Groupon, Inc. 10-Q

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS There have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, except as supplemented and updated below: Our international operations are subject to varied and evolving sociopolitical conditions as well as commercial, employment and regulatory challenges, and our inability to adapt to the diverse and changing landscapes of our international markets may adversely affect our business. Our international operations require management attention and resources and also require us to localize our services to conform to a wide variety of local cultures, business practices, laws and policies. Our international operations are subject to numerous risks, including the following: • our ability to maintain merchant and customer satisfaction such that our marketplace will continue to attract high quality merchants; • our ability to successfully respond to macroeconomic challenges, including the impact of COVID-19, current or future inflation and the ability to optimize our supply to take into account consumer preferences at a particular point in time; • political, economic and civil instability and uncertainty (including acts of terrorism, civil unrest, labor unrest, violence and outbreaks of war and pandemics or other disease outbreaks); • disruptions and instability in the international markets in which we operate, including Poland, as a result of the invasion and ongoing conflict in Ukraine; • currency exchange rate fluctuations; • strong local competitors, who may better understand the local market and/or have greater resources in the local market; • different regulatory or other legal requirements (including potential fines and penalties that may be imposed for failure to comply with those requirements), such as regulation of gift cards and coupon terms, Internet services, professional selling, distance selling, bulk emailing, privacy and data protection (including GDPR), cybersecurity, business licenses and certifications, taxation (including the European Union's voucher directive, digital service tax and similar regulations and any audits), consumer protection laws including those restricting the types of services we may offer (e.g., medical-related services), banking and money transmitting, that may limit or prevent the offering of our services in some jurisdictions, cause unanticipated compliance expenses or limit our ability to enforce contractual obligations; • our ability to use a common technology platform in our North America and International segments to operate our business without significant business interruptions or delays; • difficulties in integrating with local payment providers, including banks, credit and debit card networks and electronic funds transfer systems; • the ability to quickly and effectively consult and negotiate with our international workers' councils and trade unions on various matters including restructuring actions, strategic decisions and other business critical matters, which could result in the delay of executing key actions or product delivery and increase costs; • the local legal restrictions relating to employment and staffing; • difficulty in staffing, including attracting and retaining talent with an appropriate level of skill and experience, including product and technology expertise, GAAP knowledge and experience to create the proper control environment for effective internal control over financial reporting, developing and managing foreign operations, including through centralized shared service centers, as a result of distance, language barriers and cultural differences; • seasonal reductions in business activity; • expenses associated with localizing our products; and 43 • differing intellectual property laws. We are subject to complex laws and regulations that apply to our international operations, such as data privacy and protection requirements, including GDPR, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Anti-Bribery Act and similar local laws prohibiting certain payments to government officials, banking and payment processing regulations and anti-competition regulations, among others. The cost of complying with these various, and sometimes conflicting, laws and regulations is substantial. We have implemented and continue to implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance with these laws and regulations, however, we cannot ensure that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies. Changing laws, regulations and enforcement actions in the United States and throughout the world could harm our business. If commercial and regulatory constraints in our international markets restrict our ability to conduct our operations or execute our strategic plan, our business may be adversely affected. 44