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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Notes) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company's consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") and include the assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses of all wholly‑owned subsidiaries and majority‑owned subsidiaries over which the Company exercises control and variable interest entities for which the Company has determined that it is the primary beneficiary. Outside stockholders' interests in subsidiaries are shown on the consolidated financial statements as "Noncontrolling interests." Equity investments in entities in which the Company does not have a controlling financial interest are accounted for under either the equity method, the cost method or as available-for-sale securities, as appropriate. Reclassifications Certain reclassifications have been made to the consolidated financial statements of prior years and the accompanying notes to conform to the current year presentation. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and classifications of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses, and the related disclosures of contingent liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates are utilized for, but not limited to, stock‑based compensation, income taxes, valuation of acquired goodwill and intangible assets, investments, customer refunds, contingent liabilities and the useful lives of property, equipment and software and intangible assets. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly‑liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company's cash equivalents primarily include holdings in money market funds and overnight securities. Accounts Receivable, Net Accounts receivable primarily represents the net cash due from the Company's credit card and other payment processors for cleared transactions. The carrying amount of the Company's receivables is reduced by an allowance for doubtful accounts that reflects management's best estimate of amounts that will not be collected. The allowance is based on historical loss experience and any specific risks identified in collection matters. Accounts receivable are charged off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when it is determined that the receivable is uncollectible. The Company's allowance for doubtful accounts as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $2.2 million and $0.7 million, respectively. Bad debt expense for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $2.3 million, $0.7 million and $0.6 million, respectively. Inventories Inventories, consisting of merchandise purchased for resale, are accounted for using the first-in-first-out ("FIFO") method of accounting and are valued at the lower of cost or market value. The Company writes down its inventory for estimated obsolescence and to the lower of cost or market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required. Once established, the original cost of the inventory less the related inventory allowance represents a new cost basis. Restricted Cash The Company had $12.0 million and $5.2 million of restricted cash recorded within "Prepaid expenses and other current assets" and "Other non-currents assets," respectively, as of December 31, 2014. The Company had $14.6 million and $0.4 million of restricted cash recorded within "Prepaid expenses and other current assets" and "Other non-currents assets," respectively, as of December 31, 2013. Restricted cash primarily represents amounts that the Company is unable to access for operational purposes pursuant to contractual arrangements with certain financial institutions and with entities that process merchant payments on the Company's behalf. Internal-Use Software The Company incurs costs related to internal-use software and website development, including purchased software and internally-developed software. Costs incurred in the planning and evaluation stage of internally-developed software and website development are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred and accumulated during the application development stage are capitalized and included within "Property, equipment and software, net" on the consolidated balance sheets. Capitalized internally-developed software and website development costs are amortized over their expected economic life of two years using the straight-line method. Goodwill Goodwill is allocated to the Company's reporting units at the date the goodwill is initially recorded. Once goodwill has been allocated to the reporting units, it no longer retains its identification with a particular acquisition and becomes identified with the reporting unit in its entirety. Accordingly, the fair value of the reporting unit as a whole is available to support the recoverability of its goodwill. The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually on October 1 or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicates the carrying value may not be recoverable. The Company has the option to assess goodwill for impairment by first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the Company determines that it is not more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then further goodwill impairment testing is not required to be performed. If the Company determines that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, or if the Company does not elect the option to perform an initial qualitative assessment, the Company is required to perform a two-step goodwill impairment test. In the first step, the fair value of the reporting unit is compared to its book value including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit is in excess of its book value, the related goodwill is not impaired and no further analysis is necessary. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its book value, there is an indication of potential impairment and a second step is performed. When required, the second step of testing involves calculating the implied fair value of goodwill for the reporting unit. