Revolve Group, Inc. 10-K

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans, expectations and beliefs that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those anticipated in or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including those discussed in the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.” For discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for year ended 2022, which was filed with the SEC on February 23, 2023. Overview REVOLVE is the next-generation fashion retailer for Millennial and Generation Z consumers. As a trusted premium lifestyle brand and a go-to online source for discovery and inspiration, we deliver exceptional service and an engaging customer experience with a vast yet curated offering totaling over 100,000 apparel and footwear styles, as well as beauty, accessories and home products. Our dynamic platform connects a deeply engaged community of millions of consumers, thousands of global fashion influencers and over 1,200 emerging, established and owned brands. Through more than 20 years of continued investment in technology, data analytics and innovative marketing and merchandising strategies, we have built a powerful platform and brand that we believe is connecting with the next generation of consumers and is redefining fashion retail for the 21st century. We sell merchandise through two complementary segments, REVOLVE and FWRD, that leverage one platform. Through REVOLVE, we offer an assortment of premium apparel, footwear, beauty, accessories and home products from emerging, established and owned brands. Through FWRD, we offer an assortment of curated and elevated iconic and emerging luxury brands. REVOLVE has historically been focused on the discovery of trend-driven, ready-to-wear styles, while FWRD has been more heavily weighted toward the statement pieces in our customers’ wardrobe, such as shoes and handbags. We believe that FWRD provides our customer with a unique destination for luxury products as our customers’ spending power increases and their desire for fashion and inspiration remains central to their self-expression. We believe our product mix reflects the desires of the next-generation consumer and we optimize this mix through the selection of established brands that resonate with our consumer, the identification and incubation of emerging brands and the continued development of owned brands. The focus on emerging and owned brands minimizes our assortment overlap with other retailers, supporting marketing efficiency, conversion and sales at full price. We have invested in our robust and scalable internally-developed technology platform to meet the specific needs of our business and to support our customers’ experience. We use proprietary algorithms and more than 20 years of data to efficiently manage our merchandising, marketing, product development, sourcing and pricing decisions. Our platform works seamlessly across devices and analyzes browsing and purchasing patterns and preferences to help us make purchasing decisions, which when combined with the small initial orders for new products, allows us to manage inventory and fashion risk. We have also invested in our creative capabilities to produce high-quality visual merchandising that caters to our customers by focusing on style with a distinct point of view rather than on individual products. The combination of our online sales platform and our in-house creative photography allows us to showcase brands in a distinctive and compelling manner. We use social channels and cultural events designed to deliver authentic and aspirational, yet attainable, experiences to attract and retain next-generation consumers, and these efforts have historically led to higher earned media value than competitors. We complement our social media efforts through a variety of brand marketing campaigns and events, which generate a constant flow of authentic and inspiring content. Our social media and brand marketing strategy is combined with robust and sophisticated digital performance marketing activities and our proprietary brand ambassador program. Once we have attracted potential new customers to our sites, our goal is to 55 convert them into active customers and then encourage repeat purchases. We acquire and retain customers through paid search/product listing ads, affiliate marketing, our brand ambassador program, paid social, retargeting, personalized email marketing and mobile “push” communications through our mobile applications. We have developed an efficient logistics infrastructure, which allows us to provide free shipping and returns to our customers in the United States. We support our logistics network with proprietary algorithms to optimize inventory allocation, reduce shipping and fulfillment expenses and deliver merchandise quickly and efficiently to our customers, which allows us to ship over 97% of orders on the same day if placed before 3 p.m. Eastern Time. We continue to modify and expand our fulfillment network to support our growth and the demand for our products. To date, we have successfully expanded internationally with limited investment and physical presence. Our ongoing initiative to elevate the international service levels and customer experience has been a key contributor to our growth, enabling us to offer express shipping and hassle-free returns at no cost (for international orders valued at $100 or more) in most of our major international regions. We also offer REVOLVE products on two large international marketplaces, Tmall Global in China and Nykaa Fashion in India, to expand our distribution reach in these key geographies. For 2023 and 2022, we generated $198.3 million and $187.1 million, respectively, in net sales shipped to customers internationally, or 18.6% and 17.0% of total net sales, respectively. We intend to continue to invest in and develop international markets while maintaining our focus on the core U.S. market. Key Operating and Financial Metrics We use the following metrics to assess the progress of our business, make decisions on where to allocate capital, time and technology investments and assess the near-term and longer-term performance of our business. Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 (in thousands, except average order value and percentages) Gross margin 51.9 % 53.8 % 55.0 % Adjusted EBITDA $ 43,409 $ 90,234 $ 114,585 Free cash flow $ 39,144 $ 18,269 $ 60,118 Active customers 2,543 2,340 1,840 Total orders placed 8,701 8,304 6,636 Average order value $ 297 $ 304 $ 271 Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures. See the sections captioned “—Adjusted EBITDA” and “—Free Cash Flow” below for information regarding our use of Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow and their reconciliation to net income and net cash provided by operating activities, respectively. Gross Margin Gross profit is equal to our net sales less cost of sales. Gross profit as a percentage of our net sales is referred to as gross margin. Cost of sales consists of our purchase price of merchandise sold to customers and includes import duties and other taxes, inbound freight costs, receiving costs, defective merchandise returned from customers, inventory valuation adjustments, and other miscellaneous shrinkage. Gross margin is impacted by the mix of brands and categories of styles that we sell on our sites. Gross margin on sales of owned brands is typically higher than that for third-party brands. Gross margin is also affected by the percentage of sales through the REVOLVE segment, which consists primarily of emerging third-party, established third-party and owned brands, compared to our FWRD segment, which consists primarily of established third-party brands. Merchandise mix will vary from period to period and if we do not accurately forecast demand, our growth, margins and inventory levels may be adversely affected. We review our inventory levels on an ongoing basis to identify slow-moving merchandise and use product markdowns to efficiently sell these products. We have maintained a high percentage of sales that occur at full price, which we believe reflects our data-driven merchandising strategy, customer acceptance of our merchandise and the 56 sense of urgency we create through frequent product introductions in limited quantities. Gross margin is impacted by the mix of sales at full price and markdowns, as well as the level of markdowns. Certain of our competitors and other retailers report cost of sales differently than we do. As a result, the reporting of our gross profit and gross margin may not be comparable to other companies. Adjusted EBITDA To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we have disclosed in the table above and elsewhere in this report Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure that we calculate as net income before other income, net; taxes; and depreciation and amortization; adjusted to exclude the effects of equity-based compensation expense and certain non-routine items. We have provided below a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. We have included Adjusted EBITDA in this report because it is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA facilitates operating performance comparisons on a period-to-period basis and, in the case of exclusion of the impact of equity-based compensation, excludes an item that we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are: • 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 reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; • Adjusted EBITDA does not consider the potentially dilutive impact of equity-based compensation; • Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us; • Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect certain non-routine items that may represent a reduction in cash available to us; and • other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently, which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including various cash flow metrics, net income and our other GAAP results. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income is as follows: Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 (in thousands) Net income $ 28,147 $ 58,697 $ 99,840 Excluding: Other (income) expense, net (15,627 ) (3,476 ) 563 Provision for income taxes 9,614 17,919 4,888 Depreciation and amortization 5,094 4,791 4,508 Equity-based compensation 5,839 5,862 4,786 Non-routine items (1) 10,342 6,441 — Adjusted EBITDA $ 43,409 $ 90,234 $ 114,585 (1) Non-routine items in 2023 included $7.5 million in legal fees and charges for two separate settled legal matters and $2.8 million related to non-routine import and export fees. Non-routine items in 2022 included $6.3 million in legal fees and charges for a settled legal matter and $0.1 million in other non-routine items. 57 Free Cash Flow To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we have also disclosed in the table above and elsewhere in this report free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure that we calculate as net cash provided by operating activities less cash used in purchases of property and equipment. We have provided below a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. We have included free cash flow in this report because it is a key measure used by our management and board of directors, which we believe is an important indicator of our liquidity because it measures the amount of cash we generate. Free cash flow also reflects changes in working capital. Our working capital fluctuates over time primarily as a result of the timing of our inventory purchases to support growth, our effective tax rate and the timing of tax payments, and changes in the level of merchandise that is returned by our customers, which in turn impacts our return reserve. Accordingly, we believe that free cash flow provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors. Free cash flow has limitations as an analytical tool and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP financial measures, including that other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate free cash flow differently. Because of these limitations, you should consider free cash flow alongside other financial performance measures, including net cash provided by operating activities, purchases of property and equipment and our other GAAP results. The following table presents a reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities, as well as information regarding net cash used in investing activities and net cash (used in) provided by financing activities, for each of the periods indicated: Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 (in thousands) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 43,342 $ 23,436 $ 62,313 Purchases of property and equipment (4,198 ) (5,167 ) (2,195 ) Free cash flow $ 39,144 $ 18,269 $ 60,118 Net cash used in investing activities $ (4,198 ) $ (5,167 ) $ (2,195 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities $ (30,377 ) $ 887 $ 12,766 Active Customers We define an active customer as a unique customer account from which a purchase was made across our platform at least once in the preceding 12-month period. We calculate the number of active customers on a trailing 12-month basis given the volatility that can be observed when calculating it on the basis of shorter