Nu Skin embarks on digital imaging track

By RICHARD PAMATATAU

It's best known for its skincare and nutritional products but Nu Skin is shifting down the digital track to sell imaging software that converts photographs into documentary-style movies and slide shows.

Larry Macfarlane, president of Big Planet, the fledgling digital division of Nu Skin, said the company had big plans to capitalise on its enormous customer base with products for the "digital world".

The software will take hardcopy or digital photographs supplied by customers and insert them into slideshows, movies or archive them to CD-Rom.

Nu-Skin customers already had a relationship with their distributor so offering a digital image product was a logical next step in terms of trust in the company, he said.

"We will make it easy to keep your memories safe or for you to share them by creating files you can email round the world."

Utah-based Macfarlane is a multi-millionaire and lifestyle refugee from the pressure and stress of the high-tech world. He founded Zinc Software, a company that made software utility that was subsequently bought by Wind River Systems, now a partner of Nu Skin.

"I am bringing my high-tech start-up experience to this business wing, which is 2 per cent of the company's business at the moment with revenue of around US$35 million ($52 million) a year.

"Just look at how many people [there are] with PCs and you can see the size of the market," he said.

He was in Auckland last week launching BP Internet Security, PC software offering customers "protection from identity theft, spyware, as well as facilities for content filtering and a firewall".

Since being launched earlier this year the software has attracted 6000 single licence customers, and Macfarlane said momentum was building.

The system was released in New Zealand last week and would be sold on a subscription basis of $18.50 a month after a one-off purchase of $110.

"We are not looking for new distributors in the form of either retail or systems integration organisations.

"Our customers like to deal one-on-one with people and that works well."

The digital photograph products include an option that sees customer pictures being made into a digital slide show on DVD.