Direct sellers see higher returns

The local direct selling industry is gunning for higher sales this year, an official of the Direct Selling Association of the Philippines (DSAP) said, citing growing opportunities in brands such as health, beauty and home products.

Rosalio Valenzuela, DSAP vice chairman and country manager of Forever Living Products Philippines, said that the industry is looking to grow its sales by 10 percent this year from last year’s P35 billion.

Direct Selling Association of the Philippines is composed of 32 companies and has a collective network of 3 million direct sellers.

“It’s growing because a lot of people are looking for business opportunities,” Valenzuela said in an interview at the sidelines of the Direct Selling Exhibit over the weekend.

Brands related to health, homeware and beauty are among the fast-growing segments, he added.

For instance, Valenzuela said, wellness products distributor Forever Living Products Philippines is currently growing 14 percent in terms of revenue while its number of distributors is expanding by around 12,000 every year.

Also, Tupperware Brands Philippines, which offers homeware, cosmetics, apparel, baby care and fragrance products, is aiming for faster growth as it plans to introduce new products and expand its network.

According to Valenzuela, direct selling is a good business opportunity for people having regular work, but wanting to earn extra income.

“The key there is that when you do direct selling, make sure that you’ll join a company that’s legitimate. We always want people to choose a member company of DSAP,” he said.