periods that may not be reflective of longer-term trends; however, such a methodology may not be indicative of other short-term trends, such as changes in new customers. In any particular period, we determine our number of active customers by counting the total number of customers who have made at least one purchase in the preceding 12-month period, measured from the last date of such period. We view the number of active customers as a key indicator of our growth, the reach of our sites, the value proposition and consumer awareness of our brands, the continued use of our sites by our customers and their desire to purchase our products. We believe the number of active customers is a measure that is useful to investors and management in understanding our growth, brand awareness and market opportunity. Our number of active customers drives both net sales and our appeal to brands and partners. Active customers increased during 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to our ability to engage with our existing customers and acquire new customers through our sales and marketing efforts. Total Orders Placed We define total orders placed as the total number of orders placed by our customers, prior to product returns, across our platform in any given period. We view total orders placed as a key indicator of the velocity of our business and an indication of the desirability of our products and sites to our customers. Total orders placed, together with 58 average order value, is an indicator of the net sales we expect to recognize in a given period. We believe that total orders placed is a measure that is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in analysis of ongoing operating trends. Total orders placed and total orders shipped in any given period may differ slightly due to orders that are in process at the end of any particular period. Total orders placed increased in 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to our ability to engage with our existing customers and acquire new customers through our sales and marketing efforts. Average Order Value We define average order value as the sum of the total gross sales from our sites in a given period, prior to product returns, divided by the total orders placed in that period. In 2023, average order value for merchandise sold through the REVOLVE and FWRD segments was approximately $274 and $692, respectively, reflecting the brands sold and typical profile of the shoppers on such sites. We believe our high average order value demonstrates the premium nature of our product assortment. We believe that average order value is a measure that is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in analysis of ongoing operating trends. Average order value varies depending on the site through which we sell merchandise, the percentage of sales at full price, and for sales at less than full price, the level of markdowns on these products, product mix, and the number of units per order. Average order value decreased slightly during 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to a lower percentage of full price sales year over year, partially offset by an increase in the price of products year over year as a result of the increase in the cost of goods and other input costs. Factors Affecting Our Performance Overall Economic Trends The overall economic environment and related changes in consumer behavior have a significant impact on our business. In general, positive conditions in the broader economy promote customer spending on our sites, while economic weakness, which generally results in a reduction of customer spending, may have a more pronounced negative effect on spending on our sites. Macro factors that can affect consumer confidence, shopping behavior and spending patterns, and thereby our near-term and long-term results of operations, include inflation levels, employment rates, business conditions, changes in the housing market, changes in the stock market, adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, the availability of credit, resumption of student loan payments, U.S. government stimulus payments, interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, fuel, energy and raw material costs, supply chain challenges, and wars and geopolitical tensions. In addition, during periods of low unemployment, we generally experience higher labor costs. Customer Acquisition and Growth in Brand Awareness Our focus since inception has been on profitable growth, which has created our disciplined approach to acquiring new customers and retaining existing customers at a reasonable cost, relative to the contributions we expect from such customers. Failure to attract new visitors to our sites and convert them to customers would impact future net sales growth. If our marketing efforts do not connect with our customer or fail to cost-effectively promote our brand or convert impressions into new customers, our net sales growth and profitability will be adversely affected. Competition for social media and influencer-based marketing channels continues to increase, making it more difficult to differentiate ourselves and cost-effectively acquire customers. Furthermore, changes in the user experience on social media platforms, including a shift towards video and the level of recommended content as well as changes in privacy practices by third parties, may make it more difficult to gain customer awareness and cost effectively acquire and retain customers. Apple Inc. has imposed requirements for consumer disclosures regarding privacy practices, and has implemented an application tracking transparency framework that requires opt-in consent for certain types of tracking. This transparency framework was launched in April 2021 and has made it more difficult and costly to acquire and retain customers. Additionally, in June 2023, Apple announced new software development kit, or SDK, privacy controls that it has integrated into iOS 17, which was released in September 2023, including new protections designed 59 to limit tracking or identification of user devices. In February 2022, Google announced its Privacy Sandbox initiative for Android, a multi-year effort expected to restrict tracking activity and limit advertisers’ ability to collect app and user data across Android devices. We seek to engage with our customers and build awareness of our brands through delivering unique events and experiences, as well as short-term pop-up retail experiences. We plan to continue to conduct in-person events at varying levels of scale in the future and make opportunistic investments in marketing initiatives that could increase marketing as a percentage of