DSEF is proud to introduce the inaugural issue of the Journal of Direct Selling Research, a platform for advancing knowledge and fostering informed dialogue about the direct selling channel. This issue features groundbreaking studies on the economic impact of direct selling in the US, salesforce engagement trends, including the personal and professional benefits of participation, alongside critical analyses of regulatory updates, consumer protections, and global market opportunities. By addressing channel-specific topics in each issue, the journal aims to separate fact from fiction and drive meaningful insights into this dynamic sector.
Browse Articles
The Economic Impact of Direct Selling Activity in the United States
This new study quantifies the full economic impact of direct selling in the United States, including retail sales, supply chain and household effects as well as tax revenue.
Join, Stay, Leave: A Study of Direct Selling Distributors
This paper uses a unique data set of over 13,000 individual direct selling distributors from dozens of companies at various stages in their direct selling experiences, to investigate the motivations to join, stay and leave a direct selling distributorship. The authors build on literature in salesforce management and compensation, economics, organizational behavior, psychology, and sociology to develop hypotheses about each of the key decisions a distributor makes, as well as the interlinkages among the join, stay, and leave junctures in the distributor’s life cycle.
Professional and Personal Benefits of a Direct Selling Experience
The impact of a direct selling experience on 14 business and professional skills as well as on 13 personal life skills is explored in this ground-breaking study. A substantial majority of the direct sellers surveyed, more than three-fourths, agreed that they benefited from their direct selling experience in terms of improved business and professional skills, and that skills gleaned from a direct selling experience also transferred to their personal lives.
Direct Selling Under Scrutiny: Separating Fact from Fiction
An accurate understanding of the direct selling business model is critical as regulators, judges and policymakers make decisions and policy related to the channel. This paper by leading academics makes a significant contribution to that effort by focusing on debunking misguided assumptions as well as various logical and analytical errors in research.
As noted by author Dr. Chetan Sanghvi, concern about pyramid schemes has rightly focused on the victimization of consumers. But it should also be recognized that pyramid schemes damage legitimate businesses, which further damages consumers. The prevalence of fraud can create a fog of uncertainty and doubt that leads individuals to demur from participating in legitimate businesses. Dr. Sanghvi argues that the antidote is to provide clarity and assurance by establishing clear guidelines in law on what constitutes pyramid fraud.
Breaking Down The FTC’s Updated Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing and Income Disclosure Statements
The article discusses 2024 FTC Guidance on how direct selling companies with multilevel compensation structures should approach their income and earnings reports, commonly known as income disclosure statements.
The entire Gulf region has a young and growing population of nearly 100 million representing diverse communities and an annual gross domestic product growth rate of almost 4%. This growing population with its high disposable income offers exciting opportunities for direct sellers. This article traces key considerations and necessary steps to expand direct selling in the region.
