BROOKLYN, N.Y., May 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETSY), which operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect millions of passionate and creative buyers and sellers around the world, today announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

"Etsy has demonstrated tremendous resiliency in the wake of a global crisis," said Josh Silverman, Etsy, Inc. Chief Executive Officer. "The COVID-19 pandemic has been a test of our team, our marketplaces, our brand, and the underlying strength of our business. While there was no playbook for this situation, we moved with agility, focus, and purpose to support the Etsy global community and live up to our mission. We are proud that our sellers have yet again displayed their ability to rapidly adapt to changing consumer demands, pivoting product offerings with speed and innovation. It's also encouraging to see that during this very difficult time, more and more customers are turning to Etsy to meet their daily needs. I'm particularly gratified that our employees have risen to the challenge, moving with urgency to adjust and serve our stakeholders when they need us most. This period, while incredibly challenging, has been a testament to the agility and strength of Etsy's marketplaces."

"We continue to be disciplined in our spending, optimizing for efficiencies in our cost base as well as in capital spending. Our marketplace model allows Etsy to respond to changing conditions more rapidly than traditional retail models, resulting in solid profitability for the first quarter of 2020," said Rachel Glaser, Etsy, Inc. Chief Financial Officer. "Because we don't have significant fixed costs in our structure such as inventory, retail stores, and fulfillment infrastructure, we have been able to stay focused and prioritize investments that will continue to drive top-line growth."

The impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and on our business continue to evolve. As we outlined on our April 2, 2020 Business Update call, Etsy's performance in the first quarter was strong for the months of January and February, and as the crisis intensified, the effects of COVID-19 began to impact demand and the Company's growth. Beginning in early March, consolidated growth began to decelerate until it reached negative year-over-year growth in the third week, and recovered to positive year-over-year growth at the end of the month. We responded quickly across our organization to guard the health and safety of our team, support our global seller community, mitigate risk, and maximize our financial performance.

• Etsy assembled a COVID-19 task force in January, and moved to a fully remote workforce for both Etsy and Reverb by early March. Despite this shift in working environment, we were able to maintain high experiment velocity and minimal business disruption.
   
• In living up to our mission to "Keep Commerce Human," we introduced several initiatives during the first quarter to support our seller community during this challenging time. These included waiving fees for our new Offsite Ads service, extending our free trial into May; a one-month grace period to give sellers extra time to pay their bills; a seller guide to managing an Etsy shop during COVID-19; and 24/7 member support to address any questions with their businesses, delivery times, and shipping issues.
   
• We adjusted our marketing strategies and spend for the Etsy marketplace during the first quarter to respond quickly to the changing macro dynamics. Performance marketing spend adjusts naturally with demand, and we pivoted brand and above-the-line spend, as well as messaging, to focus on "finding joy in the everyday" and supporting small and independent businesses. This included the launch of our #StandWithSmall campaign across all of our owned and paid channels in the beginning of April.
   
• Both Etsy and Reverb have a highly variable cost structure with minimal capital expenditure requirements and costs that are highly variable with revenue. That said, we looked for ways to tighten spending in light of the changing macro situation. For example, during the quarter we limited hiring to only focus on roles critical to growth. Overall, actions we took during the first quarter to reduce spending represented annualized savings of approximately $2 to $3 million.
   
• To capitalize on our unique and defensible Right to Win, we continued to invest in product development, making material improvements to the customer experience during the first quarter. These include:
   
  
• Improving search and discovery by continuing to iterate on our ranking algorithms and delivering more relevant recommendations when buyers are further along in the purchase funnel.
   
• Launching several improvements aimed at building buyer awareness of free shipping and continuing to make progress providing Etsy sellers with the tools and support that enable them to offer free shipping to U.S. buyers for items over $35. During the first quarter we implemented a "quick to ship" badge to alert buyers of items that are ready to ship within four days, which led to an improvement in conversion rate.
   