net sales to levels in excess of historical levels for certain quarters or periods of time in the future. This incremental investment may not deliver a meaningful return in the short term and may adversely impact our operating income in the short term. Customer Retention Our success is impacted not only by efficient and effective customer acquisition and growth in brand awareness, but also by our ability to retain customers, engage with our community and encourage repeat purchases. Existing customers, whom we define as customers in a year who have purchased from us in any prior year, account for a greater and greater share of active customers over time. Existing customers as a percentage of total active customers were 52%, 50%, 49% and 49% for 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Existing customers typically place more orders annually than new customers and at higher average order values, resulting in existing customers representing approximately 79% of orders and approximately 80% of net sales in 2023, up from 77% of orders and 79% of net sales in 2022, and 57% of orders and 58% of net sales in 2014, again having increased in each year since 2014. We believe these increases are reflective of our ability to engage and retain our customers through our differentiated marketing and compelling merchandise offering and shopping experience. The increasing share of our net sales from existing customers reflects our customer loyalty and the net sales retention behavior we see in our customer cohorts. The following table presents the percentage of orders placed by and the net sales generated from existing customers. Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 % of Orders placed by existing customers 79 % 77 % 76 % % of Net sales generated from existing customers 80 % 79 % 77 % The following chart illustrates the spending behavior of our customer cohorts over time, as reflected in customer purchases of our products annually. Cohort net sales retention rate is calculated as net sales attributable to a given customer cohort divided by the total net sales attributable to the same customer cohort from one year prior. Cohort net sales retention rate was 77% in 2023 compared to 97% in 2022, 120% in 2021 and 74% in 2020. If we are unable to maintain our historically strong retention rates, our operating results could be adversely impacted. The variability in our cohort net sales retention rates in 2020 to 2023 is a departure from our consistent retention rates in prior years, which we attribute primarily to external economic factors. In 2020, our cohort net sales retention rate was negatively impacted by COVID-19 headwinds before recovering very strongly in 2021 and, to a lesser extent, in 2022. We believe the 2023 cohort net sales retention rate reflects a normalization following the resurgence of consumer spending on fashion apparel in 2021 and 2022, coupled with a more challenging macroeconomic environment in 2023. Due to the variability in our retention rates in recent years, which was primarily driven by external economic factors, we believe the average of our cohort net sales retention rates from 2020 to 2023 is a relevant measure for benchmarking our performance in retaining customers. The average cohort net sales retention rate for 2020-2023 was 92%, which is higher than the 89% net sales retention rate reported in 2019. 60 Merchandise Mix We offer merchandise across a variety of product types, brands and price points. The brands we sell on our platform consist of a mix of emerging third-party, established third-party (including iconic luxury brands) and owned brands. Our product mix consists primarily of apparel, footwear, beauty and accessories products. Our merchandise mix across our two reporting segments carry a range of margin profiles and may cause fluctuations in our gross margin. Shifts in our segment mix and our broader category merchandise mix may result in fluctuations in our gross margin from period to period. Inventory Management We leverage our platform and technology to buy and manage our inventory, including merchandise assortment and fulfillment center optimization. We utilize a data-driven “read and react” buying process to merchandise and curate the latest on-trend fashion. We generally make shallow initial inventory buys and then use our proprietary technology tools to identify and re-order best sellers, taking into account customer feedback across a variety of key metrics, which allows us to manage inventory and fashion risk. To ensure sufficient availability of merchandise, we generally purchase inventory in advance and frequently before apparel trends are confirmed. As a result, we are vulnerable to demand and pricing shifts and to suboptimal selection and timing of merchandise purchases. In the normal course of business, we incur inventory valuation adjustments, which impacts our gross margin. Moreover, our inventory investments will fluctuate with the needs of our business. For example, entering new categories will require additional investments in inventory. Shifts in inventory levels may result in fluctuations in the percentage of full price sales, levels of markdowns, merchandise mix, as well as gross margin. Investment in our Operations and Infrastructure We have made investments over time to grow our customer base, enhance our offerings and deliver best-in-class service to our customers. Over the long term, we expect to continue to make capital investments in our inventory, fulfillment centers, and logistics infrastructure as we grow our customer base, launch new brands, expand internationally and drive operating efficiencies. We believe these investments will yield positive returns in the long 61 term; however, we cannot be certain that these efforts will grow our customer base or be cost-effective in the short term. Segment and Geographic Performance Our financial results are affected by the performance across our two reporting segments, REVOLVE and FWRD, as well as across the various geographies in which we serve our customers. The REVOLVE segment contributes to a majority of our net sales, representing 84.6% and 83.7% of our net sales for 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2023 and 2022, REVOLVE generated $904.5 million and $921.7 million in net sales, respectively, representing a decrease of 1.9%. The net sales decrease in 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily due to a higher proportion of returned merchandise, partially offset by an increase in the number of orders placed. The FWRD segment contributes to a smaller portion of our overall net sales, representing 15.4% and 16.3% of our net sales for 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2023 and 2022, FWRD generated $164.2 million and $179.7 million in net sales, respectively, representing a decrease of 8.6%. The net sales decrease in 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily due to a decrease in the number of orders shipped. 