QNET, the global e-commerce based direct selling company, reported 5% growth in 2021 compared to 2020 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, reinforcing the increasing potential of its e-commerce-based direct selling business model in the region.

In a statement, QNET said the top three countries in the region that reported higher sales performance were Kuwait, the UAE, and Morocco respectively, while other countries also reported an upward trajectory in sales trends.

Ms. Malou Caluza, CEO of QNET said, “2021 was a challenging year for businesses in the region, and particularly for the direct selling business, since building a personal relationship is a cornerstone of our business. Social distancing and long periods of isolation did take a toll on the industry in the initial days of the pandemic, but we were able to bounce back sooner than we expected,”.

She said that direct selling offered a promising assured growth opportunity for many who lost their jobs and steady source of income during the pandemic, and QNET benefited from this situation by growing the number of its distributor partners across the region.

“The two predominant developments that shored up the direct selling industry during the tough days of the pandemic include a spike in the sales of health, wellness and nutrition products that boost human immunity. The second is direct selling companies across the world quickly adapted to digital tools and virtual platforms faster than ever last year,” Ms. Caluza added.

QNET structured all its training and mentoring programs as virtual events – saving cost as well as attracting larger participation. “Our annual convention in 2020 attracted around 200,000 participants from nearly 50 countries. In 2021, the participation went up to 350,000 participants from more than 50 countries,” Ms. Caluza said, adding that QNET will continue with the virtual convention model even if it is safe to hold physical events for the convenience it offers as it does not have typical limitations associated with in-person events like travel cost, visas, etc.

QNET in the statement said it is looking forward to a robust 2022 across sales, distributor sign-ups, and partnerships. QNET will continue to be the Direct Selling Partner Manchester City Football Club until 2024, taking its partnership to ten long years by then. This year, QNET will be looking to provide City-led soccer clinics to communities around the world.

QNET which participated in the Arab Water Forum last year said it plans to continue its relationship with this event, while another event in the same domain it is looking to take part in this year is the Cairo Water Week. The company is also looking forward to expanding its partnership footprints in the African continent.

In 2021, QNET’s bestselling product was the Home Pure Nova water filtration system in the MENA region.

For QNET, 2021 was an active year with webinars on the MENA region’s gig economy, women empowerment, and digitization of direct selling. It also received multiple accolades globally, including the Most Innovative Company of The Year 2021 Titan Business Awards and Stevie Awards Women in Business.

It also picked up three awards at the International Business Magazine Awards - Best CSR Company MENA 2021, Most Sustainable Company for Consumer Goods MENA 2021, and the Best Business Influencer in Social media MENA 2021. QNET CEO Malou Caluza also won the Gold Globee® at the 2021 CEO World Awards.

The company also raised funds last year to support the Pakistani community for a charity hospital.

“We look forward to another positive year in 2022 contributing to a sustainable, collective experience around QNET brand, through building a community of stakeholders and ambassadors who trust the company, its products, and business opportunities,” Ms. Caluza added.

About QNET

QNET is one of Asia’s leading e-commerce based direct selling companies offering a wide range of health, wellness, and lifestyle products that enable people to lead better lives. QNET’s grass-roots business model fueled by the power of e-commerce has helped empower millions of entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries worldwide.

QNET is a member of the Direct Selling Association in several countries, as well as the Hong Kong Health Food Association and the Health Supplements Industry Association of Singapore, among others.