Direct sellers balance digital innovation with personal relationships to drive growth
By Jenna Lang Warford
“What if the question isn’t whether to embrace Amazon, but how to do it in a way that creates an additional revenue stream without compromising the opportunity or integrity
of the field?” —Tony Solis, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Jack Winn Pro
“We’re so keen on saying, ‘Do it in your own time, you can travel and do all that,’ so we have to have the platforms to support that as well.” —Erica Gonzalez, Fractional Sales Executive, Blue Atlas Strategic Group
“When it’s done authentically, having a corporate hero has huge value.” —Jodi Crater, Senior Vice President of Sales and Development, Lemongrass Spa
Creating an excellent e-commerce experience is crucial for virtually any company in any category to succeed today. Consumers are continuing to turn more toward online channels to find what they want and need, according to a PYMTS intelligence report from May 2025, which revealed that in the category of non-store retailers—including e-commerce—there was a 0.2% gain in sales in April compared to March.
This statistic is further substantiated by leading retailer Walmart’s latest earnings report, showing the company’s e-commerce sales are up 21%, with CEO Doug McMillon stating that all segments of the company had e-commerce growth of at least 20%. Although overall, the company’s revenue was lower than the projected 3%-4% for the first quarter, landing at 2.5%.
Good News: Solutions
This is good news for direct sellers, as the majority of sales are accomplished online, but may be concerning for companies that haven’t created e-commerce experiences that consumers have come to expect.
Tony Solis, president and chief revenue officer of Jack Winn Pro, says meeting consumer expectations is key. “Consumers want an experience that’s similar to what they’re going to get at Amazon, so many direct selling companies are using services like Shopify.”
“It’s a good solution because often a company’s back end and front end don’t support that ‘Amazon’ experience in direct sales,” Solis explains. “That’s simply not been something that has been prioritized; a lot of third-party data management is archaic. That’s just the sad reality, but when a direct selling company doesn’t provide the e-commerce that consumers expect they can utilize services like Shopify.”
It’s still necessary to bring that technology up to speed, but using these types of services does work as a patch, he notes.
Erica Gonzalez, fractional sales executive in the channel, emphasizes that consumers expect immediate responsiveness. “A big trend in consumers right now is people moving at a fast pace. So quick-servicing is crucial.”
AI advantages allow customer service when field members are unavailable.
This service is important not only for end-use customers, but also the channel’s internal consumers: the sales field. “We’re so keen on saying, ‘Do it in your own time, you can travel and do all that,’ so we have to have the platforms to support that as well. Especially when it comes to just repurchasing and offering more information. Consumers want more immediate answers than a reply that they’ll receive a call back. And many of them are thinking, ‘Don’t call me back, please just text me the answer,’” Gonzalez says.
Jodi Crater, senior vice president of sales and development at Lemongrass Spa Products, adds that consumers expect expertly customized service. “Another big trend is personalization of product offerings. One of the things that we’ve done at Lemongrass Spa wasn’t just an online skincare quiz. It was a skincare quiz where in real time the consultant, as well as the company, got the results from the consumer.
“Quiz answers provide information such as their skin type, their skin concerns, their budget, whether they want to try a few products or want a full routine,” Crater explains. “And as soon as they receive their response as a consumer on their quiz results, so does the consultant.”
While mainstream online retailers simply deliver an electronic list, Lemongrass knew that helping connect the customer to the consultant emphasized the value of having a “real live person” to interact with.
By providing the consultant with the customers’ instant results, the technology “allows the field member to really personalize and follow up with the products that the quiz response generated, giving a very targeted sampling opportunity or bundle that fits their budget,” Crater explains.
“Companies must look at how to utilize technology in ways to meet trends like personalization.”
Beyond technology, Crater identifies value-conscious spending as a major trend. “From a perspective of the beauty industry and Consumer Packaged Goods, we’re definitely seeing value-conscious spending. Economic pressures—including inflation and tariffs—are leading the consumers to be a little bit more discerning with their spending. Many might be trading down on the cost of a serum or an eye cream.”
However, she notes the “lipstick effect” remains strong. “I have yet to run into a female that I know say, ‘I have stopped washing my hair, I have stopped using mascara, I have stopped putting on makeup.’ They’ll still use those products. They may be very conscious of when they’re purchasing, and perhaps not over-purchasing and definitely looking for the right deal, but they’re still purchasing.”
“Live demos, user-generated content, community engagement, those are driving buying decisions now more than ever,” she says. “So keep an eye on when you’re launching products, maybe add in consumer panels or clinical studies, and collect a lot of testimonials to support your customers’ buying decisions.”
Crater also highlights sustainability and ethical practices as consumer expectations. “Consumers today are demanding brands demonstrate their sustainability and their social responsibility. There’s a great opportunity for many of the companies and our channel. Something we do better than almost any other industry is our giving-back campaigns.
“And a lot of times we really market that in an opportunity perspective for the field to come in and be a part of that, but how do we really share that mission and allow our customers to be a part of something bigger than themselves?”
Acknowledging that trend and creating strategies for it is crucial to success.
This is true particularly in the area of recruiting. The PYMNTS Intelligence report found that 40% of individuals in the U.S. are taking on side work. Of those surveyed, 22% said the most important reason they have done so is to pay bills.
While 22% is significant, that figure rose to 34% among consumers who live paycheck to paycheck with difficulties paying bills.
A 2024 Bridgehead Collective report on demographics for the direct selling channels helped emphasize that sales and recruiting within the Millennial and Gen Y markets are vastly different from sales recruiting in the 1970s through 1990s, when Baby Boomers were the key targets.
