Amway has finally launched the new amway.com website in time for the 50th anniversary celebrations later this month. The site is a well needed improvement on the old one, but to be honest, as an international Amway IBO I’m a little disappointed. It appears to me as if Amway.com has stopped representing the global Amway business and instead primarily represents Amway Global, as Amway North America is now known. The most obvious way this has happened is with the site logo – no longer Amway, it’s Amway Global.
Now, if one clicks on the country name or language on the top right of the site, you are provided with a link to other countries sites, but if you want US or Canada, then Amway.com is it. For one example of the North American specifity of the site, it mentions in a number of places the monthly bonuses from “3% to 25%”. As far as I’m aware the only place Amway goes to 25% on the monthly rebate scale is North America – everywhere else it tops out at 21%. Or click on “Start a Business” and “Find an IBO”, you’re provided with a contact form – it doesn’t even ask your country. Nutrilite is mentioned, but nowhere is Nutriway mentioned, the brand name in a number of Amway markets. “Shop Online” takes you to the old Quixtar site. Etc, etc, etc. The site is clearly targeted towards North America.
In my opinion one of Amway’s strengths in the past has been the independence of local market affiliates to adjust the Amway business model as necessary for local conditions. In today’s world however, the world is becoming “smaller” and more interconnected. Amway in North America has wanted to take advantage of Amway’s global reach and business possibilities to enhance the reputation of Amway in North America, yet well over two thirds of Amway business owners are outside of the US and Canada, and Amway.com no longer represents them.
In it’s attempts to become more internationally flavoured with the Amway Global moniker in North America, Amway strangely no longer has a website representing Amway globally.
Another area I’d like to see addressed is under “leadership”. The Amway site, like the old one, lists the corporate leaders under this heading, but nowhere are the thousands of Amway’s field leaders mentioned. While corporate leadership is clearly important, field leadership is arguably even more important. The Amway Wiki website is now approaching 20,000 visits a month, and the majority of those visits come from people googling the names of various Amway Diamonds and above. At present Amway itself provides next to no public information, or even acknowledgement, of them. Last year Amway promoted a 50th anniversary book that would list the stories of all Amway Diamonds. I’ve heard no more about the book but I’m hopeful someone in the corporation has been smart enough to put it all together for a public website as well. If not, there’s still time! 🙂
passed,
As Jeffrey says, the zip code ordering never went away. The Corp just decided to “simplify” the wording, since most IBOs I guess, had a hard time comprehending “cycle delivery.”
The document to which Jeffrey refers, used to be an Excel file. Now it’s an HTML file, that you can download or just open right from the website.
Rather than scrolling all the way through, you can hit Ctrl+F and then type in your zip code in the box that pops up, and then hit Next. It will bring you right to your zip code and will list your SHIP DAY.
passed: On the amwayglobal.com drop-down menu, go to Help>ordering and shipping>delivery by zip. Then a big pdf file comes up and you have to scroll down to your zip code. Zip code ordering never went away, they have just buried it. Your order day is probably the same as it’s always been.
Bridgett,
When Quixtar had designated delivery days based on zip code, we used to make sure to place order 1 days before and always got order in 3 days. But ever since it got changed to 3-8 business day delivery, it is only predictable upto the point that you will get it by 8th business day. Period. They don’t have fixed delivery days anymore.
I found the new amway.com site by clicking the link on the Orlando Magic home page. There has been a lot of positive exposure in the sports world for Amway Global over the past 6 months.
Has there ever! Cool to see the amway logo at the bottom of orlandomagic.com – I hadn’t noticed that one before. Man … if only the Magic can make it through … make or break tonight!
passed, I was having the same problems as you for about 2 years. It kept taking longer and longer until my orders got to me. I placed my orders on my regular (via zip code) order night, but they were taking the full 8 days, and including weekends, 12 full days. I kept complaining and kept complaining, and we found out that it was a new driver for the delivery company. Whenever he runs the route, it takes the full 8 days, but when another driver does it, I get it within three days. I have never been able to figure out whether he is just slow or has an attitude problem and deliberately delivers this side of town last. I do know that I have repeatedly asked the company to tell him to knock on the door when he leaves the order, but he refuses. The other drivers do. The driver that quit before this new guy started, was a dream come true–I could almost set the clock by him, he would not only knock on the door, he would bring it clear into the living room and ask where I wanted him to put it. I wish he was still my driver. I rewarded him very well every Christmas.
My mom placed an order with me last week and she still hasn’t got it. It was too small to go by zip code, so it was shipped FedEx. They are usually pretty good, but for some reason, the order sat in the FedEx Ohio warehouse for nearly 3 days before being shipped to Des Moines. So, some of the things that we have complained about are not the fault of Amway.
