Brands embrace direct selling, target women

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The work is becoming more attractive for women, who make up 80 percent of the 13.3 million direct selling work force, which has more than doubled since 1994.

Only 8 percent of consultants make over $50,000, according the DSA, but consultants say the job offers decent income opportunities and flexibility.

Jen Rosengrant, 37, started selling for Crayola’s Big Yellow Box direct selling division a year and a half ago and is now quitting her full-time job as a recruiter. The Richland, Pa., resident, who is now Crayola’s top selling consultant, said her earnings have “beat expectations,” though she declined to say how much she makes.

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Staci Fabiani, 35, who is now Lillian Vernon’s top seller, said she is making close to what she made as a teacher. But working only 20 hours a week, the job has allowed her more time with her three young children, she said.

“I didn’t know how much opportunity it could give you,” the Franklin Square, N.Y., resident said.

Executives from various companies said initially there were some concerns among stores — their own and ones they sell products to — that their entry into direct selling would sabotage their business. But those worries seem to be subsiding.

Some companies like Crayola are selling a new line of products under the same brand, others like Lillian Vernon and Body Shop are offering a subset, and a few are creating a new brand. In March, Nine West Apparel, a division of Jones Apparel Group Inc., will launch Million Wishes, an accessories collection that will be sold through consultants.

Mark Bosworth, vice president and general manager for The Body Shop International’s At Home U.S. division, said that the company has been able to show the stores actually benefit from having a strong direct selling business nearby.

“Consultants have a good relationship with the store. They talk to each other. This all builds brand awareness,” Bosworth said.

At home sales help lure a new customer, executives said.

Lillian Vernon’s Green noted that its direct selling division called Celebrations is attracting women in their early 30s, compared to its catalog business, whose customers’ ages average in the mid-40s.

And the parties give retailers a chance to get to truly understand their shopper.

“This gives us the ability to interact with the consumer,” said Kimberly Grayson, senior vice president of Aerosoles, the shoe brand owned by Aero Group International, Inc.

A deeper understanding of its customer has helped the company create shoes that are both comfortable and stylish, she said.

The company can always find out the best sellers through its stores and its Web site, said Grayson, but through these parties, it can “learn the why she is buying.”

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