The Tupperware Effect

Newsweek.com:

What is the Tupperware effect? It’s when direct-sales companies go into developing markets and, in the course of building their business, build up the opportunities for the women that work with them. “We will provide her microfinancing, we will train her, we will provide her with a coach and a mentor,” he says, noting that these services are free of charge. Tupperware has also developed specific products specifically for women in developing nations. Because many of the women served by these markets don’t have access to electricity, they developed the Quick Chef, a hand-crank operated food processor. (Goings notes that the Quick Chef is now also a popular seller in European markets.)

By giving women the tools they need to get started, as well as a product line friendly to the needs and resources of women in developing nations, Goings predicts a revolution of sorts. “When she tastes success, she gains confidence. And confidence equals influence. All of the sudden, she starts to change, and that influence spreads to her family, to relatives, to the streets she lives on, and the community she’s part of.”

It all sounds too good to be true—and it’s worth noting that in the course of all this positive social development, Tupperware has seen tremendous profits thanks to their expansion into these markets. But there is research that indicates that direct sales can provide real benefits for women living in poverty.

Logo from Tupperware