In this week’s business idea, we’ll look into another brand that most people are familiar with. When I was younger, it was common to see women sell Tupperware from home to earn a side income. Some even turn it into a full time job. So what’s so great about it? Is it still a popular trend among women? Let’s check out the pros and cons to see if this is the right make-money opportunity for you.
The Company Overview
Tupperware was actually founded in 1946 by a chemist called Earl Tupper, who created one of the first lightweight non breakable container in the US. The innovative product has since become a common household item and pave successful careers for many people around the world.
The company adopts the MLM business model to market their products and you can buy them mostly through independent business owners called consultants.
The Pros
(1) Tupperware is notably famous for the quality of their products. I have a few of them and they have served me well for years so I can definitely attest to this claim.
(2) In the past, the company only creates plastic containers, but now, they offer a lot more kitchen essentials ranging from can opener to ovenware. Their research and development work has made these products more purposeful and safe for consumers as can be seen by the microwave safe, freezer safe and BPA free labels.
(3) Unlike other MLM companies, the Tupperware Business Starter Kit is fairly affordable. If you apply directly through the official website, you’ll get products and training tools worth $350 for only $99. If you sign up through a consultant, you only need to pay the initial $39 and let the company pays the rest as you work for sales throughout the next 60 days.
(4) Upon joining, a special award program called ‘Confident Starter Program’ will assist newbies to grow their business kits and demonstration skills in the span of 13 weeks. Every time a sales goal is achieved, Tupperware will reward a merchandise to you for free.
(5) The sales commission is also one of the highest that I’ve seen so far for physical products. While most plastic container brands pay about 4-8% through affiliate programs, Tupperware generously offers 25%. This means, for every $100 sales, you’d make $25 in profit. That’s pretty awesome, don’t you think?
(6) Since most of their products are used in the kitchen, the company has created a series of YouTube videos to show how they can be used effectively for preparing food. Watch the video below and I’m sure you’d find it helpful too.
This is a great marketing material to use when introducing new products to potential customers.
(7) Tupperware generally has a lot of happy buyers, from your neighbors to testimonials on home magazines and cooking blogs. The positive reviews is probably one of the reasons why their brand continues to grow over the years. Here’s the trend from Google, just to prove my point.
The Cons
With so many good things to say, what could possibly go wrong with a brand so big like Tupperware? Well, the problem isn’t so much about the product; it’s the business model and the competition in the online space.
(1) One of the core marketing principle is actually to demonstrate the products through home parties. You need to set a date, send out invitations and hopefully make some sales from it. This technique might work in the past, but as the internet becomes more influential, people naturally make more purchasing decisions online rather than driving to someone’s house and watch a demo.
It’s simply more time consuming for them and less cost-effective for you (think about petrol, food ingredients preparation and etc.)
(2) In terms of audience, there’s only so many family members and friends that you can sell to. After a while, you’d need to expand beyond your comfort zone, visit another neighborhood and start selling to people that you don’t know. If you like to make new friends, that’s great, but our new audience might not like the idea of a stranger selling plastic stuff to them.
(3) In order to be an active consultant, you need to achieve a minimum sale of $250 within 4 months of joining, otherwise, pay a fee for reactivation. So, don’t expect to earn anything if you are only doing parties like 2 to 3 times per year.
(4) Now, if you are thinking about doing recruitment, don’t be surprised with all the cold shoulder that you’d be getting either. Unfortunately, MLM companies have earned themselves a bad reputation over the years for producing ‘pushy marketers’. Although it might not be your intention, ‘business opportunities’ associated with any brands, including Tupperware, tends to turn people off.
(5) The hard, cold fact is that there are many companies out there that can also produce safe and good quality plastic kitchenware nowadays at a cheaper price and they can be easily bought online without having to go to home parties.
As I mentioned earlier, consumers are quite capable of choosing what they want with the help of online information. For example, they just need to go to the Amazon marketplace and pick one that suits their needs and budget. Affordability is something that speaks for the majority of buyers, so in this aspect, Tupperware kind of loses out.
(6) Interestingly, when you join as a consultant, the company provides an online store to help with your promotion. However, most people just use it to post product links and promote the ‘business opportunity’ part of the brand.
Based on the current online marketing techniques, this is not the best way to utilize a website because there’s very little information and it’s non-engaging to the viewers. Search engines have difficulty ranking for thin sites like this.
