| DIRECT-SALES BUSINESSES THRIVE EVEN AS THE RETAIL INDUSTRY SLIDES |
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| CHICAGO, December 2008 — Not all retail businesses are sinking due to economic woes. Direct-sales businesses, which often sell products via fun, social, at-home parties, are thriving even in this down market. |
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| There are numerous reason why direct-sales businesses, which include well-respected companies like The Pampered Chef (kitchen products), Avon (beauty supplies), Silpada Designs (jewelry) and Paperly (personalized stationery), are successful even when the overall retail sector is freefalling. |
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| First, attendees are invited to direct sales parties by friends and family members, thereby increasing the likelihood they will attend. Compare this personal invitation to the traditional retail store, which impersonally waits in hope for the customer to walk through the doors, and it immediately becomes evident why at-home parties are typically packed with enthusiastic buyers. |
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| Second, direct-sales events are highly social parties that provide stay-at-home moms (the target customer) an opportunity to hang-out with a diverse group of friends, while drinking a glass of wine or munching on a decadent dessert without – gasp! – their children in tow. Such a fun, interactive, and perhaps most important, comfortable environment is ripe for attendees to kick-back, relax and buy, all-the-while "showing off" their favorite products and purchases. |
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| Third, the direct-sales channel provides unique benefits for all constituents. |
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| One example of a direct-sales business growing substantially is Chicago-based Paperly, a relatively new entrant into the marketplace. It has seen its sales quadruple and its roster of independent Consultants, spread across 19 states coast-to-coast, triple compared to last year's. Paperly's Co-Founder, Cindy Rudman, commented, "The direct-sales model works, because at-home parties provide a personal touch at a reasonable price. two things customers desperately want when times are grim." |
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| Paperly predicts its strong growth will continue through 2009. "We anticipate our numbers will swell, even during these tough times", remarked Cindy. "Stay-at-home moms want to contribute financially by re-entering the workforce, yet they don't want to give up the flexibility of being at home for their families. The direct-sales model perfectly meets their needs." |
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| Clearly, only time will tell, but retail is not all doom-and-gloom; the direct-sales industry is certainly a sector to watch in 2009. |
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| About Paperly |
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| As a not-too-new addition to the stationery world, Paperly is dedicated to making it easy to be passionate about paper, whether you're a consumer or a seller. Its revolutionary approach enables Consultants nationwide to earn a significant income by selling stationery, return address labels, gift stickers and other paper products in a relaxed and informal at-home party atmosphere. For more information about Paperly, visit http://www.paperly.com, email us at info@paperly.com or call 888.30.PAPER. |
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