Businesses, economies and markets gradually returned to some semblance of normalcy over the past year as they entered the pre-pandemic phase. Despite obstacles, the economic recovery was steady, supported by higher investments in important industries and a well-planned strategy roadmap to outpace the competition. This resulted in the growth of the direct selling sector, which showed incredible fortitude during the pandemic and kept soaring despite hardship.

In order to successfully reach even more customers and independent representatives, direct-selling businesses must strengthen their message and business models by utilising their culture, technology, digital footprint, messaging techniques and customer service strategies. To keep the industry’s growth momentum in place, given below are a few trends that will help the direct selling industry in 2023.

Customer Success Experiences

The best Direct Selling companies reach a new level of success when they compete with online retailers. Maximise human interaction through digital platforms encourages direct selling companies to give their independent representatives tools for customer service and support that enable them to have brand communications and social selling efforts through consistency, familiarity and repetition in the messages and images shared on Social Selling interactions with a brand language that attracts customers in a novel engaging way. This can be an advantage for the company because it gives them the opportunity to build a stronger connection with their customers and create relationships with those customers that they can sustain and grow.

Mobile First

Mobile devices are the main focus of social selling and ecommerce. Mobile optimised platforms are necessary for the use of digital platforms and the objectives of increasing recruitment and retention. It is essential to optimise Direct Selling online solutions, such as ecommerce websites and seamless user interfaces in independent sellers' virtual offices, to work on desktops and mobile devices.

Such optimisation allows sellers to access their virtual offices at any time and from any location, in order to view their orders, manage customer data and accept payment. This increased access and convenience encourages greater engagement with the virtual office, which in turn encourages higher recruitment rates, as well as improved sales performance.

Digital Transformation

Increasing distributor growth and enhancing customer experiences for both independent representatives and end users of the products or services must be the main goals of digital transformation processes. To help sales representatives connect with the brand message and use technology as a tool to streamline their sales processes, digital transformation must be customer and brand focused.

Distributors can improve customer experiences and support their representatives, who serve as the primary conduit between a brand and its consumers, by embracing digital transformation. This can involve giving them access to self-service tools, making online ordering simple and offer support like training and educational resources.

Human Centric Technology

The relationships between the company and the independent representatives and between them and the end customers are what give the B2B2C business model of direct selling companies its distinctiveness. You need technologies that can adjust to the requirements and standards of all the various sales force segments, taking into account their individual communication preferences and strengths. You also need to know how to make the most of these variations and offer technology solutions that are centred on those. In order to make the most of this business model, it is essential for the company to have technology solutions that are tailored to the needs of each segment, and that can seamlessly bridge the gap between them.

Sales-Force Training

Offering training programmes for them presents a challenge and a shift in perspective for sales teams, who are expected to stay on top of the game and provide sales training that includes significant trends and breaking news on the industry, the company and the compensation plan, all while involving the independent representatives through quick digital engagement. Independent representatives in sales forces include people of all ages, from very diverse backgrounds and who are geographically apart.

Given the industry's digitalisation, training now needs to place a new emphasis on giving independent representatives sales tools that can help them succeed anywhere while also making them love the business, the brand, and the offer so much that they never want to leave. By implementing such training, businesses can build a highly engaged sales force with representatives who feel supported and empowered.

The direct selling market was in decline for a while, but it has since started to grow again. It might play a big role in boosting economic growth and job creation. Direct sales can help to improve women's labour market participation, which is currently just over 30 per cent according to a World Bank study on women's labour force participation in India. What needs to be watched is how ready the policymakers are to provide incentives to the industry. Government initiatives to promote the growth of the direct selling market, such as tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, could help to incentivise companies to engage in direct selling