The Direct Selling Association has published its annual industry statistics report, based upon a survey of the Association’s member companies.
The 2013 numbers tell an optimistic story about the state of direct selling in the U.S. Sales increased 3.3 percent to a record high of $32.67 billion, rounding out a four-year upward trend that began amid the economic recession.
The Wellness and Service categories continue to gain market share, balanced by shrinking sales in the Home & Family Care and Personal Care categories.
As for people, the backbone of the model, participants in direct selling jumped 5.7 percent in 2013 to a record 16.8 million. The overwhelming majority (70 percent) of sales occurred person-to-person, while 23 percent took place through a party plan or online party model.
