South Africa FAQ

Overview

doTERRA is nearly ready to commence operations in South Africa. We are excited to bring CPTG essential oils to the South African people.  We have attempted to keep our company, products, business, and culture consistent with all other markets. Most changes are driven by local South African regulatory compliance requirements.  doTERRA will continue to adapt over time to local market conditions and requirements as needed to suit our business model to the needs of our South African members.  Our main objective during our pre-launch phase is to establish a basic foundation of products and services.

It is important that members keep in mind our main Pre-Launch objectives, which are:

1. Launch 30-50 legally registered key doTERRA essential oils in South Africa while maintaining our CPTG quality and affordable prices.
    
2. Convert GAC members to South African accounts while maintaining genealogical integrity.
    
3. Begin local South African enrollments of new Wholesale Customers and Wellness Advocates.
    
4. Establish a safe environment for product education, sharing, and business building.
    
5. Provide low cost, fast, and product delivery throughout South Africa.
    
6. Implement doTERRA’s Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP).
    
7. Begin product promotions and incentive programs.

South Africa Pre-Launch Frequently Asked Questions

• Product selection: Not all doTERRA products will be immediately available in South Africa.  Strategically, we prefer to enter new markets with a core of our top selling essential oils to help leaders focus on the foundational essential oils and to prevent potential enrollees from being overwhelmed.  Our goal is to introduce additional oils, as well as other products, continuously, systematically, and as quickly as possible.
   
• Product Pricing: doTERRA does all it can to keep prices low and affordable.  In foreign markets, we often subsidize our cost of doing business according to local market needs, and such is the case in South Africa.  However, there are always additional costs of opening and supporting foreign markets, which adds some cost to our product prices.
   
• Product Claims: Every country has different regulations governing essential oil marketing and therapeutic claims. Like some of our other international markets, South Africa does not allow for internal use claims without an exhaustive and lengthy process. We are working to register the products to allow for internal use claims, but in the immediate future, we need to be cautious of what claims are made in any of our written promotional materials, videos, social media posts, etc.  It is always important to follow the laws of the country.
   
• Payment of Commissions: doTERRA South Africa will pay commissions both weekly and monthly.  All doTERRA South Africa commissions will be paid locally via direct deposit. For all Wellness Advocate’s who do not provide doTERRA with their banking details and instructions, commissions will accrue to the Wellness Advocate’s Account Receivable (AR).  Once the banking details are provided, the due commissions would then be paid.
   
• Marketing Materials and Labelling: Obviously, many doTERRA labels, sales materials, videos, training apps, etc., must be revised to become compliant with local claims and regulations.  It will take time, but we will start with some basic corporate materials and introduce more materials in the coming year.
   
• Staffing: doTERRA South Africa will commence selling locally with the oversight of the US corporate office.  More details regarding the management team responsible for South Africa will be shared soon.
   
• Product & Purchasing Promotions: We anticipate an aggressive product promotion calendar in South Africa.  We plan to test various types of promotions, taking in mind local purchasing power and cultural requirements.
   
• Bugs/Delays/Changes: Due to the many thousands of system changes and new procedures for South Africa, it is likely that we will face some system bugs.  We will work to avoid these issues as much as possible. For those that do make it through, we will work to resolve them as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately due to delays in projects slated to open prior to South Africa, we are looking at an early spring launch rather than launching before the end of winter (August 31st). We apologize for the delay and greatly appreciate your patience with this process. We can assure you that South Africa is at the top of our priorities and will remain so.

Before announcing any specific launch date, we want to ensure essential parts of the project are completed and we are confident we are offering the best possible opening to our members in South Africa. However, as we continue to achieve milestones, we will inform our members via our official social media accounts. These updates will include pricing information, product lists, transition plans, Founders Club qualification information, and much more. 

It is expected that we will have a Grand Opening a few months after we commence local sales.  These events will be led by corporate executives and international leaders.  More details regarding the events (times, locations, etc.) will be shared as we get closer to launch.

 As International Diamonds, Blue Diamonds, and Presidential Diamonds travel to South Africa, we encourage them to conduct events to educate on doTERRA products and culture.  

There will be two account types: Wholesale Customer and Wellness Advocate.

New members who wish to enjoy doTERRA oils, have preferential pricing, and participate in the Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP), can enroll as a Wholesale Customer (WC).

Those who would like to receive additional financial benefits for sharing or building, can enroll as a Wellness Advocate (WA).

The same global rules for these account types will generally apply to South African accounts as well.

WC accounts are for those who only want to enjoy doTERRA products and participated in LRP, but do not wish to sponsor and enroll others.  This customer type is not allowed to enroll others or receive bonuses for building activity.

WA accounts are for those who want to share or build doTERRA and receive financial benefits by earning commissions and bonuses on a weekly and monthly basis. 

All new members may enroll online at www.mydoTERRA.com or by filling out a paper WA or WC agreement and sending a picture of it to customer service at southafrica@doTERRA.com.

