Direct Selling

The mass exodus of refugees from Ukraine in 2022 following the Russian invasion took a particularly heavy toll on direct selling. This was because a high proportion of those who left were women, who not only represent this channel’s main target…

Several years of current value decline were seen in direct selling in China during the pandemic, as the direct selling business model relies heavily on hosting meetings or gatherings to introduce products and recruit new sales personnel, which was…

In 2023, direct selling sales declined in Portugal for the fourth year in a row. The high competition from other channels, the increasing penetration of e-commerce and changing consumer habits are challenging the channel, and consequently, it…

Direct selling companies in Taiwan are undergoing a significant transformation as they adapt to the evolving retail landscape, with a notable trend being the embrace of digital transformation. Recognising the increasing prominence of e-commerce and…

Direct selling in Slovakia registered a further fall in both current and constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

2022 was a strong growth year for direct selling in Singapore, due to the resumption of events and pre-pandemic lifestyles, which made it easier for sales agents to conduct outreach and engagement activities. While the channel recorded a marginal…

Direct selling in Malaysia showed resilience during the pandemic, particularly in the case of companies specialising in health and wellness products. Seeking ways to stay healthy, local consumers increasingly turned to health supplements and…

Direct selling maintained current value growth in Brazil in 2023, continuing the trend seen throughout the review period. The ongoing growth of direct selling has been supported by a number of factors in Brazil, particularly following the emergence…

In 2023, direct selling in Colombia has benefited from its ease and speed of purchase, product variety and payment options. Growth is also attributable to expansion into more remote areas of the country. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, direct…

Direct selling registered a fall in current value sales in Bulgaria in 2023. Both high inflation and a shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

Direct selling saw a marked fall in sales in current value terms in Indonesia in 2023. The channel generally struggled during the review period, having been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Direct selling was not viable at the height of the…

Direct selling has always been a marginal retail channel in Finland, and has in recent years seen a clear decrease – sales fell in 2023 for the seventh year in a row in current value terms. Even more worryingly, direct selling underperformed…

With consumers looking for greater convenience and ways to save money, direct selling in Peru has gained popularity in 2023. Affordable prices, regular promotional cycles and payment options at no extra cost are the main advantages of direct selling,…

Direct selling in Egypt has been transformed into a social commerce platform through evolving market dynamics, a significant reliance on social media platforms for news and trends and changing shopping behaviours. This shift is informed by the…

Direct selling in Thailand continued to fall in terms of current value sales in 2023, in a persistent decline that began in 2020 and has not let up since. However, the rate of the drop was significantly slower than in the previous year of 2022. The…

According to the Spanish Association of Direct Selling, only around 30% of Spaniards purchase products via direct selling. The regions where direct selling has the highest penetration rate are Andalusia, Madrid, and Catalonia. The limited penetration…

After two years of solid growth, direct selling experienced a decline in current value terms in 2023. However, performances varied within direct selling in 2023 with some categories continuing to perform well in 2023, but especially those with a…

Direct selling declined in terms of current value sales in Vietnam in 2023, with the drop driven by the continued fall of leading brands Herbalife Nutrition, New Image, and Amway as they struggled in the context of global inflationary pressures.…

Direct selling continued to face the challenge of digitalisation in Canada in 2023. Towards the end of the review period, many direct selling companies leveraged online platforms and tools to showcase their products and services to customers, who…

After years of strong growth during the review period, direct selling in Switzerland recorded decline in 2023, although sales remained above pre-pandemic levels. Local consumers returned to shopping outside of the home, visiting stores more…

Direct selling continued to see declining sales in Denmark in 2023. This was partly due to consumers trying to spend less money as they felt the impact of rising interest rates and higher energy prices, but also due to the competition from other…

Following marginal decreases in retail current value sales in 2021 and 2022, direct selling in Sweden faced another difficult year in 2023. While retail current value sales rose slightly, this was due to high inflationary pressure on prices. At…

Direct selling saw solid current value growth in India in 2023, although the rate of increase slowed compared with the previous year, returning to growth similar rates to those seen pre-pandemic. Nevertheless, this was impressive, considering the…

Direct selling saw sales fall significantly in Greece in 2023. Since direct selling requires not only sales and interpersonal skills, but also strategic thinking, Oriflame decided to start blogging about how people can use direct sales techniques to…

The decline of direct selling in 2023 in Romania was a continuation of the results noted in 2022. Much of this decline was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which began in March 2022, and resulted in a strong uplift of consumers in…