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as goodwill recognized in a business combination, which is the excess of the fair value of the reporting unit determined in step one over the fair value of its net assets and identifiable intangible assets as if the reporting unit had been acquired. If the carrying value of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. For reporting units with a negative book value (i.e., excess of liabilities over assets), qualitative factors are evaluated to determine whether it is necessary to perform the second step of the goodwill impairment test. Impairment of Long-Lived Assets Long‑lived assets, such as property, equipment and software and intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. If circumstances require that a long‑lived asset or asset group be tested for possible impairment, the Company first compares the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by that long-lived asset or asset group to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the long‑lived asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. Investments Investments in nonmarketable equity shares with no redemption provisions that are not common stock or in-substance common stock or for which the Company does not have the ability to exercise significant influence are accounted for using the cost method of accounting and classified within "Investments" on the consolidated balance sheets. Under the cost method of accounting, investments are carried at cost and are adjusted only for other-than-temporary declines in fair value, certain distributions and additional investments. Investments in common stock or in-substance common stock for which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence are accounted for under the equity method and classified within "Investments" on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company's proportionate share of income or loss on equity method investments is presented within "Other expense, net" on the consolidated statements of operations. The Company has investments in convertible debt securities and convertible redeemable preferred shares issued by nonpublic entities and has categorized these investments as available-for-sale securities, which are classified within "Investments" on the consolidated balance sheets. Available-for-sale securities are recorded at fair value each reporting period. Unrealized gains and losses, net of the related tax effects, are excluded from earnings and recorded as a separate component within "Accumulated other comprehensive income" on the consolidated balance sheets until realized. Interest income is reported within "Other expense, net" on the consolidated statements of operations. Other-than-Temporary Impairment of Investments An unrealized loss exists when the current fair value of an investment is less than its amortized cost basis. The Company conducts reviews of its investments with unrealized losses on a quarterly basis to evaluate whether those impairments are other-than-temporary. This evaluation, which is performed at the individual investment level, consists of several qualitative and quantitative factors regarding the severity and duration of the unrealized loss as well as the Company's intent and ability to hold the investment for a period of time that is sufficient to allow for an anticipated recovery in value. Evidence considered in this evaluation includes the amount of the impairment, the length of time that the investment has been impaired, the factors contributing to the impairment, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the investee, recent operating trends and forecasted performance of the investee, market conditions in the geographic area or industry in which the investee operates, and the Company's strategic plans for holding the investment in relation to the period of time expected for an anticipated recovery in value. Additionally, the Company considers whether it intends to sell the investment or whether it is more-likely-than-not that the Company will be required to sell the investment before recovery of the amortized cost basis. Investments with unrealized losses that are determined to be other-than-temporary are written down to fair value with a charge to earnings. Unrealized losses that are determined to be temporary in nature are not recorded for cost method investments and equity method investments, while such losses are recorded, net of tax, in accumulated other comprehensive income for available-for-sale securities. Income Taxes The provision for income taxes is determined using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated based upon the temporary differences between the financial statement and income tax bases of assets and liabilities using the enacted tax rates that are applicable in a given year. The deferred tax assets are recorded net of a valuation allowance when, based on the weight of available evidence, the Company believes it is more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized in future periods. The Company considers many factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of its deferred tax assets, including recent cumulative earnings experience, expectations of future taxable income and capital gains by taxing jurisdiction, the carry‑forward periods available for tax reporting purposes, the ability to carryback losses and other relevant factors. The Company allocates its valuation allowance to current and non-current deferred tax assets on a pro-rata basis. A change in the estimate of future taxable income may require an increase or decrease to the valuation allowance. The Company utilizes a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more-likely-than-not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company includes interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions within "Provision for income taxes" on the consolidated statements of operations. See Note 12 "Income Taxes." Lease and Asset Retirement Obligations The Company categorizes leases at their inception as either operating or capital leases and may receive renewal or