New data from retail trade body the Direct Selling Association has shown a significant increase in the average earnings being made by the UK’s ‘army’ of side hustlers working for brands such as Avon, Ann Summers and The Body Shop.
In 2021, those working in direct selling earned an average of £481 per month, whereas new data shows that in 2023, the figure has increased to £833, It is thought to be the largest jump in earnings in the sector in over a decade.
Two-fifths (40 per cent) of the 983 people who took part in the research – out of an estimated half a million direct sellers in the UK – started up in the last two years, with almost a third (29 per cent) citing financial pressures and the rising cost of living as being behind their decision to get started.
Further trends identified in the latest Direct Selling Association (DSA) research include an increasing number of people for whom direct selling is their primary source of income, with almost half (45 per cent) now doing it as their sole job as opposed to it being for additional income to a main job or other work. This represents a 22 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Direct selling is thought to be one of the UK’s leading part-time earning opportunities and while the data reveals a rise – from 28 per cent last year to 38 per cent this year – in those conducting their direct selling work during ‘school hours’ (9am – 2.30pm), almost half (45 per cent) of direct sellers don’t have school-aged children, indicating that this form of work is increasingly becoming a lifestyle choice for many.
Susannah Schofield OBE, Director General of the Direct Selling Association, comments: “The historic image of direct selling may be women earning pin money for spending on inessentials, but the data shows that this is simply not the case any longer. Increasingly people are opting for this style of earning as a way to generate a more significant income but on a highly flexible basis, with significant numbers of people joining since the start of the COL crisis.
“A new generation of driven career-women are professionalising direct selling, building successful micro-businesses on terms that work for them, whether that be around children, or other commitments and interests.
“As the cost of living continues to rise, direct selling is proving to be a key option for individuals taking control of their financial future in a flexible way that works for them.”
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