Tag: Business

Following up on the previous blog, Perfect Diary seems to be at the perfect stage to do more brand advertising.

Two problems tho –

1/ what is the core message? Compared with 花西子, perfect diary seems to be less special in terms of message it sends.

2/ YSG wants to be the pipe or the platform. To do so, it needs resources to diversify, which inherently means the lower importance of perfect diary.

It seems to me that the conflict is also due to the short time frame the management has. To go for the ultimate J-curve of perfect diary and to become the holding group with successful tiered brands in a few years = a extremely tough goal.

If we draw a matrix – categories on the x-axis and premium level on the y axis, plus female/male on the z-axis.. long way to go.

Back in January, I wrote about how DoorDash could be valued at $60bn, with solid earnings (in the future).

While I question the near-term growth beyond $60bn, today’s earnings obviously doesn’t help.

Its stock drops more than 10% after-market.

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Two things that the market seems to be too optimistic about:

1/ GOV and revenue growth – won’t be amazing

While it’s amazing that DoorDash GOV grew more than 200% in 2020, its forecast for 2021 is conservative: $30bn to $33bn, or 28% growth at the middle point.

Given Q4 GOV is ~$8.2bn, it’s basically forecasting minimal sequential growth. (lower in Q3/Q3 and higher in Q1/Q4, considering seasonality)

Our outlook anticipates the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, among other things. Though we cannot predict the short or long-term effects this will have on consumer behavior, our guidance assumes it creates headwinds to growth in total orders and average order values. We caution investors that the outlook for 2021 remains highly uncertain, and consumer behavior could deviate from the expectations included in our guidance. Our guidance also assumes that the timing of scaled vaccinations will coincide with our seasonally softer Q2 and Q3 periods. Consequently, our forecast assumes increasing consumer churn, reduced order frequency at the cohort level, and slightly smaller average order values beginning in Q2. Because of this, our full year 2021 guidance assumes Marketplace GOV in Q2 and Q3 will be below the levels we expect in Q1.

2/ Profits – won’t be amazing

While DoorDash posted ~10% adj. EBITDA margin for the past three quarters, it may not be able to do so in 2021.

Considering $86 million adj. EBITDA in 2020 Q3, the forecast of $0-200 million for FY2021 seems lower than what investors were expecting.

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That being said, to maintain a healthy ecosystem and to withstand the normalization of life, DoorDash needs to put extra efforts in retaining users and Dashers, and business partners. And it can and will invest more in acquiring talents.

Even 2021 GOV is $30-33bn, it will diversify (more heathy/stable demand), growing outside of the food delivery business. In 2023, this number can still go to $50 billion (say 2 billion orders x $25 per order), growing at over 25%.

And on the subscription front,

While DashPass orders carry a below-average Take Rate, the average DashPass subscriber orders more frequently and stays on the platform longer than the average non-subscriber.

DoorDash is playing the long game and the business is here to stay.

Be patient.

As of Feb 2021,

For independent individuals – 40% of gross value of virtual gifts, when tax withheld is 20%

Streamers = 40%

Streamer’s tax withheld by Kuaishou = 10%

Kuaishou = 50%

For streamers under a “family/union” – varies.

Unions can set the sharing ratio to between 35% and 50%.

For example, if the ratio is set at 40%, and tax withheld is 0 (to simplify)

Streamers = 40% (certain tax should be withheld)

Union = 10%

Kuaishou = 50%

In addition, Kuaishou gives back additional revenue-sharing (“bonus”) as incentive if certain growth/active targets are achieved, up to 12% of gross value (after-tax I assume).

The larger the union, the higher basic bonus (up to 2%) it can get. Active bonus (1%) requirement is a bit higher for larger union. Growth target is lower for large unions. Growth bonus is tiered and every union can potentially get the full 9% growth bonus.

Therefore, if a union get say 5% bonus, following the previous example, then

Streamers = 40%

Union = 15%

Kuaishou = 45%

Unions can set certain bonus internally for streamers, and often provide a base pay + % commission model for streamers.

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We could see from Kuaishou’s reported financials that after deducting “revenue sharing to streamers and related taxes”, Kuaishou retains a bit over 40% of its live-streaming revenue.

Aphria (NASDAQ: APHA), the company to be merged into Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY),  with 62% post-merger ownership, just released its earnings for the quarter ended on Nov 30, 2020.

And the numbers are good – net cannabis revenue doubled yoy; adj. EBITDA margin continues to improve.

The stocks in the cannabis industry are cheering it up. In the past 3 month, those stocks are up more than 100%.

More legalization and Cannabis 2.0 products helped the sales.

More impressively, cannabis companies are growing their revenue while controlling the costs.

In the latest quarter (FY21Q2), Aphria grew net revenue by 33% yoy while G&A+sales+marketing+R&D grew by only 17%. Its LTM net revenue grew by 34% yoy (amid covid-19, at least two quarters’ sales impacted) while LTM costs (G&A+sales+marketing+R&D) grew only by 26%.

Canopy Growth (NASDAQ: CGC) is more aggressive in cutting costs. Its costs (G&A+sales+marketing+R&D) in decreased by 24% in 2020 Q3, while the revenue increased by 77% yoy.

Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY) also cut 40% in those costs in 2020 Q3.