expansion options, rent holidays, and leasehold improvement and other incentives on certain lease agreements. The Company recognizes lease costs on a straight-line basis, taking into account adjustments for free or escalating rental payments and deferred payment terms. Additionally, lease incentives are accounted for as a reduction of lease costs over the term of the agreement. Leasehold improvements are capitalized at cost and amortized over the shorter of their useful life or the non-cancellable term of the lease. The Company records rent expense associated with operating lease obligations primarily within "Selling, general and administrative" on the consolidated statements of operations. The Company establishes assets and liabilities for the present value of estimated future costs to retire long-lived assets at the termination or expiration of a lease. Such assets are amortized over the lease term, and the recorded liabilities are accreted to the future value of the estimated retirement costs. The related amortization and accretion expenses are presented within "Selling, general and administrative" on the consolidated statements of operations. Revenue Recognition The Company recognizes revenue when the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred; the selling price is fixed or determinable; and collection is reasonably assured. Third party revenue recognition The Company generates third party revenue, where it acts as a third party marketing agent, by offering goods and services provided by third party merchants at a discount through its online local commerce marketplaces that connect merchants to consumers. The Company's marketplaces include deals offered through a variety of categories including: Local, Goods and Travel. Customers purchase the discount vouchers ("Groupons") from the Company and redeem them with the Company's merchants. The revenue recognition criteria are met when the customer purchases a deal, the Groupon has been electronically delivered to the purchaser and a listing of Groupons sold has been made available to the merchant. At that time, the Company's obligations to the merchant, for which it is serving as a marketing agent, are substantially complete. The Company's remaining obligations, which are limited to remitting payment to the merchant and continuing to make available on the Company's website information about Groupons sold that was previously provided to the merchant, are inconsequential or perfunctory. For a portion of the hotel deals offered through the Company's online local marketplaces, the Company facilitates the booking of rooms by taking reservations through its websites. Such reservations are generally cancelable at any time prior to check-in and the Company defers the revenue on those deals until the customer's stay occurs. . The Company records as revenue the net amount it retains from the sale of Groupons after deducting the portion of the purchase price that is payable to the featured merchant, excluding applicable taxes and net of estimated refunds for which the merchant's share is recoverable. Revenue is presented on a net basis because the Company is acting as a marketing agent of the merchant in the transaction. For merchant payment arrangements that are structured under a redemption model, merchants are not paid until the customer redeems the Groupon that has been purchased. If a customer does not redeem the Groupon under this payment model, the Company retains all the gross billings. The Company recognizes incremental revenue from unredeemed Groupons and derecognizes the related accrued merchant payable when its legal obligation to the merchant expires, which the Company believes is shortly after deal expiration in most jurisdictions that have payment arrangements structured under a redemption model. Direct revenue recognition The Company evaluates whether it is appropriate to record the gross amount of its sales and related costs by considering a number of factors, including, among other things, whether the Company is the primary obligor under the arrangement, has inventory risk and has latitude in establishing prices. Direct revenue is derived primarily from selling consumer products through the Company's Goods category where the Company is the merchant of record. The Company is the primary obligor in these transactions, is subject to general inventory risk and has latitude in establishing prices. Accordingly, direct revenue is presented on a gross basis, excluding applicable taxes and net of estimated refunds. Direct revenue, including associated shipping revenue, is recognized when title passes to the customer upon delivery of the product. Other revenue recognition Advertising revenue is recognized when the advertiser's logo or website link has been included on the Company's websites or in specified email distributions for the requisite period of time as set forth in the agreement with the advertiser. Commission revenue is earned when customers make purchases with retailers using coupons accessed through the Company's websites and mobile applications. Revenue from payment processing is earned on a per transaction basis. The Company recognizes revenue from those activities when the underlying transactions are completed. Revenue from point of sale solutions is recognized on a subscription basis over the term of the arrangement with the merchant. Discounts The Company provides discount offers to encourage purchases of goods and services through its marketplaces. The Company records discounts as a reduction of revenue. Cost of revenue Cost of revenue is comprised of direct and certain indirect costs incurred to generate revenue. For direct revenue transactions, cost of revenue includes the cost of inventory, shipping and fulfillment costs and inventory markdowns. Fulfillment costs are comprised of third party logistics provider costs, as well as rent, depreciation, personnel costs and other costs of operating the Company's fulfillment center, which began operations in the fourth quarter of 2013. For third party revenue transactions, cost of revenue includes estimated refunds for which the