Yahoo Finance The most searched companies of 2023
Yahoo Finance UK rounded up the most searched companies of the year, from ethical fashion retailers to tech stalwarts.
Here are the businesses that piqued people's interest throughout 2023.
Vinted
Fashion resale app Vinted has been at the centre of a boom in ethical shopping this year as consumers hunt for bargains and more sustainable options to fill wardrobes.
Despite the rise in interest, amid pressure on finances and high interest rates, the company is still loss-making. Reports from November suggested that the privately-held company was looking to provide value to its shareholders through a share sale. It was valued at €3.5bn (£3bn, $3.8bn) in a 2021 funding round.
Its fortunes could turn around in years to come though as the global second-hand apparel market is expected to nearly double by 2027— three times faster than the overall market, according to a recent report by ThredUp, an online consignment and thrift store. The market is currently worth $177bn.
Temu
Second on the list is Temu, another consumer-focused shopping app which offers mass-produced, discounted products.
The company has been on a marketing offensive so you might recognise the name from web-based adverts. It is currently the second most downloaded app in the UK and US and has had more than 100 million downloads in the US and Europe since January.
Yandex (YNDX)
Perhaps confusingly, Yandex — primarily a search engine — was one of the trending searches on search engine Google in 2023.
The Russia-based company claims to host more than half of search traffic coming out of Russia. The company also offers data management, self-driving cars, AI and online ad space, among other services.
Shopify (SHOP)
Nasdaq-listed (^IXIC) Shopify has had a good year, with the online shopping platform's revenue rising 25% year over year to $1.7bn in the third quarter.
Most of this growth came from its merchant solutions, which generate revenue from merchandise sales and Shopify Payments.
Despite this, it hasn't been profitable, so turning this around will likely be an aim for the company going into 2024.
OpenAI
Between experts warning of an AI doomsday and Sam Altman being unceremoniously ousted by his own board only to return days later, it's been one of the biggest years yet for OpenAI.
The company, which makes chatbot software ChatGPT, is currently at a crossroads, as arguments simmer about its non-profit status.
What's clear is it is set to continue to be a big player in AI development going into 2024.
Revolut
The fintech's ambition to transition to a "super app" continued this year after it launched a number of new features in 2022, including an in-app chat function.
As its user base has grown to almost 8 million customers, the struggle remains in its mission to clinch a UK banking license, which it has sought since 2021.
Read more: How London-listed stocks performed in 2023
Its auditors BDO raised concerns earlier this year about the completeness and occurrence of a significant portion of Revolut’s revenues, specifically highlighting £477m in potential misstatements and IT control problems.
Mid-2023 saw investor Molten Ventures cut its book value of its stake in Revolut by 40%, following a similar decision by asset manager Schroders in April.
The fintech has a lot to prove going into 2024.
Air Up
Air Up was the buzzy face of trendy drinks bottles in 2023, with a gimmick that has the drinker smell a manufactured scent when they take a sip of water.
Like Temu, ads were ubiquitous on the internet this year. As Wired's consumer review scathingly puts it: "If these ads have made you curious about it, let me save you some time and money: You can easily recreate the Air Up experience by sipping some water while huffing a lemon-scented Glade Plug-In."
The company says the bottle uses “patented Scentaste technology," whatever that means.
Snap (SNAP)
Snapchat's second half saw a significant bump in its share price as it saw an influx of paying users in a sign of demand for new features.
Read more: How to avoid falling into debt over Christmas
As of December, it said it had 7 million subscribers for its Snapchat+ offering, which gives users early or exclusive access to features on its social media app, including AI tools.
These tools give users the option to alter images with worded prompts. This model is its main play to generate revenue beyond advertising.
Tesla (TSLA)
Never a dull moment at Elon Musk-owned Tesla, as it faced big price cuts in key markets, made deals with rival Ford and brought out its long-awaited Cybertruck in 2023.
If you held Tesla stock in January, you would have more than doubled your money on it by 18 December, too, as it rose from around $113 a share to $253.
DAZN
Sports media platform DAZN seems to have been one of the streaming winners of 2023 as it came in as one of he most popular search terms.
It has been under pressure to perform this year after slipping to an operating loss of $1.3bn (£1.1bn) for 2022, due to hefty costs of acquiring rights to stream games and matches.
Over 2023 it has ramped up advertising, adjusted subscription models, and cut staff to try to balance the books.
Watch: Tesla's brand hurt by Elon Musk's antics: Tesla investor
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