Strategies of Successful Companies
Rather than resorting to unsustainable practices during challenging times, Solis sees healthier responses from channel executives. Companies are examining internal systems and supports instead of immediately blaming sales fields.
“I’m seeing a lot of companies looking internally at their own systems, their own supports,” Solis says. “This internal evaluation is a good thing because oftentimes when a company struggles, there is an immediate look outward, especially at the sales field. But the wiser executive teams are analyzing their own infrastructure and practices; their internal systems and supports.
“Of course they’re looking at compensation, but more importantly, they’re seeing where they can step up their game in training, recognition, their story, even their product line and how they differentiate and present their products,” he says.
Gonzalez says companies that help their field members utilize social media effectively are empowering them to create movement.
“Tell field members, ‘Look, you can share our pictures all you want. That’s what they’re there for. But you have to give them life. A picture from a company of a cool bottle—people will scroll past that because it means nothing. But a before and after picture, or a picture of a yummy drink, with you clinking glasses with a friend, having a great caption, those are the things that will create a pause.’”
The Right Players on the Field
With companies reducing staff members, even to the point of eliminating teams for entire countries, determining which employee-partners are key for creating a strong field is a crucial function.
Here, Solis, Crater and Gonzalez were all strong advocates of field development teams.
“Having a field development team is critical,” Solis explains. “And it’s interesting that over the last 10 to 15 years, that’s frequently been the first group where companies would make cuts. Often, companies assume that ‘the field has it’ and that growth would happen through the leadership ranks.”
This approach glosses over the fact that even top field members who have shifted into “management mode” and aren’t actively recruiting—maintaining personal sales only as required by the compensation plans—rarely have a strategic approach to driving growth.
“The fact is, growth isn’t happening through leadership ranks, and it’s because companies need to have a point of contact that works with top leaders, with emerging leaders, and then with your newest people,” Solis states. “To consistently, effectively and adequately cover all of that, someone from corporate needs to be engaging those groups.
“I don’t know if regional events are always a good answer,” he adds. “Financially, I think companies need to be smart with their money, but in the end, there has to be an expert that the field can get into contact with anytime, any day. Someone who is doing one-on-one business reviews, 90-day planning sessions, and calls with these various groups—not just panicking when end-of-month numbers are looking low.”
Crater explains, “This is absolutely vital. It’s actually probably more vital now than ever before, and it should be considered a ‘must-have’ not ‘nice-to-have’ for a couple of reasons. First, people crave that human connection; knowing that there’s somebody there that champions them, especially in hybrid and digital-first type models. A really strong field development team helps build loyalty, helps new reps onboard faster and keeps momentum going with mid-level leaders.”
It becomes even more important with legacy companies—those who were founded 20 or more years ago, she says. “When you’ve got a 10- or 20-year-old company and you’ve got upper level leaders that have been with the company for a decade or more, they need trust in a very experienced field development team that can do the right coaching.”
And this is one place where technology cannot be subbed-in, not even the highly hailed AI. “No amount of AI can replace a strong field development team,” she adds. “Because AI can’t know what it feels like to want to be home with your kids.
“There’s also no facet of AI that can understand when you have these moments where it just didn’t go as planned, or someone said no, or someone left the business with someone else on these teams,” Crater concludes. “Having a field development team who understands these factors and can help walk someone through that, keeping their belief up, is irreplaceable. AI has never, and can’t, live that. Now more than ever a really strong field development team is very crucial for any direct selling company.”
Gonzalez believes both a company champion and a company hero are necessary, although she has a different take on champion. She emphasizes the need for a company champion who helps the field develop best practices and the necessary skills.
“There’s a need for a hero and a champion, and the champions are the field development team members,” she says. “It’s crucial because field members have their associate/sponsor, a manager, and a director within the field.
“At corporate, they have the Sales Vice President and the Chief Sales Officer, but there has to be someone right in between the director and VP that can help be that field member’s champion. Because the VP and CSO-level roles are focused more on a bird’s-eye view of trends, numbers, and all the things that go into strategy. There needs to be that go-to champion when a field member needs additional expertise.”
We Need a Hero/ine
No direct selling company or business is sustainable based solely on personality. But having a company hero can be a crucial factor.
Solis believes that the benefit of having a company hero is key to success. “Absolutely, whether the hero is a founder or a founding story, this is a big part of succeeding. I think it goes back to the people that connect with you as a company, your story, your vision, your mission, your values. Do not underestimate it. Sadly, companies can lose sight of the importance of that connection the field members value so highly; but it really is important. That hero or hero story connects the constructs of vision, mission, values; it brings to life all that you prioritize and does it simply and quickly.”
Crater agrees, although with caveats: “When it’s done authentically, having a corporate hero has huge value. It builds trust and relatability; it creates a legacy and a shared mission. I think even when we have changes or crises—from COVID to the evolution of direct selling today—having that hero-founder who stays steadfast in the reason why they’re in the channel really provides some peace and safety for sellers and consumers.
“However, the caveat here is there has to be separation from the hero and the brand. The hero needs to be the greatest champion of the mission without being the mission itself.” She cites Mary Kay and The Pampered Chef as great legacy brands that showed the hero becoming the greatest champion of a mission that lives beyond one person and one lifetime.
That corporate hero, in Gonzalez’s experience, also offers direction and passion for the company’s mission and product. “As far as a figurehead or hero regarding products, again, yes. There needs to be an elevated position that highlights and is edified to represent subject matter expertise that can drive the vision and mission of the company, and the field is impassioned and empowered by that.”