merchant's share is not recoverable. Other costs incurred to generate revenue, which include credit card processing fees, editorial costs, certain technology costs, web hosting and other processing fees, are allocated to cost of third party revenue, direct revenue and other revenue in proportion to gross billings during the period. Technology costs within cost of revenue consist of a portion of the payroll and stock‑based compensation expense related to the Company's technology support personnel who are responsible for operating and maintaining the infrastructure of the Company's websites. Technology costs also include a portion of amortization expense from internal-use software, primarily related to website development. Remaining technology costs within cost of revenue include email distribution costs. Editorial costs included in cost of revenue consist of payroll and stock‑based compensation expense related to the Company's editorial personnel, as these staff members are primarily dedicated to drafting and promoting deals. Refunds The Company estimates future refunds utilizing a statistical model that incorporates the following data inputs and factors: historical refund experience developed from millions of deals featured on the Company's websites and mobile applications, the relative risk of refunds based on expiration date, deal value, deal category and other qualitative factors that could impact the level of future refunds, such as introductions of new deals, discontinuations of legacy deals and expected changes, if any, in Company practices in response to refund experience or economic trends that might impact customer demand. The portion of customer refunds for which the merchant's share is not recoverable on third party revenue deals is estimated based on the refunds that are expected to be issued after expiration of the related vouchers, the refunds that are expected to be issued due to the merchant bankruptcy or poor customer experience, and whether the payment terms of the related merchant contracts are structured using a redemption payment model or a fixed payment model. The Company accrues costs associated with refunds within "Accrued expenses" on the consolidated balance sheets. The cost of refunds for third party revenue where the amounts payable to the merchant are recoverable and for all direct revenue is presented on the consolidated statements of operations as a reduction to revenue. The cost of refunds for third party revenue for which the merchant's share is not recoverable is presented as a cost of revenue. The Company assesses the trends that could affect its estimates on an ongoing basis and makes adjustments to the refund reserve calculations if it appears that changes in circumstances, including changes to the Company's refund policies, may cause future refunds to differ from its original estimates. If actual results are not consistent with the estimates or assumptions stated above, the Company may need to change its future estimates, and the effects could be material to the consolidated financial statements. Customer Credits The Company issues credits to its customers that can be applied against future purchases through its online marketplaces for certain qualifying acts, such as referring new customers, and also to satisfy refund requests. The Company has recorded its customer credit obligations within "Accrued expenses" on the consolidated balance sheets (See Note 7 "Supplemental Consolidated Balance Sheet and Statements of Operations Information"). Customer credit obligations incurred for new customer referrals or other qualifying acts are expensed as incurred and are classified within "Marketing" on the consolidated statements of operations. Customer credits issued to satisfy refund requests are applied as a reduction to the refunds reserve. Stock‑Based Compensation The Company measures stock‑based compensation cost at fair value, net of estimated forfeitures. Expense is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the service period during which awards are expected to vest, except for awards with performance conditions, which are recognized using the accelerated method. The Company includes stock-based compensation expense within "Cost of revenue," "Marketing" and "Selling, general and administrative," consistent with the respective employees' cash compensation, on the consolidated statements of operations. See Note 11 "Compensation Arrangements." Foreign Currency Balance sheet accounts of the Company's operations outside of the U.S. are translated from foreign currencies into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates as of the consolidated balance sheet dates. Revenue and expenses are translated at average exchange rates during the period. Foreign currency translation adjustments and foreign currency gains and losses on intercompany balances that are of a long-term investment nature are included within "Accumulated other comprehensive income" on the consolidated balance sheets. Foreign currency gains and losses resulting from transactions which are denominated in currencies other than the entity's functional currency, including foreign currency gains and losses on intercompany balances that are not of a long-term investment nature, are included within "Other expense, net" on the consolidated statements of operations. For the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, the Company had $31.5 million of foreign currency transaction losses, $10.3 million of foreign currency transaction losses and $1.4 million of foreign currency transaction gains, respectively. Recently Issued Accounting Standards In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. This ASU is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those annual periods. The Company is still assessing the impact of adoption on its consolidated financial statements. There are no additional accounting standards that have been issued but not yet adopted that the Company believes will have a material impact on its consolidated financial position or results of operations.

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