QuantaSing Group Grows Cash in Q1 2025

QuantaSing Group(NASDAQ:QSG) reported first quarter of fiscal 2025 (ended September 30, 2024) earnings on September 3, 2025, delivering RMB810.4 million in GAAP revenue, down 6.8% year-over-year, as it pivots to the silver economy. Despite the planned revenue decline, the company posted a net margin of 10% (GAAP) and grew cash reserves by RMB167.4 million quarter-over-quarter, aided by margin discipline and strategic portfolio realignment. This summary analyzes QuantaSing Group's operational transformation, customer monetization, and early traction in private label product expansion based on management remarks.

QuantaSing Group accelerates silver economy transition

The company reported RMB713.7 million in gross billings from individual online learning (non-GAAP) for the first quarter, accounting for 87.5% of total revenues for the period as it reduces exposure to enterprise services and non-silver economy segments. Management highlighted both a declining revenue mix and significant investment into offline pilot programs and health-related product labs for older Chinese consumers.

"We are actively reshaping our company to serve China's rapidly growing silver economy. The numbers tells a compelling story, in Beijing alone we now have nearly 1 million people over 50, with that number growing by 0.3 million just last year. This is why our work is significant. We are shifting our focus from broad market reach to building lasting relationships with our silver economy customers. You can see this in our new food and medicine products, which we are successfully promoting to our existing online learning users by leveraging our integrations with them. We're also in the early stages of exploring offline service center opportunities to further enhance our user experience. Now, let's take a look at this quarter. Our revenue this quarter reflects our planned strategic transition, which includes an anticipated decline as we power towards opportunities in the silver economy. Importantly, we maintained healthy profitability during this period, showing our ability to navigate this transition while safeguarding shareholders value."

-- Peng Li, Founder, Chairman and CEO

This reorientation sacrifices near-term growth for deeper monetization and product penetration within a rapidly expanding demographic segment, positioning QuantaSing Group for defensible long-term growth and differentiated market relevance.

QuantaSing Group drives margin improvement and cost efficiency

Gross margin (GAAP) was 83.4%, declining from 86.4% year-over-year, but total operating expenses (GAAP) fell 18.8%, and sales and marketing spend as a share of revenue (non-GAAP) dropped from 70.8% to 63.5%, driven by resource reallocation. The company’s cash, equivalents, and short-term investments grew to RMB1,193.7 million, up RMB167.4 million quarter-over-quarter, as positive operating cash flows supported both shareholder returns and new growth investments.

"On the operational front, we maintain disciplined cost management while investing in our strategic initiatives. Total operating expenses were RMB573.7 million, a decrease of 18.8% from RMB706.7 million in the same period last year. To break this down, sales and marketing expenses decreased by 17% to RMB550 million, primarily due to optimized marketing spend and improved operational efficiency. As a percentage of total revenue, sales and marketing expenses, which exclude share based compensation decreased to 63.5% from 70.8% a year ago. Research and development expenses declined by 35.9% to RMB28.1 million, reflecting our focused approach to product development. As a percentage of total revenue non-GAAP R&D expenses, which exclude share based compensation decreased to 3.2% from 4.4% a year ago. General and administrative expenses decreased by 28.4% to RMB30.6 million, mainly due to a decline in share base compensation expenses."

-- Tim Xie, CFO

The firm’s ability to reduce operating costs more quickly than top-line contraction and maintain positive net margin demonstrates effective management of a multi-year business model transformation.

QuantaSing Group achieves milestone in private label e-commerce expansion

Management emphasized ongoing pilot programs integrating online and offline user engagement, reporting a customer base of 134 million registered users. Gross merchandise value (GMV) for private label products reached RMB15 million.

"I think we have built a solid foundation including 134 million registered users, over 30 courses as key use and 98.5% customer satisfaction rate, which all provide strong support for further expansion and depending our private label business, this quarter we have already achieved RMB15 million GMV milestone in a private label strategy. And moving forward, we will focus on enhancing product quality and market alignment through improved operational capabilities across both the online and the offline through all proprietary channels. We are committed to continuing to offer high quality private label products that meet the customer demands, ensuring the long-term and sustainable growth in the future."

-- Peng Li, Founder, Chairman and CEO

These results suggest that QuantaSing Group's silver economy-focused product labs and personalized wellness offerings may represent a material new long-term revenue stream as e-commerce scales.

Looking ahead

Management discontinued specific financial guidance during the transition period but reiterated commitment to transparency and capital discipline, supported by a strong balance sheet and positive cash flow. A special dividend was announced to return capital to shareholders. The company’s strategic focus will remain on executing the silver economy transformation, piloting offline service centers, and expanding private label product offerings for long-term value creation.

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This article was created using Large Language Models (LLMs) based on The Motley Fool's insights and investing approach. It has been reviewed by our AI quality control systems. Since LLMs cannot (currently) own stocks, it has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.