INITIAL REPORT Susan Jennings Kantari,
[email protected] Yelp Will Continue to Dominate Online Review Market Companies: ANGI, FB, GOOG, GRPN, IACI, OPEN, RLOC, TRIP, YELP, YHOO June 20, 2013 Research Question: Will a focus on mobile advertising, nontraditional review areas, and international expansion allow Yelp to continue its growth through the remainder of 2013 despite a rise in competition? Summary of Findings Silo Summaries 1) BUSINESSES USING YELP Yelp Inc. (YELP) will continue to post growth Yelp will continue to grow throughout the rest of 2013, according to the through the remainder of this year because it six of 10 sources who commented on the company’s future, and will faces little immediate competition in the growing remain the market’s dominant player, according to five. Six sources were market of online reviews. Google Inc. (GOOG) familiar with Yelp’s mobile app and use it to check reviews and analytics. poses the greatest threat to Yelp, but must Seven of the 10 sources said Yelp lacks a significant near-term threat. improve its updates and customer service. The remaining three said Google will be an issue, including one source who said Google already has taken some of Yelp’s share. Three sources Facebook Inc. (FB) lacks content. reported having difficulty in understanding Yelp’s review filtering Seventeen of 19 sources who commented on algorithms, but four others said the filter was reliable. Yelp could stand to Yelp’s future foresee growth for the company. improve its social engagement capabilities, to give business owners the One Yelp reviewer said growth will depend on the power to filter reviews, and to provide better customer service and a more transparent filtering system.