In 2023, direct selling in Germany continued on its growth trajectory, albeit at a steadier pace compared to the spike during the pandemic. The channel's success is largely attributed to its effective digital transformation and the adoption of a…

Direct selling in Israel in 2023 was reported to have somewhat benefitted from consumers spending more time at home due to the geopolitical situation in the country. As such, products which can be delivered to consumers’ homes are attracting…

Direct selling in Chile remained an important channel in 2023 for local consumers looking to access affordable products, specially for those interested in beauty and personal care. The latter continued to drive value sales in 2023, holding 72% share…

In 2023, direct selling registered marginal growth in retail value sales. After a decline in 2022, direct selling returned to positive if marginal growth. The cost-of-living crisis proved beneficial for the industry as more people sought to be hired…

Compared to the double-digit growth experienced the previous year, direct selling in Australia recorded a more subdued performance in 2023, facing greater competition from e-commerce, with local consumers continuing to be attracted to the many…

The pandemic has revived the fortunes and renewed the popularity of the direct selling channel amongst Norwegian consumers, as it led companies to establish new ways of marketing and selling their products, namely by using digital tools, such as…

Direct selling in Morocco experiences a resurgence as society resumes normal activities, albeit amidst economic challenges posed by the rising cost of living. Despite initial setbacks during the pandemic, cosmetics and skin care show signs of…

Direct selling in Argentina is held to have performed positively in 2023, despite a complex and difficult economic and business context. Many direct selling companies registered strong performances in retail value sales in 2023, although there were…

Direct selling remained in a relatively steep slump in Ireland in 2023, due to strong competition from a variety of other shopping channels which offer wider ranges of goods at lower prices – both online and offline. Added to which, inflationary…

In 2023, direct selling achieved positive current value growth for a third consecutive year in Mexico; far exceeding the pre-pandemic level of sales. Despite this strong sales performance, the number of direct selling agents contracted again in 2023,…

Direct selling in Turkey registered a further fall in constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact, direct selling was…

Direct selling in Belgium registered a decline in sales in current value terms in 2023. This was mainly due to inflationary pressures, which led consumers to become more conservative with their spending. With a growing focus on value-for-money…

Direct selling saw a slump in Hungary in 2023, caused by a confluence of factors. Direct selling is mostly driven by beauty and personal care direct selling in Hungary, which had previously seen a rebound after the notable declines during the time of…

Direct selling in Nigeria faced challenges in 2023 as the country grappled with high inflation, resulting in decreased purchasing power among consumers. The direct selling model, predominantly conducted through social commerce and word of mouth, saw…

Just like retail as a whole, direct selling saw significant growth in value sales in 2023, but it was entirely price-driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Given the focus of direct selling in Austria on…

Direct selling was unexpectedly successful in France around the time of pandemic. Initially facing a downturn in early 2020, it rebounded in 2021. Though the overall category has slumped again in 2023, continuing 2022’s downward trend, this fall was…

Direct selling continues to face headwinds due to the ageing of the customer base, and the loss of recruitment opportunities due to changes in social behaviour since the pandemic. On the other hand, some players saw rising sales in 2023, as society…

Direct selling saw little movement in its value sales in current terms in South Korea in 2023, with just a slight decline seen. In April 2023, a legal shift unfolded, permitting sponsored direct sellers to engage in non-face-to-face transactions…

As COVID-19 restrictions were eased and shops re-opened in 2022, some consumers turned away from direct selling and showed more interest in going out again and visiting physical retail outlets. However, in 2023, consumers showed renewed interest in…

Following a three-year period of decline, direct selling in the Philippines registered modest growth in current value terms in 2023. The channel suffered losses during the pandemic, when agents were unable to sell to their customers on a face-to-face…

Increasing health awareness and consciousness of consumers in Saudi Arabia helped to maintain strong demand for home delivered bottled water in 2023, which is one of the leading products within direct selling. Most households in Saudi Arabia are…

Direct selling continued its declining trend in both value terms at constant 2023 prices and in current value terms for the second year running in the US in 2023. The impressive growth posted by direct selling in 2020 has not been sustained. As a…

2023 was the first year since 2019 in which direct selling in New Zealand was not subject to social, trading or movement restrictions. These limitations had adversely impacted the trading ability of direct selling companies earlier in the review…

In 2023, direct selling in South Africa remained subject to challenging operating environments. Despite some stabilising of value sales following three consecutive years of decline as a result of the pandemic, there was still lower demand for certain…

Although direct selling saw dynamic growth in current value terms in 2022 this was actually barely above inflation levels. In 2021 direct selling in Serbia started on the path to recovery from the hit it took during the first year of the COVID-19…