Avon is a beauty and skin care products that advertise as a Company that “brings beauty to the lives of women all over the world”. The company says that its vision is “to be the Company that best understands and satisfies the product, service, and self-fulfilment needs of women worldwide”.
Product-wise, Avon’s vision suggests that the company offers quality products that will give you the perfect glow. Service-wise, it suggests that Avon offer the quality services of a go-to beauty store, such as easy ordering, fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer support service, and more. The self-fulfilment part suggests that Avon will not only make you beautiful on the outside but will also make you beautiful on the inside, thereby giving you the confidence to take on the world.
Yes, Avon is legit. It is not a scam because they will never steal your money. And you are going to receive any product you ordered from the store without a problem.
The big question is whether this is just tall advert-speak, or whether Avon actually understands and (most importantly) fulfils the product, service, and self-fulfilment needs of women.
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This Avon review will investigate Avon activities in order to provide you with answers to your questions.
The brand that is today Avon can be traced David H. McConnell who was a salesman walking door-to-door selling books and giving out perfume gifts as a bonus. He noticed that his clients became more interested in the perfume than the books; his astute business sense kicked in; and in 1886 he started a business to sell perfumes with a small office in Manhattan, New York. In its early days, the business was called the “California Perfume Company”. The Company saw serious growth, and in 1916, it was incorporated in the state of New York.
Though the Avon name was first used on products in 1928, it wasn’t until 1939 that the Company rebranded as Avon; by that time its product offering has expanded beyond perfumes to include beauty products such as lipsticks, powder, and rouge compacts. Avon went public in 1946, and in 1964 is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Today, Avon has an even wider product range that includes personal care products, apparel and fashion accessories. However, it is still better known as a beauty company.
In 2016, Avon moved its headquarters from New York to London as part of a three- year plan to turn the company around.
While advertising as bringing beauty to the lives of women all over the world; Avon explains that, to the Company, beauty is more than finding the right shade of lipstick, but also has to do with providing an earning opportunity so a woman can support her family. With that, Avon’s direct selling business model is introduced.
Avon is one of the largest direct-selling enterprises in the world. With the direct selling business model, Avon sells its products to sales representatives who then sell the products directly to the end customers. Direct selling is usually in non-retail settings. That is, instead of customers coming to a store location to make purchases, the sales reps take the products to customers in non-store locations such as home, schools, work environments, religious places, etc.
“Ding Dong, Avon’s calling” campaign was launched in the 1960s, hiring more representatives to take Avon’s products to homes. By 1978, the number of Avon’s representatives reached one million. However, with retailing revolving daily, and especially with the advent of an e-commerce website, you don’t have to go door to door to sell Avon. You can set up an online store, and also sell Avon products online. According to an Avon advert blurb, the company is one “that puts mascara on lashes and food on tables”.
That said; Avon is not just a website for buying its range of beauty and related products, you can also use Avon to start your own business by applying as an Avon Representative and selling Avon’s products. The Avon representatives started with women, and are largely women even today. It is with this (Representative earning opportunity) that Avon can boast of empowering women, of giving women access to credit to pursue and attain personal financial goals.
Avon is a legitimate site. The fear of being ripped off should make you ask this question of an online platform, especially when you have to send money to the platform. There are just too many online fraudsters not to bother.
However, Avon ticks the legitimacy box. Our first check of legitimacy is usually legality because, most often than not, companies that are 100% legal are legit. Avon was incorporated as far back as 1916. Also, the company is public and got listed in the New York Stock Exchange as far back as 1964. Suffice it to say that scam store do not seek company registrations or go public to trade in Stock Exchanges. In the least, this profile makes Avon 100% legal.