• Continuing to remove friction from the purchase path, including for example, by collapsing item details on the listing page, which enabled buyers to checkout much faster.

• Etsy marketplace's GMS per active buyer on a trailing 12-month basis grew for the eighth consecutive quarter, to 4% year-over-year; and on a 2-year stacked basis, increased 6%, flat compared to last quarter. These statistics represent further evidence of our continued progress improving frequency.
   
• Active buyers grew 16.4% year-over-year in the first quarter, and active sellers grew 26.4% year-over-year.
   
• GMS from paid channels was 16% of overall GMS in the first quarter of 2020, expanding 50 basis points compared to the first quarter of 2019.

We are laying the foundation for success at Reverb, including the hiring of David Mandelbrot as Chief Executive Officer and establishing a product experimentation process that enables the team to iterate much faster. During the first quarter, we added seller reviews to the product page, positively impacting conversion rate. While Reverb experienced intra-quarter demand volatility similar to Etsy, the marketplace also saw increased demand from new and existing buyers at a time when retail stores are closed or have delayed shipping times.

• Total revenue was $228.1 million for the first quarter of 2020, up 34.7% year-over-year, driven by growth in both Marketplace and Services revenue.
   
• Gross profit for the first quarter of 2020 was $145.6 million, up 24.8% year-over-year, and gross margin was 63.9%, down 500 basis points compared with 68.9% in the first quarter of 2019. The contraction in gross margin was primarily driven by amortization related to our recent acquisition of Reverb which is non-cash, and our consolidated ad platform, Etsy Ads, which drives revenue growth but carries an equal offset in cost of revenue.
   
• Total operating expenses were $120.3 million in the first quarter of 2020, up 41.4% year-over-year, and represented 52.7% of revenue. The increase in operating expenses was driven primarily by employee-related expenses, including stock-based compensation.
   
• Net income for the first quarter of 2020 was $12.5 million, with diluted earnings per share of $0.10. Net income was primarily impacted by foreign exchange losses of $9.3 million or $0.08 loss per share. Foreign exchange rate fluctuations on our results of operations are primarily related to intercompany balances between our U.S. and foreign entities and other non-functional currency cash balances as we decided to hold more foreign currencies than usual due to current macroeconomic trends to ensure the timeliness of paying our sellers in their currency. The ongoing settlement of intercompany balances will reduce future foreign exchange volatility on our results of operations.
   
• Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2020 was $55.1 million and grew 10.4% year-over-year. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA margin (i.e., non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue) was 24.1% in the first quarter of 2020, down 530 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA performance was driven primarily by year-over-year revenue growth.
   
• Cash, cash equivalents, short- and long-term investments were $898.1 million as of March 31, 2020. In January 2020, Etsy repurchased an aggregate of approximately $25.0 million, or 543,106 shares of its common stock. However, in light of the macroeconomic situation related to COVID-19, our Board of Directors has decided to temporarily pause share repurchases.

Regarding Etsy's second quarter performance, Mr. Silverman commented, "After a volatile March, Etsy experienced a dramatic shift in demand during the month of April as global buyers turned to Etsy for cloth face masks given updated guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our team mobilized quickly to address the surge in face mask demand, which included creation of on-site banners and automated filters, scaling inventory with a call to action for sellers, retraining our search algorithms, and managing delivery expectations. We also experienced broad-based demand across the marketplace leading to over 100% growth for the Etsy marketplace in April. As consumer mindshare shifted in our direction, we again adjusted our marketing messaging and strategy, creating onsite experiences to engage new buyers, and launched a new TV and digital video campaign with an 'Always Open' theme. Our strong performance is thanks to a combination of macro dynamics and Etsy's agility to pivot to meet market demands."

Etsy extended our seller support initiatives in April, including providing listing credits for mask sellers as well as listing and ad credits to some of our hardest hit sellers in categories like weddings and party supplies. We donated thousands of face masks to hospitals and have supported many of our small, contracted vendors by keeping them employed despite our own office closures. The combination of one time investments to support our sellers and communities totaled approximately $11-13 million, the majority of which will be incurred in the second quarter of 2020.

