The Direct Selling Association in the US released the 2025 industry performance report. The report was compiled by the Direct Selling Education Foundation through their Growth & Outlook 2026 Study. The study reported a retail sales revenue in the United States was $34.2 billion with 34.8 million customers and 5.2 million direct sellers. The average retail sales per direct seller per year was estimated at $6577.
August industry developments reinforced the continued evolution of direct selling toward more flexible, digitally enabled and consumer-focused models. The 2026 DSEF Growth & Outlook Study, released during the month, reported $34.2 billion in US direct selling retail sales during 2025, supported by 34.8 million customers and 5.2 million direct sellers. The study also highlighted changing category dynamics: service-based direct selling revenue increased 5%, while wellness sales declined 7% year-over-year, suggesting that growth opportunities are becoming more differentiated across product and service categories.
The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) released its 2026 Growth & Outlook Study, showing evidence of an evolution in how Americans think about the ways they work, earn and build businesses.
In the US, direct selling represented $34.2 billion in retail sales in 2025, with 34.8 million customers and 5.2 million direct sellers who averaged $6,577 in retail sales. Of these direct sellers, majority worked their businesses part-time (4.8 million) and were overwhelmingly female (73%). This year’s study showed a 6% year-over-year increase in Hispanic participation, proving to be one of the strongest demographic gains in the year’s research.
Service-based direct selling companies also showed momentum, reporting a 5% revenue increase, which the DSEF stated was representative of continued expansion beyond traditional product offerings. Wellness was still a mainstay for direct selling companies, but the category showed a 7% year-over-year decline in sales.
According to the report, consumer expectations continue to shape the direct selling experience, including increased demand for personalized service, trusted recommendations, community connections and convenient purchasing experiences that blend digital and social engagement. Independent direct sellers build businesses that combine flexibility with personal relationships and a growing grange of products and services, and the DSEF stated that this ability to adapt to how consumers prefer to shop and engage “remains one of the channel’s greatest strengths.”
“These findings show a direct selling channel that continues to change with the people and communities it serves,” said Dave Grimaldi, Direct Selling Association CEO. “The growth in Hispanic participation and service-based businesses reflects a broader range of entrepreneurs and industries using the direct selling channel to meet consumers where they are.”
Leverage DSEF research and resources to tell a positive story of direct selling. DSEF’s 2026 Economic Impact Communications Toolkit, our latest resource for your company and salesforce, features national and all new state data on the economic impact of direct selling.
Independent direct sellers are the primary engine of your company’s success and the powerhouse behind the channel’s economic impact – driving retail sales, bolstering supply chains, and significantly contributing to national and state tax revenues – making direct selling a vital component of the US economy.
These ready-to-use assets make it easy to:
Each toolkit features a set of resources and assets designed to support you in advocating for your brand, your salesforce, and the direct selling channel:
Questions? Reach out to Gary Huggins or Kimberly Harris Bliton.
(WASHINGTON, DC – September 5, 2025) – The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) today announced the release of the latest Journal of Direct Selling Research (JDSR), featuring a groundbreaking consumer attitudes study conducted by Ipsos for DSEF. The new research highlights a sharp rise in consumer trust and interest in direct selling, providing fresh insights that build on the recently released 2025 Direct Selling Growth & Outlook Survey.
The study, Direct Selling Consumers: What They Think, Why They Buy and Why They Join, reveals that positive consumer perceptions of direct selling have increased 21% since 2019. Four out of five US consumers now report a neutral to favorable opinion of purchasing from direct sellers, and more than a quarter say they are more likely to buy from a direct seller today compared to just a few years ago.
“Consumers are telling us they see direct selling not just as a way to buy products, but as a way to support local entrepreneurs and engage in more meaningful shopping experiences,” said Dave Grimaldi, CEO of the US Direct Selling Association (DSA). “These findings affirm that the channel’s human connection and community roots are what set it apart in today’s retail landscape.”
Among the study’s findings:
“This data is both timely and powerful,” said Lisa Gudding, President of Strategic Growth at Ipsos who co-authored the study with Monica Wood, Vice President Consumer and Membership Insights at Herbalife and Chair of the DSEF Industry Research Committee. “Consumers increasingly want flexibility and entrepreneurial choice, and direct selling is well-positioned to deliver on both. The 21% increase in positive perceptions shows that trust in the model is rising and that Americans are open to this channel as a modern retail option.”
The new research appears in the August 2025 issue of the Journal of Direct Selling Research, a peer-reviewed publication supported by the Direct Selling Education Foundation. The Journal provides academic and industry leaders with original insights on entrepreneurship, consumer behavior, and the evolving retail landscape.
