Groupon, Inc. has announced financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2013.
“Our record performance in the quarter was led by strength in Goods, as shoppers increasingly looked to Groupon to fill their holiday needs,” said Eric Lefkofsky, CEO of Groupon. “Our mobile business continued to gain momentum as our worldwide mobile transaction mix increased more than 10% in the quarter, to nearly 50% in December. With another 9 million downloads this quarter, we now have nearly 70 million app downloads to date.”
“We’re also excited to welcome Ticket Monster and ideeli to the Groupon family. The acquisitions bring scale, relationships, and category expertise, making Groupon an even better place to start when you want to do or buy just about anything, anytime, anywhere.”
Fourth Quarter 2013 Summary
Gross billings, which reflect the total dollar value of customer purchases of goods and services, excluding applicable taxes and net of estimated refunds, increased 5% globally to $1.6 billion in the fourth quarter 2013, compared with $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter 2012. North America growth of 10% and EMEA growth of 6% was offset by an 11% decline in Rest of World.
Revenue increased 20% to $768.4 million in the fourth quarter 2013, compared with $638.3 million in the fourth quarter 2012. North America revenue growth of 18% and EMEA growth of 43% was offset by a 15% decline in Rest of World.
Gross profit increased 6%, to $378.2 million in the fourth quarter 2013, compared with $355.8 million in the fourth quarter 2012.
Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $72.0 million in the fourth quarter 2013, compared with $29.7 million in the fourth quarter 2012.
Operating income was $13.4 million in the fourth quarter 2013, compared with an operating loss of $12.9 million in the fourth quarter 2012.
Operating income excluding stock compensation and acquisition-related costs, net, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $47.9 million in the fourth quarter 2013, compared with $13.7 million in the fourth quarter 2012.
Fourth quarter 2013 net loss attributable to common stockholders was $81.2 million, or $0.12 per share, including stock compensation and acquisition-related costs, net, of $34.5 million ($31.0 million net of tax). Fourth quarter 2013 results include a pre-tax non-operating loss of $85.5 million ($77.8 million net of tax) related to the impairment of a minority investment in China. Earnings per share excluding this impairment charge, stock compensation and acquisition-related costs, net of tax, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $0.04 per share.
Operating cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2013 was $218.4 million. Free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $158.3 million in the fourth quarter 2013, bringing free cash flow for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2013 to $154.9 million.
At the end of the quarter, Groupon had $1.2 billion in cash and cash equivalents.
Full Year 2013 Summary
Gross billings increased 7% globally to $5.8 billion in 2013, compared with $5.4 billion in 2012. North America growth of 20% and EMEA growth of 3% was offset by a 14% decline in Rest of World.
Revenue increased 10% to $2.6 billion in 2013, compared with $2.3 billion in 2012. North America revenue growth of 31% was offset by an 8% decline in EMEA and a 15% decline in Rest of World.
Gross profit decreased 7%, to $1.5 billion in 2013, compared with $1.6 billion in 2012.
Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $286.7 million in 2013, compared with $259.5 million in 2012.
Operating income was $75.8 million in 2013, compared with $98.7 million in 2012.
Operating income excluding stock compensation and acquisition-related costs, net, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $197.2 million in 2013, compared with $203.7 million in 2012.
Full year 2013 net loss attributable to common stockholders was $95.4 million, or $0.14 per share, including stock compensation and acquisition-related costs, net, of $121.5 million ($90.7 million net of tax). 2013 results include a pre-tax non-operating loss of $85.5 million ($77.8 million net of tax) related to the impairment of a minority investment in China in the fourth quarter. Earnings per share excluding this impairment charge, stock compensation and acquisition-related costs, net of tax, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $0.11 per share.
Definitions and reconciliations of all non-GAAP financial measures are included below in the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and in the accompanying tables.
Operating Highlights
- Units: Global units, defined as vouchers and products sold before cancellations and refunds, increased 11% year-over-year to 56 million in the fourth quarter 2013. North America units increased 17%, EMEA units increased 9%, and Rest of World units decreased 1% year-over-year.
- Active deals: At the end of the fourth quarter 2013, on average, active deals in North America were approximately 80,000, compared with more than 65,000 at the end of the third quarter 2013. Globally, active deals exceeded 140,000 at the end of the fourth quarter 2013.
- Active customers: Active customers, or customers that have purchased a voucher or product within the last twelve months, grew 9% year-over-year, to 44.9 million as of December 31, 2013, comprising 20.8 million in North America, 14.2 million in EMEA, and 9.9 million in Rest of World.
- Customer spend: Fourth quarter 2013 trailing twelve month billings per average active customer was $134, compared with $137 in the third quarter 2013.
- Mobile: In December 2013, nearly 50% of global transactions were completed on mobile devices. Nearly 70 million people have now downloaded Groupon mobile apps worldwide, with approximately 9 million people downloading them in the fourth quarter alone.
- Marketplace: The rollout of Groupon’s marketplace (“Pull”) continued to gain traction. In December 2013, approximately 8% of total traffic in North America searched, with customers that searched spending over 50% more than those that did not.
