For first time, total AncestryDNA kits sold in year to date exceeds total number of Ancestry subscribers 

LEHI, Utah and SAN FRANCISCO, November 28, 2017 – Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, today announced record sales for AncestryDNA kits during the four day Black Friday to Cyber Monday holiday weekend. The company more than tripled the number of kits sold during the same period in 2016, its prior record sales period. In the coming weeks, millions of people around the world will open their gifts and receive the best consumer DNA experience available. AncestryDNA is:

• “The Best DNA Testing Service,” according to review site, The Wirecutter
• The best selling consumer DNA product in the world, providing the most opportunities for customers to make new discoveries and connect with new family
• The most comprehensive look at a person’s ethnic background, with 5x the number of ethnic regions of the next leading competitor
• The only service where more than 10 million new family connections are made every day
• The only DNA experience that enables customers to connect to the world’s largest collection of historical documents and family trees, providing an even greater chance to learn about one’s family history and stories  

“We are relentlessly focused on creating products and experiences that exceed the expectations of every Ancestry customer. We have doubled down on providing a richer, more detailed ethnicity experience and consumers are clearly responding,” said Howard Hochhauser, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry. “DNA testing is no longer a niche interest, it’s a mass consumer market, with millions of people wanting to experience the emotionally powerful, life-affirming discoveries that can come from simply spitting in a tube. Our customers' own stories, and how they have taken what they’ve learned and changed how they approach the future, are the strongest testaments to the positive impact we deliver.”

The company also announced that, for the first time in its history, the total number of AncestryDNA kits sold in a single year has exceeded the total number of subscribers to the company’s family history services. In October, the total number of customer samples in Ancestry’s DNA database, the world’s largest consumer DNA database, exceeded six million.

Continuing sales strength, and Ancestry’s second record-breaking holiday sales period in a row, further solidify the company’s leadership in the consumer genomics market. More importantly for both existing and new AncestryDNA customers, the more people in the DNA database, the better the potential results for everyone. As more people take their test, Ancestry is able to continue to refine its ethnicity estimates, provide new ethnic regions, and expand the number of potential familial matches for customers.

“We are excited to welcome so many new customers to the Ancestry family,” said Hochhauser. “2018 will bring a regular drumbeat of new experiences and enhancements across both DNA and Family History, as we continue to improve how we help you discover more about your past and inspire your future.”