The enrollment process for all members includes these steps:

• Select South Africa as the country. 
   
• Provide contact and home address information that is unique to the member.
   
• Select an enrollment kit, or pay the enrollment fee and select product.
  
  • We encourage enrollment with a kit because it provides the best value – including up to a 20% discount on all product and waiving of the enrollment fee. Enrolling with a kit also provides the best experience for new members who are learning the benefits of our oils.
     
• Verify the shipping and billing information, and finish checking out to process the enrollment.

After the enrollment is complete, the new member will be able to sign up for the Loyalty Rewards Program (auto shipment). If members chooses not to sign up for LRP right away, they have the ability to do this in the Virtual Office at any time.

The doTERRA Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP) provides free product credits for monthly purchases that are made within the www.mydoTERRA.com auto-ship order template. 

As an LRP participant, members immediately begin to earn product credits that can be redeemed to purchase more doTERRA products. 

Having an LRP template of 100+ PV also qualifies Wellness Advocates for additional commissions and bonuses.  For example, doTERRA’s Fast Start enrollment bonus is earned with an LRP template in place, regardless of when the enrollment occurs or when the order is placed throughout the month.  

The longer you participate, the more credit you can earn—up to 30% of total monthly LRP purchases. 

Points can be redeemed through online ordering or through a customer service order.

Prior to commencing sales in South Africa, dōTERRA will begin a phased market opening which will help ensure a smooth migration for existing GAC Wellness Advocates and customers as they begin processing orders and enrollments within the local operation. 

To migrate a GAC account we will need to collect government IDs for Wellness Advocates and re-collect addresses for all accounts. We will provide more information in the coming weeks regarding the process of collecting this information. doTERRA will automatically convert all GAC accounts to South Africa accounts. The GAC conversion will keep the existing genealogy tree intact.

The main changes include:

• Change country to South Africa
• Change pricing and currency to South African Rand
• Commissions will be paid locally via direct deposit
• The virtual office shopping cart will show South African product
• Any LRP template on the account will be altered to only contain local South African product 

Once the above conversion takes place, previously enrolled members will need to adjust their LRP template to ensure it contains the product, order date, and payment information they want, and thereby ensure commissions are uninterrupted.   

As a reminder, to qualify for the weekly Fast Start enrollment bonus, members must have a qualifying LRP order template active on their account; and to qualify for monthly bonuses, members must have a qualifying order of 100 PV or more by the end of the month. 

Former GAC South Africa members will not have access to GAC templates in their virtual office after the conversion.  

After the conversion, GAC will no longer be an enrollment option for South Africans.  South Africans must enroll by selecting South Africa as their country thereafter.

No, you are free to continue to enroll in GAC until opening, and then you can continue enrolling with the new South Africa virtual office thereafter.

South African members who enroll currently will continue to be GAC members until the market opens, at which point they will automatically be converted to South African accounts. 

Depending on residency plans and desired account type, foreigners may open an account in their home country and work with customer service to order locally.  If the member would like, they can enroll with a South African account.  However, please understand that in order to be paid commissions, the Wellness Advocate must have a local South African bank to receive direct deposit.  

Product

We will start with a limited offering of 30-50 of doTERRA’s most popular single oils and blends.  From there we intend to launch additional oils throughout the coming months.

In each foreign market where doTERRA operates, we add a small markup above US pricing to account for the added difficulty of exporting doTERRA’s high quality product and operating abroad.  A price list, showing the price of each available product will be shared as we get closer to Q3.

doTERRA South Africa products will all be priced in South African Rand (ZAR).  

doTERRA essential oils are sourced for optimum quality and potency from around the world and then consolidated at our Utah facility for rigorous filtering and quality assurance testing.  

doTERRA imports those validated oils from the US to South Africa for local sales.  This approach allows doTERRA to control and maintain its CPTG quality standard for oils in South Africa.

You can be assured that the oils you are enjoying in South Africa have the same quality and undergo the same rigorous testing as doTERRA CPTG oils everywhere else in the world.

Thus far, doTERRA has been successful at registering the same skin care and personal care product formulations sold in the US for the South Africa market. 

The vast majority of dōTERRA’s products in South Africa will be registered for topical or aromatic use only.  Our goal is to receive the approvals from the local regulatory agencies to market the essential oils for internal use. However, until we receive approval, we require all members to make responsible and compliant claims when promoting dōTERRA product.

As we introduce new products in the market, we will communicate those that are eligible for internal use claims. 

 Shipping

Yes, doTERRA will start distributing nationwide from its third party fulfillment center in Johannesburg.  

From there, we will rely on a network of regional carriers to keep our shipping cost as low as possible while keeping delivery times reasonable.

doTERRA will subsidize shipping to ensure fees are reasonable. We anticipate offering a single flat rate shipping for all of South Africa.  As we approach Q3, we will share shipping fee rates.

