Lietuvos tiesioginės prekybos asociacijos (LTPA) narių mažmeniniai pardavimai praėjusiais metais išaugo rekordiniais 12,8 proc. iki 47,7 mln. eurų be PVM. Tuo tarpu asmenų, bendradarbiaujančių su tiesioginės prekybos įmonėmis, skaičius padidėjo daugiau nei 4 proc. ir siekė beveik 48 tūkstančius Lietuvos gyventojų. The retail sales of members of the Lithuanian Direct Selling Association (LTPA) increased by a record 12.8 percent last year,- up to 47.7 million EUR without VAT. Meanwhile, the number of persons cooperating with direct selling companies increased by more than 4 percent and reached almost 48 thousand persons.
„Praėjusiais metais besitęsianti COVID-19 pandemija vertė tiesioginės prekybos įmonės ir jų pardavėjus toliau veikti naujos realybės sąlygomis: griežto karantino laikotarpiais įmonių pardavėjai aktyviai naudojo skaitmeninius pardavimo įrankius (mobilias aplikacijas, interneto svetaines, socialinius tinklus) ir rengė virtualias konsultacijas bei produktų demonstracijas, o kai tiesioginiai kontaktai nebuvo ribojami, stengėsi konsultuoti ir aptarnauti klientus gyvų susitikimų metu”,– komentuoja LTPA direktorius ir generalinis sekretorius Baltijos šalims Gintautas Zaleckas.”Last year, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced direct selling companies and their sellers to continue operating under the conditions of a new reality: during the strict quarantine periods, companies’ sellers actively used digital tools (mobile applications, websites, social networks) and held virtual consultations and product demonstrations, and when face-to-face contacts were not limited, they tried to advise and serve customers during in-person meetings”, comments Gintautas Zaleckas, LTPA director and general secretary for the Baltic countries.
“Last year, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced direct selling companies and their sellers to continue operating under a new reality”
Pasak G.Zalecko, šiuolaikinėje prekyboje didėjant konkurencijai dėl klientų dėmesio ir pasitikėjimo, tiesioginiai pardavimai yra išskirtinis būdas įgyti lojalių klientų, nes tiesioginės prekybos įmonės gali pasiūlyti ne tik aukštos kokybės produktus, bet ir profesionalią tiesioginio pardavėjo konsultaciją ir individualius asmenine patirtimi grįstus patarimus. Pavyzdžiui, 69 proc. Lietuvos gyventojų, pirkusių prekes tiesioginės prekybos būdu, tiesioginio pardavėjo profesionalumą vertina labai gerai ar gerai t.y. kad pardavėjas-konsultantas buvo labai gerai pasiruošęs (turėjo reikiamas žinias apie produktą) ir galėjo atsakyti į visus kliento klausimus.
According to G. Zaleckas, with the increasing competition for customers’ attention and trust in modern retail, direct sales are an exceptional way to acquire loyal customers, as direct selling companies can offer not only high-quality products, but also professional advice from a direct seller, which is also based on personal experience. For example, 69 percent residents of Lithuania, who bought goods through direct seales rate the professionalism of the direct seller as very good or good[1], i.e. that the sales consultant was very well prepared (had the necessary knowledge about the product) and was able to answer all the customer’s questions.
In the second half of the last year and especially in the last quarter, the number of people cooperating with direct selling companies was growing, as the decrease in regular income due to rapid inflation led some people to discover direct sales as a flexible additional income opportunity, or even as an opportunity for their own small business. According to G. Zaleckas, with high inflation, this trend should continue, and it is also very important that more and more people are interested in non-traditional forms of work and flexible earning opportunities. According to the data of a study commissioned by LTPA, as many as two-thirds (66%) of Lithuanian residents answered that they would be interested in a flexible way to earn money in the next 12 months in a non-“traditional” job[2].
Among the different product categories sold by direct selling companies, as in the previous year, wellness products saw the highest growth in demand and sales, but cosmetics and personal care products continue to be the largest product category.
Comparing the Baltic countries, in 2021 the sales volumes of members of the direct selling association grew by 13.5 percent in Latvia, and by 4.5 percent in Estonia. and respectively reached 34.2 and 21.7 million euros. The number of persons cooperating with direct selling companies increased by 4 percent in Latvia and by 2 percent in Estonia and amounted to 36.5 and 23.5 thousand persons.
[1] A public survey on country residents opinion on direct selling, conducted by UAB “Sprinter tyrimai” in June-July, 2021.
[2] A public survey on country residents opinion on direct selling, conducted by UAB “Sprinter tyrimai” in June-July, 2021.