Snap looks like a mess, and here are a few reasons why in the wake of its disappointing third-quarter earnings report.
Instagram is bigger and easier to use
Facebook's Instagram has more than 500 million daily users, while Snapchat is sitting at 128 million.
Instagram has an easy-to-use interface that makes it a cinch to snap short videos and post them to friends and family. And your friends and family are probably already on Instagram since it uses the same credentials as Facebook. Like Snapchat, Instagram gives you filters and fun effects, but you don't have to go swiping around like crazy to find them.
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel knows this, which explains why he . It better be good, and it better come soon.
Spectacles
Yikes! Spectacles launched last year to much applause in Silicon Valley, but that enthusiasm quickly disappeared. Snap expected its fans to run to vending machines around the country for a shot at buying the camera-equipped sunglasses.
The marketing worked for a bit until people stopped caring. That's when Snap decided to sell Spectacles directly from its website. Little did investors know that the company had more than $40 million worth of excess inventory, which Snap wrote off during the quarter.
User growth (or lack thereof)
Finally, Snap can't seem to attract new users to its platform.
The company had just 178 million daily active users during the quarter, missing estimates of 181.8 million. It added only 4.5 million users in the period. Despite new features like and fun new masks for users, the service isn't giving people many reasons to stick around.
Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal is an investor in Snap.
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