62 Net sales to customers outside of the United States contributed to 18.6% and 17.0% of our net sales for 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2023 and 2022, net sales to customers outside of the United States were $198.3 million and $187.1 million, respectively, representing an increase of 6.0%. Net sales to customers outside of the United States are impacted by various factors including import and export taxes, currency fluctuations and other macroeconomic conditions described in “—Overall Economic Trends” above. In addition, any weakening of a local currency versus the U.S. dollar results in our products becoming more expensive in that local currency, which has had, and may continue to have, a negative impact on demand for our products in the geographies that use such currency. Seasonality Seasonality in our business has not historically followed that of traditional retailers which typically experience concentration of net sales in the fourth quarter in connection with the holidays. Our operating income has also been affected by these historical trends because many of our expenses are relatively fixed in the short term. If our growth rates moderate over the long-term, the impact of these seasonality trends on our results of operations may become more pronounced. Our seasonality trends have also been impacted by macroeconomic conditions described in “—Overall Economic Trends” above. The following table presents quarterly net sales expressed as a percentage of total net sales. Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 First quarter 26 % 26 % 20 % 25 % 23 % Second quarter 26 % 26 % 26 % 25 % 27 % Third quarter 24 % 24 % 27 % 26 % 26 % Fourth quarter 24 % 24 % 27 % 24 % 24 % Total 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % 100 % Our business is directly affected by the behavior of consumers. Economic conditions and competitive pressures can significantly impact, both positively and negatively, the level of demand by customers for our products. Consequently, the results of any prior quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as indications of our future operating performance. Components of Our Results of Operations Net Sales Net sales consist primarily of sales of women’s apparel, footwear, beauty, accessories and home products. We recognize product sales at the time control is transferred to the customer, which is when the product is shipped. Net sales represent the sales of these items and shipping revenue when applicable, net of estimated returns and promotional discounts. Net sales are primarily driven by growth in the number of our customers, the frequency with which customers purchase and average order value. Cost of Sales Cost of sales consists of our purchase price for merchandise sold to customers and includes import duties, net of drawback claims, and other taxes, inbound freight costs, receiving costs, defective merchandise returned from customers, inventory valuation adjustments, and other miscellaneous shrinkage. Cost of sales is primarily driven by the cost of the product, the number of total orders placed by customers, the mix of the product available for sale on our sites and transportation costs related to inventory receipts from our vendors. We expect our cost of sales to fluctuate as a percentage of net sales primarily due to how we manage our inventory and merchandise mix. We have recently experienced and may continue to experience an increase in the cost of goods due to an increase in the cost of materials. 63 Fulfillment Expenses Fulfillment expenses represent those costs incurred in operating and staffing our fulfillment centers, including costs attributed to inspecting and warehousing inventories and picking, packaging and preparing customer orders for shipment. Fulfillment expenses also include the cost of warehousing facilities. We expect fulfillment expenses to fluctuate as a percentage of net sales due to pressure from increased costs such as wages and other input cost pressure, expansion of our fulfillment network footprint and capacity, and our customers’ propensity to return merchandise, to be partially offset by operating efficiencies from increased scale as well as automation of the fulfillment center workflow. Selling and Distribution Expenses Selling and distribution expenses consist primarily of shipping and other transportation costs incurred delivering merchandise to customers and from customers returning merchandise, merchant processing fees, and customer service. We expect selling and distribution expenses to fluctuate as a percentage of net sales reflecting input cost pressures, particularly freight charges and fuel surcharges, from elevated return rates due to consumer behavior, investments in international markets to offer hassle-free returns, partially offset by efficiencies realized from optimized shipping methods. Marketing Expenses Marketing expenses consist primarily of targeted online performance marketing costs, such as paid search/product listing ads, affiliate marketing, paid social, retargeting, search engine optimization, personalized email marketing and mobile “push” communications through our mobile applications. Marketing expenses also consist of investment in brand marketing channels, including events, payments to influencers and other forms of online and offline marketing. Marketing expenses are primarily related to growing and retaining our customer base and building the REVOLVE and FWRD brands. Over the long term, we expect marketing expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to scale our business, and may fluctuate as a percentage of sales depending on net sales volume, the level of marketing investment in a particular period and the competitive environment. We may make opportunistic investments in marketing initiatives that may increase marketing as a percentage of net sales to levels in excess of historical levels for certain quarters or periods of time in the future. General and Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses consist primarily of payroll and related benefit costs and equity-based compensation expense for our employees involved in general corporate functions, as well as costs associated with the use by these functions of facilities and equipment, such as depreciation, rent and other occupancy expenses. Over the long-term, we expect general and administrative expenses to continue to increase in absolute dollars to support business growth with general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales declining over the long-term as we leverage our investments and as our business scales. Other (Income) Expense, Net Other (income) expense, net consists primarily of interest income on our money market funds, interest expense and other fees associated with our line of credit and foreign exchange (gains) losses. For 2023, other (income) expense, net also includes $5.1 million of insurance proceeds related to a settled legal matter. 