2020 saw tumultuous ups and downs and helped reshape our channel forever
As is generally the case with adversity, especially prolonged adversity, new opportunities arise. Some of the situations we could not have forseen at this time last year have actually created positive outcomes for many companies in the channel, including increased sales and enrollments.
Not everyone, of course, has faired well, and the near future could still be un-steady. But we are all learning to adapt and find our way. The sun still rises in the morning and sets in the evening, and will continue to do so. The image on the cover of this issue pretty much sums it up, “We’ll get thru this,” one way or another.
All year we’ve brought you stories about changes the companies are implementing to cope with COVID-19, the FTC, changing consumer behaviors and the like. This issue is no different. Our cover story provides details about such changes, and includes insights from Patrick Wright, CEO of AdvoCare, on what their year has been like. I know we’ve all been curious, and Patrick shares a great deal about how the company has dealt with the many changes it brought about.
The article also includes a great come-back story: The Longaberger Company has a new life under the watchful eye of Bob D’Loren along with an expanded product offering and a digital focus. It’s great to see an iconic company emerge once again.
The changes and new attitudes at both of these long-standing companies are great examples of how I think our channel has morphed and changed over this year, and quite frankly, will never be the same again. With FTC oversight, pressure to change compensation plans, digital commerce taking center stage and consumers who may never return to the “old ways” of shopping and seeking goods and services, 2020 has reshaped the way direct sellers do business, plain and simple.
What remains to be seen in 2021 is which trends persist, and which perhaps drop off, along with any additional pressures from COVID-19. Time will tell, as it always does, and we’ll be here to write about it.