Greece - Direct Marketing Greece - Direct Marketing
Employee health insurance and income tax laws and regulations are less flexible in allowing direct sales companies to legitimately develop sales forces as they can in other EU countries. A new law which came into effect in 2016 has set direct selling at further disadvantage because it requires that the people practicing direct selling pay social security contributions not based on their actual sales or earnings, but as if they were fully-employed with the basic salary in effect. CS/Athens has been advocating for the Greek Government to find a more sustainable framework for this category of business activity.
Delivering direct mail purchases to people’s homes remains impractical as there is usually no-one to collect during work hours. Thus direct sales companies tend to engage local low-cost courier companies. Due to increase in criminality, Greeks are less likely to open their front door to strangers. Thus door-to-door selling exists on a limited scale. Although door-to-door delivery is limited, door-to-door pamphlet distribution advertising still takes place.
Print Media Advertising
Greek media has suffered some severe setbacks in the past year due the GoG and banks tightening what used to be loose financing rules. The concept of no-cost publications had picked up remarkably well in Athens and a few other cities, with a host of free daily and weekly publications to match a range of interest groups. The continuing crisis, however, is affecting these publications ability to stay in operation and keep staff.
There is a wide-range of EU legislation that impacts the direct marketing sector. Compliance requirements are stiffest for marketing and sales to private consumers. Companies need to focus, in particular, on the clarity and completeness of the information they provide to consumers prior to purchase and on their approaches to collecting and using customer data. Consult the European Union Country Commercial Guide for more information on EU-wide rules on distance-selling and on-line commerce. Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.