For us, the future is bright because we have each other: Loren Ridinger (of Market America Worldwide | SHOP.COM) said while speaking with The Silicon Review

“We’re a data-driven company that’s fueled by thousands of shoppers worldwide — what we call ‘people power’ — who tell us exactly what consumers from around the globe need and want next.” — Marc Ashley

Javid Ali | The Silicon Review

Market America Worldwide | SHOP.COM is a global premier digital marketing and e-commerce company, providing customers with a connection to a vast array of products and services while filling nearly every conceivable consumer niche and need. The company not only offers an exclusive lineup of its own premium brands but also offers millions of products and services through its robust network of Partner Stores. Market America | SHOP.COM serves customers worldwide.

The company was founded in 1992.

The Silicon Review reached out to Loren Ridinger, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO of Market America Worldwide | SHOP.COM, and Marc Ashley, President & COO of Market America Worldwide, and here’s what they had to say.

We, at The Silicon Review, pay our heartfelt tribute to Market America’s great leader and founder, JR Ridinger. He passed away in August this year.

Interview Highlights

Q. What was the motivation behind starting Market America?

Loren Ridinger: My husband JR, (the company’s founder), was always passionate about entrepreneurship and he had essentially become an expert in the field of direct sales and one-to-one marketing. As a visionary, his ideas were so ahead of their time, but his concepts and ideas clicked for me and I knew from the start that we were onto something revolutionary. Home computing was just becoming popular, and we were able to ride that wave as pioneers in online shopping. The motivation to start the business came from JR’s belief that the modern marketing paradigm was fundamentally broken, but with that, he saw opportunities for consumers and entrepreneurs to consolidate buying power and wield it as their own. JR and I were champions of online shopping before it was even a thing. Ultimately, we started Market America because we felt there was so much more to life than getting up each morning to work for someone else. I always believed in JR — and I like to think that I helped strengthen his own belief, resolve and focus. Together we built an incredible company, but the motivation behind it was always to help others find a realistic path to success.

Q. Can you briefly explain your services?

Marc Ashley: We’re a data-driven company that’s fueled by thousands of shoppers worldwide — what we call ‘people power’ — who tell us exactly what consumers from around the globe need and want next. This means we always have in-demand products at great prices. Having these products means we’re able to help entrepreneurs translate that demand into an economic opportunity to develop a supplemental income. We also understand that one way to help offset ever-changing consumer demand is to offer a broad range of products, in categories including health and wellness, weight management, cosmetics, skincare, jewelry, and everything in between. The fact is, we offer so many products and services — it’s probably easier to come up with a list of what we don’t offer.

Q. How do you help your UnFranchise^® Owners connect with their target audiences?

Loren: From a corporate standpoint, we’ve always put a lot of emphasis on empowering our UnFranchise Owners with the tools, systems, and technologies to help them succeed at building their own businesses. As technology has evolved, so has our business model — technology has always played a critical role in our evolution and success. Over the years, we’ve developed some tremendous tools and programs such as the UnFranchise Marketing App with SHOP LIVE, which take consumer connection to a whole new level.

The app gives UnFranchise Owners the ability to share Market America’s business model and all of our exclusive products with others via their mobile devices. We give them a library of videos, PDFs, and social media images and a simple way to share all of these items with any prospect or current customer. We even provide trial-sized samples of our products for our UnFranchise Owners to send out to new and current customers as well as prospects. The app informs an UnFranchise Owner when samples are shipped, emails are read and so much more. And SHOP LIVE, which is available on the UnFranchise Marketing App, is particularly useful for the modern age because it allows you to host and stream online shopping parties during which you get paid for the products others buy. 

We’ve also been ahead of the curve regarding cryptocurrency as one of the industry’s early adopters of this revolutionary dynamic. When you couple all of that with one of the world’s top Cashback programs and our referral tracking system, it’s easy to see why savvy shoppers and entrepreneurs all over the globe turn to the UnFranchise Business and SHOP.COM. For over three decades, we’ve been able to refine our approach while also helping UnFranchise Owners maximize their business-building efforts with technology, marketing resources and an unparalleled business plan. The result is a system designed to connect people with in-demand products — and through that process we also empower entrepreneurs. It’s an amazing dynamic that attracts and connects consumers and entrepreneurs.

Q. As a globally ranked leader in e-commerce, how do you keep competitive and up-to-date?

Loren: Staying on the leading edge is probably one of the biggest challenges for any company our size, but the truth is we were always designed to be adaptable and dynamic. Our corporate team is filled with industry leaders — visionaries who can turn creative and forward-thinking concepts into cashflow. That’s the essence of staying competitive in an age when technological adaptability and the ability to see opportunities where others only see risk often determine your staying power and rate of growth. Another aspect of our business that helps in this regard is our tremendous connection with tens of thousands of UnFranchise Owners all over the world. We are built on product and powered by people. This continually helps us stay connected and in touch with what’s in demand and what’s just over the horizon.

Q. How do you use technology and direct marketing tools to help UnFranchise Owners compete in this highly competitive market?

