MANILA -- Juliana Gayapanao, an Avon Lady of 25 years, wore a new shade of pink lipstick that she hoped to sell to thousands of clients as she placed video calls from her Manila office, taking the direct selling business that helped lift her family from poverty to the internet from the city streets.

Through Facebook, where Gayapanao has 13,000 followers and Avon's own app, the 57-year-old mother of 4 sells make-up and intimate apparel, redefining the Avon Lady for consumers who are shifting to e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee.

Seeking clients by foot in office buildings and in the suburbs or through apps and social media, the Avon Lady, currently 6-million strong globally, will be an enduring presence, the company said.

"Hindi makakapagsalita ang produkto, ang Avon Lady lang makakagawa noon (products can't speak, only the Avon Lady can do that) and it creates that intimate relationship with the customers. That’s why they’re here to stay," said the company's executive director for sales, Bong Valenzuela.

"The digital will just enable them to reach more customers, to have a wider opportunity to promote our products," Valenzuela said.

WHO IS THE AVON LADY

Seeking to reach more customers, Avon tapped hardworking women around the world to personally pitch and deliver its products to customers instead of selling them in shopping malls.

The Avon Lady is the representation of the direct selling model, neatly dressed and carrying colorful catalogs of lipsticks, panties, brassieres, talc, perfume and jewelry.

One thing that kept clients buying more, payments can be made in installments, even without credit cards. The Avon Ladies, some with their children in tow, patiently go from house to house collecting payments.

"Malaki ang kaibihan, noon napakahirap kasi kailangan mo pumunta sa bahay nila para i-promote yung product o i-deliver tapos maningil unlike ngayon isang click mo lang naisend mo na," Gayapanao told ABS-CBN News.

(It's very different from before, when it was very difficult because you had to go o their homes and promote or deliver the product the collect payments. Now, you can send it with one click.)

Avon Ladies get a 25 percent discount per item. Those who reach a sales quota can get promoted and earn more commissions.

AVON LADY GOES ONLINE

The Avon app, launched in 2018, is an electronic version of the brochure. Avon also has an online shop where members can purchase items and have them delivered to their homes.

"Touching points moved a lot into the digital spending more time on messenger, social media rather than meeting face to face. All recommendation can come from representatives also through online channel. That will remain, we’ll just changing the platform, the venue," said Avon Philippines general manager Razvan Diratian.

Gayapanao said the app helped her continue being an Avon Lady after she was told to slow down following a hypertension diagnosis in 2015.

"Ano kagandahan ng live tska pag-popost lang syempre pinagaralan ko rin ang content ko. Hindi 'yung post ka lang ng post, kailangan may dating 'yung content mo, na talagang attractive, para mapatigil sila," she said.

(The beauty of live and posting, of course, is that I get to curate my content. I don't just post. Your content has to be compelling, attractive, to get noticed.)

Avon Lady Rosallie Soriano, 51, manages a team of 400 people and her unit can sell up to P2 million monthly. Commissions from social media sales help her earn up to 6 digits per month.

"Sa social media, para magbenta ka wala kang babayarang advertisement, wala kang babayarang facility... Ngayon pwede ka maging competitive, pwede ka sumabay sa malalaking kumpanya, open ka 24/7," she said.

(On social media, you don't pay for advertisements to sell, you don't pay for a facility... Now, you can be competitive and keep pace with the company since you're open 24/7.)

FIGHTERS

Avon Ladies run the whole gamut from stay-at-home mothers, cancer survivors and victims of domestic violence, all given the opportunity to make an honest living.

Gayapanao said her earnings helped augment her husband's salary as a factory worker.

"Mahirap noon kasi ultimong gatas i-bubudget mo 'yun... Hindi mo pwedeng bilhin lahat ng gusto mo. Ultimong powder noon hindi ko mabili kasi inuuna ko syempre mga anak ko ,” she said.

(It was hard before because I needed budget for infant formula... I couldn't buy what I wanted. Not even powder because I needed to put my children first.)

Soriano, who studied engineering and math in college, went full time as an Avon Lady when she started earning P50,000 monthly in 1992.

"If meron kang financial freedom, kaya mong buhayin ang anak mo kahit wala kang asawa," she said.

(If you have financial freedom, you can raise your children even without a husband.)

Diratian described Avon Ladies as "big fighters," adding, "They’re doing this with unbelievable power, managing also the business at the same time, helping the family at the same time, so it’s something that I always admire and respect."

HERE TO STAY

Avon has "very deep" investments in digital to keep sales coming, said Diratian. The Avon Lady, he said, will be here to stay.

“We want always to have the representative in the middle …They know always how to sell the product, how to promote the product. That will remain, it’s a core thing that started 130 years ago and my view, that will remain untouched,” Diratian said.

Gayapanao and Soriano said Avon Ladies should keep the personal service the brand is known for even while using new technologies.

"Alam natin na ang takbo ng mga business nagiiba, ang lifestyle ng tao nagiiba, so we have to go with the flow," Soriano said.

(Business is always changing, lifestyles change, so we have to go with the flow.)