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Sale by catalog adds more women
Posted On 27 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
A group of women reviews the catalogs in detail. They are sitting in the pews of Fashion Ker’s, in Sucre between Chimborazo and Boyacá, a sector close to the Bay of Guayaquil. There dozens of women arrive every day to learn about the latest models, talk to the sales managers and request their orders.
Catalina Bernabé, mother of a family, is in that group. She has worked in the sale to the catalog for four years. She chose this job to be able to care for and educate his children. She spends three hours a day in this business and usually sells the items to her neighbors and friends. “I do all this while my children are in school and before they leave school I am already at home,” says Catalina, who sees in this activity a way to improve her economy.
Sitting behind Bernabé, Miriam Rocío Falcones waits for her products to be delivered to her. She is a single mother and sees in the trade an opportunity to earn an income and be able to take care of her children. She says it’s not easy, because you need proof in the sale to see results. “If you show magazines every month, you can see results,” says Miriam, who can earn between $ 8 and $ 9 for each $ 30 pledge.
Like them, dozens of locals are immersed in the product catalog sales business. There are those who sell, in addition to clothing, beauty products. The Ecuadorian Association of Sale to the Catalog (AEVD) groups 23 companies, among them Yanbal, Babalú or Avon. This association covers 70% of the direct sales market and according to Álex Córdoba, member of AEVD, the sector gives work opportunities nationwide to 800,000 people, of whom 95% are women. Another association that groups the direct sales companies is Procosméticos.
It is not only women who work in the catalog sale. “We looked for enterprising people, men began to venture for their wives who earned money with this methodology and joined them to form marketing networks,” explains Nelly Rovira, commercial manager of the firm Babalú.
The operation is simple. Those who want to start their own business register with their ID, they give them the catalog of the season for free and they can already access the company’s discounts, explains Catalina Moreno, Fashion Ker’s manager.
Earnings may vary depending on each business. The business structure is made up of marketing networks in which “women entrepreneurs earn between 30% and 35% of each product. The leader begins to make contacts and to attract people and can earn between 10% and 13%, depending on the volume of sales that has to register ladies who are businesswomen. And finally, the directors have several leaders and can earn between 5% and 7%, “says Nelly.
In the catalog sector, in addition to clothing, shoes are also used. Adjacent to Fashion Ker’s, women entrepreneurs check clothes at the Nivi Písame store. Julia Moreno looks through the exposed blouses at the entrance to the store. In her four years as a freelancer, she affirms that income depends on herself. “Everything is the time that you put”.
In the same establishment, waiting for your order is María Gonzabay. Unlike Julia, she dedicates herself to catalog sales because she cannot find a more stable job. In addition, she works with several firms at the same time, like many, since he does not receive enough benefits.
Another method that women use to sustain their homes is the sale of beauty products. To the north of the city, at the Rio Daule station of the Metrovía, Silvia Vilela reviews the latest offers of the month in the Yanbal catalogs at her kiosk. She is a company consultant. Her daughter, Isabel Maldonado, is the director of one of Yanbal’s marketing networks. The commercial structure is the same as for the sale of clothes.
Silvia receives the businesswomen and sells the firm’s products with discounts that “range from 25% to 40%, depending on the volume of purchase”. She was always a housewife, but she became interested in this business 19 years ago. “This job you buy because you sell from anywhere, do not neglect the house and also earn money, says Silvia. (I)
