Avon Romania, the biggest company operating direct cosmetics sales (through catalogues) on the Romanian market, generates 45m euros annually from rural areas alone, according to the company's management. Village clients are a target that is less reached by traditional retailers because the latter lack expansion possibilities, and this is why rural areas have a huge growth potential. "Our sales in rural areas make up around 40% of the overall volume. Consumers' profile is not much different from that of city clients. Consumption preferences are the same. Moreover, our women clients have the same openness in using virtual channels to order cosmetics," Răzvan Diraţian, a commercial manager with Avon Romania and Moldova, who in the second half of last year took over the Romanian operations from Angela Creţu, told ZF. "We also launched orders through SMS, as an alternative channel particularly destined to rural areas where Internet penetration is low," says Diraţian.

Avon Romania, the biggest company operating direct cosmetics sales (through catalogues) on the Romanian market, generates 45m euros annually from rural areas alone, according to the company's management. Village clients are a target that is less reached by traditional retailers because the latter lack expansion possibilities, and this is why rural areas have a huge growth potential. "Our sales in rural areas make up around 40% of the overall volume. Consumers' profile is not much different from that of city clients. Consumption preferences are the same. Moreover, our women clients have the same openness in using virtual channels to order cosmetics," Răzvan Diraţian, a commercial manager with Avon Romania and Moldova, who in the second half of last year took over the Romanian operations from Angela Creţu, told ZF. "We also launched orders through SMS, as an alternative channel particularly destined t