Another check of legitimacy is the company’s visibility because, most often than not, the scam stores usually hide in the shadows. Avon ticks this box. Thanks to its direct selling business operation, Avon is one of the most visible cosmetic companies in the world. “Ding Dong, Avon’s calling” was a catchphrase in the 1960s that referenced Avon’s representatives calling at doors. Till date, Avon still employs a lot of persons as sales reps, though the knocking on doors is gradually phasing out. Also, Avon has patented a couple of inventions; Avon patented BIOADVANCE skincare product in 1986 becoming the first to use stabilized Retinol. Also, Avon has championed a lot of women causes over the years. There have been breast cancer crusades and domestic violence programs. Suffice it to say that scam stores cannot survive the visibility that a direct-selling network or social responsibility campaigns will bring; neither do scam companies patent works, because they do not bother with R&D in the first place.
Another check of visibility is the fulfilment of orders. This is because scam stores collect payments and disappear while only legit stores will proceed to process orders and ship merchandise. There’s no doubt that Avon ticks this box. Established in 1886, the 133 years journey of the company is a testament. Though the company’s online operation is relatively younger, it is already pushing two decades. In those years, the company not only directly fulfils orders but has also encouraged representatives to start selling online, specifically launching MyAvonStore for that purpose. That said; there is no doubt that Avon fulfils orders.
Lastly, the legit store will not only fulfil orders but will fulfil orders with functional products (that is, products that are fit for purpose). After all, you’ll not see a beauty store as legit if it consistently delivers to you items that are virtually useless to you. In this regards, Avon does relatively well. Though you’ll find a lot of online reviews slating Avon’s product, there is an equally good number of reviews that sing Avon’s praises. That said; you’ll definitely find Avon’s products that hit the mark.
With Avon being 100% legal, being one of the most recognizable cosmetic stores, and having a track record of fulfilling orders with largely functional products, there’s no doubt that the company is legit.
Avon is also safe. Safety in this regard is the ability of an online store to safeguard the sensitive information that customers share with it, thereby preventing such information from leaking out to unauthorized third parties. To purchase from a store, even as a guest (without registering), you’ll have to share your credit card information, and if such data leaks out, you’ll be exposed to all the fraudsters seeking persons to rip off.
Avon ticks the box in this regard. The company employs different measures to ensure the protection of customers’ personal data and transaction data. One of such methods is the use of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption. SSL creates a private channel between your device and Avon’s servers whenever you are using any Avon websites. Thus, ensuring that any data transmitted is shielded from third parties. The data is also encrypted using AES 128 bit encryption. Suffice it to say that this is bank-grade encryption. Thus, your data secured; even if it is intercepted, decoding and reading it will be a tall game. That said; it is safe to say that Avon is safe (in protecting customers’ sensitive data).
The ideal store will be a one-stop shop for your related products. Retail stores move to be a one-stop store by having a wide product range. Even stores that focus on a particular niche can provide a wide product range by offering a variety of products within the niche.
Avon comes out gun blazing in this regards. As a beauty-focused store, Avon provides the full gamut. However, it also adds apparel, household, and personal care products. At the time of writing this review, the different department you’ll find in Avon (avon.com), the different product categories of the departments and the specific items you’ll find in each product category are as follows:
The ideal online store should not only have a variety of products, but each product type should be well stocked. With a large inventory, you’re more likely to find something that you like, and that matches your budget.
Avon does relatively well in this regards. For example, at the time of writing this review, in the markup department, there were: 26 different eye make-up products, 17 different lips make-up products, and 23 different face make-up products. In the Skin Care department, there were: 37 different types of moisturizers, 11 different types of cleansers and Toners, and 14 different types of Scrubs and Masks. These numbers are relatively high for even specialist beauty stores in the industry. You’ll find each product type well stocked. For example, you’ll find a Gel Finish Nail Enamel available in 26 different shades; you’ll find an Avon Liquid Foundation available in 10 different shades; you’ll find a particular lip gloss available in over 20 shades. Simply put, when shopping beauty and personal care products in Avon, the selection is huge, and you’re very likely going to find whatever you are looking for. Thus, it can be said that Avon comes out as having a focus on beauty products.
On the jewellery front; Avon held only 179 different items in the whole jewellery department. If you have checked reviews of the speciality jewellery store, you’ll find that this number does not compare because the speciality jewellery stores hold hundreds of thousands of merchandise. Thus, jewellery comes out as only a secondary offering of Avon; as it is relatively not well stocked in the store. If you want to be spoilt with choices when shopping jewellery articles, Avon might not be the best place to go.
