German Direct Sales Expected To Surpass 1 Million Distributors By 2019

 

Nearly 100,000 new distributors have joined direct selling opportunities in Germany in 2014, bringing the total number of direct selling professionals to 823000, a 13% increase over the previous year. This number is expected to grow by a further 25% until 2019, according to a new study. 

It is expected that more than one million sales partners will be working in the direct selling industry in Germany in the next four years. These are the results of a study conducted by the University of Mannheim on behalf of the Direct Sales Federatino of Germany (BDD).

The figures clearly reflect the crisis-resistant nature of the industry.” says Prof. Dr. Florian Kraus of the University of Mannheim. The increase in total industry sales at an annual rate of 8 per cent over the last seven years from 2007 to 2014,  is a result of an increase in demand of well-qualified sales partners.

For direct sales companies, it therefore becomes increasingly important to invest in their sales partners. 

Companies regularly offer practical training in order to best train their sales team, explains Jochen Acker, BDD-Chairman and Managing Director of Lux Germany. Anyone with a passion for the product, can achieve success without previous experience in sales.

Many direct sales professionals are engaged in this industry in a part time basis in order to earn a flexible additional income.

In the study, the University of Mannheim collected 2014 data from direct selling companies in Germany and conducted an online survey in early 2015, in which 210 companies participated.