Discover the game-changing trends modernizing direct selling shopping platforms.
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The direct selling industry has come a long way from person-to-person selling and home parties, to a focus on compensation, recruiting and early adoption of web in the mid ’90s. It has always adapted and evolved.
But when it comes to technology and ecommerce, the direct selling industry has lagged. Many companies are stuck with outdated online experiences. To thrive in direct selling today, companies need modern shopping solutions that compete with online commerce brand experiences—solutions that address the specific needs of authentic person-to-person relationships.
The Evolution of Direct Selling
The direct selling channel’s journey from personal selling to purpose-built ecommerce platforms has been challenging. This has shined a spotlight on the need to adapt to changing consumer behavior and technology.
Initially, success was based on individual interactions and in-home demos. The multi-level marketing (MLM) model further shaped the industry. The internet arrived and another evolution was needed. Early big players pioneered online engagement but struggled to find ways to keep pace with technology. Today, modern, efficient and scalable shopping experiences are critical. Unfortunately, solutions that work for a typical online brand don’t necessarily work for direct selling or the MLM channel.
Another challenge faced by direct sales is that, while technological innovation is crucial to scale and remain competitive, it can’t come at the cost of diluting focus from the most crucial elements of the business model: delivering great experiences and great products to people. Companies need to strategically integrate modern commerce and other technologies to enhance, rather than distract from, their people and products.
Unique Needs, Complex Solutions
For online commerce, the direct selling industry has unique needs that generic ecommerce platforms can’t meet. These needs can be categorized into four key areas.
1 / Global
Many direct selling companies operate in multiple markets and require solutions that can handle multimarket operations, localized payments that increase conversion rates and cross-border logistics, compliance, payments and taxes.
2 / Field
Companies must balance the complex nuances of enrollment processes with elegant sharing/commerce; manage millions of sellers; and ensure proper attribution and genealogy. These require robust and specialized systems.
3 / Connected
Seamless integration with other systems like logistics, ERP, CRM and back-office operations are key.
4 / Control
Companies need to maintain global brand integrity and create a cohesive customer experience while meeting each market’s local governance requirements.
Key Trends and Solutions
To solve for these complexities, several key trends are shaping the development of direct selling shopping platforms.
1 / Global Flexibility and Localization
Companies need solutions that offer global flexibility with market specific personalization including localized language, content, pricing, currencies and promotions. Solutions should support multi-market operations without increasing operational complexity and cost.
2 / Open API Connectivity
Breaking out of the “walled garden” is essential. Open APIs enable seamless integration with other systems, scalability and flexibility. This avoids platform lock-in where data gets trapped and reduces reliance on costly third-party plug-ins that increase operational complexity and risk.
3 / Templated Modifiable Solutions
Solutions with pre-built templates optimized for usability and conversion are a big win. These templates should be web- and mobile-friendly and help companies get to market faster, save costs and be easier to maintain. Low- or no-code solutions allow non-technical staff to manage and update the platform, making it even more efficient.
4 / Real-time Insights with Attribution and AI
Unified systems can use AI to transform direct selling. These systems can track and account for distributor activity in real-time, analyze patterns across genealogy, ranks, payouts and sales data and forecast future behavior. AI-driven insights and personalized prompts empower distributors and move from reactive to proactive, building their business without unnecessary complexity.
A Solution to Challenges
Direct selling businesses face many challenges: managing multi-market operations, localizing content, integrating systems and improving field performance.
A perfect direct selling ecommerce solution should address these challenges by:
- Running multi-market operations that scale.
- Simplifying control over market-by-market content.
- Using a fully integrated and connected ecosystem via open APIs.
- Having fast, easy-to-support replicable sites through templated control.
- Giving exact field credit and payouts.
- Driving AI insights and coaching to drive growth.
To truly compete in today’s world, a connected, efficient ecosystem is essential—not just for corporate success but to empower distributors with an effortless, authentic experience.
Looking Ahead
The future of direct selling shopping platforms is about providing complete integrated solutions that empower companies and their distributors. It’s more important than ever in today’s fast paced, information overloaded world to make it easy for distributors to connect with customers and teams in the spare moments they have. By focusing on efficiency, knowledge and growth these platforms are building the next generation of direct selling.
RODGER SMITH is Head of Business Development at Exigo. Since 2002, he has brought his entrepreneurial mindset and no-nonsense, sincere leadership style to the direct and social selling industry. Rodger has built large direct selling teams himself as an independent distributor. At Exigo he continues to work on his ultimate goal: to disrupt and heal the industry from historically bad software experiences by providing best-of-breed, intuitive solutions. Rodger has advised both corporate executive and top distributors at many of the channel’s top companies.
From the May/June 2025 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