64 Results of Operations The following tables set forth our results of operations for the periods presented and express the relationship of certain line items as a percentage of net sales for those periods. The period-to-period comparison of financial results is not necessarily indicative of future results. Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 (in thousands) Net sales $ 1,068,719 $ 1,101,416 $ 891,390 Cost of sales 514,520 509,093 401,567 Gross profit 554,199 592,323 489,823 Operating expenses: Fulfillment expenses 36,654 31,804 21,322 Selling and distribution expenses 197,052 190,419 133,506 Marketing expenses 171,774 181,648 140,398 General and administrative expenses 126,585 115,312 89,306 Total operating expenses 532,065 519,183 384,532 Income from operations 22,134 73,140 105,291 Other (income) expense, net (15,627 ) (3,476 ) 563 Income before income taxes 37,761 76,616 104,728 Provision for income taxes 9,614 17,919 4,888 Net income $ 28,147 $ 58,697 $ 99,840 Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 Net sales 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % Cost of sales 48.1 46.2 45.0 Gross profit 51.9 53.8 55.0 Operating expenses: Fulfillment expenses 3.4 2.9 2.4 Selling and distribution expenses 18.4 17.3 15.0 Marketing expenses 16.1 16.5 15.8 General and administrative expenses 11.9 10.5 10.0 Total operating expenses 49.8 47.2 43.2 Income from operations 2.1 6.6 11.8 Other (income) expense, net (1.4 ) (0.3 ) 0.1 Income before income taxes 3.5 6.9 11.7 Provision for income taxes 0.9 1.6 0.5 Net income 2.6 % 5.3 % 11.2 % Comparison of Years Ended 2023 and 2022 Net Sales Year Ended December 31, Change 2023 2022 $ % (dollars in thousands) Net sales $ 1,068,719 $ 1,101,416 $ (32,697 ) (3.0 %) The decrease in net sales for 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily due to a higher proportion of returned purchases, partially offset by an increase in the number of orders placed by customers. Net sales in the REVOLVE segment decreased 1.9% to $904.5 million in 2023 compared to net sales of $921.7 million in 2022. Net sales generated from our FWRD segment decreased 8.6% to $164.2 million in 2023 as compared to net sales of $179.7 million in 2022. 65 Cost of Sales Year Ended December 31, Change 2023 2022 $ % (dollars in thousands) Cost of sales $ 514,520 $ 509,093 $ 5,427 1.1 % Percentage of net sales 48.1 % 46.2 % The increase in cost of sales in 2023, as compared to 2022, was primarily due to a higher mix of third-party brand sales, which generally carry higher cost of sales than that of owned brand goods, partially offset by a higher proportion of returned purchases. The increase in cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was primarily due to a lower percentage of full price sales combined with a higher mix of third party brand sales. Fulfillment Expenses Year Ended December 31, Change 2023 2022 $ % (dollars in thousands) Fulfillment expenses $ 36,654 $ 31,804 $ 4,850 15.2 % Percentage of net sales 3.4 % 2.9 % Fulfillment expenses in 2023 were higher as compared to 2022, primarily due to an increase in the number of units processed and increased rent cost for existing facilities. The increase in fulfillment expenses as a percentage of net sales was primarily due to customers returning a higher proportion of their purchases, higher wages for fulfillment staff and the expansion of our fulfillment network footprint and capacity. Selling and Distribution Expenses Year Ended December 31, Change 2023 2022 $ % (dollars in thousands) Selling and distribution expenses $ 197,052 $ 190,419 $ 6,633 3.5 % Percentage of net sales 18.4 % 17.3 % The increase in selling and distribution expenses in 2023, as compared to 2022, was primarily due to an increase in the number of orders shipped and returned. Shipping and handling costs increased $7.3 million and other selling expenses decreased $0.7 million during 2023 as compared to 2022. The increase in selling and distribution expenses as a percentage of net sales was primarily due to customers returning a higher proportion of their purchases, higher shipping rates and a lower average order value as compared to the comparative period in the prior year. Marketing Expenses Year Ended December 31, Change 2023 2022 $ % (dollars in thousands) Marketing expenses $ 171,774 $ 181,648 $ (9,874 ) (5.4 %) Percentage of net sales 16.1 % 16.5 % The decrease in marketing expenses in 2023, as compared to 2022, was primarily due to reduced investment in performance marketing campaigns driven by efficiencies in marketing investments. As a result, we experienced a decrease of $12.3 million in performance marketing expense, partially offset by a $2.4 million increase in brand marketing expense. 66 General and Administrative Expenses Year Ended December 31, Change 2023 2022 $ % (dollars in thousands) General and administrative expenses $ 126,585 $ 115,312 $ 11,273 9.8 % Percentage of net sales 11.9 % 10.5 % The increase in general and administrative expenses in 2023, as compared to 2022, was primarily due to a $1.7 million increase in salaries and related benefits and equity-based compensation expense related to an increase in our headcount, a $1.7 million increase related to professional services and other occupancy costs, and a $7.9 million increase in other operating expenses. During 2023, we recorded $7.5 million in legal fees and charges for two separate settled legal matters and $2.8 million in non-routine import and export fees. During 2022, we recorded a $6.3 million accrual for a separate legal matter that has since been settled. The increase in general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales was primarily driven by the increase in general and administrative costs as well as a slight decline in net sales. Income Taxes Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 (dollars in thousands) Income before income taxes $ 37,761 $ 76,616 Provision for income taxes 9,614 17,919 Effective tax rate 25.5 % 23.4 % The increase in the effective tax rate for 2023 compared to 2022 was primarily due to an increase in state income taxes and non-deductible expenses combined with a decrease in excess tax benefits related to the exercise of non-qualified stock options, partially offset by a higher proportion of foreign-derived intangible income. Liquidity and Capital Resources The following table shows our cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and working capital as of the dates indicated: As of December 31, 2023 December 31, 2022 (in thousands) Cash and cash equivalents $ 245,449 $ 234,724 Accounts receivable, net 12,405 5,421 Working capital 338,969 337,131 (1) Working capital for all periods presented above is defined as current assets less current liabilities. As of December 31, 2023, the majority of our cash and cash equivalents was held for working capital purposes. