Direct Selling is a method of marketing and retailing goods and services directly to the consumers, in their homes or in any other location away from permanent retail premises. It is usually conducted in a face-to-face manner, either where products are demonstrated to an individual, or to a group or where a catalogue is left with the consumer and where the direct seller calls later to collect orders.
A key characteristic of direct selling is the role of the independent salesperson in the distribution of products and services. These salespeople affiliate with a direct selling company, but retain the freedom to run a business on their own terms, including how much time and effort to put into building the business.
People involved in direct selling choose to become involved and stay in direct selling for many different reasons. These include being able to buy products they like at a discounted price and the opportunity to earn supplemental income. While some people run successful full-time direct selling businesses, for the majority of people involved in direct selling the revenue earnt is not their primary income, but a way to make extra money to fund a holiday, education or just to provide some extra spending money.
Direct Selling Outlook 2017
While direct selling is, like all retail, impacted by the current macro-socio economic downturn, the 2017 sales results show that the industry’s retail model is still strong and that direct selling is in a good position to grow its business further in the coming years. European retail sales in direct selling have shown a constant growth over the last years and in 2017 direct selling sales grew by 3% in Europe and in the European Union by 2.4%.
You can download the Direct Selling: A Vibrant Retail Channel in Europe brochure here.