The fashion department was also not well stocked. For example, at the time of writing this review: the apparel section which comprised of Tops, Bottoms, Dresses, and Intimates had only 24 styles; the footwear section had only 8 product types, while the accessories section had only two types of sunglasses. These fashion numbers do not come close to the numbers of speciality fashion stores, who are known to hold hundreds of different style in each product section. Thus, fashion is also a secondary offering of Avon. If you’re in the market for a clothing item, Avon might not be the best place to check.
The ideal online store must offer quality products so that anything you get from the store will not have any quality failings. When it comes to beauty and skin care products, the first discussion of quality should be safety. That is, are Avon products safe? In order words, can chemicals link to cancer, birth defects and other adverse health effects be found in Avon products?
In this regard, though Avon has not been the first to, the Company has eventually moved to remove from their products chemicals identified as harmful. One such example is the Company’s move in 2013 to phase out triclosan from its products, being one of the late entries into the triclosan-free club. Though some watchers have come out to say that Avon uses certain loopholes in federal laws to include unlimited amount of chemicals in certain products, on the whole, it is safe to say that Avon’s products are safe.
Another measure of quality is the packaging the order arrives in; after all the packaging will either dampen or heighten your enthusiasm. In this regards, Avon’s products do not come in any glamorous packaging. “Function over form” should have come out as their principle, except that it would seem that the company takes it a little too far. This is because there are too many online reviews of poor packaging. Trustpilot even has Avon representatives (who, by the way, are supposed to be championing the company) saying that many times orders come in packaging “a little messy and some of the products may suffer some damages”. Away from the representatives, you’ll also find reviews of customers mentioning that the “boxes of the products were all battered and bent”.
Now let’s move away from the boxes to what is inside the boxes. When it comes to the quality of what’s inside the box (the items themselves); according to numerous online customers’ reviews, it is really “hit and miss” with Avon. You’ll find rave reviews of products having a soothing cold undertone, not irritating the skin, fit for purpose (e.g. not experience a bite when the insect repellant products are used), and more. However, you are very likely to equally find negative reviews, such as products not lasting long, being lighter in reality than depicted in Avon’s catalogues, not functional (e.g. still experiencing insect bites even with the insect repellant products), and more.
That said; we’ll say that like every other brand Avon has both good and bad, but bad isn’t that the product itself is bad, but that it just doesn’t work for you. Know that quality is largely subjective; what is too oily for someone might just be perfect for another. Also, we have different skincare needs because of having different age, skin types and environmental factors; so what works for someone might not work for another.
Conscientious shoppers of beauty products do not want to look beautiful to come at the expense of animal welfare. It’s no news that new product testing on animals can result in suffering and death to the animals. Thus, conscientious shoppers will want beauty and cosmetic brands to avoid testing on animals or financing animal testing.
In this regards, Avon does its best to appeal to the conscientious shopper. Avon advertises as having a deep respect for animal welfare and being a strong advocate of the ethical and humane treatment of animals as well as the protection of human health and safety.
For example, the Animal welfare policy page of www.avon.com states that: “Consumers can be assured that Avon has not tested on animals any product carrying the Avon name sold in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico”, and that all their products are “developed utilizing alternative testing methods”. Some of the alternative testing methods mentioned are computational modelling, extrapolations from existing data, in vitro (test tube/cell culture) testing, and clinical tests with human volunteers.
In fact, as far back as 1989, Avon moved to end animal testing, is one of the first major cosmetic Companies to do so.
Unfortunately, however much Avon sings “respect for animals” or “alternative testing”, the Company isn’t really cruelty-free. This is because there are some regions that require extensive testing that may require some degree on testing on animals. In such regions, Avon complies with the testing required by law in order to continue providing products.
Thus, while www.avon.com, which serves the US market, does not carry any product tested on animals, some Avon sites (e.g. China) carry products tested on animals.
Avon does not just provide the products, the company also provide pertinent information that’ll help you find the right product, apply it right, and come out nothing short of perfect.
