Etsy misses first-quarter sales, profit estimates on lower discretionary demand
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By
Reuters
Published
May 2, 2024
Etsy missed Wall Street expectations for first-quarter gross merchandise sales (GMS) and profit on Wednesday, hurt by lower demand for its handcrafted goods and personalized gifts at its online marketplace.
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Despite Etsy ramping up spending over the past quarters on promotions and advertising, it struggled to keep up with larger retailers in attracting bargain-hungry customers.
It is also facing increasing competition from low-cost e-commerce platforms such as Temu.
Persistent inflationary pressures have put off customers from spending on big-ticket non-essentials product categories including vintage handicrafts, jewelry and home decor.
“Our first quarter performance …was pressured by the challenging environment for consumer discretionary products, which continues to be a headwind to Etsy marketplace growth,” said CEO Josh Silverman.
“While considerably larger than it was pre-pandemic, Etsy is struggling to find ways to expand beyond its niche and attract buyers as Amazon and Walmart eat up a larger share of ecommerce spending,” Eachel Wolff, analyst with eMarketer said.
For the quarter, the company posted consolidated GMS – a key metric to measure sales – of $3 billion, compared to analysts’ average estimate of $3.12 billion, according to LSEG data.
The company posted quarterly revenue of $646 million, roughly below analysts’ expectations of $646.3 million. It earned 48 cents per share, below estimates of 49 cents per share.
The company’s net income for the quarter was $63 million, compared with $74.5 million last year. Analysts on average expected $67.39 million, according to LSEG data.
Shares of the company, which fell nearly 32% in 2023, were down nearly 14% in trading after the bell.
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