Reverb also reported a strong April, with increased demand from new and existing buyers, as the marketplace leveraged its ability to serve as a primary online channel for sellers and buyers at a time when retail stores are closed or have delayed shipping times. As a result, Etsy's consolidated GMS for April was approximately $860 million, up over 130% from the prior year.

It is quite challenging for us to forecast, even in the near term, given the extreme shifts in demand we have seen over the past eight weeks. Our second quarter guidance is based upon our best view today that the recent surge in demand is likely to ease, but GMS strength in April will support strong top-line growth for the quarter. We will also continue to carefully manage our spending, while at the same time investing in key initiatives to deliver sustainable long-term growth.

Etsy will host a video webcast conference call to discuss these results at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time today, which will be live-streamed via the Company's Investor Relations website (investors.etsy.com) under the events section. Those interested in submitting questions during the earnings call can do so by using the Q&A chat window, which will be available during the webcast. A copy of the earnings call presentation will also be posted to our website.

Etsy, Inc. operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect millions of passionate and creative buyers and sellers around the world. Our primary marketplace, Etsy.com, is the global destination for unique and creative goods. Buyers come to Etsy to be inspired and delighted by items that are crafted and curated by creative entrepreneurs. For sellers, we offer a range of tools and services that address key business needs. In addition, Etsy, Inc. owns Reverb, a leading global online marketplace dedicated to buying and selling new, used, and vintage musical instruments.

This press release contains or references forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements relating to our financial guidance for the second quarter of 2020 and key drivers thereof; the impact of our investments on topline growth; the uncertain impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on our business, strategy, operating results, key metrics, financial condition, profitability, and cash flows and changes in overall level of consumer spending and volatility in the global economy; and the impact of ongoing settlement of intercompany balances on future foreign exchange rate volatility. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "will," or similar expressions and the negatives of those words.

Forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expect. These risks and uncertainties include: (1) COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and is impacting our GMS, other key metrics and results of operations in numerous ways that remain volatile and unpredictable; (2) the fluctuation of our quarterly operating results; (3) our failure to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations; (4) our ability to successfully execute on our business strategy or if our strategy proves to be ineffective; (5) our ability to attract and retain an active and engaged community of sellers and buyers; (6) our history of operating losses; (7) macroeconomic events that are outside of our control; (8) our ability to recruit and retain employees; (9) the importance to our success of the trustworthiness of our marketplaces and the connections within our community; (10) our ability to enhance our current offerings and develop new offerings to respond to the changing needs of sellers and buyers; (11) the effectiveness of our marketing efforts; (12) the effectiveness of our mobile solutions for sellers and buyers; (13) our ability to expand our business in our core geographic markets; (14) regulation in the area of privacy and protection of user data; (15) our dependence on third-party payment providers; (16) acquisitions that may prove unsuccessful or divert management attention, including our acquisition of Reverb; and (17) the potential misuse or disclosure of sensitive information about members of our community and the potential for cyber-attacks. These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, the current report on Form 8-K filed today, and subsequent reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, achievements, or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will occur.

In this press release, we provide Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure that represents our net income adjusted to exclude: interest and other non-operating expense, net; benefit for income taxes; depreciation and amortization; stock-based compensation expense; foreign exchange loss (gain); and acquisition-related expenses. Below is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

• Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect other non-operating expenses, net of other non-operating income, including net interest expense;
   
• Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;
   
• although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect cash capital expenditure requirements for such replacements or for new capital expenditure requirements;
   
• Adjusted EBITDA does not consider the impact of stock-based compensation expense;
   
• Adjusted EBITDA does not consider the impact of foreign exchange loss (gain);
   
• Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect acquisition-related expenses; and
   
• other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently, which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure.