A hand holds a large diamond-shaped plastic bowl into the camera, a kitchen unit made of light wood and some washing-up utensils can be seen in the background. “Diamonds are a girls’ best friend”, says Sandra Lechner and slowly lets the bowl sink, “and therefore a warm welcome to our Whatsapp Tupperware party!” Then the 40-year-old advertises the various components of the so-called diamond series from Tupperware before moving on to other new products from the manufacturer.
The video is part of a virtual Tupperware party. Sandra Lechner, a cheerful woman from a small town in Middle Franconia, is one of numerous so-called party managers in Germany who are brand ambassadors for Tupperware Brands Corporation. It is difficult to say exactly how many there are – unfortunately the company does not provide any figures even after repeated inquiries. However, a few years ago it advertised that a Tupperware party would take place somewhere in the world every few seconds.
Tupperware: Sales mainly through direct sales
Tupperware also has an online shop. Nevertheless, the majority of the products end up through direct sales to the respective end customer – i.e. through the Tupperware parties. The American Brownie Wise brought it to life. In order to finance her life as a divorced woman and a single mother, she began selling various household items in the late 1940s, initially also from Stanley Home Products. After moving to Florida, she also offered Tupperware products at her house parties. Soon afterwards, the company’s founder, Earl Tupper, became aware of them, who had previously tried in vain to get his goods to women via normal trade. In 1951, Tupper Brownie Wise was named vice president of its newly formed Tupperware Home Parties division, and the first official Tupper party took place. That was 70 years ago.
Parties as one of the most successful sales strategies
“Often copied – never matched” is the first part of a popular Tupperware advertising slogan. As far as the products are concerned, the statement is only partially tenable. In various quality tests, other food storage containers were often ahead of those from Tupperware, the latter often being many times more expensive than comparable cans from Emsa, Ikea or Aldi. But as far as the sales strategy is concerned, the advertising slogan seems quite apt. Because hardly any other company has managed to turn the party principle into a real cult. Numerous other companies such as “Partylite”, “Pampered Chef”, “Stampin Up!” or Vorwerk, with its Thermomix, is increasing sales parties as a sales channel, and doing it quite successfully: According to surveys by the Bundesverband Direktvertrieb Deutschland, total sales in the German direct sales industry are rising steadily, most recently to a total of 18.55 billion euros in 2019. More than half of that The respective companies generate sales through home presentations or online parties.
Social Selling durch Tupper-Ladys
The concept of the Tupperware party has been the same for decades: Anyone interested in the products can invite a party manager as well as friends, relatives and acquaintances to host them. The party manager then brings the latest products and presents them to the hostess and her guests. As before, it is mostly women who take part in or organize the Tupperware parties. From the 1950s in particular, there are numerous recordings of such “Tupperware Home Parties”, at which a dozen women with pinned up hair, shift dresses and eye-catching jewelry sit or stand around a table with all kinds of bowls, mugs and cans, while another “Tupper -Lady ”brings you the benefits of this or that product. If you look around on the company website, not much has changed: The description pages for your own Tupperware party only talk about hosts and consultants. The accompanying pictures mainly show young, pretty women of different nationalities, rarely a man is there.
Tupperware parties: self-fulfillment and additional income
Back then, the classic distribution of roles was even more common than it is today, i.e. while the man left the house in the morning with the briefcase and returned home in the evening for dinner, the woman did the unpaid work by doing domestic activities and raising children. The Tupperware parties were therefore ideal, especially for mothers, who were able to earn something on the side in this way – a touch of the “American Dream” for the modern housewife from back then. Even today, Tupperware advertises flexible working hours, self-fulfillment and bonuses for all those who sell a particularly large number of products.
Virtual parties during lockdown
Sandra Lechner’s sideline as a Tupperware consultant also started like this. She knew the parties and products from her own mother. When her own son was one year old and the family had just moved into the house that had just been built, she wanted beautiful new products for the new kitchen. The decisive factor was a Tupperware party at a friend’s: “At first there was maybe a bit of selfishness,” says Sandra Lechner. “I thought it was great to get such high quality products a little cheaper. But I also love to bake, cook, chat and meet new people. ” In addition, it was important to her, especially in the first few years as a mother without an income of her own, to earn something and to be able to afford something regardless of her husband’s salary.
In the meantime she has started to work as a nurse again – “but thanks to the flexible time management I can get my small business under one roof with my family and my main job”. Since then, she has hosted more than 160 Tupperware parties, also in virtual form via Whatsapp during the lockdown phases. These virtual parties last up to a week, during which the counselor repeatedly posts photos, videos and voice messages in a specially founded Whatsapp group. The guests can then ask questions or order directly in the chat. “I prefer real Tupperware parties,” says consultant Sandra Lechner. After all, sociability, being among people, is what counts for them at a Tupperware party.
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