Why instant payments matter.
All businesses want to score big wins in 2025, and fortunately, there hasn’t been a better time to focus on amplifying revenues. With a swift transformation in the direct selling landscape, the payments space is rapidly innovating to keep up with industry trends. The impact of this financial technology revolution is clear; traditional payment solutions significantly lack the agility needed to meet ambitious customer reach or sales goals.
With the walls of international payments breaking down and the global retail industry adding pressure, the race to attract the right distributors is well underway. These alone are convincing reasons for direct selling companies to revisit payment strategies to future-proof their revenue, alongside building distributor engagement. However, let’s not forget that the key drivers of modern-day business success also include consumer behaviors, AI and technological advancements, to name a few.
The good news is unlocking powerful growth for direct selling companies doesn’t have to be complicated—it all starts with instant payments.
1 / Improve loyalty with seller-centric perks
It has long been a challenge for direct selling companies to build seller-centric appeal that attracts top representatives and distributors. Providing a tried-and-tested solution, instant payments empower them with the right leverage to deliver an enriching experience and drive seamless sales growth. This may sound too simple, but a motivated workforce helps cut through the industry noise and reduces inefficiencies, in turn generating the right business activity required to expand market share.
In today’s fast-paced world, seller-centric perks like real-time payments and digital wallets provide much needed flexibility and financial autonomy to engage top sales talent. With the ability to issue payouts as frequently as your distributors desire: daily, weekly, monthly or perhaps even hourly, their performance is directly tied to how quickly they feel rewarded for their hard work.
Nature’s Sunshine, a leading natural health and wellness company ranking in the top 40 of US direct selling companies, pays out every one to two minutes. Meanwhile, Younique, a top 50 US direct selling company, issues payouts every three hours.
A reputation for speedy payments also means the direct selling business gains positioning as a stronger brand that more workers would want to partner with. The outcome? Loyalty, increased retention and incentivized representatives working hard to support revenue targets.
2 / Increase sales volume with affiliate programs
Traditionally, direct selling companies rely on higher commission structures that reward representatives to build teams and earn up to 50 percent in commission. Today, 35 percent of existing direct selling companies and 84 percent of new direct selling companies, are looking to incorporate affiliate programs that offer lower incentives, but more freedom to share and refer, rather than team build. Affiliates today are not looking for long-term growth and investment, but rather quick, guaranteed ROI for their time. With multiple income streams becoming the norm, getting their money faster is more important than ever before.
The success of this aggressive growth strategy is linked to faster commission payouts that instant payments seamlessly deliver. This means affiliates get immediate access to their funds, while the direct selling businesses strengthen their credibility to attract and retain more representatives. As a result, product sales growth and new partner signups become easier to achieve as brands and affiliates collaborate in seamless alignment.
3 / Accelerate growth within and beyond borders
Localization is pivotal to driving sales, but in today’s interconnected global markets, direct selling companies have the added advantage of pursuing international customers. Partnering with the right instant payouts partner not only facilitates global market growth but secures a crucial competitive edge.
Swiftly converting hard work into financial reward, modern payment platforms allow affiliate commission payouts to be immediately available to spend in local currency via options such as company-branded prepaid debit cards. Taking the ease of cross-border payments a step further, they manage regulatory compliance to mitigate risks traditionally associated with legacy payment systems.
Innovative payout platforms offer valuable features such as enhanced security, including two-step verification; if a card is lost or stolen, the balance remains safe in distributor-owned accounts. The chip debit cards, both physical and virtual, are equipped with additional fraud protections enabling hassle-free escalations and dispute assistance for absolute peace of mind. All customers have FDIC-insured accounts with the compliance team diligently working to expand safeguards and rapid response to suspicious activity.
4 / Attract top talent with flexible payment options
Direct selling companies want satisfied distributors and affiliates who feel seen and heard by the business. This is why switching to instant payments away from slow and outdated systems should not be a choice but a priority. As spending preferences evolve, payment flexibility must keep up, so money and operations continue moving fast.
While some distributors may still prefer bank transfers and paper checks, offering diverse payment methods including branded debit cards and instant virtual cards shows a serious commitment to workforce satisfaction. Current payment trends such as the ability to load virtual and plastic cards onto smartphone mobile wallets such as Apple and Google further indicate that generic payment methods don’t work for everyone. Instant payments, powered by secure innovation, ensure that your tech-savvy distributors can control their finances in a way optimized for their personal needs.
Start Paying on Demand Today
Gaining traction in the direct selling industry can be made easier with the right payments strategy that doubles down on your workforce’s happiness. From working with tech-savvy representatives and affiliates to more traditional distributors, a customizable platform like PayQuicker ensures your business attracts the best talent, both local and international. Empowering direct selling businesses with flexible payment methods, we have the expertise to work with all types of workforce structures, regardless of size, to ensure easy adaptability to changes in customer needs and industry demands.
CRYSTAL HOLTZENDORFF is SVP of Global Sales at PayQuicker, an innovative financial technology leader in the global payouts market. With over 20 years of industry experience, she is a masterful sales professional with a background in technology, healthcare and marketing.
From the March/April 2025 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