In the How-To’s section of the Avon site, you’ll find the pertinent how-to’s about three product categories – Makeup, Bath and Body, and Skincare.
At the time of writing this review, the pertinent articles about these product groups are:
Avon has strongly associated with women and has given voice and support to a lot of women causes. Apart from empowering women through its Representatives earning the opportunity, Avon movements raise awareness and funds for issues of health, safety and wellbeing of the woman.
The Avon Foundation was launched in 1955, and it has seen a lot of grants given out to women. Through the Foundation, the company has also launched campaigns to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, as well as programs aimed at ending domestic violence. According to an Avon advert blurb, the company is one “that fights wrinkles with one hand and breast cancer with the other”.
No customer will want to pay above what is reasonable for any item. Thus, the ideal online store should offer prices that are perceived as reasonable.
Avon does very well in this regards, as the company offers very competitive prices. If you compare the prices of Avon to other established cosmetic sellers, you’ll find that you will not be paying a premium when you shop in Avon across all its product categories.
Value for money makes buyers go for not only stores that offer fair prices but also those that run a lot of promotions. The reason is not farfetched as promotions are cost-saving opportunities, which allow buyers to get products for less than the products regular prices, or even for free. That said; the ideal online store will run a lot of these cost-saving promotions.
Avon comes out as one such store. At the time of writing this review, the Avon websites announced different promotions. One of such as “The A Box: Everything I want” offer, where you’ll buy a collection of items boxed by the company. This offer is similar to the mystery box offer of many retailers in that the price of the collection will be significantly lower than the addition of the individual prices of items in the box. However, unlike the mystery box where you do not know what item you are buying until you receive delivery of the order, Avon gives you a detail of every item in its box. Thus, you know exactly what you are buying.
There were a lot of bundled items (such as “3 for $39.99”) where buyers can save from buying the advertised number instead of buying single. Also, a lot of coupons were available which could be applied to knock off varying percentages off the purchase price. Avon also had a referral bonus, which gives you 10% off your next purchase if a friend you referred makes a successful purchase.
There were very many promotional offers available. However, these offers mostly last for only a specified time period. Thus, you’ll need to keep checking the applicable Avon website (that site that serves your local territory) to know what promotion is running at any particular time. Alternatively, you may register for Avon newsletter if you do not mind receiving a few promotional emails. However, unlike the unbeneficial emails that worry several inboxes, you’ll be handsomely rewarded for registering with 10% off your next purchase. Also, the e-mails you’ll get from Avon include alerts of exclusive offers and new arrivals.
Online purchases have to be moved from the physical warehouse or fulfilment centre of the store to the shipping address, where you will take delivery of the package. Thus, shipping is an important consideration in online purchases. The most important things to consider are shipping destinations, shipping times, and shipping costs.
If an online store does not ship to your location, your order will usually not process. Even if you somehow succeed in placing the order, it will be very difficult to get delivery of the package. Thus, when considering an online store, one of the first checks should be the locations it ships to. You’ll want a store that ships to many worldwide locations so that your location is more likely to be served.
Avon does relatively well in this regards. The company sells products in many worldwide locations. However, it does this with different country-specific websites. For example, Avon.com is the US website, and it directly serves (and ships to) only locations in the U; also, avon.co.uk serves (and ships to) only locations in the UK.
That said, to buy Avon product, as an international customer, you’ll have to visit your local country website. Local Avon websites have been designed for markets in regions around the world. The regions and the specific countries with a tailored Avon website are:
That shopper does not exist who will be ready to wait forever to receive delivery of his/ her online order. Thus, the ideal online store should offer fast delivery.
The business model of Avon positions the company to offer fast delivery. The Company decentralizes operation, such that instead of having a central fulfilment centre from which merchandise ship worldwide, each market segment is served by a local website. Thus, the fulfilment service is closer to the customer and is supposed to offer relatively faster delivery.