It also makes me think that the company lacks training on how to create a successful online store for their marketers as they are not maximizing the use of a blog. You see, when you have a blog, you can write content that targets a certain audience. In this case, you want to reach out to people who are truly interested in buying good quality plastic containers through the use of keywords.
Without a blog presence, these are just some of the keyphrases that you are totally missing out.
- lunch box set with bag for adults
- what containers are microwave safe
- how to keep food fresh in fridge
- chop onions without burning your eyes
- Tupperware Ultrapro ovenware review
So, Is Tupperware a Good Business Opportunity?
I am not usually a big fan of MLM, but I’ll make an exception for this one because over the years, the company has been very innovative with their product range. The fact that they embrace YouTube marketing tells me that they are ready to reach out to the online consumers, although they need to put more effort into that area.
Given the ongoing popularity of the cooking and recipe niche, there will always be a demand for good quality products and Tupperware has every feature to meet this criteria. Just keep in mind that the majority of people doesn’t like to be pressured into buying things OR selling products for a living. It’s a personal choice and there’s nothing wrong with that.
If you know how to leverage from online marketing skills, it’s not impossible to sell Tupperware from home and still make a successful career out of it. There are plenty of resources and ideas; it’s just the matter of how you utilize them.
To learn more about starting an online business, please check out my recommended training program and I’d be happy to walk you through the process.
You may also be interested in;
Ways to Monetize from a Recipe Blog
I didn’t know that selling Tupperware was still a ‘thing’. I must say, their products are better than the average plastic tubs from supermarkets etc, but it’s not always easy to find a local supplier. This is a good, honest article pointing out the pros and cons of running a Tupperware business. I know I’d not be so comfortable doing the selling, but I am always happy to buy the products.
I use Tupperware products regularly, although only for cold foods like fruits and vegetable salads. I’m concerned about any chemicals leaching out of the plastic and into my food. I’ve learned this happens mainly with hot foods. I always look for BPA free container.
The business model sounds like it can be a good opportunity depending on how creative and driven the person is. You have to believe in what you sell and genuinely care about your customers. But it’s not a product that people would replenish regularly so that’s one of the setbacks.
I can remember as a child my mother hosting Tupperware parties with a number of her friends and always have a laugh when someone mentions that all lost socks in the dryer come back as Tupperware lids that don’t fit those that you have.
From my experience, the success of those parties back then was that the access to this products was limited and people generally had time on their hands to attend product demonstration. Today though, people prefer to buy mainly online as they do not have the luxury of time. For this reason, I see this as a decreasing market opportunity.
Hello there Cathy,
Thanks for such a very interesting and concise review of Tupperware. I did not know how this whole Tupperware thing started. The payout is nice but yes, as you highlighted in your cons, yes, it can be a challenge.
I know that I personally would not be a candidate for doing this – don’t get me wrong, I like being around people, but inviting them and trying to sell them stuff – not quite my thing. I guess this business opportunity would work for other moms who love to socialize and simply just need to get out of the house, but not for me.
Anyway, I learned some interesting facts and figures from this.
Hi Cathy,
I think to deal with Tupperware is a good idea. The benefits of fame, originality and well-loved brand helps a lot in selling products online. It feels a bit nostalgic but to tell the truth, even here in Thailand in my kitchen, I found some Tupperware.
I checked Amazon quickly and saw that there are also other brand products for sale, so that’s one way to skip the membership fee if you are thinking of buying similar quality containers. A good online marketing strategy with a niche website can make money for sure I think.
If my memory serves me right, I first know about Tupperware about 25 years ago and like you said, the company is still going strong.
My house is also full of these containers even though many of them we can buy in the department stores.
A great review on Tupperware and the business opportunity it presents. I believe it is a good home based business for many and your review sure will attract more people to check out its products and marketing program.
One thing I noticed, I don’t see people promoting Tupperware in my area through home parties. Instead, they promote them as festive gifts. A friend of mine sells more than $100 K of gift hampers in just on one festive season. That’s another idea to think about.
Great review. I only see and use Tupperware all the time, not knowing that you can actually turn it into a source of income. You are also right when you point out about the business model use in selling Tupperware. I feel many stay at home mother will be very interested in selling Tupperware online after reading your review.
Thanks for coming up with this review. I use Tupperware all the time. It’s a great product and comes in very handy for transporting food and for storage. Never really looked at the business opportunity side of it before. I found your information quite useful. I can definitely see the potential with it because the products pretty much speaks for itself.