Nu Skin: Supporting a fast-evolving business with a modern integration platform
Raising the bar on beauty and wellness
Now a global player in personal care products, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. acquired a complex IT architecture as the company evolved, involving multiple integration solutions. To simplify the IT landscape and enable rapid integrations between both SAP and third-party solutions as the company expands into new markets, it deployed SAP Integration Suite.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Consumer products | Provo, Utah | 3,100 employees |
saved on subscription costs for replaced integration technology and adapters.
days to create an integration, down from a couple of weeks.
Enterprise Architect, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc.
Empowering affiliates to make financial dreams come true
Improving customers’ lives by developing next-level skincare and wellness solutions, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. also gives people the opportunity to make their financial dreams come true by sharing their favorite Nu Skin products with others. This direct-selling model has helped the company grow rapidly since it was founded in 1984—and it now has a network of more than 1.2 million independent sales affiliates in 54 countries worldwide.
As the company increased in size, so did the complexity of its IT landscape, with four separate integration solutions being used to connect SAP and third-party software. This made management of the IT environment cumbersome, exacerbated by the fact that skills in using some of the solutions were in short supply. Meanwhile, multiple integration solutions resulted in high software subscription costs even though some solutions were underused, resulting in a low ROI.
To simplify the IT architecture and streamline system integrations, Nu Skin decided to deploy a single modern integration solution. It looked for a solution that would provide comprehensive tools and ready-made connections, enabling the IT team to quickly and efficiently make robust integrations.
Using preconfigured connections to link SAP and third-party solutions
Nu Skin considered integration offerings from several vendors. It selected SAP Integration Suite because the company already had an extensive SAP software landscape, meaning that the IT team already had considerable skills in managing SAP solutions. Product management experts at SAP provided Nu Skin with guidance and advice to help ensure a smooth deployment and enable the company to get maximum value from the software.
Using preconfigured connections in SAP Integration Suite, the IT team integrated SAP S/4HANA with third-party sales management software, replacing an existing third-party integration solution. In addition, it deployed ready-to-go integrations between SAP S/4HANA, the SAP Customer Relationship Management application, and the SAP Marketing Cloud solution. These connections enable the exchange of data from sales orders, subscription details, and affiliate accounts information between Nu Skin’s website and back-end systems.
In addition, the company is using preconfigured integrations in its invoicing processes, helping it connect with tax authorities around the world. Meanwhile, Nu Skin is using the API Management capability within SAP Integration Suite for internal monitoring of integrations, as well as the additional tenant for SAP Integration Suite, edge integration cell for sensitive internal communications.
Enabling faster, more-robust integrations while cutting costs
The ability to use preconfigured connections in SAP Integration Suite now means that IT staff at Nu Skin can set up integrations in days rather than weeks. Time to deployment for integrations is significantly reduced, and the IT team is freed up to focus on other projects. Meanwhile, by removing the need to manually code integrations, the company has minimized the risk of errors—helping ensure robust and reliable connections between systems.
By replacing third-party integration solutions with SAP Integration Suite, Nu Skin is also realizing significant savings. Expenditure on license subscriptions has reduced by more than $300,000 annually, as well as an additional $50,000 each year for the licenses for adapters used with that solution. What’s more, the ability to get a quick overview of integration flows across the company’s IT architecture is enabling more-efficient IT management as well as supporting effective planning of future IT strategy.
Enterprise Architect, Nu Skin Enterprises Inc.
Supporting expansion into new social selling markets
Going forward, Nu Skin will be expanding its deployment of SAP Integration Suite. It’s planning to drastically simplify its IT architecture by replacing other integration solutions, increasingly using the suite for links to third-party software as well as connections between SAP solutions. In addition, the company’s looking at increasing its use of the API Management capability to make it easier and faster to create robust integrations.
As Nu Skin continues to evolve, it’s exploring the potential of social media to help it enter new markets. Enabling integration with new social selling platforms, SAP Integration Suite is set to play an important role in helping the company exploit these new market opportunities, supporting business growth and providing a competitive edge.