South Africa: QNet expands its operations to South Africa

Global direct selling e-commerce company, QNet has expanded its operations to South Africa. Owned by QI Group, QNet is one of Asia’s largest direct-selling companies offering a broad range product across categories including health, wellness, personal care, home living and jewellery for sale through its retail platforms.

The company is headquartered in Hong Kong and has a presence in more than 25 countries worldwide through subsidiaries, branch offices, agency partnerships and franchisees.

The regional general manager of QNet’s sub-Saharan Africa region, Biram Fall, expressed his excitement about the South African launch, “QNet has been in Asia for 25 years and in Africa for over 20 years now. QNet aims to empower local entrepreneurs by providing them with high-quality products, tools and support to succeed in the ever-changing e-commerce and direct selling ecosystem.”

The company said the local launch will contribute to the country’s gig economy sector, offering passive income opportunities for individuals, especially youth and women, in a country where e-commerce is booming.

QNet’s direct selling business model allows individuals to earn an income by selling the company’s products, leveraging the company’s sales tools, training resources and support services. Customers who purchase QNet products and are happy with their experience can refer them to other people and earn commissions on their sales.

Growth potential of direct selling

According to the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA), the Industry in South Africa generated over $2.2bn in retail sales in 2020, with over 1.7 million independent representatives actively selling products. The global direct selling industry has grown steadily in recent years, with a 4.6% increase in retail sales from 2019 to 2020.

“With QNet’s launch in South Africa, the direct selling industry is expected to grow further, creating even more opportunities for entrepreneurs to distribute unique products, earn income and contribute to the local economy. Direct selling has also been shown to provide flexible time management, self-development through training, and promote entrepreneurship skills, particularly among women and youth, who comprise a significant portion of the industry’s independent representatives,” added Fall.

Social impact

QNet stated that it’s committed to building positive social impact beyond its business and has a strong corporate social responsibility focus on education, disaster relief and environmental sustainability. The company has worked with various international organisations to launch initiatives in support of these causes, such as QNet’s Financial Literacy programme FinGreen, a peer-to-peer educational training in Nigeria that began in 2022.

In addition, the company has an ongoing collaboration with Anopa Project in Ghana to leverage sports as an education medium for youth with disabilities across sub-Saharan Africa. QNet plans to expand its social impact initiatives in South Africa.