I have just gotten to the point that I tell my customers to be sure and order by zip code unless the order is too small. Then I tell them that it could be up to 10 days. After that, the company will replace it if it doesn’t show up.
I have decided to put in a small inventory again for the fastest moving items. That way, if someone needs something in a hurry, I will have it for them. If I lived within a 100 mile radius of Ada, I’d pick up my orders every week, but driving 10 hours one way to Ada to pick up my orders is a little much, even for hard-core me.
passed,
Two things:
1) I ordered something from Amazon.com two weeks ago. I went for the FREE shipping option. I had yet to receive my items as of yesterday, so I went online, and noticed that they were now giving themselves an entire MONTH to get me my stuff. I ended up canceling my order.
Shipping is very expensive. So not all companies TODAY are giving that “next day’ shipping that they used in order to lure customers.
2) In addition, there is a pattern of how Amway Global (North America) ships. They have many mechanisms in place to determine which shipping method is the most cost-effective.
It apprears that that way, currently, is having designated ship days of the week based on zip code.
So if you know when your stuff normally ships out (what day of the week), then you order the day before, it ships out the next day, and then you’ll get it in 2-3 days since you are so close to a Service Center.
As an example, I order on Sunday, ships out on Monday, and I get it Wednesday or Thursday.
Like clockwork–ya just gotta know the clock. 🙂
So it may be wise to teach your IBOs, and to guide your customers, to think more than a week at a time. To budget/order maybe a month at a time (like the first week of the month).
People may not be able to make that mental shift right away, but gradually they can, if you help them.
More than creating new websites, Amway needs to reform their delivery. While other businesses are trying to get customers with free, same day or next day shipping/deliveries, Amway still stuck with delayed delivery method.
I mean asking customer to wait for 3-8 business days, which may turn total wait upto 10-11 days is too much. This is fine for few products which are delivered from their main warehouse which may get delayed, but what about other deliveries, which are done from their local warehouse? Inspite of being in atlanta (they have local warehouse), we are consistently getting orders delivered on 8th business day, including saturday & sunday, it becomes 10 days easily.
I would love to go to pick up product on same day, but the their pick up timings are same as our work hours and can’t go during that time..They really need to work on this.
A map, for those who are visual (or geographically challenged) may be nice, rather than the current listing.
Like how http://www.canon.com is laid out–A global map, which, when you click on a part of the map, it drills down and lists the individual markets and/or countries in that particular area of the world.
I just realised something though – if the “global” suffix is dropped in North America, as I fully expect will happen, then it makes sense for amway.com to become the US site. Perhaps amwayglobal.com would then make a nice site for Amway globally?
I wonder why there is no Africa category under the Global Family section of the new site that would list South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Think it just got overlooked?
No, it’s a minor website design flaw. The last entry should be SE Asia, Australia, and Africa as it is under the country/language selection area, but the title width doesn’t allow the room. More miffed could be New Zealand, which is included under that heading despite not being any of the three.
I think it’s a pretty nice looking site.
Invent, create. Whatever. Like I said- a distiction without a difference.
That first post was a simple joke. Have you lost your sense of humor?
You clearly didn’t bother to read the first link I provided, to snopes.com, which clearly addresses what Gore said, and the silly idea that “create” and “invent” are the same thing, especially in the context of the quote.
In any case, this site and article isn’t here to discuss Al Gore and what he may or may not have meant by what he did or didn’t say, so let’s get back on topic please.
I stand corrected. I should have used the word “create” versus “invent.” (a distinction without a difference)
Al Gore:
“During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the internet.”
I see it’s not only myths about Amway you like to spread, MichMan! DARPA in the US was crucial to the development of the Internet, however the “web”, the most popular aspect of the Internet was primarily developed at CERN in Europe.
Al Gore never said he invented the internet. He did however play a crucial role in promoting and funding it’s development. Indeed in 2005 Al Gore was presented with a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in “recognition of the pivotal role he has played in the development of the internet over the past three decades”.
By it’s very nature the Internet isn’t “owned” by anyone. Not that some don’t keep trying ….
Not only did the internet begin in the US, it was also an invention of our own Vice President.
Doesn’t that mean we own it?
I’ve seen global companies do it both ways. As an example:
Kodak.com defaults to the U.S. market,
while Canon.com offers a Global page, and the you click on the market in which you are interested.
Are .coms primarily U.S. sites? I’m just thinking about websites like Amazon.
Amazon.com is the U.S., and then other countries replace the .com for .ca, .de, .cn, etc.
.com is theoretically “global”, but since the internet began in the US, and there was originally no .us, it was also the default for US companies – actually it’s pretty much the default for all companies, but companies in other countries had the option to get a local domain like .com.au. This became more important as domain names got used up. The .us extension hasn’t really taken off.
You’re right, other companies do the same thing, however other companies aren’t trying to promote their size and international reach as a part of their attraction.