Marc: JR Ridinger, the late founder of Market America Worldwide | SHOP.COM and my mentor, kept it simple — people lead to other people. Our business is all about organic growth through the people and connections we’ve carefully developed.

When it comes to connecting and communicating with people, we’ve seen technology and tools like social media exponentially grow in both use and importance in the past several years. We’re big believers in educating and empowering UnFranchise Owners, and we do much of that through our robust series of meetings, trainings, seminars, video conferences and webinars designed to keep everyone in the loop and ahead of the curve.

Resources such as the UnFranchise Marketing App with SHOP LIVE make it easier than ever to connect people with the products they want and need. We’re leveraging the latest technologies to put entrepreneurial success within reach for everyone. Our business is designed to grow naturally, in a grassroots manner, but aided by our referral tracking system and modern tools that make it easier than ever to network and cultivate new professional relationships and opportunities. That’s the trick to life and business in the modern age, and fortunately, our business excels in this aspect.

Q. How do you succeed in driving such high engagement levels with your shoppers?

Marc: Our business takes a unique approach to customer engagement. One of the conveniences of the modern age is the ever-increasing level of automation within our daily lives. What is often overlooked is combining new technology that provides convenience with people who provide connections to so many other people — ‘people power’ at its finest. Automation can provide a massive benefit when applied to the right aspects of your business, but customer support and customer engagement (the connectivity that can only come from one person connecting with another person) must always remain the focus of our business. Overall, you have to know when to let automation take a back seat to the human touch — and we put people first on SHOP.COM, combining high-tech with ‘high-touch.’

As an example of our high-touch approach — that is all too often missing in online shopping — we provide our customers with their own (human) Personal SHOP Consultant who can help answer their questions while also connecting them with the exact products they want to purchase. It's the best of both worlds, which can save our online shoppers both time and money.

In addition, SHOP.COM offers incredible features like Sezzle, a “buy now pay later” payment plan with no fees and no interest that gives online shoppers the ability to pay for products they buy over a six-week timeframe. We also offer online shoppers the ability to pay with more than 10 types of cryptocurrency and the ability to turn the Cashback that they redeem into cryptocurrency rather than cash if they prefer.

In the modern age, with information overload, being able to help consumers make informed decisions is one of the most important things we can do as a company, so we put a lot of focus on that. Informed consumers make smart decisions, and it’s our goal to help them do exactly that. We know that customers drive our success; they also contribute to our key decisions.

Q. Expertise is the first and biggest advantage of a successful digital marketing and global e-commerce company. How do you source the right talent to maintain the quality of your services?

Marc: Our business is fortunate to employ some of the brightest minds in the industry. I think that fact is, in itself, a huge contributing factor driving our ability to bring in the best of the best. It’s almost a snowball effect in the sense that brilliant, positive people help attract other brilliant, positive people. We’re blessed to experience that phenomenon here at Market America Worldwide, and I think it — coupled with our corporate culture of connection and inclusivity — has created an atmosphere much more like a family than a mere business.

Our ability to connect people with the product has been a driving force behind our success for the past three decades. We not only bring on board the best and brightest individuals from around the world, but we also take the time to listen to our staff regularly. The next big idea can come from anywhere, and we understand the value of different perspectives and opinions. Sometimes, it’s an idea that comes from one or two team members that turns into the next big idea to take our company to a new level of success. From the moment JR said Market America would be powered by people, we have continued to apply this concept to every aspect of the company. People power is our X factor, our not-so-secret ingredient when it comes to our company’s ongoing success.

Q. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful leader?

Loren: Adaptability, because the only constant in this world is change. Resilience, because no one can beat someone who just won’t quit. And vision, because you have to see the path to success if you’re going to help others walk it.

Q. How does the success of SHOP.COM positively impact an UnFranchise Owner’s success?

Loren: SHOP.COM is such an important part of our business because it gives UnFranchise Owners a place to send their customers — a place they trust because it’s the strongest domain name and the authority for online shopping. SHOP.COM’s success is a massive catalyst for continued growth for UnFranchise Owners and vice versa. Much of that success lies in SHOP.COM’s award-winning features. For instance, our robust Cashback program is one of the largest in the industry — having awarded more than $50 million in Cashback. It truly pays to shop on SHOP.COM. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way, because the hopes, dreams and aspirations of UnFranchise Owners all over the world are what give our business the power to change the world.

Q. What does the future hold for your company and its customers?

Loren: The future holds the possibilities we have the courage and tenacity to pursue. This is true for both companies and people. I am so blessed to have taken part in co-founding Market America Worldwide | SHOP.COM alongside JR, Marc and others. One thing we do better than almost anyone else is give people the hope and courage to pursue a better life as well as the plan to make it happen. For us, the future is bright because we have each other.

“We are built on product and powered by people. This continually helps us stay connected and in touch with what’s in demand and what’s just over the horizon.” — Loren Ridinger

Earnings depicted are atypical, and the success of any UnFranchise Owner will depend upon the amount of hard work, talent and dedication they devote to building their Market America business. For typical earnings, see www.market-america.info/mais.