Why the next era of direct selling growth will be built on community, trust and omnichannel leadership.
You can also listen to the Direct Selling University presentation that inspired this article! Listen now or read below!
Latin America is no longer an “emerging opportunity.” It is an accelerating one.
For years, global conversations about growth in direct selling have focused on North America and Asia. Those regions still matter deeply. But today, a third powerhouse is coming into focus—one defined not just by population size, but by culture, connectivity and an extraordinary hunger for opportunity.
That region is Latin America.
To understand why, we need to stop looking at markets in isolation and start looking at communities—how they trust, how they connect and how they build economic momentum together.
A Region Built on Community
Latin America is home to more than 662 million people, united not only by geography but by shared language, cultural values and a deep sense of community. Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world, and Portuguese closely follows through Brazil. These are not fragmented micro-markets—they are interconnected ecosystems.
What defines Latin America most clearly is not just scale, but cohesion. Families are multigenerational. Households are communal. Entrepreneurship is often shared across relatives, neighbors and friends. Trust flows through people—not platforms.
And that matters enormously in direct selling.
Why Community Leaders Matter More Than Products
Across every successful direct selling market I’ve studied—globally and over decades—the same pattern emerges.
Growth is not driven by:
- The best compensation plan
- The most advanced product formulation
- The most sophisticated training materials
Growth is driven by community leaders. The people who already hold trust. The mentors who translate opportunity into belief. The connectors who help others see a path forward.
This is especially true in Latin America, where trust in institutions—and historically, in digital commerce—has been fragile. For many years, people were skeptical of online systems, payments and promises. That changed rapidly during the pandemic, when digital adoption accelerated by necessity.
Today, Latin America is moving fast—but it is still one step behind Asia. And that is precisely why the opportunity is so powerful.
Learning from Asia’s Blueprint
Asia-Pacific currently represents approximately 42 percent of global direct selling market share, with nearly $68 billion in annual retail sales. This dominance didn’t happen by accident. Asia succeeded because it mastered three critical elements:
- Cultural community cohesion
- Deep trust in leadership and hierarchy
- Hybrid models that blend personal relationships with digital scale
In Asia, digital tools are not replacements for connection—they are vehicles for it. Influencer-driven commerce, livestream selling, mobile-first engagement and social platforms work because they are anchored by trusted leaders within the community.
When I first experienced this model in Asia, it fundamentally changed how I understood direct selling. What I saw wasn’t technology leading people—it was people leading technology. That same blueprint is now available to Latin America.
The Omnichannel Imperative
Latin America is not choosing between digital and in-person. It is embracing both. The future belongs to fully omnichannel leaders—those who can build relationships face-to-face while simultaneously engaging audiences through mobile, livestreaming and social commerce.
In Asia, top leaders regularly conduct ten or more meetings at once through mobile devices—replicating the intimacy of in-person connection at digital scale. Each screen represents a real conversation, a real relationship, a real business being built.
This is not about becoming “more digital.” It’s about becoming more accessible.
Influencers as the New Channels of Trust
In Latin America, influencers are not a trend. They are the new trust infrastructure. Younger generations spend three to four hours a day on their phones. They learn, evaluate and decide based on people they feel they know—not corporations they don’t. This presents both a challenge and a responsibility.
Without strong mentors, young people are vulnerable to misinformation, distraction and unsustainable income models. But when influencer-driven commerce is anchored in real leadership, education and community, it becomes a powerful engine for economic mobility. What matters is authenticity.
The most effective influencers in Latin America are not celebrities or models. They are ordinary people with credibility, consistency and lived experience. People others can relate to. People others trust.
That trust converts into action.
The Untapped Scale of the Opportunity
Despite its size and cultural strength, Latin America’s direct selling penetration remains relatively low.
The region currently represents roughly $22 billion in annual direct selling sales—far behind Asia and North America. Countries like Mexico and Brazil, despite being massive economies, remain underpenetrated. Even within the United States, the Latino population—nearly 19 percent of the total population—is significantly underserved by the channel.
By 2031, one in five US workers will be Latino. This is not a future demographic. It is the present workforce.
And there is a powerful bridge connecting these markets: remittances. Latin Americans working abroad send more than $155 billion annually back to their home countries—more than foreign direct investment in many regions. But money alone does not create sustainability. Opportunity does.
What if, instead of sending only money, people sent business ownership? What if cross-border sponsorship, shared language and digital tools allowed families to build income together?
Many companies are already proving this works.
Digital Infrastructure Is Catching Up—Fast
Historically, barriers such as unbanked populations and limited payment systems slowed digital commerce in Latin America. Those barriers are falling rapidly. Mobile wallets are expanding. Regional ecommerce platforms are scaling. Social commerce adoption is accelerating.
Mexico is now one of the fastest-growing ecommerce markets globally, and digital penetration across Latin America is projected to grow sharply through 2026 and beyond.
What Companies Must Do Differently
Latin America cannot be treated as an extension of the US model. That approach fails. To unlock Asia-level growth, companies must:
- Think regionally, not country by country
- Invest meaningfully, not incrementally
- Empower connectors who can bridge multiple markets
- Unify branding and messaging across borders
- Equip leaders digitally with real tools and training
- Leverage the US Latino diaspora as a commercial bridge
Growth does not come from “crumbs.” It comes from commitment.
Why This Moment Matters
Latin America has everything required to become the next global growth engine for direct selling:
- A young, entrepreneurial population
- Strong family and community structures
- Shared language and culture
- Rapid digital adoption
- A deep need for mentorship and opportunity
What it needs now is leadership willing to invest. This is not about short-term margin optimization. It’s about top-line growth. It’s about legacy. It’s about believing in people.
A Call to Action
Latin America is rising. Asia dominates today—but history shows that growth follows those who recognize momentum early and act decisively. The question for leaders is simple: Will you treat Latin America as a side market—or as the future powerhouse it is becoming?
The people are ready. The culture is aligned. The opportunity is open.
Now it’s time to lead.
Check out this week’s bonus episode of the Direct Approach podcast to hear more from Sol Flint about unlocking the next growth engine.
Available on your favorite platform! Apple, Spotify, Audible, YouTube
SOL FLINT | General Director of Latin America for Nature’s Sunshine, is a global direct selling executive with extensive leadership experience across Latin America, Asia and North America. She is known for building community-driven growth strategies and advancing omnichannel models that integrate trust, culture and digital innovation.
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