and retail sectors to macroeconomic factors rather than competitive pressures [131]