For years, Avon lady was a fixture in American  neighborhoods.  Selling door-to-door built Avon into the world’s largest manufacturer  of beauty products. Avon operates in 135 countries and besides  the cosmetics it also sells jewelry, home furnishings, and babycare  products. Avon pioneered the idea of hiring housewives for  direct selling cosmetics in the neighbourhood. But in 1980s, as  millions of women began to work outside the home, the cosmetics  maker’s pool of customers and sales representatives dwindled,  and its sales faltered. By 1985, its profits were half what they had  been in 1979.
Consumer research showed that many women thought Avon’s make-up was  “stodgy,” its gifts products overpriced, and its jewelry old-fashioned.… Read the rest