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Direct comparisons
The Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) has compared the profiles of the direct selling industries in India and America in its latest issue of IDSA Direct. In India, more than two-thirds of the players in the direct selling business sell household goods. In the US, this ratio is 30.4 per cent. Personal care products is the most popular category for direct sellers in the US. In India, its comes third, after family products.

According to the newsletter, products sold through direct selling work out cheaper than those sold through retail stores. And as per an exercise done by IDSA, the cost of a product sold through direct selling is considerably higher than its counterpart in retailing. "If overheads, particularly those associated with motivation, are not built into the price structure, the business is unlikely to succeed," the newsletter says.