The Direct Selling Education Foundation's 2026 Growth & Outlook Study (covered by Direct Selling News on Aug 19, 2026) puts 2025 US retail sales at about $34.2 billion, with 34.8 million customers and 5.2 million direct sellers averaging $6,577 in retail sales. Most sellers work part-time (4.8 million), and the seller base remains overwhelmingly female (73%). The study also flagged a 6% year-over-year rise in Hispanic participation, 5% revenue growth for service-based companies, and a 7% decline in wellness category sales.
Buyers still want personal service, recommendations from people they trust, community, and easy online checkout. That's the same mix that keeps shows and host rewards relevant, as long as your booking and ordering tools keep up.
The 2024 global view of the US WFDSA's figures for the US use a different year and definition, so read them side by side and don't merge them. In the WFDSA Statistical Database 2021 to 2024 (2024 data), the US is the largest market in the world:
- Retail sales: $34.74 billion, down 5.2% from 2023
- Share of global sales: about 21%
- Independent representatives: 12.18 million, down 6.2%, of whom 73.4% are women
- Largest product groups: wellness 30.7%, financial services 16.4%, other products and services 15.5%, household goods and durables 11.9%
WFDSA counts independent representatives, a wider group than the DSEF count of direct sellers, which is why the two numbers differ so much.
What to do with it The DSEF numbers describe a part-time channel. Party-plan programs that fit a few hours a week, with simple ordering, match that reality better than full-time pitches do. The drop in wellness and the growth in services also show where companies are finding new customers.
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