Direct sales poised to remain flat this year

 Thailand's direct sales business is likely to remain flat this year, attributed to the pandemic.

Kittawat Ritteerawee, president of Thailand Direct Selling Association (TDSA) and managing director of Amway Thailand, said the overall direct sales industry is expected to stay at 70 billion baht, the same tally as 2019 when the industry grew by 2-3% from 2018.

Direct sales offer a good opportunity as a sideline job during the pandemic," he said.

"With the pandemic, we expect the direct sales business is likely to see flat growth during 2020 and 2021," he said.

"We've overcome all crises to continue growing for 33 years, whether it was the Asian financial crisis or the Gulf War in 1991," said Mr Kittawat. "This is because the company is always prepared and adapts to the changing situation."

Online sales have increased to 30% so far, up from 15% before the crisis.

He said health products now contribute up to 65% of the company's total sales, compared with 33% in recent years.

The figure is in accordance with a survey by Mintel, a globally recognised marketing research company, which revealed that 82% of Thai consumers list health as their top priority.

Most of them, particularly millennials, purchase various nutritional supplements to stimulate their immune system and to boost their physical appearance.

www.sinhagroup.net