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Wayfair Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 30 April 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 7.4% year over year: Net revenue was $2,931 million, up $201 million from $2,730 million a year earlier. Both the U.S. and International segments contributed to the increase. Source
  • Management cites market outperformance: Management said the company outperformed the market by a high single-digit spread in the first quarter, based on its own estimates. Source
  • Net loss narrowed; Adjusted EBITDA rose: Net loss was $105 million against $113 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA was $151 million, up from $106 million. Source
  • Segment Adjusted EBITDA split: U.S. Adjusted EBITDA was $161 million, against $95 million. International Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $10 million, compared with $11 million of income a year earlier. Source
  • Active customers grew 1.4%: Active customers totaled 21.4 million at March 31, 2026, up from 21.1 million a year earlier. The company treats active customers as a key indicator of growth. Source
  • Contribution margin rose to 15.0%: Contribution Profit was $440 million, or 15.0% of net revenue, compared with $391 million and 14.3% a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin reached 5.2%: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 5.2%, compared with 3.9% a year earlier. Management said the margin is the first-quarter result it has delivered in five years. Source
  • Operating cash use and free cash flow: Net cash used in operating activities was $52 million, compared with $96 million a year earlier. Free cash flow was negative $106 million, against negative $139 million. Source

“Our strong revenue performance in Q1 translated to noteworthy profitability.”

Niraj Shah, CEO, co-founder and co-chairman, Wayfair

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 7.4% year over year: Net revenue was $2,931 million, up $201 million from $2,730 million a year earlier. Both the U.S. and International segments contributed to the increase. Source
  • Management cites market outperformance: Management said the company outperformed the market by a high single-digit spread in the first quarter, based on its own estimates. Source
  • Net loss narrowed; Adjusted EBITDA rose: Net loss was $105 million against $113 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA was $151 million, up from $106 million. Source
  • Per-share results improved: Diluted loss per share was $0.80, compared with $0.89 a year earlier. Adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.26, against $0.10. Source
  • Operating loss narrowed to $11 million: Loss from operations was $11 million, compared with $122 million in the first quarter of 2025, according to the statement of operations. Source

Segments and regions

  • U.S. revenue up 7.5%: U.S. net revenue was $2,612 million, up from $2,429 million. U.S. remained the larger of the two reportable segments by revenue. Source
  • International revenue up 6.0%: International net revenue was $319 million, up 6.0%. The company reported constant currency growth for International net revenue of 1.7%. Source
  • Segment Adjusted EBITDA split: U.S. Adjusted EBITDA was $161 million, against $95 million. International Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $10 million, compared with $11 million of income a year earlier. Source

“We are particularly encouraged by the pace at which our share gains are accelerating”

Niraj Shah, CEO, co-founder and co-chairman, Wayfair

Customers and orders

  • Active customers grew 1.4%: Active customers totaled 21.4 million at March 31, 2026, up from 21.1 million a year earlier. The company treats active customers as a key indicator of growth. Source
  • Prior-quarter customer count fell: The fourth quarter release reported 21.3 million active customers at December 31, 2025, down 0.5% year over year.
  • Orders delivered rose 3.3%: Orders delivered were 9.4 million, compared with 9.1 million a year earlier. The company recognizes net revenue when an order is delivered. Source
  • Repeat-customer share edged lower: Repeat customers placed 79.8% of orders delivered, against 80.5%. They placed 7.5 million orders, up 2.7%, and orders per customer rose to 1.88 from 1.85. Source

Products, basket and devices

  • Average order value rose to $312: Average order value was $312, compared with $301 a year earlier. The company defines it as net revenue divided by orders delivered in the period. Source
  • Revenue per active customer up 5.2%: LTM net revenue per active customer was $591 at March 31, 2026, up from $562 a year earlier. Source
  • Mobile share of orders rose: Mobile devices accounted for 64.7% of orders delivered, up from 63.4% a year earlier. Source

Margins and costs

  • Gross margin edged down: Gross profit was $880 million, or 30.0% of net revenue, compared with 30.7% a year earlier. Adjusted gross margin was 30.1%. Source
  • Contribution margin rose to 15.0%: Contribution Profit was $440 million, or 15.0% of net revenue, compared with $391 million and 14.3% a year earlier. Source
  • Advertising spend declined: Advertising was $329 million, down from $344 million, while customer service and merchant fees rose to $114 million from $107 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin reached 5.2%: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 5.2%, compared with 3.9% a year earlier. Management said the margin is the first-quarter result it has delivered in five years. Source

Cash, debt and share count

  • Operating cash use and free cash flow: Net cash used in operating activities was $52 million, compared with $96 million a year earlier. Free cash flow was negative $106 million, against negative $139 million. Source
  • Liquidity held at $1.5 billion: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $1.1 billion. Total liquidity, including the revolving credit facility, was $1.5 billion. Source
  • Debt settlement and share-tax outflows: Financing outflows included a $250 million settlement of long-term debt and $29 million of taxes paid on net share settlement of equity awards. Source
  • Adjusted diluted share count rose: The adjusted diluted share count was 137 million, against 127 million, including 2 million performance stock units and 4 million from convertible debt instruments. Source

Strategy and management view

  • Scale cited as customer experience base: Management attributes its customer experience to scale built through years of investment in its core offering. Source
  • Plan to outperform and grow EBITDA: Management said its plan remains consistent: outperform the category, pass growth through to EBITDA dollars, and grow those dollars faster than revenue. Source
  • Excess cash for maturities and dilution: Management said it plans to deploy excess cash to manage upcoming debt maturities and dilution. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Average order value Source$312
Orders delivered Source9.4 million
Gross margin Source30.0%
Inventories Source$78 million
Mobile share of orders delivered Source64.7%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management said the home furnishings category had a choppy start to the year. Source
  • Operational: The company recorded $24 million of charges on termination of an operating lease for a logistics facility. Source
  • Financial: A $43 million loss on debt extinguishment arose from repurchasing $56 million of 2028 Notes. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said its plan remains consistent, with the aim of increasingly outperforming the category. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.