Yelp has recently announced its winter release, introducing a range of new features aimed at improving user experience. The update includes a visually enhanced feed, AI-powered business summaries, and enhanced privacy features when contacting businesses.
Key Takeaway
Yelp’s latest update introduces a visually enhanced feed, AI-powered business summaries, and improved privacy features, aiming to provide users with a more engaging and streamlined experience when discovering and interacting with businesses.
Feed and Discovery Updates
The latest update brings a more visually engaging feed to the Yelp platform, with a focus on visual content including collections from Yelp Elites and videos posted by businesses. This update is currently available on iOS, with an Android rollout planned in the near future. Users can expect to see more visual content, including 12-second video reviews, as part of the revamped feed.
Yelp is also introducing a new search experience for the iOS app, providing users with popular searches, recent searches, and recently viewed businesses before they even begin typing a query. Search results will now feature an image-forward experience, showcasing relevant images from listings, along with “People also search for” and “Popular Dishes Nearby” carousels for improved discoverability.
Furthermore, Yelp has enhanced its AI-powered review highlights feature, allowing for improved matching of user queries and providing a summary of a business based on recent user reviews.
Review-Related Updates
Yelp is rolling out new badges for reviews and interactive review topic categories to help users get started with their reviews. These badges will be displayed alongside a user’s review, indicating their passion for a particular category.
Updates to Services Experience
In an effort to better connect users with service professionals, Yelp has introduced a new form that prompts users to answer questions about their service needs. Additionally, users can now send photos and videos to service professionals, streamlining the communication process.
Yelp has also addressed privacy concerns by implementing a temporary masked number, in partnership with Twilio, to connect users with businesses. This feature aims to prevent businesses from contacting users after a project is complete. Users also have the option to directly text businesses without having to open the Yelp app.
Furthermore, Yelp has expanded its “Yelp Guaranteed” program, offering users up to $2,500 in money-back guarantee if a project goes wrong. The company has also introduced the ability to send quick replies to businesses and archive projects.
Business-Focused Updates
For businesses, Yelp is introducing a revamped home page, an improved onboarding experience, new budget recommendations for ad-sends, and the option to schedule consultations with Yelp advertising representatives.
Financial Outlook
Yelp, which is set to announce its new earnings on February 8, reported a net revenue of $345 million for Q3 2023. The company also raised its annual revenue outlook for 2023 from $1.332 billion to $1.337 billion.