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations as well as the available borrowing capacity under our line of credit will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months. However, our liquidity assumptions may prove to be incorrect, and we could exhaust our available financial resources sooner than we currently expect. We may seek to borrow funds under our line of credit or raise additional funds at any time through equity, equity-linked or debt financing arrangements. Our future capital requirements and the adequacy of available funds will depend on many factors, including those described in the section titled “Risk Factors.” We may not be able to secure additional financing to meet our operating requirements on acceptable terms, or at all. 67 Sources of Liquidity Since our inception, we have financed our operations and capital expenditures primarily through cash flows generated by operations, private sales of equity securities, the incurrence of debt, the net proceeds we received through our IPO, as well as proceeds received from the exercise of stock options. Line of Credit On March 23, 2021, we amended and restated our existing credit agreement to, among other things, extend the expiration date from March 23, 2021 to March 23, 2026. On May 11, 2023, we amended the credit agreement to replace the LIBO reference rate with a term SOFR reference rate and made conforming changes throughout the credit agreement. The line of credit provides us with up to $75.0 million aggregate principal in revolver borrowings, based on eligible inventory and accounts receivable less reserves. Borrowings under the credit agreement accrue interest, at our option, at (1) a base rate equal to the highest of (a) the federal funds rate, plus 0.50%, (b) the prime rate and (c) an adjusted term SOFR rate determined on the basis of a one-month interest period, plus 1.00%, or (2) an adjusted term SOFR rate, subject to a floor of 0.00%, in each case, plus a margin ranging from 0.25% to 0.75% per year in the case of base rate loans, and 1.25% to 1.75% per year in the case of term SOFR rate loans. No borrowings were outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. We are also obligated to pay other customary fees for a credit facility of this size and type, including an unused commitment fee. The credit agreement also permits us, in certain circumstances, to request an increase in the facility by an additional amount of up to $25.0 million (in an initial minimum amount of $10.0 million and in increments of $5.0 million thereafter) at the same maturity, pricing and other terms. Our obligations under the credit agreement are secured by substantially all of our assets. The credit agreement also contains customary covenants restricting certain of our activities, including limitations on our ability to sell assets, engage in mergers and acquisitions, enter into transactions involving related parties, obtain letters of credit, incur indebtedness, repurchase stock or grant liens or negative pledges on our assets, make loans or make other investments. Under these covenants, we are prohibited from paying cash dividends with respect to our capital stock. We were in compliance with all financial covenants as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. Uses of Cash Our short-term and long-term liquidity requirements primarily arise from operating costs such as merchandise purchases, compensation and benefits, lease obligations, marketing and other expenditures necessary to support our business growth. In addition, in August 2023, our board of directors authorized a stock repurchase program of up to $100 million of our outstanding Class A common stock. The timing and amount of any stock repurchases is determined based on market conditions, stock price and other factors, and the program does not require us to repurchase any specific number of shares of Class A common stock. The program has no expiration date but it may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time. The stock repurchase program is funded from available cash and cash equivalents. For more information about repurchases made under our stock repurchase program, see “Part II, Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Issuer’s Repurchases of Equity Securities.” Historical Cash Flows Year Ended December 31, 2023 2022 2021 (in thousands) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 43,342 $ 23,436 $ 62,313 Net cash used in investing activities (4,198 ) (5,167 ) (2,195 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (30,377 ) 887 12,766 68 Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities Cash from operating activities consists primarily of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items, including depreciation, equity-based compensation, and the effect of changes in working capital and other activities. We generated $43.3 million of operating cash flow in 2023 compared to $23.4 million in 2022. The increase in our operating cash flow was primarily due to a $55.6 million net increase due to reduced investments in inventory, partially offset by a $28.7 million decrease in net income adjusted for non-cash items and a $7.0 million decrease from changes in other working capital. Net Cash Used in Investing Activities Our primary investing activities have consisted of purchases of property and equipment to support our fulfillment centers and our overall business growth and internally developed software for the continued development of our proprietary technology infrastructure. Purchases of property and equipment may vary from period-to-period due to the timing and extent of the expansion of our operations. Net cash used in investing activities was $4.2 million and $5.2 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities Our financing activities primarily consist of proceeds from the exercise of stock options, borrowings and repayments