Generally, Avon takes 1 – 2 business days to process in-stock items and dispatch them to be shipped. That said; when shipping to the US (from avon.com), there are a couple of delivery options that include Standard Ground delivery, Expedited 2 Business Days Delivery, and Expedited Next Business Day Delivery. However, the expedited delivery options do not apply to Alaska, Hawaii, P.O.Boxes, and military addresses. The Standard Ground Delivery will take 4 – 7 business days to deliver your items; while the expedited delivery options will deliver as suggested by their names – 2 business days or next business day.
When shipping to the UK (from avon.co.uk), you can choose between Standard delivery and Express delivery. Standard delivery will get your package to your door within 5 days of it shipping, while Express delivery will deliver it within 2 days of shipment. Instead of shipping to your door, you can also have your order shipped to a Hermes ParcelShop, and you’ll go there for pickup.
Avon is able to provide expedited delivery to many international locations largely because of their decentralized operation. This is a plus for the company because most online retail companies can only provide expedited delivery in their domestic market, while every other international location will be served with standard delivery.
It must be said that though Avon’s decentralized operations should make for fast delivery, and despite its advertised shipping times being relatively fast, Avon has a reputation for being a slow shipper. Just check the independent customer support service, and you’ll find reviews of customers waiting 5 weeks for a supposed 5 days delivery. Also, because of the large number and consistency of such complaints, it cannot be chalked off as a one-off issue that befell an unfortunate customer. Rather, late delivery came out as a serious problem plaguing Avon.
Shipping cost can make an item that is acceptably priced too expensive to acquire. This is because the shipping costs add up to the purchase price in determining the total acquisition cost of any online order. Thus, the ideal online store will offer shipping costs that are as low as possible.
Avon does relatively well in this regards. The lowest possible shipping cost is $0.00, and Avon offers that with their free shipping offers.
When shipping to US locations (from Avon.com), you’ll get free standard shipping for orders over $40. When free shipping does not apply, Avon charges flat rates as follows: Standard shipping (of items under $40) cost $6.95, Expedited 2 Business days delivery cost $15, and Expedited Next business day delivery cost $20.90. However when shipping to Hawaii or Alaska, in addition to the $6.95 standard shipping fee, a handling fee will be charged, which is 15% of the purchase or $7.00 (whichever is higher).
When shipping to the UK (from www.avon.co.uk), you’ll get free standard shipping for orders over £30. However, standard shipping for orders under £30 cost £3.50, while the express delivery cost £5.50.
Thus, it’s clear that Avon shipping charges are fair. Also, it’s a good one that free shipping is offered. However, the best part of the shipping pricing is not just that free shipping is offered, but that the free shipping minimum order requirement is relatively low. Typically, retailers attach minimum order requirements to their free shipping offers. However, some set high amounts which put a subtle pressure on customers to spend more than intended in a bid to get free shipping. On the other hand, Avon’s minimum order requirements are relatively low – $40 for US orders, £30 for UK orders, etc. That said, you’ll not have to break the back in order to have your Avon items shipped to your door free of charge.
Avon says that customer satisfaction is a “#1 priority” of the Company. As such, it will accept the return of orders that customers are not totally satisfied with. However, it’s not news that the fine prints of the return policies of many retailers contain conditions that make the policies anything but friendly. Thus, what follows is a review of the return policy of Avon.
Granted, not every item purchased from a retailer can be returned. However, some retailers tend to restrict a lot and make only a few items eligible for returns. That said, you’ll want stores with a softer stance
Avon does relatively well in this regards because they allow returns of a lot of items including some sales items. Usually, any Avon item that cannot be returned will be clearly marked “Final Sale” in the product description page.
Also, Avon does not do product exchanges. That is, you cannot return an Avon product and get another sent to you as a replacement. You’ll have to return the unwanted item and place a fresh other for any other wanted item. Usually, exchanges facilitate the process of getting the new item as you will not have to wait to be refunded before the new item is on its way to you. Thus, it’s disappointing that exchanges are not offered.
Stores do not accept returns made at anytime. They set a time period usually from the purchase date or delivery date within which any unwanted item must get to their warehouses, and only items getting to them within the window will be accepted. That said, you’ll want an extended window so that an unwanted item you are returning will not be received late.
