Snap said its direct response business geared towards driving product sales or website visits rose 4% in October-December. That could "be viewed as a healthy sign for Meta and Google," whose businesses are tuned to direct response advertisers, said Mark Shmulik, senior analyst at research firm Bernstein. Similarly, Meta has said in previous quarters that the bulk of its revenue comes from direct response advertising. Headwinds for Meta and Google could be notably less severe, he added. The weak outlook pulled down the shares of rivals Meta, Google, and Pinterest (PINS.N), which also earns revenue by selling digital advertising, on Tuesday.

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