related to the existing line of credit, when applicable and repurchases of our Class A common stock. Net cash used in financing activities was $30.4 million in 2023 and was primarily attributable to repurchases of shares of our Class A common stock under our stock repurchase program. Net cash provided by financing activities was $0.9 million in 2022 and was attributable to cash proceeds from the exercise of stock options. Contractual Obligations As of December 31, 2023, our principal contractual obligations consist of obligations under operating leases for office and fulfillment facilities. For a description of our leases, please see Note 5, Leases , to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. Inflation We have been impacted by high levels of inflation in recent periods resulting in part from various supply chain disruptions, increased shipping and transportation costs, increased merchandise and labor costs and other disruptions caused by general economic and market conditions. We continue to monitor the impact of inflation in order to minimize its effects through pricing strategies, productivity improvements and cost reductions. These mitigating actions may adversely impact demand for our products. Furthermore, if costs were to become subject to significant incremental inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, net sales, expenses and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates. We believe that the assumptions and estimates associated with revenue recognition and inventory have the greatest potential impact on our consolidated financial statements. Therefore, we consider these to be our critical accounting policies and estimates. For further information on all of our significant accounting policies, please see Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies , of the accompanying notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. 69 Net Sales Revenue is primarily derived from the sale of apparel merchandise through our sites and, when applicable, shipping revenue. We recognize revenue through the following steps: (1) identification of the contract, or contracts, with the customer; (2) identification of the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determination of the transaction price; (4) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation. A contract is created with our customer at the time the order is placed by the customer, which creates a performance obligation to deliver the product to the customer. We recognize revenue for the performance obligation at the time control of the merchandise passes to the customer, which is at the time of shipment. In addition, we have elected to treat shipping and handling as fulfillment activities and not a separate performance obligation. In accordance with our policy on returns and exchanges, merchandise returns are generally accepted for full refund if returned within 60 days of the original purchase date and merchandise may be exchanged up to 90 days from the original purchase date. At the time of sale, we establish a reserve for merchandise returns, based on historical experience, merchandise mix and expected future returns, which is recorded as a reduction of sales. Accordingly, cost of sales is also reduced and an offsetting asset is recorded within prepaid expenses and other current assets for expected merchandise to be returned. Our returns reserve as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $63.8 million and $63.4 million, respectively, and the provisions recorded for returns were $1,505.9 million and $1,410.5 million, during 2023 and 2022, respectively. Actual levels of returns may vary from our estimates as of period ends and would be recorded in future periods. We have a Loyalty Club program within the REVOLVE and FWRD segments. Eligible customers who enroll in the program will generally earn points for every dollar spent and will automatically receive a $20 reward once they earn 2,000 points. We defer revenue based on an allocation of the price of the customer purchase and the estimated standalone selling price of the points earned. Revenue is recognized once the reward is redeemed or expires or once unconverted points expire. Rewards generally expire 90 days after they are issued and unconverted points generally expire if a customer fails to engage in any activity that generates points for a period of one year or if their participation in the program is otherwise terminated. We may also issue store credit in lieu of cash refunds or exchanges and sell gift cards without expiration dates to our customers. Store credits issued and proceeds from the issuance of gift cards are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue when the store credit or gift cards are redeemed or upon inclusion in our store credit and gift card breakage estimates. Revenue recognized in net sales on breakage on store credit and gift cards was $2.6 million and $1.7 million for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Sales taxes and duties collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are accounted for on a net basis and therefore are excluded from net sales. We currently collect sales taxes in all states that have adopted laws imposing sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state retailers and are subject to audits by state governments of sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state retailers in jurisdictions where we do not currently collect sales taxes, whether for prior years or prospectively. No significant interest or penalties related to sales taxes are recognized in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. We have exposure to losses from fraudulent credit card charges. We record losses when incurred related to fraudulent charges as such amounts have historically been insignificant. 70 Inventory Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost is determined using the specific identification method. Cost of inventory includes import duties and other taxes and transport and handling costs. We make inventory valuation adjustments where it appears that the carrying cost of the inventory may not be recovered through subsequent sale of the inventory. We analyze the quantity of inventory on hand, the quantity sold in the past year, the anticipated sales volume, the expected sales price and the cost of making the sale when evaluating the value of our inventory. If the sales volume or sales price of specific products declines, additional write-downs may be required. Recent Accounting Pronouncements See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies , to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.