Yelp (YELP) Conference Transcript

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]