Direct Selling E-commerce: A Timeline of Innovation 

Direct selling has a long, impactful history. It started with simple person-to-person sales and has consistently adapted to market conditions and technology. But a crucial challenge remains: can you keep pace with evolving technology without losing focus on your core business elements? Many direct selling companies find it difficult to support modern, efficient technology while delivering excellent customer experiences and quality products. 

The Journey of Direct Selling 

In its earliest form, direct selling involved salespeople traveling to meet customers face-to-face. This allowed them to highlight new products and build strong relationships. The California Perfume Company, now known as Avon, pioneered this era. Their success proved the effectiveness of the direct-to-consumer sales model. 

The direct selling model saw a significant shift in the mid-20th century with the introduction of the party plan. Companies like Tupperware invited friends, family, and potential customers to social gatherings. These relaxed settings were ideal for showing off in-home products. The party plan used social interactions and group influence to encourage purchases and recruit new sellers. This period highlighted the importance of community in direct selling. 

The late 1970s and early 1980s marked the rise of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). Companies such as Amway and Herbalife led this approach, which is now a multi-billion-dollar channel. MLM uses a network-based structure where participants earn commissions on their sales and the sales of their recruits. This expanded the reach of direct selling and opened up new opportunities for entrepreneurs. 

E-commerce: The Digital Shift for Your MLM E-commerce Solution 

Direct selling has always needed to adapt. Many direct selling companies quickly adopted e-commerce, using online platforms in the early 2000s. This allowed them to reach beyond geographical limits and connect with new customers. However, even the big players faced, and continue to face, challenges in keeping pace with evolving technology. 

Technological progress is crucial for scale and competitiveness. Global e-commerce sales are projected to reach $7.4 trillion by 2025, emphasizing the shift to digital channels. But keeping technology current can sometimes pull focus from core business elements: delivering excellent customer experiences and quality products. Modern e-commerce solutions must specifically address the unique needs of direct selling and MLM channels. These evolving demands often lead to MLM e-commerce integration challenges as older systems struggle to connect with newer tools. This struggle wastes valuable time and resources, pulling your focus from what matters most: your distributors and customers. 

Exigo’s Solution: Powering Your Modern MLM E-commerce 

Exigo’s Experience Builder helps direct selling companies navigate the digital shift. It provides a purpose-built MLM e-commerce that eliminates the headaches that accompany developer-heavy solutions that make quick changes to products and markets a challenge. It offers the agility and templates needed to manage ongoing shifts in business effectively. Imagine a system where you don’t need a dedicated team just to keep it running; that’s the peace of mind Experience Builder offers.  

Propel Direct Selling Forward 

Exigo knows that technology is a distraction away from what matters most: people and products. We empower companies to Run their business confidently, Know their business deeply through data and insights, and Grow their teams and markets quickly.

Direct selling’s journey highlights a constant need for adaptation. Your MLM e-commerce solution is central to your future success. If your current solution creates more problems than it solves, how can you truly grow? 

Is your e-commerce solution ready for what’s next? 

Get the full eBook “Evolving E-commerce: A Guide for Direct Selling Success Strategies and Solutions for Driving Sustainable Growth” here.

Ready to see how it works? Book a personalized demo with our team to discover how Experience Builder can transform your direct selling business.