Avon does very well in this regards by allowing a return window of 90 days. It’s not clear whether it is 90 days from the purchase date or 90 days from delivery date. However, even if the return window starts closing on the purchase date, it is still a generous offer. This is because even if delivery takes a full 30 days (assuming the worst, given their late delivery problem), you’ll still have 60 days from delivery to get any unwanted item in the order back to the store. Know that in the retail business, “30 days from delivery date” is the standard return window.
You’ll not want a cumbersome return process to prevent you from returning an item. Thus, the ideal online store should offer easy returns. Avon’s process is relatively easy. You’ll only have to visit the applicable Avon website to print a pre-paid return label; after which you’ll package the item appropriately, attach the return label, and mail to the shipping address. Though the process is easy enough, the easiest would have been to include the return label in the package so customers will not have to generate and print the label.
Where returns are as a result of a company error; such as when defective or damaged products are delivered. The company will assume the cost of returns; but when returns are as a result of buyer’s remorse, the buyer will bear the cost.
If the return label is used, the cost of the label will be deducted from your refund. For US orders (from avon.com), the return label cost $5.95. You may choose not to use the return label when making returns, and you’ll have to pay whatever fees the carrier charges.
You do not want to wait forever to have your refunds after returning an Avon product to the company. Thus, you’ll want the company to process returns and issue refunds quickly.
Avon actually advertises that the company processes returns within 5 business days after receiving the returned item. Allowing 7 – 10 business days for the item to get to the company, and some time for your financial institution to reflect the funds in your account after it’s issued by Avon, and you should have your refund in a month after shipping the returned item. However, numerous online reviews suggest otherwise. There are too many reviews in the online spheres where Avon’s customer have had to wait for too long to receive their refunds.
Murphy’s Law reminds us that everything that can go wrong will go wrong in any given situation, meaning that issues are inevitable. You will not want issues with your order, but if an issue does arise, you’ll want a swift resolution from the customer support service. Also, you may have questions about the company or its product and service offerings; and you’ll want helpful answers from the support service. Thus, the ideal online store will have an effective support service.
For contacting its customer care department Avon supports online contact form and telephone service. For tailored support service, you’ll have to access the mail service (and get the phone number) from the particular Avon website serving your territory. For US customers (avon.com), the telephone number to call is 800 367-2866. Avon is also very active in social media; having handles across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. You can also reach the company using some of these channels.
Looking at the support channels supported by Avon, while it’s good that the instant feedback telephone service is supported, it’s disappointing that a company of Avon’s status does not support live chat.
Also, it must be said that Avon’s customer support service does not have good ratings. In the independent customers’ review platforms, you’ll find a lot of negative reviews of Avon, and one of the main complaints is poor customer support service. First, these reviews were just too many to be an exception and not the norm. Thus, poor customer support came out as a problem plaguing Avon. Looking at the reviews, we have to say that many of the issues were basic customer support failings such as not responding to customer’s submissions (or taking forever to), and seeming as lost as the customer.
Avon is not just a legitimate store but also one of the largest cosmetic brands in the world. Its direct selling business strategy makes it a brand that is always in the faces of customers.
Avon’s promise is to fulfil every woman’s “product, service, and self-fulfilment needs” as a beauty company. The company does well on the product angle by providing a wide variety of products, ranging from beauty products, skin care products, and even jewelry and fashion articles. Though you will find the selection small in the fashion department, you will find almost anything in Avon’s primary department – beauty and skin care products.
In the service angle, Avon gives tailored services; using different localized websites to serve different markets. Thus, they can deliver expedited shipping and free shipping to different international locations. However, it seems that the company is plagued with late delivery. Also, the products may not come in boxes that excites; but you can get quality picks from Avon. Also, while returns are fairly easy, and with a generous window, refunds take relatively longer; while Avon’s customer support service has not shown itself to be praiseworthy.
In the self-fulfilment angle, Avon gives earning opportunities by allowing persons to sell products. Thus, you are not only made beautifully but also empowered financially. For more stores like Avon visit: Amazon.com and Zappos.
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