Customers will be able to order their products directly from Amway via the website without going through their usual Amway Business Owner (ABO)
The arrangement will make it more convenient for both the ABOs and their customers to purchase Amway products, said the firm.
“Customers of our ABOs can now shop directly from the website. The ABOs do not need to do the product fulfilment, collection, follow up and all that.
“These customers can also get the same product promotions, invitations to events that the ABOs are enjoying as well,” Leni Olmedo, country manager told NutraIngredients-Asia.
Such an arrangement has become increasingly crucial amid the COVID-19 spread, she highlighted.
“Especially in the midst of the pandemic and the social distancing requirement, it is really very difficult for you to serve the customers and for the customers to buy from the ABOs.
“What we need during this period, is to be able to shop securely and safely at home.”
Olmedo said that the nutrition supplement brand Nutrilite has become the biggest category for the Amway Philippines business.
In the last two to three years, close to 60% of the business came from Nutrilite.
During the pandemic, immunity SKUs were sold at a faster rate, including vitamin B, C, Double X, while the sales of weight management products have slowed.
Outside of Philippines, the Amway Exclusive Shopper Program is already in place in other countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
E-commerce goals
The pandemic has led to more ABOs in Philippines adopting e-commerce in the past few months, up from less than 10% pre-COVID, to 40% and further increasing to 60%.
Amway Philippines first launched its e-commerce site three years ago but the number of ABOs purchasing the products online was less than 10%.
As COVID-19 begun to spread, the figure grew to 40% and later 60% after the company upgraded its e-commerce site on Aug 19 this year.
The figure has in fact surpassed the firm’s projection, which was between 30% to 40%.
In the next three to five years, Olmedo said the target was to increase the number of ABOs buying online to between 70% and 80%.
However, this is also dependent on the internet penetration rates in Philippines, which currently stands at about 67%.
“It is of course very difficult for us to exceed 67% at this point, but as Philippines moves to better internet penetration, we can safely predict that we can have 70% to 80% of our ABOs transacting online in about three to five years’ time."