“Taken together, the Growth & Outlook Survey and this consumer attitudes research give us the clearest picture yet of where the channel stands and where it’s headed,” Grimaldi added. “Direct selling continues to adapt, innovate, and align with consumer values—and this work gives policymakers, media, and business leaders the data they need to understand that reality.”
ABOUT DIRECT SELLING ASSOCIATION
For more than a century, the US Direct Selling Association (DSA) has served as the national trade association for companies offering entrepreneurial opportunities to independent sellers, allowing them to market and sell products and services outside of a fixed retail establishment. In 2024, direct selling took place across the United States, generating $34.7 billion in retail sales, and 5.4 million entrepreneurs in the US sold products or services through the direct selling channel, providing a personalized buying experience for millions of customers.
ABOUT THE DIRECT SELLING EDUCATION FOUNDATION
DSEF engages and educates the public about how direct selling empowers individuals, supports communities and strengthens economies worldwide. For more than 50 years, the Foundation has partnered with members of the academic community to support research and education programs. Through the DSEF Academic Fellows Program the Foundation engages with more than 200 professors in a variety of disciplines—such as entrepreneurship, marketing, ethics, consumer studies, business and economics—to develop direct selling-related academic research, case studies and teaching content.
Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) 2025 Growth & Outlook Study Reports Channel Achieves $34.7 Billion in US Retail Sales Through 34.3 Million Customers
(WASHINGTON, DC) – The US Direct Selling Association (DSA), the collective voice of the visionaries, entrepreneurs, trailblazing women, and innovators comprising the world’s most powerful, people-driven distribution channel, released the 2025 Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) Direct Selling Growth & Outlook Survey topline result today, showing $34.7 billion in retail sales in 2024, and 34.3 million preferred customers and discount buyers.
DSA’s annual survey reports on the size and scope of direct selling in the US and is audited by Nathan Associates a Cadmus Company. The third-party international economic consulting firm has worked with DSA since 1995, analyzing Growth & Outlook Survey data and conducting extensive secondary research to develop industry-wide estimates.
“Independent direct sellers contribute economically to their local communities in every state in the US, as shown in the Impact of Direct Selling by State 2024 report,” said Dave Grimaldi, DSA CEO. “The entire retail sector, including direct selling, is experiencing the continued headwinds of consumer and economic uncertainty. As anticipated, direct selling revenue declined in 2024, reflecting ongoing adjustment from the hypergrowth experienced during the pandemic.”
“Retail today is being shaped by convenience, technology, and sustainability, with consumers expecting a seamless omnichannel experience. Direct selling is well-positioned to benefit from these trends—especially when it leans into its core strengths like personalized service, unique products, and a strong sense of community,” said Lisa Gudding, President of Strategic Growth at Ipsos. “According to national research conducted by Ipsos for the DSEF, positive perception of direct selling has increased by 21% since 2019. And more broadly, 70% of consumers say they feel good about supporting local business owners like direct sellers, while four out of five hold a neutral to positive view of buying from them.”
“As consumer preferences continue to shift in ways that favor flexibility, personalization, and entrepreneurial opportunity, direct selling is increasingly well-aligned with what many of today’s shoppers value,” said Dr. Greg Marshall, Charles Harwood Professor of Marketing and Strategy in the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College and DSEF Fellow. “With companies adapting to market conditions and investing more deeply in their independent salesforces, the channel is making important strides in positioning itself for a return to growth—especially as the broader retail environment also is showing signs of renewed momentum.”
“If the direct selling channel were a single company, based on retail sales it would rank among America’s top twenty retailers, alongside brands like Best Buy and Dollar Tree*,” adds Grimaldi. “5.4 million Americans are engaged in the channel either full-time or part-time, driving an enduring economic engine that reaches communities nationwide.”
*Source: National Retail Federation (https://nrf.com/research-insights/top-retailers/top-100- retailers/top-100-retailers-2025-list)
ABOUT DIRECT SELLING ASSOCIATION
For more than a century, the U.S. Direct Selling Association (DSA) has served as the national trade association for companies offering entrepreneurial opportunities to independent sellers to market and sell products and services, typically outside a fixed retail establishment. In 2024, direct selling took place across the United States, generating $34.7 billion in retail sales and 5.4 million entrepreneurs in the U.S. sold products or services through the direct selling channel, providing a personalized buying experience for millions of customers.
ABOUT THE DIRECT SELLING EDUCATION FOUNDATION
For more than 50 years, DSEF has partnered with leaders in the academic community to advance knowledge and understanding of how the direct selling business model empowers individuals, supports communities, and strengthens economies.