To Deliver or not to deliver? That is the question. To put it another way, should customers order through your website or should you place the order for them?
Some love the ease of Direct Delivery orders. Others keep their costs down by having everything go through them, i.e. Representative Delivery.
Here are the differences between Direct Delivery and Representative Delivery, and the pros and cons of each, so you can decide how you want to run your business.
Direct Delivery
Keep it simple! This option is all about convenience and reach. Customers order through your online store/affiliate link and Avon ships the products to them directly. If you are short on time, or want to be able to service customers who live too far to deliver, Direct Delivery is for you.
PROS:
Customers order and pay through the site. You don't touch the money! Avon credits you with the earnings from the sale.
Avon ships the order directly to the customer. You don't touch the product!
Customers can shop with you from anywhere in the country. You are not limited to your location.
CONS:
If customers spend over $60, they get free shipping. We, as Reps, cover that cost.
Personally, I love to have my customers order through my site. It's worth it to me to pay the shipping cost (about $8 usually) because of the time and milage I save by not delivering. Plus, I have customers around the country and, without this option, I couldn't service them at all.
Representative Delivery
Looking to keep your costs down or make it as easy as possible for your customers? Consider Rep Delivery. Here, you place the orders for the customers. Avon will ship all of the products to you and you are responsible for collecting the money from the customers and getting the products to them.
PROS:
Save money! If you submit all of your customers' orders at the same time, they will ship to you all together and you will only have one shipping fee.
Easy follow up. Because you will see your customers when you deliver the order, you have the opportunity to show them even more products, give them samples and brochures, and collect their order for the next campaign.
Some customers might not be digitally savvy so they might not order from you unless you offer Rep Delivery.
CONS:
Avon will ask for payment at the time you submit the order. So you will need to either cover that cost until you collect payment from your customers and reimburse yourself or pre-collect the money. (I use my credit card so, when I collect from my customers, I pay off the card and the rest is my earnings.)
Delivery can take time and mileage. But there are ways around this! Most Reps add $1 to each order to cover their costs. And if you will see your customer anyway (at work, at school, in your neighborhood, at church, etc.), you can bring their order with you and it won't take a separate trip.
Do Both!
It's ok to have some customers order Direct Delivery and others order through you. One of the best things about Avon is how adaptable it is.
Hope this way helpful!
xoxo,
Lydia
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