Floor to our merchants: Avon

Chiara Mauri, Head of Finance Italy & Greece, and Alessandro Mirandola, CEO, Avon Italia

Avon is a leading global beauty company operating in over 50 countries with a business model based on Sales Representatives and proximity to customers. How many Representatives does Avon count today worldwide and how big is its Italian community?

In 2021 we celebrated our 135th Anniversary and today, our independent sales force counts over 5 million Representatives worldwide. Direct sales pioneer, Avon Cosmetics is on the Italian market since 1966, where it counts over 65,000 brand Representatives.

With a strong focus on innovation and digital transformation, your company has consistently stayed ahead of the curve. During the pandemic, Avon Italia’s online presence proved to be well-prepared. Could you tell us when your online sales platforms were launched, and how the platform for Avon Representatives differs from the B2C e-commerce site?

The launch of our e-commerce took place before the pandemic and it was a key strategic move for us: we all saw how crucial the role played by the digital channel was and, in the first place, we wanted to take the “My Avon Store” idea forward, i.e. the opening of e-stores by our Representatives. Later on, we worked on the B2C e-commerce where customers can buy directly from, which was launched in October 2019.

It goes without saying that Avon Representatives stay at the core of our model. Therefore, their role will never be overridden by anyone. The added value of our beauty Representatives is not challenged even in the digital era: rather, digital channels and tools further support their business.

However, at the same time, we also wanted to give end customers the opportunity to go online and be able to choose between the assistance provided by a Representative and the possibility to buy directly, as well as between the option of getting the products brought to them by our Representative and the option of getting the order shipped to their address. In any case, even the price list available on the B2C e-commerce has been differentiated to ensure the role of our Representatives is safeguarded as we highly value the precious and irreplaceable customised one-to-one relationship they offer, which has always been the heart of our business.

Digital payments have been and continue to be a crucial driving force for the growth of e-commerce and retail. How important are they for Avon Italia?

Offering digital payment methods was a necessary step to keep up with the times. Following the opening of the digital platform dedicated to our Representatives and the launch of the e-commerce for end customers, we wanted to broaden the choice of payment tools to meet their demands and enable them to choose those that best suit their needs. We wanted to invest in this area because online payments definitely represent one of the most important aspects of the digital experience.

Let’s talk about Avon and MyBank. What motivated you to introduce MyBank, and how did your Representatives respond to this new payment method?

Choosing MyBank was a deliberate decision. Our primary goal was to modernize the traditional postal order payment method, which—surprisingly—is still widely used by many of our Representatives today.

While we aimed to promote digital tools broadly, we specifically prioritized and encouraged the use of MyBank transfers. This payment method offers numerous benefits for both our Representatives and our company, and it has been very well received on our side.

Naturally, the introduction of e-payment solutions initially faced some resistance. Although our audience is getting younger, the majority of our Representatives are long-standing partners who have been with Avon for many years. For them, changing established habits—especially around payments—can be challenging.

MyBank’s user-friendly system, integrated with online banking, has been instrumental in overcoming this resistance. As a result, we are committed to further promoting its adoption.

How has MyBank addressed your needs?

MyBank has enabled us to automate a significant portion of our transactions and accelerate the overall payment process. It has also improved reconciliation efficiency, streamlining tasks that traditionally required extensive manual effort.

Avon is transforming itself into an omnichannel brand, which combines different communication channels working synergistically, including apps and other innovative tools. What are your favourite channels to promote yourself online and how do you use them?

We are active in social media through the official pages of Avon Italia on Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin (the latter, increasingly used as an institutional channel) as well as on Tik Tok, where we were one of the first beauty companies to open their profile and which represents an excellent platform to attract a younger audience.

We also have a closed Facebook group, exclusively dedicated to our Representatives, where we make all sorts of information available to them: from technical service communications and product information to events and initiatives. This channel is particularly appreciated by our sales force, which is in turn present on social media through the pages of individual Representatives that further increase Avon’s brand visibility.

Avon has always been synonymous with women’s empowerment and also in Italy “social commitment” is one of its core values. What initiatives do you focus on and what do they represent for you?

Raising awareness of gender-based violence and the fight against breast cancer are particularly important to us. Our daily commitment in this area brings motivation and added value, a source of pride for the entire team. We have used our 135th anniversary to pledge $1.35m to women’s causes around the world, adding to the $1.1bn raised and donated by Avon and the Avon Foundation over the years.