Average delivery times range from 3-5 business days depending if you live in a large city or more remote regions of South Africa.  Of course expected delivery timeframes are just that, expected.

No, not initially. doTERRA typically does not open a market with the shipping rewards program.  As the market grows and matures, a shipping rewards program will be evaluated, and likely implemented.

In order to keep product pricing as low as possible, initially, we will not have a local office.  As the market grows and matures, an announcement for an office will be made.

 Payment Options

Members can use their local South African debit or credit cards that are branded Visa or MasterCard.  Points accumulated through LRP activity may also be redeemed to order product.  Also, commissions that accrue on the AR balance may also be used to purchase product.

doTERRA will continue to implement other payment methods as the market grows.

doTERRA will not accept cash or other cash based payment methods.

 WA Business Questions

No, the same global rules apply.  

We will, however, continue to closely monitor the South African market and make improvements to our plan if needed.

Yes, WAs are welcome to share and/or resell doTERRA products in South Africa.

An Enroller is the WA who introduces a new member to doTERRA and has a personal relationship with the member. 

• Enrollment relationships are used to determine Fast Start and qualifying legs to hit rank.  

A Sponsor is the WA who is directly above a member in his or her organization and is responsible for long-term product training.  

• The sponsor organization is used to determine Power of 3 structuring bonus, rank related volume, and Unilevel bonuses.  

If you have further questions, customer service (southafrica@doTERRA.com; +27105002462) can provide more details.

Consistent with all other markets, WAs with qualifying LRP templates and monthly personal and organizational volume will be paid due commissions.

Commissions will be paid weekly and monthly.  Commissions will accrue to their Account Receivable (AR) balance in the virtual office until the WA provides a completed Direct Deposit Form.

To be paid accrued commissions via direct deposit, Wellness Advocates in South Africa will need to provide their Direct Deposit Form to [insert email address for DD forms].

Once a WA’s Direct Deposit Form have been processed, all future earnings will automatically be paid to the bank account the WA instructed.

Builders should work with their upline leaders to provide product and business training and resources for their sales teams and customer groups. 

WAs ranked Silver and above also have access to a doTERRA account manager who can help them optimize their business and support their teams.

As WAs have questions about how to best structure their team, they can talk to upline leaders, or account management. 

Specific placement questions and issues can be addressed by corresponding with our placement specialists at placements@doTERRA.com. 

doTERRA and upline leaders will also hold regular events around South Africa to provide product and business education.

Compliance

doTERRA maintains the highest ethical standards and expects honesty and integrity from its members. 

Members should not represent themselves as the Company, nor should they use doTERRA’s trademarks without express written permission from doTERRA. A list of authorized doTERRA Wellness Advocate trademarks will be provided at a future date.

Members also should not make claims (especially in online forums, social media, blogs, etc.) that claim that doTERRA’s products can be used to cure, heal or treat diseases or illnesses. A list of doTERRA South Africa approved claims by product will be published at a future date.

It’s critical that doTERRA Wellness Advocates act with total integrity when recruiting.  Relationships are more valuable than commissions. doTERRA does not tolerate WAs recruiting members from other WA teams.  

Members can contact compliance@doTERRA.com for compliance questions or to provide evidence of non-compliant behavior.  

Full text of doTERRA South Africa policy manual will be provided at a future date. 

Silver and above leaders may also consult with their account managers to better understand how to apply compliance policies.

Member Support

Unfortunately, no.  As we are using a third party to warehouse the product, no tours will be given.  Once we have a local doTERRA office, we will be more than happy to accommodate tours.  Once we have an office, we would also offer will-call services and allow for training rooms to be scheduled.  More information on this will be provided at a future date.

Yes. Like other markets, members will need to place a 125 PV LRP order on or by the 15th of the month to get their FREE product of the month. 

Yes, doTERRA South Africa’s official website is: https://www.doTERRA.com/ZA/en_ZA.  As we approach launch, you will see more content added to this website.

doTERRA South Africa’s official Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/doTERRAsouthafricaofficial 

doTERRA South Africa’s customer service is available by phone or by email (southafrica@doTERRA.com; +27105002462).

International leaders can call US customer service and ask to be transferred to the South African Customer Service team.

Local South African members can reach our US based South Africa customer service team by calling the above local phone number: Monday - Friday, 15:00 – 23:00

Founders Club

Details to when Founders Club will begin will be provided roughly 30 days prior to launch.

Qualifying members of the South Africa Founders Club will receive a special annual bonus in perpetuity.

doTERRA reserves 1% of South Africa’s total commissionable volume to be shared with the Founders Club members each year.

Specific rules or requirements to the South Africa Founder’s Club has not been announced. The requirements for South Africa Founder’s Club will be announced roughly 30 days prior to launch.

Good luck to all during our pre-launch.  We ask for your patience and clear communication as we work together over the next few months and years to change the world one person and one community at a time.