Direct Selling News reported on Sep 17, 2026 that Germany's direct selling association (Bundesverband Direktvertrieb Deutschland, or BDD) published its 2026 market study. The headline numbers, as reported:
- Sales: about $24 billion, up 1.7% year over year
- Active sales partners in 2025: 906,433, a number the association described as fairly stable
- Expected annual sales growth among study participants: 3.7%
- Average return rate: 3.1%
- Companies investing in AI: 38% in 2024, rising to 81% in 2025
Products covered range well beyond beauty and wellness. The study lists cosmetics, pet care, wellness, energy, and telecommunications services. The association's chair called the industry stable, adaptable, and future-oriented, and the association credited personal advice and tailored recommendations for the low return rate.
How it compares with the global data Germany is the second largest direct selling market in the world, behind the US, according to the WFDSA Statistical Database 2021 to 2024 (2024 data). WFDSA puts German 2024 retail sales at EUR 17.6 billion, down 3.7% in local currency, with 907,634 independent representatives, up 2.9%. The two sources cover different years and use different methods, so the totals don't line up. Read the BDD figure as the 2025 picture and the WFDSA figure as the 2024 picture.
What to take from it Fewer than one in five surveyed German companies had no AI investment in 2025, yet the association still sells the channel on personal advice. If you are weighing AI tools for your home office, the German study suggests using them to support the consultant, with the person still giving the advice. Mary Kay's German rollout of its global brand campaign is another sign the market is active.
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