E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ETWO) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

As I told my team, our challenges are reasonably basic and straightforward, and quite clear. We don’t need sophisticated organizational changes to tap into our potential going into the new fiscal year. We’re going to — we saw significant momentum around the things that we’ve implemented. We’re going to stay the course and continue to capitalize on the momentum that we’ve established. Essentially what Andrew laid out in his opening remarks being laser focused on customer engagement and delighting our customers is our priority. And we’ll continue to build the processes and the programs that drive that behavior and ultimately that engagement with our customers.

Taylor McGinnis : Awesome. Appreciate it. And then just for my second question for Marje, a two-parter for you, if you don’t mind. So, it looks like you lowered the midpoint of the 4Q subscription revenue guide by roughly a point, but it still assumes stronger sequential quarter-over-quarter growth and what we saw in 3Q. So, can you just comment on what you’re seeing in the environment versus maybe your expectations that’s driving that and some of the assumptions embedded. And then as a follow up, I know you aren’t giving guidance for next fiscal year, but just as we look into next year, would it be fair to use this the 4Q quarter-over-quarter growth as a starting point for sequential growth next year? If we assume that sales productivity maybe is expected to improve, maybe that could ultimately lead to better sequential growth, but anything you can share in terms of the puts and takes there I think would be helpful?

Marje Armstrong : Absolutely. Thanks for the question. In terms of the first part of your question for Q4 guide, overall as we look at our guidance for second half our view hasn’t changed, right? And so, quarter to quarter, as you obviously the timing of bookings, churn, even FX, can really impact the revenues quarter to quarter when you’re looking at year over year growth rates, obviously the year ago comps of the similar factors have an impact as well. So, I wouldn’t read into that I wouldn’t read that into that at all. I think what the message really here is that our Q3 momentum and just the execution as we exited the quarter was materially improved versus Q2, which kind of gets to your second part of the question. In terms of the quarter over quarter improvement, obviously that has a positive impact sequentially for Q4.

And also, obviously, Q4 in general is our just seasonally stronger quarter given the two kind of year ends. We have in our Q4 meaning the December normal year end, and then our own fiscal year end in February. So, we are very pleased to see sort of better momentum, better execution and really having an impact from Greg and Andrew and the team on the booking side, and also just the sharp focus as outlined on churn that overall it takes a bit longer to effect, but we can definitely see how the plan will start taking hold there as well. In terms of the, your last part of your question in terms of FY ’25 like you said, we don’t guide to that yet. So, the goal is to do everything you said improve, continue to improve get back to the growth rates that we should have in double digits and build on momentum.

But this is going to take some time. And so, again, stay tuned to FY ‘25 guidance when we provide it. But where we sit now, we’re very encouraged by the early signs that we saw this [indiscernible].

Taylor McGinnis: Great. Thank you, so much.

Operator: The next question comes from Mark Schappel with Loop Capital. Please proceed.

Mark Schappel : Andrew, starting with you, if I recall correctly, there were several ocean contracts that were coming up for renewal this year. And given that annual shipping volumes are down, I was wondering if you could give us a sense of whether you’re starting to see ocean customers kind of renewing it at much lower rates, and maybe give us a sense of any kind of step down you’re seeing.

Marje Armstrong: Maybe I’ll start. Hi, thank you for the question. Maybe I’ll start and I’ll hand it over to Andrew. The — volumes and carrier Sharon we talked about previously. That’s fully embedded into our guidance as you’d see it. And obviously, these are important customers to us and both Andrew and Greg are very involved in working with them. So, there’s no, nothing really new in terms of surprises here necessarily, but I’ll let Andrea answer that as well.

Andrew Appel : Yeah, no, I’ll only add, we are in active continuous discussion with all of our largest shipping clients. I think, our goal is to find new ways to serve them. We have called this morning with the team on one of them to offset any volume-based relationship that we have with new solutions that will help them achieve some of their aspirations in terms of growing their business. So, while it’s just the nature of client relationships, right? Over time, they migrate, right? If you keep trying to sell the same thing, then you would be like selling an iPhone 6 today, right? So, I just think, you have to refresh your services. So, in those discussions with carriers, of which I happen to be involved in two of the five or six, they are all about a little bit of that volumetric coupled with here’s three other things that we should be working on together to grow your business.

Mark Schappel: Great. Thank you. And then, Greg, a question for you. With respect to the sales comp plans that you inherited when you came on board, do you believe they are adequate or appropriate to generate the right level of sales productivity at the firm? Or do you think you need to make some changes to the comp plans here this year?